Every child is special Essay

Every child is special. Every child has its own personality. Every child tries to endeavor and focus best in its life. Primarily, every child has its own dreams. But the main factor to ponder is, for us to understand his/her dreams. And the truth is, we lack stability, patience and understanding as far as the child is concern. The movie, Every Child Is Special, was about a certain child named Ishaan Awasthi. Ishaan was a talented child; he can think outside the box and paint with such passion and creativity. But he was not understood by his teachers, he was only thought of as a mischievous and a very naughty boy. He was often called an â€Å"idiot, duffer, lazy and crazy†, even his parents didn’t understand him. They only thought that the boy was misbehaving because he did not want to go to school. It is perhaps the structure and restrictions of the normal expectations of the school system that rub him the wrong way, because one day, after having been punished by being sent by the teacher to stand in the hallway, he goes AWOL and wanders the streets, savoring the exciting sights of tourist-film India. He appears to be somewhat hyperactive. If his parents attempted to have him tested, it may be that he never sat still long enough to get a diagnosis. After finding out that Ishaan will be kicked out of school after the school year, his parents decided to send him to a boarding school where Ishaan suffered more from his strict teachers. These incidents crushed Ishaan’s confidence in him and he became depressed, very depressed. He did not speak to anyone, not even to his mother or his brother. No one would even try to help him because they did not try to understand him. Luckily he met Ram Shankar Nikumbh, the temporary art teacher, saw himself in Ishaan, he stayed persistent to help Ishaan in his studies and his life. Through his unconventional teaching methods and graceful presence, Ishaan’s attention was caught up. Ram did everything to understand Ishaan’s problem in reading and writing, he consulted Ishaan’s parents and told them that Ishaan has dyslexia, wherein he finds it hard to recognize letters and numbers. I love where he tells Ishaan’s father that in the Solomon Islands, villagers don’t chop down a tree when they want to clear land, but curse and hurl abuses at it, and the tree withers and dies soon after. Ram helped Ishaan in every way, first he gave Ishaan a confidence boost so that he will not be afraid to express  himself, and then, he also gave Ishaan lessons in writing, reading and in math. Ram taught Ishaan using different methods, he made learning fun by applying games to his lessons. Gradually, Ishaan begun to improve in his studies, he has now little trouble in reading, he can right properly and can solve math problems. Teaching should not only be done in one way, we should use different ways to teach our students because each and every one of us has a unique and special talent. It is also good to understand the needs of our students, let them be free – free to imagine, free to learn in their own special way. Listen to your students opinions and learn from it. Somehow the movie touched in an exceptional way and it broke my heart seeing that the dear people that child thought would understand him were the very ones who judged him and failed to understand his problem. But I cannot really judge the parents though, all they wanted was the best for their child that is why they tried so hard to push him and discipline him at the same time. It tug the heartstrings and at the same time gives hope that having dyslexia is not a desperate and in hopeless situation. To help the students, family support, teacher’s patience and love is needed, so with the interesting and enjoyable teaching and learning strategies should be employed. The theory of multiple intelligences in education plays an important role here and that can be a vessel in informing the teachers and most importantly the parents for them to assist their children. With time, patience and care, he ultimately helps Ishaan find himself and the harsh father realized his child’s wo rth and needs.

I’M Not Scared Questions Essay

1. Read Niccolo Ammaniti’s epigraph by Jack London. Why has Ammaniti chosen to begin his novel with his novel with this quote? How does it illuminate what happens in the story? What is the literal and symbolic meaning in the novel about â€Å"falling into darkness†? Niccolo Ammaniti had chosen to start his novel with an epigraph by Jack London, this foreshadows that we’re going to read about a journey of discovering real evil and the loss of innocence. â€Å"He had fallen into darkness† the literal meaning of this part is Michele had fallen into a hole which is dark . The symbolic meaning is, he had stumbled into evil. 2. The novel opens with the scene in which Michele must choose between winning a race and helping his sister Maria. what conflicts and choices does this moment foreshadow? What is revealed about Michele’s character? The novel opens with the scene in which Michele contemplates between winning a race or helping his sister Maria. Michele choices to help his sister, this moment foreshadows the choices Michele must face. When Michele is confronted with Barbara pulling down her pants as a forfeit. Only Michele stands up for Barbara and tells Skull its not right. â€Å"Wait! I came last: I heard my voice saying†. This reveals to the reader that Michele is brave, compassionate and has self-respect. Michele is also very caring and protective of his sister † I didn’t like my sister being there†. 3. How does Ammaniti create and capture the atmosphere of childhood in his novel? What aspects of Michele’s way of seeing himself and the world indictate that he is a child? Ammaniti shows childhood through the eyes of Michele this is evident with the children’s gang’s mischievous and forfeits; this shows their concern and their innocence’s â€Å"Maria, you’ve made me lose the race!† the naive theories of the boy in the hole â€Å"Maybe the boy in the hole was my brother†¦. my sister and me†. Also the belief of ‘Monsters’ ‘Ogres’ and ‘Witches’ show us he is a young innocence child. 4. The novel is written twenty-one years later as Michele reflects back on the events of the summer of 1978. how can we tell this is true? What assumptions can be made in regards to how Michele’s life changes after that summer? The novel is written 21 years later we can tell this true when Michele says â€Å"Even after twenty-two years â€Å". Another indication that this is true is when he digresses about going to the snow.†About ten years later I happened to go skiing on the Gran Sasso†. This digression also suggest that he had left Acqua-Teverse, is better off, other assumptions that can be made are: The parents of the kidnapping would be sent to jail, The children of Acqua-Teverse would be traumatised. 5. Why does Michele identify with Filippo so strongly? Michele’s ability to empathise with Filippo was so strong because they both share the same pain of losing their innocence; Michele finding out his father is the real evil and Filippo been treated inhumanely and kidnapped. Their both young nine year old boys who share the same interests. 6. At one point Michele’s father tells him to â€Å"Stop all this talk about monsters†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Monsters don’t exist. Its men you should be afraid of, not monsters†.(page49) In what ways does the novel itself prove the statement to be true? This statement is ironic coming from Pino Michele’s father â€Å"It’s men you should be afraid of† is wise advice to Michele but he learns its the hard way. Its his father who is the ‘Monster’ that kidnapped Filippo and was prepared to murder Filippo. 7. In the games they play and their behaviour towards one another, how do Michele and his group of friends , compare to the adults in the novel? In what way does Michele possess an integrity that the adults and even the other children lack? The actions and behaviours of the children’s gang is minored more seriously by the adult gang in many ways like the children’s gang: do forfeits to decide the fate compared to the adults gang the solider’s draw to deal with Filippo. The bulling and torment is instigated by Skull this is also minored by the adults with Sergio bulling the rest of the adults. The children impaled a chicken and the adults treated Filippo inhumanely. Michele was the only person to help Barbara when she was tormented by Skull, he was the only one to care about Filippo even when Salvatore was told about him, his reaction was cold and wasn’t compassionate at all about the situation. They treated Filippo inhumanely and Michele was the only one that possess integrity and a kind heart. 8. What motivates the kidnappers? (Sergio, Felice & Pino) How do they betray their own children’s innocence? The motivation of the kidnap by the instigatored by Pino, Sergio and Felice. The reason for Pino is poverty: seeing the north while working as a truck driver this is evident when he bring a gondolas that represents his desire to live a fulfilled and materialistic life for himself and his family â€Å"Let’s go to the north†. He didn’t protect Michele’s and Maria’s innocence he held a child hostage and lost his child’s admiration. Sergio was involved in the kidnapping to fulfil his urge to go to Brazil â€Å"Had emigrated to South America†. Pino betrayed Michele by letting a criminal to slept next to Michele and didn’t protect him from danger. Felice was motivated by boredom he was a young man stuck in a isolation village woman less. He was cruel to Michele’s friend Filippo. 9. When Michele is running in the night to try to find Filippo, he fights off his fear by asking himself what Tiger Jack, a fictional hero, would do (page 196) What is so sad about this self talk? We’re introduced to a young boy Michele who admires his father like a hero . He loved his father, his father was his role model but when he discovers his evil side. Instead of been of his aspiration, the fictional hero Tiger Jack takes over and find him courage. This is so sad because it should have been his father and this shows the relationship is lost. 10. Why does Michele break his oath to his father and visit Filippo?(page 178) What is the â€Å"irresistible† force dragging him towards the hill? Micheles relationship with Filippo seems stronger then the relationship with his father. He should have kept his oath to his father, instead he kept the promise to Filippo this is evidence of that Michele isn’t as naive as he was . Michele was extracted an oath that Michele doesn’t keep. His conscience overrides and the hill is the irresistable force that pulls him to Filippo he saves himself and Filippo. 11. â€Å"I’m Not Scared† ends suddenly and dramatically: often such a climatic moment is followed by an extract in which the story’s loose ends are tied. why had Ammaniti chosen to end the novel this way? Niccolo Ammaniti has chosen to finish the novel at the climatic moment of the story because the reader can imagine the aftermath we have enough information to assump Michele didn’t died and Filippo is saved. When the novel is ended this way its evidence of reflection. In our minds we can fulfil our expectations. 12. Ammaniti’s novel can be described as a â€Å"coming of age story†. At what point does Michele grow up? What â€Å"hardness† about the adult world does he learn? â€Å"I’m Not Scared† is described as a â€Å"coming of age story† Michele loses his innocence and loses his childish ways when he discovers Filippo the boy in the hole he had experienced the truth behind the real world the isolation hadn’t protected him, his parents hadn’t protected him they betrayed him. This experience accelerated his maturity level, he learnt the real evil and ‘Monsters’ ‘Ogres’ ‘Witches’ didn’t exist they weren’t what he should have been afraid of it should been his father that’s what was so hard for Michele to swallow

How to Send AP Score Reports to Colleges

Many high school students are eager to report their accomplishments to colleges when it comes time for college applications. For some achievements, this is easier done than others. There are places on the Common Application to report your academics recognitions and awards earned in extracurriculars. Not all achievements can be so easily reported, though. Reporting official test scores is a little more involved. Official score reports for tests like the SAT, the ACT, and even AP exams must be sent directly from the testing agency. In the case of the AP exams, this means that in order to have an official score report sent, you will need to request one from the College Board. In this post, we’ll outline the three ways in which you can have an official AP score report sent, and how to self-report your AP scores as well. The simplest and most efficient way of requesting a score report sent to your college of choice is by selecting this option on the AP answer sheet at the time of your AP exam. This is not only the easiest way to report scores, but also the cheapest way. When you take the test, you are given one free score report, but only if you request it on your answer sheet. Simply fill in the four-digit code for the school of your choice and your official score report will be sent to that college. Keep in mind that your score report is cumulative. This means that the college will receive not only the score for your most recent exam, but also your scores on any previous exams (unless you have deleted or withheld them, which we’ll discuss later). You should also know that you will have an opportunity to cancel your score report if you receive your score and decide you don’t want it sent, but you will have to pay for this service. You can also send score reports after the fact by logging into your College Board account. Simply visit the College Board login and follow the prompts to select score reports. Unlike the single score report you select on your answer sheet, online you can request multiple score reports to be sent to colleges, universities, and scholarships. Also unlike the score report option on your answer sheet, the online score report request is not free. You will pay $15 per score report for regular delivery, or $25 per report for rush delivery. Regular delivery takes 7-15 business days, while rush delivery takes 5-9 business days. Exact delivery dates will depend on the location of the score report recipient and when exactly your request is received. Our Early Advising Program helps students in 9th and 10th grade discover their passions and build strong academic and extracurricular profiles to succeed in high school. If you’re not able to request scores online or you prefer to do it by mail or fax, this option is also available to you. Simply send a signed, written request with payment to the College Board address based on your payment method. Send your requests to the address below based on your payment method: Check/money order made payable to AP Exams: The College Board, P.O. Box 21535, New York, NY 10087-1535 Credit Card payments: AP Services, P.O. Box 6671, Princeton, NJ 08541-6671 or fax 610-290-8979 Requests that don’t require payment: AP Services, P.O. Box 6671, Princeton, NJ 08541-6671 or fax 610-290-8979 Standard delivery of reports, which takes about 7-14 business days, costs $15 per report. Rushed delivery, which takes about 5-9 business days, costs $25 per report. According to the AP score reporting website , you will need to include the following information in your written request: If you receive a score that you do not want reported, there are two options available to you. You can either withhold your score, or delete it. Withholding a score is done on a college-by-college basis. This means that when you request to withhold a specific exam score, it is withheld only from the college specified. You can request to withhold an AP exam score by following the directions on the College Board’s AP score reporting site . Your other option is to delete your score entirely. This is the better choice if you score poorly and know that you will never want to share that score with a school. Deleting a score is permanent and irreversible, so think carefully before doing so. You can request to delete a specific AP exam score on the College Board’s AP score reporting site . Official AP score reports are most commonly used by colleges when they are considered for placement purposes or for granting college credit. More commonly, colleges will learn your AP scores through self-reporting or through your official high school transcript. Many high school transcripts now include scores on AP exams. If you aren’t sure whether yours does, you can check with your guidance counselor or request a copy of your transcript from the registrar office. If your scores are prominently displayed on your official high school transcript, it’s unlikely that a college will review an additional College Board score report, except for placement or credit purposes. In addition, there is a section on the Common Application for self-reporting AP exam scores. This section allows you to list your scores on each exam taken on a honor basis. Double-check your score for accuracy before doing so. If you misrepresent them, there are a multitude of ways in which you could be caught, and some admissions committees may assume that you misrepresented your scores with malicious intent. Some colleges actually prefer for you to self report AP exam scores rather than sending official reports or including them on a transcript. For example, at Princeton, Yale, and Harvard, official score reports are only requested for the SAT or ACT. AP scores can be self-reported on the Common Application itself. If you are accepted, you can then send one official score report for placement or credit purposes at the completion of your senior year. This should be sent to the college you’ll be attending. Ultimately, you need to know the policy at each school you apply to. If testing is optional or flexible, AP exams might be accepted in lieu of SATs or ACTs. If this is the case, you’ll likely need to submit an official score report with your application. Be sure to learn what the testing policy is at each college on your list well before applications are due.

FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS, METHODS, & MODES IN THE HUMANITIES Essay - 3

FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS, METHODS, & MODES IN THE HUMANITIES - Essay Example Impressionist works include fairly small, slender, yet clear brush strokes, clear composition, stress on precise depiction of light in its varying qualities (frequently stressing the impacts of the passage of time), usual themes, insertion of movement as a vital factor of human insight and experience, as well as unusual visual angles. Post-Impressionism, on the other hand, describes the evolvement of French art after Manet. The movement extended impressionism whereas declining its limitations: they still maintained vivid colors, frequently thick use of paint and real-life theme or subject matter (Halsall, 2005). However, they were more prone to highlight geometric forms, bend form for a rich and open effect, and use arbitrary or unnatural color (Gowing, 2005). This paper will offer a wide-ranging assessment of these two art movements (impressionism and post-impressionism) by describing the characteristics of the two styles and social conditions that may have contributed to the advent of the style, the relationship between the periods, stylistic and historical similarities or differences between the periods, compare one specific work from the earlier period with one specific work from the later period and finally explain the stylistic influence that the later art period had on the future art world. Some of the vital traits of impressionism include clear brush strokes, day lighting, clear lines and less deep colors. Impressionist artists applied large and visible brush strokes to assist in portraying an abstract mood (Gowing, 2005). They developed diverse textures, both physically and visually, with different colors put together. Impressionist painters dedicated their entire works to a single object seen during diverse times of the day. The lines from this movement were normally subtle and blurry (Gowing, 2005). Finally, the colors from this movement were imaginary, though not essentially romanticized. Impressionism was the launch of a

Unit VIII Assessment MC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit VIII Assessment MC - Essay Example She filed a claim under the ADA. (4) Bob Hughes is 57 years old and was employed by the state as a school bus driver. He had an exemplary record, with no accidents in the 27 years he was employed by the state. Bob was replaced by a younger man, age 31. He filed a claim with EEOC for age discrimination. (6) Carlos, age 24, and Samuel, age 47, are employed as security officers for Jackson Security Co. In an effort to retain qualified officers and to be more competitive with the salaries offered by the police department, Jackson developed an incentive plan which provided for higher raises for younger officers. As a result, Jackson gave Carlos a higher raise than Samuel. Samuel filed a claim for age discrimination. (7) Gibson Foods, Inc. and Thompson Foods, Inc. have merged to form a new corporation, Better Food, Inc. In the process of consolidating the business, management decides that a reduction in force is necessary to avoid duplication of positions and generally streamline the running of the new company, thereby lowering the operating costs. Paul is a production manager and his job is eliminated. He is 51 years old and believes that he was targeted because of his age. (8) Catherine, aged 59, was employed as a make-up artist with a local department store. The company hired a new manager. He fired Catherine and gave her job to Katrina, age 42. Catherine is alleging age

International Security in the Global Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Security in the Global Era - Essay Example of invulnerability of the basic vital interests of the global community, the interests, for protecting of which it will rather start the war, than look for compromises. In other words, global security is a strategy, directed at providing the vitally important interests of the global community. This is the classical realistic approach to the issue. (Buzan 2003, p. 11) It should be reminded, that from the viewpoint of political realism, international relations always exist in the shadow of the war. Thus, the main means of achieving and protecting international security in realism and neorealism is supposed to be force (in its military and political dimension) and the main instrument for guaranteeing international security – is the balance of forces. (Lawrence 1998, p. 49) There also exists and is developed the understanding of the international security based on the liberal-idealistic paradigm. One of the central notions of this paradigm is the idea of international cooperation, based on universal values and general human interests. From these positions, the threat is presented by those participants of international relations, which refuse from cooperation and break the generally accepted moral and legislative norms. Collective security is the only way for overcoming the security dilemma, which goes through creation and strengthening of international institutions, further improvement of international law and following the generally accepted moral norms. (Buzan 2003, p. 44) The notion of collective security is the main and the most operational in the total security complex. Collective security is the situation, under which all members of certain community refuse from applying force in relations with each other and agree to give any assistance to each participating state, which has been attacked by any state of the mentioned community. International security at present time should meet a number of conditions, which are very difficult to accomplish. They may be

Staffing Handbook Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Staffing Handbook - Case Study Example R&W Barbers Human Resource Department regularly reviews job titles and job descriptions for the positions we have available. This gives a more accurate account of the expectations we have for our associates. Position Duties: Duties include but are not limited to, giving up to date haircuts, classic razor shaves, scheduling appointments, making business contacts, and other added duties required to maintain a proper work environment. When we can, R&W strives to hire from within. When hiring in house, people have prior knowledge of the expectations of the company and what our standards are. It also promotes a culture of team work and loyalty. Standard barber/hair stylist position open. Must perform haircuts and shaves, make appointments, and other duties needed to perform tasks. Must have required qualifications in cosmetology and one year prior experience. If the position is not filled within a sufficient amount of time, up to 7 days or no more than 14, the job will be posted on our website for the public to view. The public post is similar to the internal post. The exception would be education, training, and experience requirements will be specified in detail. Any and all applications will be posted for managers to review, through the company intranet. All applications have a disclaimer stating that the information provided is truthful. It also contains a signature and date line. While the applications are online, they will be printed and signed at the time of hire. Applications are a type of legal form, treat them as such. R&W Barbers utilizes our website to collect and store applications. Applications, through this online process, automatically verify that the forms are complete. Completed applications are then open for managers to review. Applications will be printed and signed when an applicant is hired. This form is to be stored in the employee’s file. Again, an application is a legal form.

Global Banking Operations and Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Global Banking Operations and Strategy - Essay Example The bank lost its resilience and resistance capabilities (The Telegraph, 2014). Credit was one of the failed segments of RBS. RBS consistently relied on credit trading, which due to high economic crises build up, brought more damage to RBS’s existence. The bank needed to sideline the credit segment, which had lesser opportunity and more market risk (Treanor & Bowers, 2011). The weakness lied in RBS operations, which consistently failed to manage the net returns of the bank. The leakage of cash due to poor banking operations, RBS was unable to stabilize its cash growth (Risk Business International, 2011). RBS always had low capitals in its financial cupboard. The bank due to small capital resource was never able to put hand on major market segments. This made bank rely on small segments such as credit trading or bonds investment, which had more risk and lesser income return (BBC News, 2013). RTT News, 2014. European Markets Decline, RBS Drops On Results. [Online] Viewed at: [Accessed 17 March 2014]. The Telegraph, 2014. RBS report: the main points. [Online] Viewed at: [Accessed 17 March 2014]. Treanor, J. & Bowers, S., 2011. RBS failure caused by multiple poor decisions. [Online] Viewed at: [Accessed 17 March

Sony strategic management and leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Sony strategic management and leadership - Essay Example According to Sony’s C.E.O, the company’s mission is to challenge the designers, producers and engineers in order to improve their software and hardware and eventually advance its differentiation process towards its competition (Badawy, 2009). Sony has renowned heritage of creativeness and innovativeness. Sony boasts of having products in the electronic, games, entertainment, and still participate in the provision of financial service sectors (Flugge, 2008). In this regard, this essay will delve on a critical analysis of Sony’s strategic management and leadership. More so, it will analyze Sony’s marketing advantage with supportive evidence. (1) - Sony corporation success Traditionally, Sony was known as a great innovator that managed to transform the entire categories of electronics with unique products like the PlayStation game console and Walkman music player. More so, Sony was in a position to command premium prices for its top-quality products (Gao, Men g, Steve, 2008). Therefore, Sony did not only the electronic industry but it also changed the world because Sony brought about smaller portable devices to the market, which is contrary to the old electronic devices that were bulky and inefficient. Sony has tremendously grown in market share and profitability (Ajami, 2006). Numerous evidence portrays this growth, for instance in the year 2006, Sony topped a Harris poll as the best brand which was the seventh time consecutively, while dell and coca- cola took the second and third positions. In 2004, Forbes ranked Sony as the 72nd largest company in the world. Recently, in January 2013, Sony scooped the So-net Entertainment Corporation award. According to Interbrand Top 100 Global Brand 2011, Sony emerged position thirty-six among other a hundred brands (Anonymous 2012). Prior to successful market share, Sony boasts of diverse and effective employees who in the year 2011 they were ranging at 168,200. On February 25, 2013, Sony sold a 6 .0% stake of a 55.8%-owned subsidiary (Minato-Ku, 2013). Factors that have contributed to Sony’s success Sony’s main contributor to its success is its unique variety of brands that match up the latest modern world. The company manufactures television screens and projector, cameras, home theatre systems, computer hardware, mobile phones, and car entertainment devices (Plunkett, 2008). Additionally, Sony manufactures home recording devices, storage media, and charging devices (Nargundkar, 2006). Ideally, Sony has further divided some of its products into other sub categories especially for the television products. This has made the company able to service its market through the innovation of tailor made products that suit their various clients. These customers include households, offices, and public gatherings. Hence, Sony’s success comes from due to the ability of the company to produce products that are able to meet the needs of their customers without financial constraints as their quality dictates the price (Ferrell & Hartline, 2011). Moreover, Sony also uses strategic marketing skills to the improvement in sales capacity. These marketing strategies include market mix, online marketing among many others. Ideally, Sony has managed to use its favorable public rapport to maintain significant relations with its employees, consumers and other relevant stakeholders (Shajahan, 2004). The use of its

Ethics in the Workplace Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics in the Workplace Case Study - Essay Example ain action which makes a framework for behavior of the people; nevertheless, the company in question did not put any restrictions on the actions of its employees. As it was noted in the case, sales representatives were not afraid to acknowledge that they offered brides to the doctors which is a kind of action that is recognized as a crime by the applicable law. Finally, the strength of any ethical system is primarily based on the fact that every person who works in a company, regardless of the amount of powers vested into one adheres to the ethical guidelines that are spelled out. Contrary to that, the case of TAP Pharmaceuticals proves that neither employees nor senior management was willing to introduce changes into the practices that were carried out. In other words, if there was an ethical system in the company in question, it was more a theoretical concept than the one which was applied in practice. However, a close examination of the situation would reveal that there was an ethical system which can be defined as ends driven. Indeed, every action that employees of the company made brought the goal closer. For example, they built good relationships with doctor by offering their different gifts which were actually bribes. The case talks about big screen television sets, ability to earn money by keeping the difference from selling drugs that they got for free of at a discount. However, this was done not simply to make their lives better, but they make sure that they approve the drug that is being produced by the company. In other words, all those gifts served a simple goal: convince the doctors to recommend a specific drug over the others. Keeping in mind that doctors likes the benefits that they were offered, the readily agreed to do so, knowing that cooperation is likely to bring them even more benefits. Finally, the actions that were mentioned above resulted into the fact that the company made a bigger profit if compared to the situation if it had not bribes

Frankenstein and Blade Runner - Texts in Time Analysis Essay Example for Free

Frankenstein and Blade Runner Texts in Time Analysis Essay Many themes and ideas continue to reoccur among different texts in time. However studying two texts in conjunction allows one to observe how composers manipulate ideas in order to more accurately connect to their context, and reflect the concerns and values of the time. Through the comparative study of Mary Shelley’s 1818 gothic novel Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus and Ridley Scott’s 1981 neo-noir cyberpunk film Blade Runner (Director’s Cut), one can observe how in these two didactic and prescient tales, ideas of the dangers of unrestrained scientific progress and the Promethean overreaching of man are explored, with differences in values presented reflecting the different contexts between the texts. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was created in an era of rapid technological change. By 1818, the Industrial Revolution had deeply influenced the fundamental nature of society, while Enlightenment inspired ideals of logic and autonomy of reason were prominent in society. Her text accordingly reflects this, as seen in the protagonist Victor Frankenstein; â€Å"I am imbued with a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of nature. † This metaphor alludes to his passionate and desperate urge to uncover the secrets to the creation of life. Shelley however critiques his intrusive scientific pursuit and horrid creation by juxtaposing it with the beauty of nature. This is seen in the bucolic descriptions of nature’s sublime; â€Å"Mighty alps, whose white and shining pyramids and domes towered above all. † Nature calms and dehumanises Victor throughout the text, but Victor pursues science to the extent that nature loses its consoling ability, and thereafter the Arctic becomes a pathetic fallacy to mock Victor’s psychological and mental isolation. This criticism is further emphasised through the epistolary narrative framework, which allows the text to begin in medias res. The first introduction to Victor is him in a state of complete ruin, and so the text is a forewarning of the ramifications of amoral scientific advancement. In a similar manner, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner was created in a time of rapid technological progress through the 1970s and 80s. The emergence of the computer and communication age meant that the world became more centralised, with a growing concern that technology was destroying the environment. Set in Los Angeles in 2019, the opening establishing shot of the expansive city immediately demonstrates the negative consequences of untamed scientific advancement. The fire belching into the sky, the artificial city lights sparkling under a looming red-grey sky and the haunting synthetic pulses from the Vangelis soundtrack allude to Hades, making the city a vision of hell. The camera then zooms into the reflection of an eye, which depicts the artificiality of the world and introduces dystopian themes of paranoia and surveillance. Hence we can see that Blade Runner is representative of a grim future that Shelley’s scientific hubris warned us of nearly two centuries ago. However there are alterations in the ideas shown to befit the differing contexts of the texts. Mary Shelley argues that an excessive pursuit of science can lead to the ruin of an individual man, seen in Victor Frankenstein. She also argues that nature is larger than man, evident in her highly Romantic descriptions of nature’s sublime. Ridley Scott however argues that man is overpowering nature, owing to the global concerns of pollution and deforestation in the 1980s. Hence Scott implies amoral scientific advancement will lead to the detriment of society as a whole, and not just at an individual level. Unequivocally, both texts explore the idea of the promethean overreaching of man and his tendency to usurp the role of God, through the characters of Victor Frankenstein and Tyrell. The subtitle of Mary Shelley’s novel, The Modern Prometheus, refers to Victor Frankenstein, and his creation of the monster. A new species would bless me as its creator and source† His creation however leads him to transcend the boundaries of man and elevate him into a god-like status, and this leads to Victor’s complete societal and mental isolation, where he loses sight of his responsibilities and the consequences of his actions. Victor compares himself to God, while the monster says to Victor â€Å"I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel†, referring to himself as Lucifer. This means the text is given added complexity in that there is a duality between both characters, where neither Victor or the monster are innately good or bad, rather they containing capacity for both, as they become two sides of a single entity, forming a doppelganger relationship. Finally, the literary allusion by Victor; â€Å"how could I enter into a festival with this deadly weight hanging round my neck? † is a reference to the albatross in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and shows the eternal punishment and guilt Victor faces from outstretching the boundaries of man and playing the role of God. Therefore it is apparent that in her text, Shelley attempts to warn of the dire consequences of man’s promethean overreaching of the role of God. Correspondingly, the idea of man overstepping of the natural order is heavily explored in Blade Runner. The film is the epitome of a dystopian world dominated by commerce. The initial low angle shot of the Tyrell Corporation’s grand ziggurat-like monolith reflects the rampant commercialisation and commodification of the world, while the blue light shining into the sky pertains to the usurpation of God’s role, and the diminishment of nature in modern society. The Tyrell Corporation’s dominance criticises the â€Å"greed is good† attitude of the 1980s, typified through the antagonist Eldon Tyrell; â€Å"Commerce is our goal here at Tyrell, ‘More Human than Human’ is our motto. † His thick glasses symbolise his failure to see the future consequences of his actions, much like Victor, and this adds to the eye motif of the film, where eyes are windows to the soul and measures of humanity – something which Tyrell clearly lacks. Roy Batty, the film’s role-reversed protagonist, is portrayed initially as a Satanic figure; â€Å"I’ve done questionable things†, akin to the monster being labelled â€Å"daemon† and â€Å"devil† in Frankenstein. However Scott makes a biblical allusion when Batty crucifies his own hand, and this relates him to Christ. Thus one can see how in both texts the composers warn of the dangers of usurping the role of god, showing the complexity and duality of man on Earth. Mary Shelley’s romantic values however mean that through the character of Victor, she aims to criticise the overreaching aspect of Enlightenment, warning that those who do will be eternally punished. Ridley Scott however aims to condemn the overcommercialisation and increasing greed in society, using Tyrell as a figure to represent man’s obsession for power, and in such he criticises the society that we live in. In these ways it can be seen how the overreaching of god in both texts is used differently to resonate with different contextual values. Therefore, through a comparative study of both Frankenstein and Blade Runner, we can see how the common issues of rampant scientific and technological progress and the usurpation of the natural order is explored in both texts, however these ideas are varied slightly in order to suit the differing contexts. Frankenstein aims at questioning Enlightenment values, while Blade Runner condemns materialism, unhinged genetic engineering and corporal greed, essentially critiquing society and presenting a dystopian vision of the future.

Principle-Agent Model of Employment Relationship

Principle-Agent Model of Employment Relationship Outline the principal-agent model relating to the employment relationship, and describe how pay models can help overcome some of the problems of performance in developing country governments. Introduction Managing scarcity is a major concern both in the private and the public sector all around the world. As the cornerstone of the economic theory the efficient and effective use of the scarce resources has been, since the acknowledgment of this social science, a paramount responsibility for public officials. Whether it was on behalf of the absolutist ruler or about the peoples interest, managing the states resources is a craft that not only has evolved in its tools but also in the scope that it covers, as new necessities arise and evolve at the pace of civilization. In the following sections, we aim to cover the Principal-Agent Model relating it to the employment relationship within the public sector, for which we will develop the main characteristics of the model with a political economy perspective. As Solow (1974) acknowledges, the world has been consuming its exhaustible resources since the beginning of time, and as the process will continue and new necessities will emerge, the state in all its forms needs to enhance its output and efficiency to address these situations. As one of the main inputs for government delivery is human capital, the choice of a proper compensation scheme, with incentives effects considering performance and quality can provide significant effects on output (Lazear, 2000). From this perspective, we will cover different payment models and incentives as tools to achieve a better and wider output in the environment of developing economies where scarce resources are more acute and social needs are more demanding, focused in the provision of the basic elements and services to help people to develop. Finally, and after going through the theoretical ground of the Principal-Agent Model and the mentioned compensation methods, we will relate them with developing country experiences and outcomes in the framework of new public management where, working altogether with other theories and components that includes a varied mix of characteristics (Gruening, 2001) such as, budget cuts, privatization, user charges, competition, separation of politics and administration, performance measurement and improved accounting, among others that we can relate to the neo-liberalist agenda, that emphasises management tools in order to achieve the goal of better public sector performance. Principal-Agent Model In theory of delegation, the core idea of the Principal-Agent Model is that the Principal needs to delegate a certain activity or job because its too busy to do it by himself. This is made by hiring a third party or Agent who will be responsible to perform the defined activities, but as the Principal is busy, it also means that he cannot observe the Agent actions perfectly. So, several ways are to be considered to motivate the actions of the Agent to favour with her actions the interests of the Principal (Gibbons, 2017). To be defined as a Principal-Agent Model some necessary features or core assumptions are required. According to the settings explained by Miller (2005), first, the agent takes actions that establishes a payoff to the principal, along with a risk variable. Secondly, there exists information asymmetries as the principal can view the outcome provided by the agent but not the actions that the latter undertook. Moreover, in many cases, the associated costs of monitoring the agent actions can be prohibitively expensive. Third, there also exists asymmetry in the preferences as those of the agents, as are assumed to diverge from the principals preferences. Also, the agent is taken to be more risk-averse than the principal.   Fourth, the principal is expected to act rationally based upon coherent preferences and is able to take the initiative by offering a contract. Fifth, agent and principal have common knowledge about the game structure, the costs, probabilities of the different outcomes and other variables. Moreover, they are conscious of the agents rationality and her preferences regarding an incentive package that its expected utility is above the agents opportunity cost. Finally, the principal is assumed to have the ability to impose the best possible solution regarding the agents inferred best response equation. In other words, The principal is endowed with all of the bargaining power in this simple setting, and thus can make a take-it-or-leave-it offer to the agent (Sappington, 1991, p. 47). Furthermore, Miller (2005) defines, from the above-mentioned assumptions, two initial results. Outcome-based incentives, to partially overcome any moral hazard problems despite information asymmetries. And, Efficiency Trade-Offs, as moral hazard sets boundaries to both transaction efficiency and the principals benefits. Efficiency in incentives endures a trade-off with risk-bearing efficiency, and the best trade-off or second best solution must involve risky outcome-based bonuses for the risk-averse agent (Shavell, 1979 in Miller, 2005). Asymmetries and Costs The relationship between the principal and the agent is not exempt of unbalances of power that operate in both ways. The former is threatened by moral hazard or informational asymmetries regarding the actions that are to be undertook by the agent. To balance this situation, the theory presumes that the principal will try to narrow these asymmetries by installing information systems and monitoring the agent. Also, they will offer incentives as a way to align the parties interests. In this alignment, principals compensate the agents not only for the collaboration agreement but for the actual result of this enterprise, performing contracts that are output oriented (Shapiro, 2005). Moreover, given the insurmountably costs of monitoring the agent, or public servant, the outcome based contract is a clear alternative against a retribution based on actions (Miller, 2005). In the public-sector sphere, if the official fails in his task, e.g. inclusive poverty alleviation programme, must be removed from office even if his actions were in the best interests of the public. This is not done out of vengeance, but as an incentive for future officials under the same information asymmetry and output-based contracts. Of course, if the programme succeeds, the official must be rewarded. This shows that there is inefficiency along the process, even though the output-based contract succeeds in reducing the moral hazard problem, it does it whilst recognizes the inefficiencies that come along with the solutions achieved, that in most cases are not Pareto-optimal in the relationship between the agent and the principal (Downs and Rocke, 1994). Moral hazard is a key component in the contract formulation. The principals are assumed to be risk neutral and the agents risk averse, as they have bet all in into the contract with the principal, the information asymmetry plays an important part as the agent will do things that might go against the principals goals in order to preserve themselves from risk. Thus, the importance to design tools to minimize this hazards (Shapiro, 2005). In addition, the principals are faced with situations that modify substantially the assumption that is the latter the one who is in control of creating incentives, specifying the preferences and making the contracts for the agents to follow. There exists many common situations in which principals need agents with expertise, or with experience that goes far beyond that of theirs, in this cases the asymmetry of information is reinforced by the shift in the asymmetry of power as it shifts from the principal to the agent (Shapiro, 2005) a common case observed with public officials and politicians. Therefore, by manipulating the incentives offered to the agent, the principal attempts to minimize agency costs or shirking, that is the losses assumed by the principal by her incapacity to align the self-interests of the agent with her owns (Miller, 2005). When it comes to the public service, two observations must be made. First, as there exists knowledge and information asymmetries and they are characteristic in many agency relationships that are opaque and quite difficult to be subject of surveillance, agents self-regulation provides a very important monitoring role. Secondly, many regulatory provisions and self-regulatory arrangements established to control agency relationships are as well agency relationships. Whether they are compliance officers, auditors, internal affairs departments, insurance companies, investment advisors or government regulators, the monitors act on behalf of the principals. Therefore, they also comprise agency problems (Shapiro, 2005). Shirking, cooptation or corruption becomes part of the equation. So, the question of Who monitors the monitors? (Shapiro, 1987) arises, creating a structure of agents controlling agents. The later question demands more attention from the political science view as sanctions are required to induce agents to properly perform their duties. Budget cuts, firing officials, recontracting or voting them out of office are ways used in the public sector to align the agents objectives with those of the principals. As Mitnick (1998, in Shapiro, 2005) explains, these situations inevitably comes with associated agency costs, when they are too high, either in political or economic terms, principals might choose not to expend resources on them. Furthermore, as politicians might not bear the burden of the consequences of the agents self-interested, opportunistic actions, the costs most likely are passed through to the public. This creates the perfect environment for increased laxity of monitoring activities in the public sector (Meier and Waterman, 1998). Contracts, Pay Models and Performance It is clear now that the channel to implement the required balances of power and influence is through the correct design of the contracts where the principals delegation to the agent will be embodied. Sadly, there is not a golden rule for contract design as every relationship is different and requires diverse considerations to achieve the best possible outcome considering most of the contingencies. Nevertheless, there is a caveat to consider as there are substantially different scenarios between the contracts and incentives options for the public sector than those of the private, more flexible, one. We must remember that the beginnings of the new public management and the considerations of the principal-agent theory are rooted in the developments in management techniques provided by the private sector in its search for efficiency and productivity. For this particular reason, we cover the more standardized retributive models to, afterwards, be able to apply them to the public sector with the necessary considerations. One of the entrepreneurs in compensation techniques was Henry Ford who addressed the high rotation of personnel and absenteeism that his motor company suffered by increasing the hourly wages high above the average threshold in the industry. This basic action provided immediate effects as productivity, commitment increased whilst personnel rotation decreased. This decision, though basic today provided a clear example of what incentives can produce in a given organization. But, Fords times are over and the complexity of transactions, markets and peoples needs have evolved into a more sophisticated retribution design. A rather common output-based contract is the Piece-rate payment instead of the classic hourly payment. This kind of contract works for certain organizations, and has proven to be effective in the increase of productivity due to two components: the increased production per worker due to incentive effects and a natural shift towards more capable, results driven employees recruited to fill the posts of those that are unable to produce enough to maintain their previous level of income. This generates profits sharing between the company and the labour force as part of the productivity gains are split among them, whilst encouraging more ambitious workers to differentiate themselves, both characteristics are unable to be achieved with a basic salary retribution (Lazear, 2000). Is understood that covenants regarding quality and other issues must be addressed in the contract to avoid future backfires. There exist different alternatives of contracts regarding the agents retributions. But they all aim to be the optimal solution to the information asymmetry problem. Authors also suggest the analysis of retribution in a time frame perspective, where initially the agent will be paid a wage lower than his alternative wage, with the promise of future, career attached, above the threshold wages as an alternative to avoid shirking when monitoring the agents activities is imperfect. Moreover, this method of delayed-payment or bonding contract is efficient as it doesnt alter the present value of the best alternative compensation. Also, this system provides the principal with an additional tool which is the increasing cost of job loss to keep the agent focused on the principals objectives (Krueger, 1990). A tool that is also related with bonuses or options related compensations. In jobs that are capital intensive and highly routinized, there is also room for shirking, absenteeism, theft, high turnover, waste, misuse of equipment or poor service that have a significant effect on output and performance (Krueger, 1990). These situations observed in certain industries can be also seen in some public offices, with the condiment that in many cases there also exists the limitation of law and regulation regarding the protection of the public employment that creates a further layer of asymmetry in the principal-agent relationship. The relationship can be turned-over as the principal becomes the employees that are unionized and the agent, the organization for whom they work. In cases where it has full negotiation power for determining the labour contract, the unions will demand higher salaries and in-kind payments that goes straight against the goal of maximizing the output as the cost increases (Laffont and Martimore, 2001). Moreover, there exists the risks of overemployment due to the mentioned legislation coverage, that prevents the organization to restructure its personnel and achieve a maximization of output through increased productivity. As Shapiro (2005) acknowledges, over time the agents acquire influence over other groups than their principals that increases their protection against any sanction that might be cast upon them. And as in many cases agents -government officials or corporate directors- outlive their principals (politicians, shareholders), the balance of power may shift. Performance and Development From all the above covered, we clearly observe that performance enhancing measures are activities that arent free of charge. In fact, even in private companies the application of any structural change regarding increasing output or efficiency comes with stressful situations that might be so disruptive that can stop the process. This situation, when taken to the public sector, where the motors of change are elected official with a fixed term in office, provides situations that require strong commitment and enough negotiations skills to prove the workforce and the ultimate principals, the voters, of the necessity of change. In this section, we will cover the approach that developing countries have taken to address and minimize situations that reduce performance or hold back efficiency. Improving Health Service Delivery Performance enhancement is a key factor to achieve the health-associated Millennium Development Goals. Hence, looking for improved ways for service delivery is significantly important. A way to achieve this goals has been the application of government contracting with third parties such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) practitioners, universities or companies. As Loevinsohn and Harding (2005) expose, contracts for health service delivery provides some interesting characteristics. First, they ensure a more precise focus on measurable results, especially when the contracts are defined objectively with measurable outputs. Secondly, they overcome some constraints that can prevent governments to efficiently use the available resources, such as the ones mentioned in the previous section. Third, the use of the private sectors flexibility can improve service delivery. Fourth, increased autonomy and decentralization in the decision-making process allows a faster response to peoples ne eds. Fifth, as contracting is through public offers, it will increase the efficiency because of price competition or, if its recruiting for staff, will attract better qualified agents. Finally, as these activities are outsourced in its execution allows governments to focus more on its other roles, such as planning, financing, regulation and more varied public health functions. Of course, in addition to the caveats covered in this paper, the thought of contracting non-state institutions to perform public activities comes with other difficulties as contracting should cover a sufficiently large scale to make a difference in aggregate service output. Which in turn, leads to both more expensive contracts and a shift in the balance of power due to principals (government) limited capacity to manage this contracts in the most efficient way once the service is instituted. Hence, there will be unsustainability risks in the contracting (Loevinsohn and Harding, 2005). However, governments have different types of contracts to provide a principal-agent relationship with positive results for society. In a service delivery contract, the state decides the services to be provided, where, and the integration scale in the infrastructure and supply management, where, personnel, equipment or consumables will be, or provided. There are intermediate options such as a management contract, where the agent will take over on the government health workers and take care of the increase in the salary, which will be linked to outcome based indicators (Loevinsohn and Harding, 2005). In this case, there is a limited effect in the principals shift of power as the agent remains in a rather weak position as it can be dismissed if does not accomplish the performance levels pre-contracted. When contrasted with some average scenarios in many developing countries, where the public sector underperforms or barely function at all, due to factors such as poverty, corruption, chronical economic crisis and political instability. Public officials morale is undermined and in some situations absenteeism increases or there are a lack of tasks or resources to work with, pervasive corruption and rent seeking characterises the public sector in many places in the world (Grindle, 1997). Reforms to increase performance and effectiveness are demanded both by the public and by the politicians, whos agency contract with society depends on their performance. Nevertheless, Loevinsohn and Harding (2005) research provides evidence of the impressive improvements achieved by government contracting with third parties in the performance of the service delivery. Whether primary health care in Guatemala or nutrition programmes in Africa, contracting yielded positive results. In some case studies the contractors were proven to be more effective than the state agencies, regarding several measures on quality of service and coverage. As an example, in India a NGO was able to deliver an increase of 14% in tuberculosis treatment completion rates at a lower cost than the public services in a nearby area (Murthy et al. 2001). Contracting under specific, results driven conditions has proven to deliver impressive and rapid results. The studies made on programmes that are ongoing suggest that there is a link between the high performing programmes with increased autonomy given to contractors, cases such as Cambodia, where Rural Primary Health Provision and District Hospitals, where output-based service delivery contracts provided better results than traditional management contracts. A result consistent with the characteristics of hospital services where autonomy in the workforce management is significantly important to improve performance (Harding and Preker, 2003). It is to be expected to generate controversy by contracting with non-governmental institutions to provide services. Critics often relate this movements as pro neo-liberal desires of privatization, while financing them with public resources with the objective to limit the government involvement in services such as health care or education. However, some programmes are designed and implemented due to internal analysis of the lack of expertise or proper resources to cover and deliver a defined set of services, a process that can lead to more efficient expenditures without reducing the public expenditure for that item (Loevinsohn and Harding, 2005). Hence, increasing performance and output. The above-mentioned examples are among many others where new public management techniques or concepts apply. The Principal-Agent model expressed in the relationship between the state and a third party specialized in service delivery shows that such a complex relationship should be followed in those activities that allow to be critically measurable, without being put through subjectivities in the performance analysis. When the Principal-Agent relationship is put under the scope of political science there are interesting considerations to be made. When we analyse the delegation process or the objective we might observe that maybe the goal is to provide an enhanced credibility in the commitments made, or to avoid the cost of unpopular policies. Instead of aligning the interests of the agents with theirs, principals who seek credibility from their agents choose other agents with different preferences regarding policies and provide them with considerable autonomy and discretion as a way to provide contracts with independence whilst seeking accountability for their actions (Majone, 2001 in Shapiro, 2005). As we can see, contracting under the principal-agent model is not a simple activity. There are so many variables that can affect the efficiency of the objective rather than its effectiveness, that it proves complicated to perform corrective measures. Therefore, the monitor eye is so important. The threat of future sanctions provides the agents, and in the public arena, some principals, with the incentives to perform their activities properly. Moreover, in democracies, where congressional oversight is available, and where effective incentives systems are applied, less often sanctions should be observed in the form of hearings and investigations. Direct and continuous monitoring of inputs rather than results proves to be an inefficient tool for controlling the agent (Miller, 2005). This provides a further incentive for the proper implementation and design of outcome-based contracts. Conclusion In the present paper, we have gone through the standard framework of the Principal-Agent model, where we have covered the technical requirements to be met in order to perform this kind of contracts. Always from the basis that is the Principals need of delegation of a certain activity, the trigger for entering in this contract based relationship in which there exists characteristics such as information asymmetries, efficiency trade-offs and relatively high monitoring costs associated. Furthermore, we have gone into a deeper analysis of the causes and costs related to the different asymmetries that can be observed in the principal-agent relationship and the particular impact that this can cause in contracts performed with the public sector. For which we have also covered the mainstream contract typology, the intrinsic objectives of the correct formulation of the agreement in order to avoid shirking and goals divergences. To finally, approach performance issues with developing country experiences related to the health sector as it is one of the public services that can have its output clearly and objectively measured without further complications or subjectivities. From all the above covered, we clearly can see that Principal-Agent contracts applied to governments is possible and yields positive results. But, it is also clear that is not an easy or systematic task. As it requires many considerations and attention to the caveats mentioned and many others that can apply due to the intrinsic characteristics of the tasks and the outcomes negotiated. We must also bear in mind that this kind of contracts also bear internal difficulties within the government agencies as not all of them are fit to be part of this kind of arrangements. In addition, we cannot think of implementing an effective principal-agent relationship without pursuing other structural changes in the governmental structures. As Robert McNamara, former president of the World Bank, claimed in most countries, the centralized administration of scarce resources both money and skills has usually resulted in most of them being allocated to a small group of the rich and powerful. This is not surprising since economic rationalizing, political pressure and selfish interest often conspire to the detriment of the poor. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] experience shows that there is a greater chance of success if institutions provide for popular participation, local leadership and decentralization of authority (World Bank, 1975, p.93). Moreover, Rondinelli (1981) focuses on the efficient delivery of services depending upon the effective organization at community levels to have a strong interaction with the agencies in charge of service delivery to establish priorities and set objectives. This paper aimed to observe the impact of the Principal-Agent Model as a tool to gain in efficiency and increase performance levels in the public sector. From all the above covered, we can see that, if properly implemented and with the necessary systemic view, this incentive-based tool is strong enough to help government agencies to increase their output and provide better services for the community. Again, is not the easy path, but it can payoff. References Downs, George W. and Rocke, David M. (1994) Conflict, agency and gambling for resurrection: The principal-agent problem goes to war. American Journal of Political Science. Vol. 38 pp. 362-380. Gibbons, Robert (2017) Lecture Note 1: Agency Theory. MBA Course 15.903: Organizational Economics and Corporate Strategy. MIT Sloan School of Management. Massachusetts. Grindle, Merilee S. (1997) Divergent Cultures? When Public Organizations Perform Well in Developing Countries. World Development. Vol. 25, pp. 481-495. Gruening, Gernod (2001). Origin and theoretical basis of New Public Management. International Public Management Journal 4 (2001) 1-25. Harding, April and Preker, Alexander S. (2003) Innovations in Health Service Delivery: The Corporatization of Public Hospitals. Health, Nutrition, and Population. World Bank. Washington D.C. Krueger, Alan B. (1990) Ownership, Agency and Wages: An examination of franchising in the Fast food industry. National Bureau of Economic Research. Working Paper No. 3.334. Laffont, Jean-Jacques and Martimore, David (2001) The Theory of Incentives: The Principal-Agent Model. Princeton University Press. New Jersey. Lazear, Edward P. (2000) Performance Pay and Productivity. The American Economic Review. Vol. 90, pp. 1346-1361. Loevinsohn, Benjamin and Harding, April (2005) Buying results? Contracting for health service delivery in developing countries. The Lancet. Vol. 366, pp. 676-681. Meier, Kenneth J. and Waterman, Richard W. (1998) Principal-agent models: an expansion? Journal of Public Administration and Research Theory. Vol. 8, pp. 173-202. Miller, Gary J. (2005) The Political Evolution of Principal-Agent Models. Annual Review of Political Science. Vol. 8, pp. 203-225. Murthy K.J.R., Frieden T.R., Yazdani A. and Hreshikesh P. (2001) Public private partnership in tuberculosis control: experience in Hyderabad, India. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. Vol. 5, pp. 354 -359. Sappington, David E. M. (1991) Incentives in principal-agent relationships. Journal of Economic Perspectives. Vol. 5, pp. 45-66. Shapiro, Susan P. (1987) The social control of impersonal trust. American Journal of Sociology. Vol. 93, pp. 623-658. Rondinelli, Dennis A. (1981) Government Decentralization in Comparative Perspective: Theory and Practice in Developing Countries. International Review of Administrative Sciences. Vol. 47, pp. 133-145. Shapiro, Susan P. (2005) Agency Theory. Annual Review of Sociology. Vol. 30, pp. 263-284. Solow, Robert M. (1974) The Economics of Resources or the Resources of Economics. The American Economic Review. Vol. 64, pp. 1-14. World Bank (1975) The Assault on World Poverty. John Hopkins University Press. Baltimore.

Societal And Cultural Norms Of Sexualities Sociology Essay

Societal And Cultural Norms Of Sexualities Sociology Essay Sexuality is believed to be shaped by social and cultural norms; however, it is also recognized that sexuality is shaped by other social differences such as gender, race/ethnicity and class. In general, norms are identified as social rules and expectations which guide individual or group behavior. Many cultures reflect their social norms on sexuality by identifying what is considered as normal and acceptable sexual behavior within society. According to Costa and Wood (2005, p9) sexuality is an integral part of the human experience with physical, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual dimensions. While deeply personal, sexuality occurs within specific social, economic, cultural, political and religious contexts. These contexts, in turn, strongly shape an individuals sexual experience through possibilities and limitations, as well as structuring their social outcome. In order to understand sexuality and how it is shaped, we must identify other forms of social and cultural contex ts in which it is constituted. This essay will illustrate sexuality through social and cultural norms. I will discuss the impact of socially constructed sexuality, which is ultimately shaped by certain forms of social differences. In saying so, the endeavour over sexuality is deeply significant, as it not only demonstrates how societies behave towards one another, but how societies are able to maintain acceptance to coexist. The function of norms is to coordinate the expectations in individual interactions; as norms impose consistency of behavior within a given social group, but often vary substantially among groups (Durlauf Bloom 2008). In saying so, all human sexuality is socially constructed though a wider spectrum; shaped by social differences in gender, class structure and specific historical stipulations. Most cultures contain social norms with regard to sexuality. Particular guidelines are put forward to be followed and obeyed in order to be socially accepted. Abiding by social norms, maintains an individuals acceptance within a group; alternatively, ignoring the social norm puts an individual at risk by becoming unaccepted or in extreme situations even becoming a social outcast. For instance, it is suggested that sexual acts are ranked hierarchically. The positive social norm is identified as a heterosexual marriage, which ultimately ranks at number one on the top of the hierarchy. Consequently, masturbation, homosexuality, adultery and other sexualities that deviate from societal norms are ranked closer to the bottom, with very little or no tolerance at all. One approach that focuses primarily on the sociology of sexuality is sexual scripts. Flood (2010) states that sexual scripts are guidelines that help define who, where, when and why individuals have sex. They are social rules, regulations and roles which guide appropriate and acceptable sexual behaviour. Sexual scripts come from various sources such as; family, peers, media and institutions. Kornblum (2008, p203) suggests that the concept of sexual script is a metaphor that helps explain differences between sexual expectations and actual sexual conduct. Research has indicated that most people have not memorized actual scripts to guide their sexual activity, but they do have definite ideas about sexual conduct that influence the way they sexually behave. The concept of sexual scripts emphasizes the social and cultural influences on sexual behaviour and this is seen more influential as opposed to the biological and natural framework of sexuality. Another form of representation shaped by society is gendered constructions of sexuality. The development of sexuality is reflected by gender. Gender differences in sexual behaviour are often included in gender identities and roles, sexual orientation, eroticism, pleasure and intimacy. Sexuality is generally constructed through, fantasies, and desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviours, practices, roles and relationships. The modern ideology of sexuality is that lust is the province of men and purity that of a woman. Flood (2010) illustrates several examples regarding gendered scripts for sexual relations as; male sexuality is seen as uncontrollable, sex is organized around mens pleasure, women are objects rather than subjects of sexuality, women as the gatekeepers and the guardians of sexual safety and health, and sexual double standard and the policing of female sexual reputation. Parker and Aggleton (p,170) express the socially constructed assumption that even pornography and pervasions have been considered part of a male domain. It is apparent that gender differences and inequalities exist; ideologies have claimed that women as opposed to men should be pure prior to marriage. Ilkkaracan and Jolly (2007) argue the norms around sexuality and what is considered acceptable according to context. They suggest that in many cultures there is a huge pressure to be married and sometimes forced to an early marriage. Other kinds of sexual behavior such as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender are discouraged by social stigma with legal penalties made apparent. A commonly shared ideology is to be a proper man or proper woman and to conform to gender stereotypes and express desires for or have relations only with people of the opposite sex. In the early eighteenth century distinctive minorities emerged and were labeled as homosexuals. However, society emerged and opposed their sexuality, and drew the line with social norms. This was perceived as a taboo to traditional masculine behaviour. Men are generally assumed to have greater access than women to the pleasures of sexuality. This is socially constructed though ideological perspectives that men; are risk takers, insensitive, sexually sinful, have a high sex drive and sexually experienced. On the other hand, the gendered constructions of womens sexuality represent them as innocent, sensitive, slut or frigid, responsible with regard to pregnancy and STIs, passive in sex, seduced and ignorant (Flood 2010). Although apparent social and cultural norms create gender differences in sexual behavior, it is believed that womens sexual experience is coming closer to mens. This is due to the sexual revolution and womens movements (Flood 2010). However the gender inequalities continue to be present, with men in contrast to women having more pleasurable sex. Further closely related to this concept is the theory of the sexual double standard. Although it is recognized that the primary principle is that all people, regardless of th eir gender, class, age, religion, marital status and race/ethnicity have the right to decide on their sexuality. The term double standard is a set of principles or provisions, generally situated to social norms and is perceived as either acceptable or unacceptable. Kornblum (p,406) describes sexual double standard as the belief that women must adhere to a different more restrictive social or moral code than that applied to men. The sociological view on double standards is shown to suggest that sexuality is divides women in to good if they are wives and virgins, and bad if they are sexually active and prostitutes (Randall Waylen p,86).However mens sexual behavior is free of social constraint. Flood (2010) describes two standards of sexual behaviour, one for men and one for women, associated with having sex and various sexual partners. Additionally, womens sexual behavior is socially policed and highly controlled in comparison to mens. Further, women who are sexually active are believed to be sluts as opposed to men who are known as studs. Consequently, sexual reputations are socially controlled ; this can be to an individuals advantage or disadvantage, depending on the gratification of the social norms.

Understanding The Misunderstood Art From Different Cultures :: essays research papers

Understanding the Misunderstood Art From Different Cultures Art is a medium used by people world wide to express their ideas, their fears, and their joys. The artist takes the experiences of life and translates them into a visual object, rich in colors, shapes and sizes, for all the world to observe. As a casual observer of art, one is able to relive the feeling or experience the artist was trying to display, if only for a brief moment in time. No matter what cultural background one comes from, art appreciation and enjoyment erases the barriers and the limits, and allows cross-cultural understanding and appraisal. Art has always relied heavily upon universal symbols. One of the most well known universal symbols is the cross, meaning of course, religion. Religion of a culture is one of the most frequently misjudged and stereotyped aspects From the prehistoric times of the cave man to present day, art has depicted religious scenes native to a specific culture. This is where most of the cultural boundaries lie. To one person, a smiling monkey can instill a primal feeling of fear, while to another the first reaction is one of amusement. This difference in reaction is based upon religious upbringing, and nothing more. To certain culture, a smiling monkey is the scariest thing they could ever imagine, and to another, it means laughter. A close minded person viewing an ancient religious mask would see nothing more than nonsense, while one who wishes to understand art would see the beauty of that culture and it's beliefs, and would try to place themselves in a way so that they may understand the original meaning ofthe mask, and form an educated opinion on it. Anyone can enjoy a piece of art, but what is it that makes a piece of art "good"? Is it the realism of the piece? Or the absolute perfectness of a sculpture? Maybe good art is abstract, an array of shapes put together to make a point. Or maybe good art is a classical sculpture that catches the light just so and brings a warm smile to the viewers face. Is it a measure of craftsmanship? A measure of mediums used? A measure of technique? Or is it just a measure of how it affects the viewer? Is good art visually irritating or visually pleasing? The beauty of art is impossible to define, for it's beauty inherently lies in the eye of the beholder. As Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel said, "Beauty is the spiritual put into a form." So, in defining beauty, one is attempting to define the spiritual beliefs behind the form.

Uniforms In Public School :: Teaching Education

In the past few decades school has shifted its focus from education to fashion. Students are judged upon their shoes or jeans rather than their knowledge. Uniforms in the public education system is a great idea, not only is it cost effective, but also it gives the students a chance to concentrate on their studies and not have to worry about what to wear tomorrow. Plus the crime or violence rate drops in schools that have a uniform policy, and those that do not belong on campus are spotted quicker and easier. Private schools have already adopted this idea as well as some schools in England and Australia. Early morning or late evening fights over what is allowed to be worn to school could come to an end if uniforms are issued in the public school system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The cost of uniforms as compared to the latest fashion statement is ridiculous. For the price of a household appliance, two or three outfits can be bought. The way the kids are dressed is more important than the grades they make. The students who don’t have the money to buy all the newest clothes tend to not go to school as much because they feel that they don’t fit in. The kids that come from lower class level backgrounds are the kids out there selling drugs and committing the crimes, but the money made goes to buy the latest designer jeans, just so they are â€Å" cool† at school. Uniforms can be bought at almost any clothing store. Prices range from $5-$7 for shirts, $10 for shorts and $7 for jumpers. Of course used clothes are cheaper. Majority of parents only buy two or three outfits for a school year. (Shrieves,3). Hand-me-down uniforms are used more than street clothes would be.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Should public schools in the U.S.A. have their children dressed in uniforms? Yes, as long as there are positive reactions involved. Uniforms not only look better and make fitting in easier but decisions on what to wear in the morning, a thing of the past. It used to be that the kids that wore the K-Mart or Wal-Mart brand of clothes were thought of as uncool. These are the students with lower test scores and poorer school attendance. Uniforms don’t only bring down the cost of clothes for the parents, but the school spirit is higher and the students feel a sense of unity.

The Character of Pilate in Song of Solomon :: Song Solomon essays

The Character of Pilate in Song of Solomon The character Pilate in Song of Solomon is portrayed in the role of a teacher or "guide". She tends to be a spiritual leader as well as a spiritual guide for Milkman and the rest of the society. It could be argued that she is the main cause of Milkman's liberation and better being. She represents the motherly love and gives the spiritual education that Milkman needs, in order to go through the monomyth process. She teaches Milkman the necessities of life not with severity but rather by means of being her own self. Her being connected to her heritage and traditions is also involved in changing Milkman into the hero. Pilate is not the typical teacher that a reader could expect to have in his or her classroom. Pilate is to a certain extent, very mother like and caring towards Milkman. She gives Milkman what he feels he can't get at his rich home, care and affection. When Milkman is alone, it is at Pilate's house that he finds comfort, not only from the people but also from t he surroundings of the house. He feels comfortable being in a neighborhood of people that are of lower class than him. Pilate takes on the role of mother to Milkman by showing how a family is supposed to be, which is not divided like his house, but rather caring and loving towards one another, like the environment at Pilate's house. As Joseph Skerrett points out, Pilate does begin teaching Milkman, starting from their very first meeting. Her whole lesson with how the word "hi" sounds like the "dumbest" word and that if someone was to be greeted with a hi, they should "get up and knock you down" seems to get Milkman to notice her. Her role as a parental guide changes to that of one of the teacher and she tries to teach him what is right and wrong. She exemplifies to Milkman how life should be led. She shows him how goals in life should be aimed for and how they should be accomplished. For example, her whole lesson on how to make the perfect egg shows Milkman how even som ething as little as frying an egg has consequences to it.

Plato Essay

Socrates gets Laches to agree to a new definition of courage by arguing that not all cases of courage are a sort of endurance. He asks Laches if he would consider courage to be noble to which Laches replies he would. Socrates then asks him would he consider foolish endurance to be seen as hurtful,to which Laches also agrees. With this in mind Laches agrees to a new definition of courage to include only wise endurance. 2/5 2. They conclude that knowledge of a virtue such as courage isn’t seen as being normal in the way hat it is,but being the kind of thing that is known consciously and spoken. Somebody who can talk about the subject of courage but don’t do well in battle,would have no real insight into what most people would consider courage. 0/5 3. Socrates argues for this conclusion by saying there could be some objection to the claim that courage is both foolish and wise. Firstly,wise courage gives you the belief that you are doing the right thing,but don’t hav e to,but by believing you have wise courage,it is the best thing to stay and fight. However,knowing you havn’t the resources for battle,but are considered brave enough to stay and fight anyway,surely this can be seen as both foolish and wise courage. 2/5 4. Socrates asks Laches if he knows the nature of virtue and would they tell others of it. Laches agrees to both questions allowing Socrates to test Laches own knowledge of virtue. He asks him about the part of virtue that is relevant to the art of fighting in armour – courage. Socrates then asks Laches to take into account the actions of the Sythian cavalry who fought bravely whilst running way. These examples are of a courageous nature but do not fit Laches example of courage. Socrates then asks Laches about the nature of courage of the soldiers who man there posts,but adds also about the courage of people in general,wether in battle,politics. poverty or fear. He reinforces his argument by using the example of â€Å"quickness which may be found in running, speaking or playing the lyre. In this case Socrates states that the definition as the quality that does a lot in very little time. Laches has to come up with an idea of courage that takes into account all ideas in which a person might be courageous. One objection that might be made to one of Socrates arguments is that it may only seem like he wants to impress upon Laches that it is possible to have any sort of knowledge of courage at all because Socrates says that the only genuine piece of knowledge he can have is that he knows nothing in the first place. But,as there isn’t anybody that knows enough about courage to speak f it,maybe we should take into account Laches continuing courageous behaviour as a kind of knowledge,rather than it being known concsiously and spoken,courage may be the only thing to be considered as an example. Someone who speaks for hours about courage but is cowardly during battle,would have little knowledge of courage. This example is about spoken knowledge and is amplified again by Socrates when he asks Laches to try and embody the very courage and endurance he is looking for in hi s quest. 18/35

Brutus and Antony

What can you do to be seen as an exceptional adequate speaker? Brutus and Antony are both noble people that are both fair speakers in William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Cesar. Both people spoke at Cesar’s funeral trying to persuade their audience about his death. Brutus, who killed Cesar, tries to explain to the audience why he did such a thing, and Antony explains why what Brutus did was wrong. Although Brutus was a good orator and uses rhetoric well, Antony had the more persuasive speech overall. Antony had better use of emotional appeals, loaded words, and tone. Emotional appeals are arguments that attempt to persuade by feelings.Since Antony can’t say that Brutus is a bad person, he starts off with an ethical appeal. â€Å"The noble Brutus† (5). However, he says that line sarcastically, and soon proves to his audience that Brutus is wrong about Cesar by using an emotional appeal. â€Å"Hath told you Cesar was ambitious If it were so, it was grievous f ault, And grievously hath Cesar answered it† (6-8). He’s great at getting the audience thinking about if Brutus is actually noble and is one reason why Antony is a better speaker than Brutus. Second, loaded words are words that have strong emotional tones beyond its meaning.Antony uses loaded words to sway the people into his thinking that Caesar was good. â€Å"For Brutus is an honorable man, So are they all, all honorable men†(11-12). â€Å"Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And yet Brutus is an honorable man†(25-26). He repeats these lines often throughout his speech. Antony uses words like honorable and ambitious. This can be seen as a momentum that pushes his argument further. By the use of loaded words, Antony catches the attention of the of his audience and persuades them in a great manor. Lastly, tone, which is the speaker’s attitude toward the audience.Mark Antony uses a subtle and eloquent tone in his speech. This is in contrast to the rati onal tone of Brutus's speech. â€Å"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;† (1). Whereas Brutus’ speech starts off more weak and and calmer which wouldn’t grab the audience’s attention as much as Antony’s beginning speech. Overall, Antony had a more persuasive speech and it probably made the audience feel more included. He used a lot of appeals that let his audience to be more persuaded by his speech. He had a more stronger connection towards the audience and used skilled rhetoric, iambic meter, and manipulation in his speech.

Space Defining Architecture

Lynda Nwankwo Humanities 101-011 11/9/2012 SPACE DEFINING ARCHITECTURE An average population of the world views space and structure through the visual elements provided. Brick, tree, corridor, door, window, trim and carpet are only a few of these visual elements. All of the elements combine to allow us to experience a space. These experiences should be the designer’s goal when conceiving the space in question. Some spaces are created to encourage social interaction while others are designed to encourage silence and reflection.Think about the space that you are in now. If you are in an office, most likely it is institutionalized with a nominal amount of light and large capacity for production. Let’s say you are in a municipal park. Most likely you are relaxed and enjoying time away from the office and other stresses of life. It is the purpose of this paper to explore the relationships between these elements and how you experience a space. â€Å"Behind all seen things li es something vaster; everything is but a path, a portal or a window opening on something other than itself. ? Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Wind, Sand, and Stars :Harcourt Brace Javanovich, New York, 1967 We spend our lives inside buildings, our thoughts shaped by their walls. Nevertheless, there’s surprisingly little research on the psychological implications of architecture. How do different spaces influence cognition? Is there an ideal kind of architectural structure for different kinds of thinking? To begin I would like to define architecture and explain why it is important to design with experience in mind.Here at New Jersey Institute Of Technology, it is engrained into architecture students that our definition of architecture is the following: â€Å"Architecture is the blend of science, art and technology to provide a meaningful interaction between an audience and the space that they occupy. † Color can have a large variety of effects on the occupants of a space. As a designer conceives a space, the color should be used as a function of the space as much as the walls or ceilings. Yellow, for instance is a color that tends to grab attention more than other colors.This would make it a good color to use in corridors to show occupants where to go next. Since it also tends to increase metabolism, yellow should also be used in dining spaces such as restaurants. Along with color, spatial qualities can play a large role in how we experience a space. At the moment, I think we’re only beginning to grasp the relevant variables of design. Christian Jarrett, for instance, highlights a new study on curved versus rectilinear furniture. The study itself was simple: subjects viewed a series of rooms filled with different kinds of couches and lounge chairs.Needless to say, we’re only beginning to grasp how the insides of buildings influence the inside of the mind. For now, it’s safe to say that tasks involving accuracy and focus – say , copyediting a manuscript, or doing some algebra – are best suited for short spaces with red walls. In contrast, tasks that require a little bit of creativity and abstract thinking benefit from high ceilings, lots of windows and bright blue walls that match the sky. The point is that architecture has real cognitive consequences, even if we’re just beginning to learn what they are.

Shouldice Hospital Limited Abridged

3/26/2013 Shouldice  Hospital  Limited   (Abridged) Summary  of  case  discussion Indicators  of  success †¢ Profits – Revenue  =  7600  *  (320*4  +  650  +  300*20%)  =  $15  mil. – Costs  =  $8. 5  mil  for  hospital  +  $3. 5  for  clinic $ $ – Profits  =  $3  mil †¢ Word? of? mouth  advertising – Afraid  of  advertising  for  fear  of  generating  too  much  demand †¢ Backlog  of  demand – Currently  2400,  growing  at  100  /  6  mo. †¢ High  percentage  of  doctors  as  patients †¢ L Low  recurrence – 0. 8%  vs. 10%  at  other  hospitals †¢ Patients  reunions †¢ Low  employee  turnover 2 1 3/26/2013 Capacity  at  key  resources Examination – 6  rooms  x  3  patients/hr  x  3  hrs/day  (1? 4pm)  x  5days/wk  =  270   patients/wk †¢ Ope rating  rooms – 5  rooms  x  7hrs/day  x  5days/wk  x  1  patient  /(hr. room)  =  175   patients/wk †¢ Surgeons – 10  surgeons  x  1  patient/(hr. surgeon)  x  8  hrs/day  x  5  days/wk  =   400  patients/wk †¢ Rooms – Assume  patients  stay  for  4  nights,  and  level  demand – Number  of  patients  per  day  (Sun  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Thur)  =  89  rooms/4  =  22 – Capacity  =  5days/wk  x  22/day  =  110  patients/wk â€Å"Rooms†Ã‚  is  the  bottleneck. So  indeed  capacity  expansion,  if  any,  should  start  with  this  resource.Notice  that  this  processing  rate  does  not  add  up  to  7600  patients  per  year  that  Shouldice  is   handling. Possible  reasons:  patients  stay  for  fewer  nights,  or  they  admit  more  patients  toward   the  end  of  week,  or  there  is  an  Ã¢â‚¬Å"overflow†Ã‚  area  in  the  hospital. 3 Why  patients  like  Shouldice? †¢ Low  price – $1990  (excluding  travel)  vs. $5240  at  other  hospitals †¢ Low  recurrence  rate †¢ Facilities/decor – Investments  made  in  assets  such  as  carpeting,  common  areas  (the   Florida  room  e. g. ),  low  stairs,  nice  grounds. †¢ Socialization/ambiance Schedule  patients  with  similar  backgrounds  in  the  same  room – Group  activities  (e. g. ,  tea  and  cookies)  to  alleviate  anxiety  and  build   p relationships – Create  pleasant,  non? hospital? like  atmosphere †¢ Fast  recovery – Days  vs. weeks  at  other  hospitals – Early  ambulation  (confidence,  medical  benefits) 4 2 3/26/2013 Why  employees  like  Shouldice? â⠂¬ ¢ Doctors – Regular  hours,  on  call  but  rarely  called g , y – Good  pay – Low  risk  surgery,  opportunity  to  be  the  best  in  class †¢ Nurses – Minimal  physical  assistance – Counseling  activities,  instead  of  changing  Ã‚  bedpans Staff – Cross  training,  helping  each  other – Interactions  (e. g. ,  in  dining  room) – Strong  concern  for  employees,  nobody  is  fired 5 The  focused  factory  model †¢ A  narrow  market  segment  (a  simple  type  of  hernia  repair),  ensured  by  a   careful  screening  process †¢ An innovative procedure that emphasizes early ambulation which leads to An  innovative  procedure  that  emphasizes  early  ambulation  which  leads  to   quick  recovery †¢ Standardized  procedure,  not  to  be  varied †¢ Patient s  are  basically  well,  allowing  demand  to  be  inventoried  (and  thus   easy  scheduling) †¢ Family? tyle  management  allows  a  highly  specialized  workforce  to   â€Å"decompress,†Ã‚  leading  to  happy  employees  with  low  turnover †¢ Low  investments  by  sharing  resources  (e. g. ,  anesthetists,  nurses) †¢ Help patients help themselves (e g tea and cookies to mix pre? operative Help  patients  help  themselves  (e. g. ,  tea  and  cookies  to  mix  pre? operative   patients  with  post? operative  patients) †¢ Attention  to  details:  no  TV  in  room;  carpeting;  low? rise  stairs  for  easy   walking;  walk  from  the  operating  table;  gardens;  good  food,  etc. 3 3/26/2013 Options  for  capacity  expansion †¢ Saturday  operations – Pros:  no  investment – Cons:  in terferes  with  regular  work  schedules †¢ Invest  to  build  more  rooms – Pros:  keep  regular  work  schedules – Cons:  heavy  utilization  of  other  resources †¢ Another  hospital – Pros:  there  is  a  market  (1  million  hernia  operations  a  year   ( p y in  the  U. S. ),  save  travel  costs  for  patients – Cons:  Quality  control? Sources  of  doctors. †¢ Another  procedure – What? Expertise? Markets? Too  many  questions.Most  students  chose  either  the  second  or  the  third  options. 7 Key  learning  points †¢ The  focused  factory  approach  leads  to  more   added  value  (and  thus  higher  competitive   added value (and thus higher competitive advantage):  it  increases  the  customer’s   willingness? to? pay  and  lowers  the  cost,  at  the   same  time. †¢ The  devil  is  in  the  details:  many  operational   details,  although  seemingly  routine  and  minute,   play  an  important  role  in  shaping  strategic   decisions  (such  as  capacity  expansion  here). 8 4