The poem the City Planners Essay Example

The poem the City Planners Paper In the poem the ‘City Planners’ and ‘Where I come from’ by Margaret Atwood and Elizabeth Brewster respectively, the poets use metaphors, imagery and use of negative as well as positive diction to describe the influence of the People over nature and animal kingdom. Atwood uses furious and resented tone and diction to describe the people, ‘city planners’ as selfish people who only care about personal gain. Whereas in ‘Where I come from’, the poet thinks that people are made of places and they behave according to the place they live in and treat nature and their surroundings accordingly. Both poems have themes of ‘organized life of people and nature’, which emphasizes the power of the people forcing it. In the City planners the poet presents the character of the planners as â€Å"political conspirators† that emphasizes their strength. This conveys a sense that everything in the city is controlled by them, even nature. Due to their actions the life in Singapore is like a list and this point is proven by the use of colons after the word ‘sanitary’ in the first stanza. This foreshadows the theme of organized life of people and nature. Sanitary trees, assert Levelness of surface like a rebuke This line gives an effect to the reader that everything is perfect in the city. There is a use of oxymoron to describe the trees, as trees cannot be sanitary. The use of oxymoron suggests that everything that is generally imperfect is the opposite in this city; every thing is perfect; even nature makes sense. This creates a very boring mood in the city as there is nothing very phenomenal and therefore the city isn’t very exciting. We will write a custom essay sample on The poem the City Planners specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The poem the City Planners specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The poem the City Planners specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It also suggests that nature under control and it isn’t allowed to be insane. Simile is used in this line to compare the asserter of the trees to level the surface, to a rebuke. Here too, the imperfect surface is made level, forcefully by the ‘sane trees’ that were, ironically, forced to be perfect as well. Atwood considers this as a criticism to the surface. Than the rational whine of the power mower cutting a straight swath in the discouraged grass. This line too, suggests the similar idea of nature being controlled. The word ‘cutting’ gives an effect that nature is being made perfect and sane. The use of the diction ‘discouraged’ suggests as if nature does not want to become perfect and sane but it does not have the power to overcome the ‘city planners’. An example of the similar idea is seen when the poet uses the word â€Å"power† in front of the mower. The word power foreshadows the idea of ‘everything in the city having power, except for nature’. The same slant of avoidance to the hot sky. The people also ignore disorganized nature that the city planners cannot change. This can be seen clearly when, â€Å"the same slant of avoidance to the hot sky† is mentioned. In this line the houses avoiding the sun are a metaphor for the people. The poet uses a deeper layer to the meaning by using the houses as a metaphor. The metaphor suggests that the people in Singapore are ‘planned’ to avoid imperfectness. They are planned to avoid insane and irregular nature just like the life of animals and people are planned and organized. When the houses, capsized, will slide obliquely into the clay seas, gradual as glaciers that right now nobody notices. In this stanza, the poet uses enjambment in order to speed up the poem. The lines in this stanza suggest that, even after the city’s perfection it will end in ruins. The use the words, ‘into the clay seas’ give an ironic suggestion that the imperfection shall remain, but not the perfect cities. In the poem ‘Where I come from’, the poet symbolizes her past and uses metaphors to convey her feelings towards nature and the animals. She is of the opinion that people are ‘made’ of places such as forests, mountains etc. This, like the colons in the first poem, is used to foreshadow her opinion towards the people living in different areas and nature. Nature tidily plotted in little squares with a fountain in the center; museum smell, art also tidily plotted with a guidebook; In these lines a similar idea of nature being controlled by people is seen. The use and repetition of the diction ‘tidily plotted’ is used to create an atmosphere of perfection in the city and it is emphasized by the repetition. The word ‘plotted’ suggests that people do not allow nature to grow randomly. They force it to grow in a specific way. The word â€Å"guidebook† is a metaphor for the lives of the people. It conveys a sense of being very organized and precise. It sounds as if the people know what is going to happen in their future as they have a fixed timetable. It also suggests that nature has to follow this timetable too. This idea is also seen in ‘the City Planners’ when the poet uses diction such as ‘same avoidance of the hot sun’. She idealizes her childhood memories of the past. She states that in the countryside the people are very different from those in the city. Here, nature is not considered to be subservient that can be clearly seen when the poet conveys how nature is not controlled, â€Å"blueberry batches in burnt out bush†, â€Å"with yards where hens and chickens circle about, clucking aimlessly; battered schoolhouses behind which violets grow. † . The word â€Å"burnt† is effective because is conveys a sense of not being controlled. This suggests that people in the countryside do not replace nature; they simply give them time for growing once again. The line, â€Å"Battered school houses behind which violets grow† also emphasizes the freedom of nature in the countryside. The use of imagery, â€Å"violets†, growing behind the â€Å"battered† schoolhouses suggests that nature can grow anywhere beautifully and its real beauty is shown when it is allowed to grow randomly. The poets of both the poems think that nature is being controlled by modern society. Atwood blames the city planners as the reason behind this whereas Brewster believes that common people in the city are also blamed for controlling nature and thinks that people behave differently according to the place they live in.

Marks Spencer Operations Management Essays

Marks Spencer Operations Management Essays Marks Spencer Operations Management Paper Marks Spencer Operations Management Paper The Company- A journey from cave to modern civilized societies, Marks and Spencer from a single market stall to a giant international multi-channel retailer has travelled over 129 years to establish its deep roots all over the world with 766 UK and 418 international stores. Marks and Spencer stores are spread over 50 territories worldwide employing almost 82000 people. Marks and Spencer is a general retailer that sells clothes, gifts, home furnishings and foods. The UK turnover is split between Food (54%) and General Merchandise (46%). Marks and Spencer acknowledges the fact that consumer is the real king of market. This can be drawn from its founding values which consist of Quality, Value, Service, Innovation and Trust; it also assures to work hard to ensure its offer continues to be relevant to its customers. The vision and mission of the company is to be the standard against which others are measured and to make aspirational quality accessible to all. This suggests that ‘Quality’ is at the heart of Marks and Spencer’s operations strategy (Marks and Spencer, 2013). International Expansion: Mamp;S has a clear and targeted strategy for its international growth. Henceforth it continues to build more new stores to expand in key locations across its priority markets, employing a mix of ownership models including partnerships and franchises (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Operations Strategy- An Overview- Operations Strategy Perspective: The operations activities are aimed to achieve operations strategy of the business. Marks and Spencer’s operations management activities ensure that all its products are of high quality and the stores are located in the most convenient locations. This reflects that the operations strategy of Marks and Spencer is of a ‘top-down’ perspective where the business wants its operations to provide quality products with an easy access to all. The Top-down Strategy Hierarchy: Corporate Strategy: Mamp;S aims to be the world’s most sustainable retailer. Its eco and ethical programme, is at the very heart of how they do business. Mamp;S also aims to be a truly international, multi-channel retailer which can be accessible to even more customers around the globe (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Business Strategy: Mamp;S is reaching more customers across the new and existing markets through its online development. In order to dominate the competition, Mamp;S has facilitated its customers with ‘free next day delivery’ to its stores. Moreover, Mamp;S has also developed i-phone application to carry out its sales via mobile phones. Mamp;S has also encouraged the online sales to make it more convenient for its customers to shop with them (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Functional Strategy: Improved navigation, greater choice, exclusive ranges and offers have boosted the online sales by 16. 6% in 2013. The recent performance of the technology depicts that i-phone application has increased the sales via mobile phones by 200% this year. To carry out its operations efficiently, Mamp;S has developed a fully mechanised 900,000 square feet e-commerce distribution centre which is the UK’s largest. It has the capacity to process and ship up to a million products per week to customers’ homes and Mamp;S stores across the country (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Store Layout: Mamp;S has revamped its visual merchandising and window displays to do a better job of showcasing its products. The different fashion brand such as Per Una, Autograph, Indigo, Classic, North Coast, Blue Harbour, Cellezione and its core Mamp;S Man and Woman will have dedicated ‘shop in shop’ area so that the in-store environment communicates each brand’s distinctive values. In the food department, Mamp;S has refreshed the shelving with wood effect shelf edges to look less like a supermarket and more like a specialist (Baker, 2011). Mamp;S store is therefore a mix of functional and fixed position layout type where general merchandise and food department operates in a functional layout type and the restaurant being the fixed position layout type. Technology: Mamp;S understands the growing importance and contribution of strong IT function to operate efficiently in the multi channel world. The role of technology is changing at Mamp;S and as a result changing the company itself. Marks amp; Spencer rolls out ePLUM Enterprise Scale Manager from Invatron Systems Corp. to 37 of its European stores to centrally manage its in-store deli and bakery department scales. ePLUM Enterprise Scale Manager is a multi- vendor, multilingual, web- enabled solution that provides retailers with centralized control of in- store scales and printers accessible from any computer in the enterprise; this makes the operations much efficient and fast (Anon. , 2013). The internal team of software engineers of the company are developing new IT driven customer innovation projects that include 156 screens dubbed ‘Browse and Order’ – in store terminals where customers can buy Mamp;S’s entire online range across 63 stores. Moreover, Mamp;S has equipped 1500 customer assistants with i-pads to enable them to demonstrate to the customers, the store’s full range of the products, its availability and its sizes. The client- facing technology of Mamp;S includes virtual makeover counters, which allow customers to see how they would look on applying certain beauty products. On developing bid data strategy, Mamp;S will be able to drive its profitability and improve marketing and promotions by using data insights smartly. This technology will enable Mamp;S to send specific e-mails regarding promotions and offers to its customers based on their purchase history rather than sending bulk e-mails to all its customers which is of no relevance (Stein, 2013). All these advancements by the IT team of Mamp;S are aimed at encouraging customers to use technology to spend more money at Mamp;S. Supply Chain Management: It is very crucial for every business to have a strong supply chain network in order to satisfy its customers before the competitors do. Mamp;S though being one of the UK’s largest retailers is criticised by its Finance Director, Alan Stewart for under investing infrastructure for upwards of 20 years. He further adds that the way the company buys and distributes its clothing is inappropriate. Shoppers may be looking for the latest looks and demanding new ideas in stores and online every few weeks, but Mamp;S takes two to three weeks just to transport goods from UK ports to its stores. This is where Mamp;S is losing its competitive edge in the market because the other retailers have hi-tech systems to track stock. For example, one of the rival retailers, Hamp;M boasts that it can get designs from the drawing board to the store in a fortnight, while Mamp;S takes longer than that just to get its merchandise from the ports to its shops (Butler, 2013). For the businesses like Mamp;S where the life span of a product is very short- clothes due to change in fashion and food due to expiry, the business must develop strong bonds and ties with its suppliers. In order to increase the ability to respond quickly to the ever changing needs of customers, Marks and Spencer should work closely with its suppliers and integrate the supply chain so that both Marks and Spencer and its suppliers are working towards the same business objectives. Hence, there will be a win – win situation for both Mamp;S and its suppliers which will increase the operations efficiency and enable them meeting the market requirements on time. Logistics: Gist has a long history providing logistic operations for Marks and Spencer. Gist manages 100% of the storage and distribution of Marks and Spencer food products to their 700 plus stores, 24 hours a day and 7 day a week. Warehouses across the UK are operated by Gist employees who receive and pick store orders and then distribute to Marks and Spencer stores, including Simply Food, throughout the UK and Ireland, covering all their high street, forecourt and out-of-town stores (Gist, 2013). Outsourcing its storage and distribution would make Marks and Spencer’s logistics much faster and this will increase its efficiency in delivery to customers, increased sales and high customer satisfaction. Inventory Management: Inventory planning and control is an important aspect of operations management. In a market, customers demand certain quantity of products and services at a particular time. The role of operations is to supply and deliver the required quantity of products and services when demanded. Marks and Spencer in February 2013 was caught of having shortage in the stock of winter coats and woollens due to cold snap. The Chief Executive of Mamp;S, Marc Bolland said that Mamp;S sold 100,000 cardigans and jumpers from its core Mamp;S Woman collection in the fourth quarter but could have sold three times that number. Bolland insisted that the weakness was not down to having wrong fashions in its shops but there was just not enough stock of the right ones. The majority of Mamp;S’s knitwear is being made in Asia. Therefore, Mamp;S was unable to repeat orders fast enough and thus failed to meet the market demand (Wood, 2012). The above instance demonstrates the importance of demand forecasting in managing the inventory which was missing in this case. In a multi-echelon inventory system, effective communication between the different echelons is of high importance to deliver the products at a rapid pace. Mamp;S could have succeeded in minimising some of its losses had there been more flexibility in the supply chain and latest requirement updates in the inventories. Mamp;S Inventory and Technology: Marks and Spencer has chosen Quantum Retail technology, ‘Q’ to improve inventory management. This technology is able to forecast and make inventory decisions in real time while considering both inter-day and intra-day stocking. Quantum Retail’s software solution, Q manages the end-to-end inventory forecasting, replenishment and order planning needs (Quantum Retail, 2010). Quality Management: Mamp;S operates rigorous Quality Management Systems which have been developed with its suppliers. To ensure total quality, the systems operate on a precautionary principle and are supported by a range of on-site audits and product testing. Further, Mamp;S also ensures that its suppliers meet a range of quality, safety, environmental and social standards (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Mamp;S is renowned for its ‘quality and innovation’ and is often appraised by its customers for providing quality worth every penny spent at Mamp;S. The customers expect the best from Mamp;S products but recently, Mamp;S was in headlines for selling low quality and cheap clothing products. Fashion watchers, rivals and its customers insisted Mamp;S to abandon this practice. One of the rival retailers suggested Mamp;S that it should be aiming to be a premium brand rather than trying to compete on price (Watkins, at el. 2013). The company should stick to its set objectives and design its day to day operations in such a way that it leads to achieving its long term goals. The mission of the company is to provide aspirational quality that is available to all. The above discussed case is a clear case of Mamp;S’s deviation from its long term goals. To rectify this error, Mamp;S should rediscuss its company objectives and strategies with its suppliers to ensure guaranteed and rapid recovery. Plan A and Sustainable Operations: Mamp;S aims to become the world’s most sustainable retailer. Its eco and ethical programme is at the very heart of how Mamp;S carries out its business. Mamp;S claims to make its business sustainable by integrating Plan A into every aspect of its operations- including the products that they evelop and sell, the stores that they rebuild or refit and the way they work with their suppliers and engage its employees. Plan A’s success lies in its innovative thinking and ideas. With the help of Plan A Innovation Fund, Mamp;S has launched a number of promising projects. These projects include ideas for developing more sustainable clothing fabrics, original thinking about ways to improve labour standards in t heir supply chains and a joint project with the Natural Environment Research Council to improve the way they share knowledge and work with its suppliers (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Plan A Activities: CO2 Neutral Mamp;S is proud to be certified as CarbonNuetral  ® Company across its operations in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Mamp;S also encourages its suppliers to reduce the greenhouse gas emission through actively developing various programmes aimed at this (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Zero Waste to Landfill Besides this, Mamp;S continue to work for reducing the amount of waste produced within its business. Mamp;S successfully fulfilled its commitment of sending no waste to landfill from its UK stores, offices, warehouses and construction activities (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Corporate Social Responsibilities: The Britain’s retailer has always cared about environment and society. Mamp;S knows that many of its customers as well do care about the environmental and social issues. So, it is of no surprise that Mamp;S customers donated a total of 3. 8 million clothes items through its Shwopping Scheme which raised ? 2. 3 million for Oxfam (Marks and Spencer, 2013). CSR activities at Mamp;S: Breakthrough Breast Cancer: The Company also carried out campaigns for raising money for Breast Cancer donations. Mamp;S has now generated ? 9 million for Breakthrough Breast Cancer in 12 years (Marks and Spencer, 2013). Big Beach clean – up: In April 2013, around 5000 customers and 4000 Mamp;S employees worked with the Marine Conservation Society at over 160 beaches, riversides and canals, cleaning, clearing enough rubbish to fill 4000 recycle bin bags (Marks and Spencer, 2013). These activities suggest that Mamp;S has always taken very hands on approach towa rds its corporate social responsibilities. Recommendations: Customer Satisfaction – It is very necessary for Marks and Spencer to maintain high quality standards in all their products. The prices of the Mamp;S products are usually higher than that of its rival companies such as Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s in food and Primark and Debenhams in clothing. Therefore, Mamp;S needs to ensure that all its products are of high quality because their customers are paying that extra amount in hope that the products will be of a better quality than other rival retailers. The hidden benefit for Mamp;S satisfying its customers is reduced complaints and therefore less service costs of paying an employee to find out the cause of the issue and fix it. This will increase customers’ loyalty towards Mamp;S which would lead to positive word of mouth publicity to the potential customers. Supplier Satisfaction: It is Mamp;S’s best interests to keep their suppliers happy by paying them enough and on time. This would make its suppliers feel like a part of Mamp;S and would be encouraged to work keeping in mind the needs and objectives of Mamp;S. By working more closely with its suppliers, Mamp;S can ensure that their products are of great quality standards are delivered on time with no or less troubles. Word Count: 2431 References: * Mamp;S, 2013. Company Overview. [online]Available at: lt;http://corporate. marksandspencer. com/aboutus/company_overviewgt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Mamp;S, 2013. Our Plan. [online] Available at: lt;http://corporate. marksandspencer. com/aboutus/our_plangt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Baker, R. , 2011. Marketing Week, Mamp;S outlines new store strategy for brands, [online] Available at: lt; marketingweek. co. uk/ms-outlines-new-store-strategy-for-brands/3030044. articlegt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. Anon. , 2013. Marks amp; Spencer rolls out ePLUM Enterprise Scale Manager from Invatron Systems Corp. to 37 of its European stores. Invantron Systems Corp. , [blog] 2013, Available at: lt; invatron. com/blog/main/press-releases/marks-spencer-rolls-out-eplum-enterprise-scale-manager-from-invatron-systems-corp-to-37-of-its-european-stores/gt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Stein, D. , 2013. CIO Interview: Darrel Stein, IT director, Marks and Spencer Interviewed by Angelica Mari , [online] on Computer Weekly. Available at: lt; computerweekly. com/news/2240179873/CIO-interview-Darrell-Stein-IT-director-Marks-and-Spencergt; , 20 March 2013, 17:15. * Butler, S. , 2013. Mamp;S boss under pressure amid race to upgrade supply chain. The Guardian, [online] 10 May 2013. Available at: lt; guardian. co. uk/business/2013/may/10/marks-and-spencer-marc-bolland-technologygt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Gist, 2011. Marks and Spencer Excellence in food logistics. [online] Available at: lt; gistworld. om/en-gb/customers/case-studies/marks-spencer/gt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Wood, Z. , 2012. Mamp;S admits womenswear stock shortages hit sales. The Guardian, [online] 17 April 2012. Available at: lt; guardian. co. uk/business/2012/apr/17/marks-spencer-womenswear-stock-shortagesgt; [Accessed 03 July 2013]. * Quantum Retail, 2010. Marks amp; Spencer Selects Quantum Retail to Improve Inventory Management. [online] Available at: lt; http://quantumretail. com/2010/01/05/marks-spencer-selects-quantum-retail-to-i

Types of Plots

Types of Plots Types of Plots Types of Plots By Mark Nichol How many plot types are there, and does it really matter? And if you write nonfiction, rather than fiction, why should you read this post? (I guess you’ll have to read the post to find out.) Throughout the years, writers have posited various opinions about how many distinct types of stories exist. Several of the more prominent theories follow: Three Types William Foster Harris, in The Basic Patterns of Plot, suggests that the three plot types are the happy ending, the unhappy ending, and tragedy. What’s the difference between the second and third types? A tragedy is distinguished from an unhappy ending partly by the magnitude of the outcome but mostly in that the lead character attempts to do something marked by excessive pride, overweening ambition, or another character flaw and that the outcome seems preordained by fate. Seven Types Christopher Booker, in The Seven Basic Plot Points: Why We Tell Stories, lists the plot types as Overcoming the Monster, the Quest, the Voyage and Return, Rags to Riches, and the Rebirth, as well as Comedy and Tragedy. At first glance, the last two terms seem more like genres than plots, but a comedy, though it might also fit into one of the other five types, is often marked by a standard array of miscues and misadventures, and, as intimated in the previous paragraph, a tragedy has a narrow focus: The protagonist tempts fate, and fate responds. Another septet, one that may seem slightly off topic, is a list of plot conflicts, but the items encapsulate basic storylines as well. In (somewhat arbitrary) order of increasing complexity, the duels are person versus fate (or God), person versus self, person versus person, person versus society, person versus nature, person versus the supernatural, and person versus technology. Twenty Types Ronald Tobias, in 20 Master Plots and How to Build Them, shares a score of story types. I won’t list them all (you can easily find them through an online search), but they range from the basic (the Quest) to the moderately complex (Revenge) to the more sophisticated (Metamorphosis) and beyond. Thirty-Six Types Georges Polti, in The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations, eschews the basics in favor of specific concepts including Daring Enterprise, Fatal Imprudence, and Erroneous Judgment, as well as several varieties of tales of love and sacrifice. (Again, the full roster is available by searching online.) Pigeonholing Plot Types Is it necessary for writers to consider these distinctions? Does one need to know the plot type of one’s story? Can’t you just write your story? You’re welcome to ignore categorization, but consider the benefits: By matching your story to one or more plot types, you can mine the traditions of that type (or those types). If you write a quest tale or a similar type whether set in a fantasy realm or in the real world without exploiting the rule of three, for example, it will lack the resonance of its forebears. You can, of course, defy expectations by avoiding clichà ©s, but if you give a name to the type of story you are telling, you are more likely to recognize opportunities to do so. But what does plot have to do with nonfiction? All stories even factual ones have a plot, and especially when you write narrative nonfiction, you should recognize the parameters you are following or exceeding. Is your profile of a person or a company or organization, or your account of an event or an incident, a tale of redemption, or one of hubris, or one of revolt against complacency or a predetermined path, or something else? Consider your story’s metaphorical and allegorical potential, and capitalize on its resemblance to other tales as you build it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to use "on" and when to use "in"Latin Plural EndingsGrammatical Case in English

5 questions 1 paragraph each Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

5 questions 1 paragraph each - Essay Example The term kairotic refers to the most appropriate time. Thus, smart cars were produced when people were already overburdened by escalating fuel prices due to global economic hardship. Smart cars were meant to help consumers use their hard-earned cash in other alternative instead of spending all their earnings on fuels. It is also a kairotic moment for American consumers to ride in smart cars. We are a smart generation and thus everything about us should be smart. Success of smart cars will eliminate the blame that Americans are the greatest polluters. A typical college paper is a â€Å"data dump†. This implies that college research papers lack adequate of practical data and information from the field or the actual problem. Moreover, the phrase implies that college research papers are developed from a theoretical perspective. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty that involves using other people’s work or ideas without giving them appropriate credit (Trachsel 32). In my writing, I avoid plagiarism by using the appropriate referencing style and in text citations for any borrowed idea or

Biometrics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Biometrics - Assignment Example However the success of the method is still skeptical where network authentication is considered. Advantages There has been varied and large number of arguments in favor of adopting the biometric authentication for network access. Among them the most accepted argument is the uniqueness of biometric characteristics. This uniqueness of the biometric characteristic helps to make it an ideal candidate authenticating technology. There is no better way to authenticate an individual’s identity than verifying his inherent and unique attributes; at first his fingerprints. The use of fingerprints as system of identification can be traced back to the 1850s; evidence to this belief is the establishment of Scotland Yards Central Fingerprinting Bureau in 1901. Another view that supports the biometrics is that the principle of network security is least disputed. In this system, the individual cannot forget the password or transfer the password to somebody as it is a unique physical attribute. This may be the most driven argument that supports the biometric authentication technique. Again, the next argument in this phase is also regarding the security. It is not possible to duplicate a biometric feature of an individual during the data uploading stage or in the verification stage. In the traditional method of token system, the user ID and the password may be easily replicated, which is not possible at all in the biometric authenticating technology. These unique characteristics cannot be lost or stolen. Disadvantages In the same way, there are several arguments against the introduction of the particular technological advancement—biometric authentication technology. Though the cost for the implementation of the biometric technology is coming down, still it is too expensive. While implementing the system, it is not enough to acquire the hardware and the software, but they are to be linked with the current networking. The cost return ratio is very low in the technolog y even though it helps to reduce the administration overheads. Although many find biometric authentication systems to be very successful, they ignore the fact that the same authentication data can be misused in multiple applications. When the user inputs his biometric authentication data for his identity in a particular application, the same data can be used to authenticate that person in a different application. It is a threat to the person’s security over his properties. For an example, if a user authenticates himself with his biometric characteristics to get access to airlines, an unwanted person can gain access to the user’s bank account, car, etc with the same authentication data, which can be hacked from the network easily. Scientists say that these problems will be outsourced by the invention of further advanced systems. However, how far the technology goes, till there will be its disadvantages too. Besides, as Vaca (2007) points out, in the biometric authentica tion technology, first of all, the person who captures the raw biometric data must be trust worthy person, as they have the option of keeping the raw data with themselves. Ethical Issues The controversy of the technological advancement has put forward so many social and ethical impacts. The biometrical authentication systems raise many ethical issues regarding the concept of privacy. These issues are not the same

HR Issues in Google Inc Essay Example for Free

HR Issues in Google Inc Essay 26 March 2009, 200 Layoffs â€Å"So today we have informed Googlers that we plan to reduce the number of roles within our sales and marketing organizations by just under 200 globally. The recession makes the timing even more difficult for the Googlers concerned. We had to restructure our organizations in order to improve our effectiveness and efficiency as a business. We will give each person time to try and find another position at Google, as well as outplacement support, and provide severance packages for those who leave the company. Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone affected for all they have contributed to Google. † * Omid Kordestani, Senior VP, Global Sales and Business Development (2009) From this article, google would cut 200 would cut about 200 employees from its sales and marketing organization. It would reduce the overlap between different groups and speed up decision making. Omid Kordestani, Senior VP, Global Sales and Business Development said, the cut meant to address the mistakes that the company had done before. In some areas we’ve created overlapping organizations which not only duplicate effort but also complicate the decision-making process,† Mr. Kordestani wrote on Google’s corporate blog. â€Å"That makes our teams less effective and efficient than they should be. In addition, we over-invested in some areas in preparation for the growth trends we were experiencing at the time. † 4 January 2009, 100 Layoffs â€Å"Given the state of the economy, we recognized that we needed fewer people focused on hiring e need to go further and reduce the overall size of our recruiting organization by approximately 100 positions. We know this change will be very difficult for the people concerned, and we hope that many of them will be able to find new roles at Google. They helped build this company, new hire by new hire, and we are enormously grateful for everything they have done. † * Laszlo Bock, Vice President, People Operations (2009 In January, google laid off 100 recruiters which is that deeper cuts were â€Å"unlikely†. In February, company cut another 40 positions when it closed its radio advertising efforts. About 100 of the eliminated positions will be in the United States and the rest overseas, said Matt Furman, a Google spokesman. Mr. Furman said the company continued to hire new workers, albeit at a slow rate. In the fourth quarter of 2008, the company grew by 99 workers, ending the year with 20,222 full-time employees. In previous years, Google had added more than 2,000 people in a single quarter. Laid-off workers will be given time to apply for other jobs within the company. How a Giant Company Aims to Remain Intimate. Google have a good track record in management. It routinely ranks first or near the top in â€Å"best places to work† reports. Google’s value proposition as an employer combines a laser focus on innovation and smart business practices with a small-company feel that includes direct access to top management. For instance, no one hesitates to pose questions directly to the founders at the weekly all-hands meetings. The HR management system plays a critical role in keeping this value proposition well tuned and relevant for each successive generation of employees by embedding Google’s mission into daily work life. As Laszlo Bock, vice president of people operations at Google, said in an interview with BCG: â€Å"If you talk to anybody at Google and ask them what the mission is, they’ll say, ‘To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. ’ It’s rare to find a place where everyone knows the mission—and then actually believes it. † Google’s benefits and compensation packages, renowned for their largess, have a threefold purpose, Bock pointed out. First, to create a community—hence the microkitchens sprinkled around the offices, where people can interact informally. Second, to drive innovation: the more people interact, the higher the likelihood of creating serendipitous sparks of innovation. And third, to promote efficiency: on-site oil changes and dry-cleaning services help hard-working employees save time in their personal lives. To keep a pulse on how â€Å"Googlers† are feeling, which informs talent-management and development programs, HR undertakes a variety of analyses, Bock said. The company monitors retention and attrition and looks for patterns. An annual employee survey plus focus groups throughout the year provide ample qualitative feedback. On the basis of this analysis, upward management feedback gets put into practice. â€Å"Every member of our executive team has goals for the year,† Bock said. â€Å"These are not amorphous goals, like ‘make the company feel more engaged,’ but very specific, like ‘there were three issues in the sales organization that we will address this year. ’† Recruitment group Randstad Chooses Google Apps for its 29,000 Employees. Randstad consist of four large Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht) and the surrounding areas. It is one of the biggest staffing companies in the world and has some 29,000 employees working from more than 4,500 branches in 40 countries around the world. They help companies and candidates connect in industries such as engineering, finance and accounting, healthcare, human resources, managed services, pharma and technology. To give an idea, they place on average well over 500,000 people per day. It have grown to become quite large since it began as a small company started in a student dorm room in 1960 and the business has changed quite a bit in that time. But at its core, it still the same. All about people. Their decision making process involved several companies, but ultimately they decided on Google for a few different reasons. They have a workforce of younger, and heard the feedback that are quite familiar with Google tools like Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive and Google+ Hangouts in user personal lives, and theyd like to use them at work too. Also, because the Google tools are all integrated, they wouldnt run into the problem of having employees across offices and countries having to work with several different pieces of technology that don’t work well together. Lastly, we wanted to provide our employees with as much training as they needed and G-company were able to provide that. Their rollout will eventually include all 29,000 Randstad employees, 5,000 of whom are located in the Netherlands. Their employees in France, Japan and India, approximately 8,000, are already on Google.

Hubert de Givenchy Essay -- Biography

A. Background of the designer. Hubert de Givenchy was born on February 20, 1927 in Beauvais, France. When he was young his father died, leaving him to be raised by his mother and grandfather. His wealthy family never approved of Givenchy’s love for fashion and instead wanted him to attend college and pursue a career in law. Eventually he attended college achieving his career in law but realized his love for fabrics and fashion was stronger (In influential fashion, 2002). Givenchy’s love for fashion grew when at the age of ten he attended the Pavillon d’ Elegance Paris Exposition. Once looking through Vogue magazine, he was inspired by Balenciaga men’s wear. He wanted to be a couturier and attended Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, to start a formal education in fashion. His designing inspirations came from Elsa Schiaparelli and Madam Gres’s work. His experience also came from working at the House of Piguet in Paris; this salon was known for its dramatic yet simple style and after, at the House of Lelong that was known for their high quality clothing. Those positions gave him knowledge on how to work with couture customers and gave him an opportunity to build strong relationships with them (Press, 2002). At age 25 he opened his first collection and it was a big success, inspired by his mentor Balenciaga. The collection was based on evening wear as well as economical white cotton shirts that were both inexpensive and fresh-looking. After that collection, his name was recognizable and his biggest success was the â€Å"Bettina† blouse; named after the famous Paris’ top model. This blouse was his signature piece in his cotton collection. Givenchy’s philosophy was: â€Å"Keep it simple. Eliminate everything that interferes with the line.† ... ...on to $20 million has been labeled for advertising worldwide. (Born, 2010) Most of Givenchy’s collections produced and designed in Italy and produced in France by apparel manufacturer Bidermann. His designs of junior sportswear that was made by American manufactures with American fabrics. E. Givenchy’s influence in Fashion Givenchy greatly influenced the fashion world. He is known for his classic dresses, elegance, glamour, and flowing lines. His designs in the 50s and 60s are the base of classic. Some of his vintage dresses can frequently be seen on the red carpets. He helped Audrey Hepburn to shape her unique style and made it flawless. Her little black dress from movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s made a history and opened a new chapter in the fashion world. House of Givenchy is on a new chapter with Italian Riccardo Tisci continuous Givenchy’s elegant style.