Mr. Know All by W. Somerset Maugham

First of all I want to begin with the narrative perspective. In the short story â€Å"Mr. Know-All† by William Somerset Maugham there is a first person narrator, who takes an active part in the story. He is a very important character. It is not easy to tell whether he is a minor or a major character. On the one hand he is a major character because the way he presents Mr. Kelada influences the reader a lot. On the other hand he is just a minor character because he is only the presenter of Mr. Kelada. The reader never can see him in real action when he is without Mr. Kelada. He is just present to tell the reader what Mr. Kelada does and how he behaves. Furthermore he is a minor character because the whole story deals with Mr. Kelada. In my point of view Mr. Kelada is the protagonist and the narrator is the foil, the so called contrast figure. He only reflects the good and the bad features of the protagonist. In this particular story the foil reflects more the negative than the positive traits. The narrator himself is an English snob. He is not very fond of staying with somebody else in a cabin for fourteen days. Furthermore he is biased about foreigners, because â€Å"I should have looked upon it with less dismay if my fellow-passenger?s name had been Smith or Brown. † 1 That sentences shows that he values the British higher than people of foreign origin. He is very biased about foreigners and especially about Mr. Kelada. Throughout the story – but especially in the first 45 lines (and that is more than the first half of the short-story) – the narrator expresses his racist view. Consequently he depicts some incidents that make him despise Mr. Kelada. It is not only the name which arouses suspicion, because as he tells â€Å"When I went on board I found Mr. Kelada?s luggage already there. I did not like the the look of it; there were too many labels on the suitcase [†¦ ]† 2 They make him believe that Mr. Kelada is a man with savoir-faire†¦.

Critically examine the differences between two theories of leadership Essay

Critically examine the differences between two theories of leadership and examine the effect that strategic leadership can have on the succe - Essay Example e main goals and objectives for the followers while in other cases the people may agree on their objectives and the leader will assume the responsibility of guiding them to reach to the goals (Paul, 2005). One way of trying to understand leadership is by using theories. Leadership theories are assumptions about characteristics or styles of a leader. The theories are used to distinguish among different kinds of leaders and their styles as well as their motivations. The focus of the theories is to determine specific skills and qualities that differentiate one leader from his or her followers and other leaders. There are various theories in the study of leadership with each theory using a different approach to explain the concept of leadership (Paul, 2005). Among the most common theories of leadership include contingency theory, great man theory, behavioral theory and trail theory. The most notable question that these theories aim at responding to is as to whether leaders are born or whether they can acquire leadership. This fundamental question has been the main puzzle that leadership analysts have grappled with over the years. A common understanding in leadership and management is that there is no precise answer to the question because every leader is different from the other, and while it is true that some individuals are born to lead, there are others who acquire leadership. This essay will explore two main theories of leadership and critically analyze them with a view of exposing their differences in their approach to leadership as a consequence. The main theories that this essay will endeavor to study are the trait theory and the behavioral theory of leadership. The paper will also explain the concept of strategic leadership. The paper will conclude by examining the effect of strategic leadership in either success or failure of businesses. This theory is based on the notion that leaders are born with innate abilities and qualities that enable them to guide

Henry inquiry into taxation and the report recommendation Essay - 1

Henry inquiry into taxation and the report recommendation - Essay Example Other areas of possible taxation concern so-called â€Å"social sins† such as tobacco or alcohol, environmental charges etc (Thompson et al, 2010). In other words, destroying human practices should be taxed. The Australian government does not accept the Report to the fullest extent. It claims that many points of a new taxation project should be reviewed otherwise â€Å"it will not implement †¦ at any stage† (Thompson et al, 2010). The government agrees upon some recommendations of Henry Report, but introduces its own corrections. For example, to reduce company tax from 30 to 29 per cent, but not to 25 per cent, as it is suggested in Henry Report. From this point of view, it is possible to claim that Labor Party has suggested more radical measures to be taken by the government in the sphere of taxation and the government suggests more consequential introduction of taxation reform. The most challenging recommendation of Henry Report is the RSPT or tax on resources. Currently, as it is suggested by the Report, there is a need to suggest a more effective means of raising revenue. Profits above normal return on the capital invested will be introduced in July 2012. Still, the government does not seem to acclaim this recommendation as it does not seem doubtlessly relevant to them. In accordance with Henry Report, â€Å"the benefits of including them [some non-renewables] under the RSPT are unlikely to outweigh the costs (compliance and administration)† (Henry Taxation Review, 2011). Henry Report is an innovative vision on Australian taxation appealing for swift and radical changes for Australia. Some points were approved by the Australian government with some corrections. Basically, there are beneficial social, economical and environmental implications in this taxation reform. On the one hand, Labor Party is on the right innovative way of Australian taxation system change and makes an attempt to increase benefits for the

The Qualities of Leaders Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Qualities of Leaders - Assignment Example There can be a list of leadership qualities in the personality of Jeff Bozos (Anders, 2012). It is famous that Bezos always keeps an eye on system thinking. He always adds customers as an important member in the meetings. He is always planning for a long-term approach. Initially his investments may look like wastage but it may reap profits in the end. Failure is not a problem for him, but surely, he prefers to be creative and inventive. He always believes on a participative decision-making and due to this reason, he always prefers customer feedback. He is famous for giving values to his employees. Every single person at Amazon is considered as the Amazon Leader. Steve Jobs is a person who is considered as a very strong and successful leader; but there are some negative traits associated with his leadership style (Sander, 2011). It is famous that he was a bit arrogant towards other people. For involving all the team members, there should be a friendly environment in the organization. A good communication is badly needed between the leader and the team members. In case of his leadership, the communication element was missing. There were no training programs for the staff members. A good leader should keep his team members updated. Feedback is also another important part of business cycle and in his case there was no clear system to collect feedback. Sander, B. (2011), ‘Unforgiveable Leadership Mistakes That Steve Jobs Made’, Sanders Consulting Group, retrieved on July 6, 2014 from

The Media in contemporary culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Media in contemporary culture - Essay Example Of course, different people have various opinions on why the advertising is effective. For example, Berger, who wrote Ads, Fads, and Consumer Culture states advertising are a lottery, as it is still that nobody knows what advertisement will be effective and what will not. Berger adds that the advertisement executives believe that they waste half of money, spent on advertisements, but no one knows which half it is. (2000, p.2-3). Nowadays media is one of the most powerful instruments of forming the opinions of its consumers. Most of the marketing strategies that exist nowadays are built on the influences of the media. It is the irreplaceable instrument for selling things. Decades ago people bough what they needed, and their needs were dictated by their life conditions and financial status. It is nowadays that at first media creates the need in the specific product or group of products in people, and than they purchase the advertised thing. Thanks to the media people no longer buy things they need; they rather buy the attributes of the desired social status. Hirschman (2003) states that core societal values have an important role on advertising production and reception. Thus, to become fashionable, a product has to be promoted emphasizing its contribution to those societal values. Today media dictates people not only what they should buy, but also how they should behave, and what should they long for. Lindner, the author of the study, which analyzes the images of women in general interest and fashion magazine advertisements, states that: "advertisements often contain very subtle clues about gender roles and may operate as socializing agents on several levels. Because advertisements are publicly broadcast, the men and women portrayed are often perceived to represent the whole population, and men and women in the advertisements seem to accept these portrayed behaviors,

Critical discussion on rapid prototyping in the designprocess Essay

Critical discussion on rapid prototyping in the designprocess - Essay Example Rapid prototyping enables them to do just that by reducing the time needed to design and implement a product. In some cases RP techniques can reduce the prototyping time by 2X to 10X when compared to the older methods used for this purpose (Smith 1999). Companies ready to cope up with the customer demands and take lead to market their product prior than their competitors are inclined to survive in this competitive age. Therefore there are several companies who reduced their product development life cycle quite significantly as shown in following fig 1 (Smith 1990). History of rapid prototyping: Since the beginning of the industrial age prototypes have been considered a vital part of the designing of tools as well as structures. A prototype enables the manufacturer to test the functionality, out put, performance and optimality of the various design features that can be introduced into the actual product without risking additional manufacturing costs that may occur in case of an untest ed product. The concept of rapid prototyping originated in the late sixties, when Herbert Voelcker who was an engineering professor, decided to explore the possibilities of a computer controlled automatic tool that could design and manufacture a prototype using new and innovative methods. During the seventies, he proposed theories related to solid modeling, these theories then went on to become the basis of the algorithms and methods that are used for rapid prototyping today. In 1987 Carl Deckard who was a researcher in the University of Texas, developed a technique called selective laser sintering. Voelcker and Deckard made revolutionary developments as well as others after them, however Charles Hull is considered to be the father of rapid prototyping as he holds the patent for the instruments used in the development of 3D objects from 2D diagrams using Stereolithography. Nowadays a prototype can be produced fairly easily and efficiently as compared to the time when rapid prototypi ng hadn’t replaced subtractive manufacturing. Where has RP come from and where is it going: Rapid prototyping has been a valuable tool in the designer’s perspective for over a decade now, and the techniques involved have come a long way from since the time they were introduced. The main impact of this technology is in the replacement of traditional techniques in the final stages of product development. However,the greatest prospective for 3D modeling lies prior to the prototyping stage i.e. in the design process where better designs are envisioned. Over the last 20 to 25 years, products in the market have seen a tremendous increase in geometrical complexity. A typical example can be the automotive industry in which products have evolved from straight forward cars to custom built and even custom designed cars that some times look like some thing out of a science fiction movie. Initially in the 1970s car designs took 4 weeks at an average, later in the 1980s this time in creased to 16 weeks, however during the 1990s CAD/CAM and CNC technologies helped to shave down the time to 8 weeks and last but not the least RP techniques eventually enabled designers to complete the task in 3 weeks instead. Rapid prototyping has helped engineers and designers shorten the design cycle by enabling them to create in 2 hr a prototype that

Stages In The Decision Process Buyer Essay Example for Free

Stages In The Decision Process Buyer Essay There are two stimuli that can trigger needs, namely: a. Internal stimuli, when one persons normal needs-hunger, thirst, sex-occur at high enough levels. b. External Rangasangan. For example, an advertisement or a discussion with a friend can make you think of buying a new car. At this stage, marketers should research consumers to find what kind of needs or problems that arise, what causes it, and how the problem could steer consumers in this particular product. Look more:  the consumer buying process begins when essay 2 Sources of information Where consumers want to find more information, consumers may simply enlarge or actively searching information. As more and more information is acquired, consumer awareness and knowledge of the brand and the features available to increase. A company must design its marketing mix to make consumers aware of and know the brand. Companies must identify the source of consumer information and importance of each source carefully. 3. Evaluation of alternatives How consumers process information to arrive at brand choices. How do consumers evaluate alternatives depend on the personal consumer and situation specific purchase. In some cases, consumers use careful kalkusai adn logical thinking. At other times, the same consumers do evalusai Ganya little or even not evacuate; instead they buy on impulse and rely on intuition. Kadan-sometimes komsumen make their own purchasing decisions; sometimes they ask for advice from friends purchase, consumers guides, or salespeople. Marketers should study buyers to menmukan in how they actually  evaluate brand choice. If they know what is going evaluasia process, marketers can take steps to influence the buyers decision. 4. purchase decision Consumer purchase decisions is to buy the most preferred brand, but two factors could be between the purchase intention and the purchase decision. The first factor is the attitudes of others. If someone has significance for you to think that you should buy the cheapest car, then the chances of you to buy the most expensive car is reduced. The second factor is unexpected situational factors. Consumers may form a purchase intention based on factors such as income, prices, and the expected benefits of the product. However, unexpected events can change the purchase intention. 5. post-purchase Behavior After purchasing the product, the consumer will be satisfied not satisfied and look in the post-purchase behavior that must be considered by marketers. Which determine the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the buyer to a purchase lies in the relationship between consumer expectations and product performance assumptions. Why is customer satisfaction so important? customer satisfaction is the key to building a profitable relationship with the consumer-to maintain and grow the customer and collect customer lifetime value.