College Admissions Essay: Aunt Joan and Yoga :: College Admissions Essays

Aunt Joan and Yoga Up until about 40 years ago, yoga was practically unknown to most Americans. When it was introduced to the United States in the '60s, people believed in the incorrect stereotype that it was done only by "hippies," "flower children," and "druggies." Today the term "yoga" is more widely known, now that it is becoming trendier. Yoga is a discipline with a scientific background that was developed over 2000 years ago. In this system of self-development the restless mind is calmed and energy is placed into constructive channels. It is not a religion as some people may be led to believe. It is a philosophy of life. The lessons learned are just as relevant today as they were when they were first created, still keeping the main principle that before you can train your mind to reach a higher consciousness you must first discipline your body. Yoga's popularity is largely due to its wide range of benefits, including therapeutic effects, muscle toning, energy increasing and concentration of the mind. It is also in question as to whether yoga should be considered an art form. My aunt, Joan Brown, is a hatha yoga instructor and is of the opinion that her profession is related to dance. She considers yoga and dance to be part of a natural partnership, both being creative, using fluid movements, stretching, and flexing. Correct breathing is also necessary to be successful in both dance and yoga. Many yoga instructors are known to have some dance training as well. There is also a best-selling video that The New York City Ballet Co. has created which combines dance steps and yoga postures. Joan grew up on the northwest side of Chicago and began studying hatha yoga in the early '70s and has continued to do so ever since. She studied the science and philosophy of yoga at the Himalayan Institute for about 12 years and then later at the Temple of Kriya Yoga for approximately 11 years. Joan feels fortunate that she got started on this path at the right time because she had the opportunity to study under the great teachers that had come from India. For her to become an instructor of yoga, a bachelor degree in the arts wasn't needed, but specific studies were. She completed her certification Level 1 and Level 2 at the Temple of Kriya Yoga.

Once More To The Lake: An Appraisal Essay

E. B. White’s essay entitled â€Å"Once More To The Lake† is a classic example of a modest literary work that is able to, more or less, effectively convey the message of the author to his readers. Modest, if only to point, is such a loaded term. But since there is no need to excessively indulge with having to justify the choice of word, it must be qualified that, while the author was able to convey effectively his chief intention for writing the essay, his work is nevertheless not without identifiable ambiguities and areas for improvement. That being said, this paper attempts to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of E. B. White’s essay by perusing the very work itself. Appraising E. B. White’s Essay First, there is a need to primarily square with the general observations that may be leveled with White’s essay. At first glance, White’s essay seems to largely pertain to the author’s vivid recollections about his childhood experiences into the lake of Maine. In fact, one of White’s strengths lies in articulating well his gripping sense of nostalgia as a force that strongly lends an inspiration for his work. This is shown in how he communicates his memories throughout the essay in a manner noticeably recurrent. As a way to demonstrate this point in contention, it would be helpful to cite a few quotes from White himself. For instance, in one of his entries he shares: â€Å"I bought myself a couple of bass hooks and a spinner and returned to the lake where we used to go, for a week’s fishing and to revisit old haunts†. And in another example he relates, â€Å"†¦.everything was as it always had been, that the years were a mirage and there had been no years†. Still, this quote seems to be another glaring example: â€Å"It seemed to me, as I kept remembering all this, that those times and those summers had been infinitely precious and worth saving†[1] (White). These three quotes, among a host of notable others, represent the overarching theme of â€Å"remembrance† evidently palpable, if not all together patent in White’s essay. But it needs to be further asserted that White’s goal for writing the essay is not at all restricted into plainly sharing his cherished memories. Put in other words, White seems to convey something much more profound than merely engaging into an emotional recollection of his past. If one were to carefully appreciate the full tonality of essay, it would appear that White is actually preoccupied – subtly, to say the least – with an endeavor to convey the fact of his mortality. This is a revelation he makes towards the end of his opus in saying, â€Å"suddenly my groin felt the chill of death† (White). In ways more than one, it would not even be wrong to claim that â€Å"mortality†, and not the recurrent theme of â€Å"recollection†, is actually the whole point of the essay. It seems needless to point that White uses a specific writing technique here; i.e., after an elaborate presentation of his vivid recollections, it seems that all White wanted to say was that he now feels the pangs of his mortality. If taken into this specific context, it would look as though White simply used the lengthy essay as a springboard from which his point is to be ultimately drawn. Whether this interesting approach would serve well the essay or not depends on how readers are able to read between the lines. On the one hand, if readers will come to realize White’s brilliance in the process, the technique surely has served the essay well. On the other hand, there a high possibility that readers would miss White’s message since the crux of the matter seems to be wrapped in an elaborate cocoon of complexly constituted sentence constructions.   All things considered however, one can safely say that White’s essay has been relatively successful in conveying both messages thus far identified. Next, there is also a need to look into how White’s writing styles are able to contribute to the effectiveness of his essay. First among the list involves how the author was able to successfully develop his persona in the essay. Since White’s essay is of personal nature, the development of his persona and the expression of his feelings through narration, description or dialogue play a crucial role for the work (Blau, Elbow & Killgallon 33; Anderson, et. al. 451). In many ways, White is able to use the techniques of narration and description for the said purposes pretty well. In fact, it is only by right of justice that one must give a fair amount of credit to White for consistently weaving his persona all throughout his work. Second, the admirable manner by which the author is able to use the written language to speak volumes for the essay should merit an affirmation as well. Simply put, one cannot just let White’s talent of using graphical descriptions in his account pass by unnoticed. White writes for instance, â€Å"†¦.in the shallows, the dark, water-soaked sticks and twigs, smooth and old, were undulating in clusters on the bottom against the clean ribbed sand, and the track of the mussel was plain†. Still in another entry he puts: â€Å"Summertime, oh summertime, pattern of life indelible, the fade proof lake, the woods unshatterable, the pasture with the sweet fern and the juniper forever and ever, summer without end† (White). If these quotes say anything about White, it merely tells of his undeniably extensive writing talent. Thus, if one thinks that creative writing is an art that needs to be nurtured, it has to be acknowledged that White is a person who has perfected it somewhat. Certain ambiguities or questionable aspects palpable in White’s essay need to be also raised. First, because White is able to playfully joggle up words and sentences in his essay with much facility, it seems that this admirable talent proves to have a drawback as well. This manifests in how White occasionally falls into incoherence problems. For instance, there is an entry in his essay where White at first was recounting a scene at a tennis court and suddenly shifts attention towards a restaurant scenario, without proper transition techniques. Concretely, he writes: â€Å"†¦sagged in the dry noon, and the whole place steamed with midday heat and hunger and emptiness. There was a choice of pie for dessert, and one was blueberry and one was apple†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (White). This in part violates a fundamental rule in paragraph composition which states, â€Å"good paragraphing† is marked by clarity and coherence (Shaw 23). Second, it seems that because of the very personal nature of his essay, White is able to capitalize on the liberty of writing his piece marked by randomness and spontaneity. But this approach makes White’s essay more fluid than flowing. In most cases, it affects the progression of the storyline as well. For instance, the third to the last paragraph of the essay begins with the phrase â€Å"We had a good week at the camp†. It seems as though White intends to wrap his work up with such a summation. But the next paragraph again recalls an â€Å"afternoon†¦.there at that lake† when â€Å"a thunderstorm came up† (White). At the very least, the approach is very ant-climatic; and it too violates the basic structure of narrative essays which â€Å"usually follow a chronological pattern† (Gillespie, et. al. 1030).   In the final analysis, it has to be admitted that such an oversight – if it can be called one – affects the effectiveness of essays in communicating the author’s message Conclusion There are surely a lot of good reasons to suppose that White – a creative writer that he is by all measures and standards – is a talent to reckon with. His essay â€Å"Once More To The Lake† surely attests to his ingenuity. In the discussions that were developed, it was learned that White’s personal account of his childhood experiences is successful in emphasizing the themes of â€Å"remembrance† and â€Å"mortality†, inasmuch as it is able to convey well the persona of the author in said work. It was also asserted that White’s writing skills are truly a marvel to behold. And while the essay has coherence and transition problems here and there, the work can still be considered as a worthwhile material, all things considered.

Da Vinci Better Inventor Than Edison - 1385 Words

Liza Marie Lay T. Ana Isaza Writing 17 April 2013 The Men of Great Mind ‘’Many of lifes failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.’’ – Thomas A. Edison. Egyptians, Greeks, Mesopotamian, and others ancient civilizations invented methods or tools of works to survive. In fact, man has been inventing since he has existed. Today, I am going to compare two of the greatest inventors of the world. They lived almost 415 years apart in different cultural periods. One was an engineer, an artist, an architect, a scientist, while the other was a businessman, an engineer, a visioneer: two of the best inventors who had ever existed, Leonardo Da Vinci and Thomas Alva Edison. I’ll have to choose†¦show more content†¦Edisons first laboratories were machine shops at his telegraph works in Newark, New Jersey. Working in these shops between 1870 and 1875, he improved stock ticker technology, developed a system of automatic telegraphy, invented the quadruple x for sending four messages over a single wire, and created his electric pen for making stencil copies of documents. (‘‘The Tomas Edison Papers’’. Rutgers.) The first great invention developed by Edison in Menlo Park was the tin foil phonograph. While working to improve the efficiency of a telegraph transmitter, he noted that the tape of the machine gave off a noise resembling spoken words when played at a high speed. This effect caused him to wonder if he could record a telephone message. He began experimenting with the diaphragm of a telephone receiver by attaching a needle to it. He reasoned that the needle could prick paper tape to record a message. His experiments led him to try a stylus on a tinfoil cylinder, which, to his great surprise, played back the short message he recorded, Mary had a little lamb. The word phonograph was the trade name for Edisons device, which played cylinders rather than discs. The machine had two needles: one for recording a nd one for playback. When one spoke into the mouthpiece, the sound vibrations of one ´s voice would be indented onto the cylinder by the recording needle. This cylinderShow MoreRelatedThe Career Of Thomas Edison1411 Words   |  6 Pagescareer of Thomas Edison illustrates. Edison was a man of enormous accomplishments. Armed only with his natural abilities and aptitudes, Edison, who had only a limited education, changed the face of the planet and the lives of almost every human being with his inventions. The only individual who invented a greater number of things was Leonard Da Vinci and many of his inventions were conceived before the technology that would permit them to be built, existed. In addition, Da Vinci designed many weaponsRead MoreWhy Is Education Important For Developing A Permanent Culture? Essay1655 Words   |  7 Pagesand secondary schools, colleges, Universities, community centres, places of worship and more recently free schools. Education is not value free and all of these establishments will have different dynamics and structures, some being more problematic than others. Education is not confined to these areas and it can also take place in more informal settings and dynamics such as, friends teaching each other, voluntary groups providing education and practical learning based on action, amongst others. InRead MoreA Child Is Having A Problem Reading Even After Lots Of1617 Words   |  7 Pagesto read. It may not be the child, school or the parents fault. The child may have a reading problem called dyslexia. Having dyslexia does not mean that a child will never read, but it does mean that this child will learn to read in a different way than most children of the same age. â€Å"While dyslexia can make reading more difficult, almost all individuals with dyslexia can learn to read.† (International Dyslexia Association website) Most people take reading for granted, but that is not so for a childRead MoreSteam Engine4823 Words   |  20 Pagescan be examined without coming across some type of reference or dependence upon the steam engine.   But, who deserves the credit for this great invention?   Some give the credit to James Watt while others claim that Thomas Newcomen was the original inventor.   However, the idea of the using the power of steam to the advantage of human beings has been around practically since the beginning of time.   But, no practical uses for steam emerged until the 17th century.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The majority of people will tellRead MoreHow The Invention of the Camera Changed the World Essay1555 Words   |  7 Pagesscientific writings on the camera obscura, how the human sight works, how light goes through water, and how to solve for an angle of a reflection from a beam of light. His writings helped bring knowledge of optics to Europe (Cox). Leonardo da Vinci and Johannes Kepler were only two of some of the most famous Renaissance thinkers who used Alhazen’s writings on the obscura in their studies. The camera obscura continued to improve throughout time, and in 1568 Daniel Barbaro, a nobleman of VeniceRead MoreAerodynamic of Rotor - Helicopter Flight3577 Words   |  15 Pageshands to spin the propeller and achieve lift. These toys are still common today. Chinese top [from Gessow and Myers, 1952] Later, in the 15th Century, famed inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci designed one of the more aesthetically pleasing concepts for a helicopter, but such a craft was never actually constructed. Leonardo da Vincis Helicopter, 15th Century [from Gessow and Myers, 1952] First Successes: In England in 1796, Sir George Cayley constructed the first powered models ofRead MoreWalt Disney and Toy Story11680 Words   |  47 Pagesaccumulated enough funds to finance its own films.[4] Forty-five percent of the operating income for Disney’s film operations came from the sale of Pixar’s movies, and Disney’s own marketing research showed that mothers trusted the Pixar name more than Disney.[5] A study of box office receipts revealed that four of the ten top-grossing â€Å"Disney† movies in the history of the company (including live action films) had been Pixar products. Pixar’s Finding Nemo, released in 2003, was the highest grossingRead MoreInnovators Dna84615 Words   |  339 Pagesricher understanding of disruptive innovators—who they are and the innovative companies they create. Our project’s primary purpose was to uncover the origins of innovative—and often disruptive— business ideas. So we interviewed nearly a hundred inventors of revolutionary products and services, as well as founders and CEOs of game-changing companies built on innovative business ideas. These were people such as eBay’s Pierre Omidyar, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Research In Motion’s Mike Lazaridis, andRead MoreSAT Top 30 Essay Evidence18536 Words   |  75 Pages(1929-1930s) ........................................................................................ 37 World War I (1914-1918) ......................................................................................................................... 39 Inventors and Innovators: The Wright Brothers (Pioneers of human flight) ...................................................................................... 41 P age |3 Leaders, Politicians, and Businesspeople: Bernard â€Å"Bernie† Madoff (The greatestRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pages...................................................... 157 Exercises .............................................................................................................................................. 158 CHAPTER 5 Obstacles to Better Communication .................................................................. 165 viii Not Realizing What You Are Saying ............................................................................................... 165 Abusing Rules of

Social Class and Education, An Annotated Bibliography Essay

Social Class and Education†. It opens by discussing research conducted in the 1960’s in an effort to identify factors contributing to differences in the academic achievement of Whites and Blacks (Banks Banks, 2013). Researchers hypothesized that the achievement gaps were mainly the result of disparities in school resources and characteristics, but found that there is a high correlation between achievement and socioeconomic status (SES) (Banks Banks, 2013). Furthermore, attention is drawn to the class stratification which exists in our educational system and works to maintain inequality through exclusion strategies such as ability grouping and tracking (Banks Banks, 2013). Evidence of the correlation between social class and†¦show more content†¦Thus, globalization forces researchers to understand the influence of mobility, in addition to education, on social class (Banks Banks, 2013). This articles I chose to investigate social class and its implication s for educational outcomes are Social class and the hidden curriculum of work by Jean Anyon and Reappraising the importance of class in higher education entry and persistence by John Field and Natalie Morgan Klein. Anyon, J. (1980). Social class and the hidden curriculum of work. Journal of Education, (162)1, 67-92. Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide empirical evidence of the existence of what the author calls a â€Å"hidden curriculum† in schools by observing the types and differences in school work across a spectrum of social classes (Anyon, 1980, p. 67). The rationale for this study is lies in a body of research suggesting that the type of curriculum offered to students is dependent upon their social class (Anyon, 1980). The curriculum variants observed include: behavior expectations and types of knowledge and skills offered. Consequently, the curriculum differences work to prevent movement across social class and prepare students only for the types of employment typical of their social class (Anyon, 1980). Anyon attempts to draw attention to this topic in the United States, as it had been largely ignored at the time (1980). Methods This was an ethnographical study which investigated the curriculum, evaluation methods, andShow MoreRelatedResearch Proposal And Annotated Bibliography1098 Words   |  5 PagesResearch Proposal and Annotated Bibliography Following the â€Å"Minnesota Career Information System† that Minnesota has a large employment with 9,582 firms for Computer and Information Systems Manager. There have many opportunities for me easy to get a job after graduating college. Moreover, I like to work on the computer to operate the whole system for a company. I also want to lead my team to bring more efficiently and create new computer hardware or software to promote my company development. My interestingRead MoreCritical Thinking And Critical Writing Essay1759 Words   |  8 Pagesproved to be one of the most challenging English classes that I have taken so far in my academic career. There were many elements of the pre-writing process introduced during the past sixteen weeks, such as writing a preliminary draft and annotated bibliography, that I have never been exposed to before. The critical reading, critical thinking, and critical writing process in this course definitely stretched me as a writer and student. T here were three writing styles practiced during this course alongRead MoreRes 811 Synthesis Paper1363 Words   |  6 PagesRES 811 Synthesis Paper To Buy this Class Copy paste below link in your Brower http://homeworkregency.com/downloads/res-811-synthesis-paper/ Or Visit Our Website Visit : http://www.homeworkregency.com Email Us : homeworkregency@gmail.com RES 811 Synthesis Paper Synthesis is the act of creating something new from multiple existing entities. Synthesis of research, then, is creating a new idea from existing ideas. Synthesis of research is not a single innate skill. Rather, it isRead MoreThe Current Mla Format And Guidelines1511 Words   |  7 PagesMrs. Pruitt’s Research Paper Guide Paper Requirements †¢ The length of the research paper must be no less than 1,500-words and no more than 2,500-words. The 2,500-word limit does not apply to notes or to the annotated bibliography. In-text citations are required. If your sources are not acknowledged, your paper will receive a zero and will be required to be rewritten for a lower grade because this is considered plagiarism. No more than five quotations are allowed in your paper. †¢ The researchRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography Ni Technology Education781 Words   |  4 PagesAnnotated Bibliography: Trends in Technology Education by Sacha Richards October 14, 2016 Originality Score: Three trends I have noticed in the Education realm of Technology are Project Based Learning, Data Informed Decisions and World-Class Standards and Personalized Professional Development. In defining Project Based Learning, this occurs where students are involved in identifying and solving a problem in and out of the classroom. Data Informed Decisions occurs where data is used to drive curriculum-basedRead MorePersonal Responsibility Rough Draft1736 Words   |  7 PagesGen/200 August 27, 2012 Instructor: Jennifer Smith Personal Responsibility Leads to Success Even though a person taking on too many responsibilities can lead to his or her downfall, personal responsibility can lead to success in higher education. Because responsibility is the force that binds an individual to the course of action demanded by the goal, personal responsibility can incur beneficial habits and admirable behaviors that will advocate successful outcome. The state of New York onceRead MoreI Am A Great Clinical Day1088 Words   |  5 PagesThe students applied what they learned in class by comparing items using unit prices, and looking at deals. As well as, compared nutrition labels of different brands, of the same items. It was very interesting, to see the comparison. At the end of the class, we gave the students coupons and a booklet of coupons, which they loved. These teens where wonderful, and I felt this class was a lot better than the first class that we had; not that the first class was bad. I just felt that I really made anRead MoreReflection On The F ield Of Organizational Psychology963 Words   |  4 Pages Reflection Before the start of this class I had little experience with research and little knowledge regarding the components of each research approach. Additionally, I had preconceived notions that qualitative research would be my approach of choice because I assumed it was an easier choice so to speak because it did not include numeric data. This course has definitely changed my mind on being open to the other approaches. I have learned that quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approachRead MoreSummary : Boy Wonder 854 Words   |  4 PagesAnnotated Bibliography Aradillas, Elaine, and Kathy Ehrich Dowd. Boy Wonder, People 25 Oct. 2010: Vol. 74 issue 15: 91-93 Boy Wonder is an article that discusses Zuckerberg’s background of work with computers and his education at Harvard. This article also discusses Zuckerberg’s relationship with his friends and family, and how much they disagree with the way the real Zuckerberg is portrayed in the movie The Social Network. The film portrays Zuckerberg as person who is desperately trying to fit inRead MoreInternational Students Pursuing A Higher Education Essay1562 Words   |  7 PagesI have chosen deals with international students pursuing a higher education in the United States. According to the IIE, International Institute of Education, the majority of international students come from asian countries and have been populating the US through a variety of study fields leading to eventual, desirous opportunity to continue living in the US. The issue revolving around this topic that goes unnoticed includes: social stigma, racial discrimination, mistreatment beyond societal behavior

Chinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart Essay - 1310 Words

The Dangers of Indifference: Reactions to Missionaries in Things Fall Apart In Things Fall Apart, post-colonial author Chinua Achebe is effectively telling two distinct but related stories. The first establishes the traditions and customs of the Ibo people, particularly those living in the powerful village of Umuofia, while the second documents the culture clash between the old ways of the Ibo clan and the newly arrived white man, all of which is connected by the common thread of the fall of the tragic hero, disgraced warrior Okonkwo. Unsurprisingly, the demarcation between these two halves falls right at the point of the arrival of Christian missionaries in the region. Achebe’s episodic chapter style details a plethora of different reactions to this by the Ibo people, which can be broken up into three groups; acts of violence and rebellion, conversion and the embrace of Christianity, and relative inaction and indifference. All three reactions played roles in the downfall of the Ibo clan, but the most damaging in Achebe’s view is the actions of those who decided to ignore the new dynamic of the white man’s presence, and through their arrogance lead the African people as a whole to cultural eradication. While far less common than conversion and indifference, the use of violence in reaction to the arrival of missionaries and the white man in general tends to play a pivotal role when it does pop up. For example, the first time Okonkwo hears of the appearance of whiteShow MoreRelatedChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1719 Words   |  7 PagesThings fall apart is a classic novel written around the turn of the century, the novel focuses on the protagonist who we can also call a hero, Okonkwo. Okonkwo is a wealthy and respected leader within the Igbo tribe of Umuofia in eastern Nigeria. Strong individual with a passionate belief in all the values and traditions of his people. Chinua Achebe presents Okonkwo as a particular kind of tragic prot agonist, a great man who carries the fate of his people. Okonkwo is a man who is inflexible andRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1033 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Chinua Achebe is a famous Nigerian novelist in worldwide. Things fall apart is Chinua Achebe’s first novel published in 1958, the year after Ghana became the first African nation to gain independence. And this novel is one of the first African novels to gain worldwide recognition. (Phil Mongredien, 2010) This novel presents people a story of an African Igbo tribal hero, Okonkwo, from his growth to death. The fate of Okonkwo also indicates the fate of Africa caused by the colonizationRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart883 Words   |  4 Pagesdehumanize the native population and convince themselves that they are helping. Chinua Achebe’s book Things Fall Apart attempts to correct these misguided views of African societies by portraying a more complex culture that values peace, and the art of conversation. Achebe also tries to portray the idea that not all European people they come in contact with are aggressive, and misconstrued in their view of the African societ ies. Achebe tries to show us the value of his society through repeated views into conversationsRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1410 Words   |  6 PagesTeddy Manfre Ms. Blass ENG 209-001 April 24, 2017 Things Fall Apart In 1958, Chinua Achebe a famous Nigerian author publishes one of his most famous novels Things Fall Apart. The novel takes place in a Nigerian village called Umuofia. During the time that this novel is published Nigeria is being criticized by the Europeans for being uncivilized. In response, Achebe uses his brilliance in this novel to express the valued history of his people to his audience. His focus in the novel is on the pre-colonizedRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1015 Words   |  5 PagesIn his novel Things Fall Apart, author Chinua Achebe utilizes his distinctive writing style in order to accurately capture the culture and customs of the Igbo people despite writing his story in a foreign language. Five aspects of Achebe’s style that make his writing unique is the straightforward diction present in dialogue, the inclusion of native parables convey Igbo life authentically, the inclusion of native Igbo words and phrases, detailed descriptions of nature and the usage of figurative languageRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1702 Words   |  7 PagesTitle: Things Fall Apart Biographical information about the author: Chinua Achebe was born in Nigeria in 1930. He had an early career as a radio host, and later became the Senior Research Fellow at the University of Nigeria. After moving to America, he became an English professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Achebe has won numerous awards for his poetry and fiction, including the Man Booker prize and Commonwealth Poetry Price. He currently teaches at Bard College. Author: Chinua AchebeRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart Essay1347 Words   |  6 PagesCulture is an Important Element of Society Chinua Achebe is the author of when Things Fall Apart while Joseph Conrad authored Heart of Darkness. Conrad and Achebe set their individual titles in Africa; Achebe is an African writer whereas Conrad is Polish-British. The authors draw strength from their backgrounds to validity the authenticity of their fictional novels. Conrad writes from his experiences in the British and French navies while Achebe uses his African heritage. The theme of culture isRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1248 Words   |  5 PagesChris Lowndes Ms. Cook A.P.L.C. 21 October 2015 We Are Family: Hardships in One s Family in Things Fall Apart Specific attributes correlate with each other to help create or not create the ideal strong family. However, through those attributes arise conflicts and major disputes. This issue of trying to achieve and create a strong family is of immense importance in one’s life, especially in Chinua Achebe’s, Things Fall Apart, a milestone in African literature. For instance, the father leaves his legacyRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart Essay1682 Words   |  7 Pagescertain degree of the priest class, libation, holidays, creation stories, divine systems of punishments and rewards. In the novel, Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, is a story of tragic fall of a protagonist and the Igbo culture. Achebe demonstrates different examples and situations of where an African culture, in the instances of tribal religions, did certain things because of their tradition is and the way they developed into. African cultures pondered life mysteries and articulated theirRead Mo reChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1314 Words   |  6 PagesChinua Achebe masterpiece â€Å"Things Fall Apart† (1959) is the classic story of Okonkwo, a young man who strives to be revered by his village and family but because of his own internal character flaws meets his own demise. In the Igbo culture, family traditions are an important narrative throughout the novel. Okonkwo, the protagonist character of this story, begins with many attributes of what would be concluded as a hero with his cultural society. He is hard working, a material provider, feared and

Individual Report of Starbucks Coffee Shop organization

Question: Describe about individual report of starbucks coffee shop organization? Answer: Introduction: The study of this assignment is to identify the component activities for Starbucks Coffee Shop organization and to evaluate the performance objectives used by Starbucks Coffee Shop. The five points discussed in this assignment is Quality, Flexibility, Dependability, Speed, Cost structure of Starbucks Coffee Shop. Background of the company: Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is a global coffee company. They are doing a business of coffee house chain. The company is mainly based in Seattle, Washington. Since, the year 1971 Starbucks Corporation is running their business in United Kingdom. Starbucks is one of the largest coffee house companies in the world. Starbucks rival company is Costa Coffee. Starbucks mainly serves hot and cold beverages, whole bean coffee, micro ground instant coffee, full leaf teas, pastries and snacks. Five performance objectives: Quality: 1. Ethical consumerism at Starbucks: Starbucks always focuses on the quality of products selling to their customers. This is because Starbucks Company always thinks about the customers health and safety, which are one of the significant for Starbucks Company success in their business. Starbuck Company always ensures that the company is very much clean and hygienic including good service and facilities in the coffee shop. Starbucks Company ensures that they will never sacrifice with their quality of the product (Bowersox, Closs and Cooper, 2007). Their product price is little more comparing with the other brands selling coffee in the western company but Starbucks Company always thinks about their customers health and safety. Corporate social responsibility at Starbucks: Corporate Social Responsibilities also known as CSR is used by the Starbucks Company as a tool. CSR helps Starbucks to build competitive advantage over the rival companies of Starbuck Company. By taking CSR in the Companys account, Starbucks Company belongs with the law to run the business smoothly. And secondly, CSR increased the sales volume of the company and improve financial conditions of the Starbucks Company as well. Flexibility: 1. Environmental Impact In the year 1999 Starbucks started making their business environmental friendly. Starbucks started reducing the paper napkin size and store garbage bags. Starbucks also reduces their daily water consumption for rinsing utensils in a sink which wastes lot of water in rinsing the daily utensils in each store of Starbucks. Once the newspaper reported globally about the wastes of 23.4 million liters of water daily in the stores of Starbucks, Starbucks took the initiative to minimize the daily consumption of water for rinsing utensils. Starbucks replaced dipper well with push button system for rinsing their daily utensils. This strategy of Starbuck of minimizing water consumption saves almost 570 liters of water per day for rinsing their utensils (Mangan, Lalwani and Butcher, 2008). 2. Recycling After minimizing the daily water consumption, Starbucks started serving the coffee in a plastic cups. This plastic cups is one time use. And the material used in manufacturing the cup can be recycled. Suddenly, Starbucks announced that the material of the cup is not very much environment friendly that is why the company will give 15% discount on their product if the customer carries their own cups (Mangan, Lalwani and Butcher, 2008). Once the coffee shop announced the news, the customers of the Starbucks appreciate the decision and started carrying their own cups. Dependability: 1. A Plan For Reorganization: When the management of the Starbucks Corporation planned for reorganization of the Supply Chain of the Company, the management of Starbucks put Gibson in the higher post and tried to sort out the problem faced by the company (Schultz and Gordon, 2011). The first two things that Gibson did after getting the new position is, he found the main problem arises in the supply chain of the company and secondly how to cut the price of the product without compromising the product to the customers. Gibbson tried to focus mainly on the supply chain of their company. A result from cost analysis shows a higher outflow for outsourcing. Moreover, the outsourcing has been employed so that higher value can be generated from supply chain and they can attain success for developing store. Gibbson found an innovative idea and submitted its plan to the companys director. Gibbson plan was outlined to classify supply chain of the firm. Further, structure has been abridged and then Starbucks has to concentrate on the declining the cost related to stores and serve the consumer well. 2. Simplifying the Complex According to Peter D. Gibbson, the Supply Chain structure is quite complex mode of model and that is why Peter D. Gibbson tried to make it much easier so that each task or operation can be executed effectively and the function relating to supply chain can be fulfilled even if any person is involved in any kind of activity such as production planning (Bowersox, Closs and Cooper, 2007). If new product launches in the market by Starbucks then the product will be categorized under planning section. Furthermore, procurement of coffee and non-coffee were considered as major source activities. After the supply chain functions were reorganized, each and every department turned their attention to the second supply chain transformation: reducing cost and improving efficiencies. After this effort, the sourcing group worked on identifying the cost driver which was trying to pushing up the prices of the product of the Starbucks. Meanwhile, the manufacturing group of the Starbucks Company developed a better idea for delivering the coffee beans. They planned to expand the coffee plant of Starbucks so that the transportation cost can be cut down. This will give the Starbucks a new height of profit. Starbucks possesses three different coffee plants in the region of United States of America. The Starbucks Company added the fourth coffee plant in their account in Columbia, South Carolina. In addition to four coffee plants owns by the Starbucks Company in United States Of America, The Starbucks also added coffee plants in Amsterdam, the Netherland into their account. The Starbucks Company also owned Tazo tea subsidiary in Portland, Oregon. This idea creates another problem (Bowersox, Closs and Cooper, 2007). This makes another system comes into the role under Starbucks Company. The system is known as Logistic System. Speed: 1. Operation Management at Starbucks: Starbucks Coffee has turned out to be a well known brand globally. The company has got an amazing supply chain all over the nineteen nations. Starbucks Company collects their Coco beans from one country and collect milk for the making of their coffee from another country. Starbucks Company collects sugar from another country and paper comes from another country. This shows that Starbucks Company did not compromise with their products. They collect best quality product for their customers. This global resources span is a great way for Starbucks to expand company and reach more countries than ever before. Not only that, Starbucks Coffee is able to supply the best ingredients to their customers at a lower price. All the raw materials collected by the Starbucks Company go through various processes. The processes are when all the raw materials are collected by the Starbucks sent to a roasting process then manufacturing process and finally into packaging plant. Starbucks has six roasting centers across the world where Coco beans are prepared (Waters, 2010). This centralized system is very effective. These roasting centers verify that each and every Coco beans are roasted and then manufactured and then ready for packaging. Once the Coco beans are prepared, Starbucks starts the delivering process. The amount of coffee being deliver each day is hundred thousands of pounds, but with over seventy thousand deliveries daily. Starbucks is able to supply each store with adequate amounts of coffee. But, now days the operational cost rising high due to that sales has shown a declining point, the company has enforced a three steps strategy to enhance their supply chain performance, cut the cost and be ready for the future. Before problem arises, Starbucks Corporation serves approx 50 million end users in 51 different nations every week from 16,700 retail stores. But in the year 2008, Starbucks understood that its supply chain was not meeting its goal. During the year 2007 to 2008, Starbucks management realized that in United States of America the sales of Starbucks Coffee shop has gone down to almost 10 percent. After this point, Starbucks management realized that the company was commencing the new stores across the globe to their best level. Moreover, the supply chain of the organization concentrated on gaining higher benefit from the proposed expansion plan. It has been understood that the company was highly involved in expanding their stores that they did not majorly focused o n their supply chain and due to that supply chain resulted to higher cost which further increased the expenses of the company. Therefore, the growth of the company slightly declined. The management of the Starbucks realized that they had to attain equilibrium among the performance and rising cost carried by the company. To transform the supply chain of the Starbucks, the management of the company focused three major factors: Realigning the supply chain for higher benefit from operation Declining the cost to minimum level to generate higher income from stores and effective running of the stores. Planning effective strategy to organize the supply chain to produce quality product. 2. Logistics System Starbucks Company collects their raw coffee beans from Latin America, Africa, and Asia to the United States Of America and Europe. From the port all the raw coffee beans are sending to six storage sites at a roasting plant. When the raw coffee beans were roasted in the roasting plant, it was sent into their distribution centers in USA (Waters, 2010). The Starbucks Company owns two regional distributions and three distributions are operated by the third party logistics companies. It also has two distributions centers in Europe and two in Asia, all of which is operated by the third party logistic companies. Depending on their locations, the stores are supplied by the large regional distribution centers or by small warehouses called central distribution centers. Starbucks use 33 central distribution centers in United States Of America, seven in the Asia region, five in Canada, and three in Europe (Waters, 2010). This causes delivery costs and execution are intertwined. After all this, P eter D. Gibbson and his team analyzed that the Starbuck Company is improving in both the sector. Cost: The Company reduces $ 1 per bag on its coffee beans. As per the recent article the firm earns almost $ 380 million by selling coffee in their coffee shop at a margin of 25.5 %. The firm was gaining almost $ 2.55 per kg. As the company reduces $ 1 per bag on its coffee, they had to sell almost 65 % more bags of Coffee beans to make same profit by selling the companys product. Conclusion: The object of this thesis was to investigate how Starbucks Company succeeds in running their business in profit. As the Starbucks Company was running almost 20 % to 30 % less profit. Keeping this in mind the Starbucks Company management and Peter D. Gibbson identifies the problem that why the company was running in low profit. After identifying the problem the management and Peter D. Gibbson reorganized some plan and implemented all new plans to make the Starbucks Company back into its own track of profit. The management of the Starbucks took three decisions to back into the track of profit are: 1. Organized the Companys supply chain. 2. Cost is reduced by the company and execution is also increased. Recommendation: 1. Recycling and reducing waste: All the wastes that are throwing out by the Starbucks should be recycled else it will hamper the environment. Enormous cups are used daily by the customers of the company which are affecting the environment. These wastes should be take care by the firm so that the environment does not get hamper with these wastes. 2. Building stores in energy saving mode: The firm should build their stores by using energy saving mode. As the firm is consuming plenty of energy and using plenty of water. They should take care of this point. The firm should use LED lights so that the company can consume less electricity. This will cut their electricity bill and the firm can gain more profit from it.3. Starbucks provides premium coffee to their customers which cause high prices of the coffee comparing with the other brands in the western countries. Starbucks Company showed a good environmental concern but other brands provides their coffee to their customers at a very cheap price. So, Starbuck should think about their price strategy to attract more customers. They should provide a good quality product to their customers with cheaper price. Starbucks may provide some price promotions to motivate the customers. Not only the Starbucks customer but it will also motivate the customers of the rival companies of Starbuck s Company. This is an aspect that Starbuck can improve upon. References Schultz, H. and Gordon, J. (2011). Onward. New York, NY: Rodale. Bowersox, D., Closs, D. and Cooper, M. (2007). Supply chain logistics management. Boston, Frazelle, E. (2002). Supply chain strategy. New York: McGraw-Hill. Waters, C. (2010). Global logistics. London: Kogan Page. Mangan, J., Lalwani, C. and Butcher, T. (2008). Global logistics and supply chain management. Chichester, England: John Wiley Sons. Behar, H. and Goldstein, J. (2009). It's not about the coffee. New York: Portfolio. Berman, S. (2009). Best gay stories 2009. Maple Shade, NJ: Lethe Press. Gilbert, S. (2009). The story of Starbucks. Mankato, Minn.: Creative Education. Simon, B. (2009). Everything but the coffee. Berkeley: University of California Press. Bussing-Burks, M. (2009). Starbucks. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood Press. Gross, D., Lynd, S. and Keough, T. (2011). Solidarity unionism at Starbucks. Oakland, CA: PM Press. Israel, S. (2009). Twitterville. New York: Portfolio. Michelli, J. (2007). The Starbucks experience. New York: McGraw-Hill. Ryan, R. (2008). Snapshots at St. Arbuck's. Las Vegas, NV: Dream Chasers Media Group, LLC. Schultz, H. (2011). Onward. Chichester: Wiley. Simon, B. (2009). Everything but the coffee. Berkeley, Calif. [u.a.]: Univ. of California Press. Van Vooren, N. (2006). Camping out in the coffee shop world. Fellner, K. (2008). Wrestling with Starbucks. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. Gilbert, S. (2008). The story of Starbucks. Mankato, MN: Creative Education. Caudwell, J. (2011). Starbucks in the Stacks. The Serials Librarian, 61(3-4), pp.321-322. Freeburg, C. (2012). Teaching Literature and the Bitter Truth about Starbucks. Profession, 2012(1), pp.25-30. Kalnins, A. and Stroock, L. (2011). Pouring Israel into a Starbucks Cup. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 52(2), pp.135-143. Phillips, M. and Rippin, A. (2010). Howard and the mermaid: abjection and the Starbucks' Foundation memoir. Organization, 17(4), pp.481-499. Zhang, X. (2011). Communicating Coffee Culture through the Big Screen: Starbucks in American Movies. Comparative American Studies, 9(1), pp.68-84.

How can leaders motivate staff in order to improve efficiency and job satisfaction free essay sample

In this essay I shall define motivate, job satisfaction, productivity and leaders. I shall then give a brief history of motivational theories and then discuss McClelland’s Motivational Needs Theory; to explain some methods of how staff can be motivated by analysing the 3 main factors in his theory and explain how these factors can motivate staff and to see if motivation does lead to improved productivity, I shall then analyse this theory and thoughts of other theorists to see if motivation also leads to job satisfaction and conclude the results of my research. Motivate – The Oxford University Press (2014) states motivate is to â€Å"provide (someone) with a reason for doing something: he was primarily motivated by the desire for profit† 2014, 2014, February 26th, Oxford University Press, http://www. oxforddictionaries. com/definition/english/motivate? q=motivate What is Job Satisfaction? Job Satisfaction is when a person/employee is happy or content in their job. What is Productivity? Productivity is a term used to describe a state, quality or fact of being able to generate, create or improve goods and services. For example at the Chocolate Factory the Work Productivity was increased and 10% more chocolate bars were produced than last year. Or the Council’s Productivity increased after a restructure and they managed to provide more services to customers. What is a Leader? A Leader is someone who leads other people; this could be a manager, director, team leader, politician or anyone who leads people, usually staff or one or more people. Motivational Theories There have been many management theorists throughout the years from 1908 (Henry Ford) to 1990 (Dr Stephen Covey) and other theorists/theories onwards from 1990. David McClelland’s Motivational Needs Theory in 1961 identified that there were 3 types of needs for motivation: †¢The Need for Achievement (Goals, Deadlines etc. ) McClelland believed that the Need for Achievement would motivate staff; for example leaders setting goals, targets or deadlines for staff to achieve can motivate their staff to meet these deadlines (or goals) therefore enabling leaders to increase productivity and performance of staff by setting, planning and/or varying these deadlines, goals or targets. Without any goals or deadlines there is no need for the staff to achieve a certain amount of productivity such as producing/finishing a specific amount of work. Therefore I agree with McClelland that there is a motivational need for achievement to motivate staff and this can lead to improved productivity and performance. Many large companies such as Halfolds and MacDonald’s believe that Achievement motivates staff and they have reward systems in place to motivate their staff. By achieving a good performance or a certain level of productivity they can earn rewards, if a worker meets the requirements they may get praise or a reward from their leader there also may be an incentive for the staff member to achieve their/these targets of which motivates them to work harder therefore increasing productivity by McClelland’s motivational need for Achievement. But also when a staff member meets their work goals, targets or deadlines this may improve job satisfaction as they would know they have done well and their standard of work is sufficient to meet their goals even if there is no incentive, but an incentive for the staff to meet goals can help motivate staff further to meet their goals. †¢The Need for Power (Authority) Staff having authority or power McClelland believed would motivate staff, I believe this is because it gives the staff member a sense of importance by having authority and by would undertaking extra responsibilities that people with authority would usually undertake such as managing staff, it also enables them to motivate staff who they have authority over and therefore they can improve performance and productivity by successfully managing their staff as well as improving their job satisfaction, possibly by making changes. The Need for Affiliation (Good/Friendly Working Relationships/Being a part of a team, group, organisation etc. ) Affiliation/s in McClelland’s theory refers to staff being closely affiliated (or associated) which can refer to family, social, business or working relationships. This Affiliation is a state of being associated or affiliated, for example a staff member may be affiliated with a team or organisation and staff being in a team (therefore having affiliation with a team) McClelland believed staff may be more motivated by affiliation as they are associated with other staff who may most likely be working towards a similar outcome to themselves and as a part of a team they may wish to be or become a team player and motivate themselves and other team members. For instance I have affiliation with the University of West London Business Studies Course and as a student I am affiliated and effectively a part of a group of students, I am motivated to help other students as they wish to achieve the same outcome as me (a degree) and as I have affiliation with this group I am therefore self-motivated to achieve the same standard of work as my group or excel them and therefore I agree that there is a need for Affiliation and I believe this motivates me and my performance and productivity is improved as a direct result of Affiliation. McClelland believed that the majority of people have or show a combination of these 3 types of needs and some favour specific needs or a combination of these needs. Matching the correct needs to the person can strongly improve their work productivity, performance and behaviour but can increasing motivation therefore lead to an improvement in job satisfaction? McClelland does specify in his theory that motivation can improve performance and work productivity, but he does not specify that it can lead to improved job satisfaction but from analysing his theory above you can see that 2 Motivational needs factors in his theory (the need for authority and the need for achievement) can lead to improved job satisfaction, this is backed up by the fact that McClelland’s motivational theory shows that motivation can lead to improved performance of staff and there is a direct link between improved performance and improved job satisfaction. The 3rd factor â€Å"The Need for Affiliation† through personal experience at university and working as a part of team at various work places, I believe can also improve performance and job satisfaction). Naylor, Pritchard, Ilgen; 1980; Vroom, 1964 state that; â€Å"expectancy-based theories of motivation generally stipulate that satisfaction follows from the rewards produced by performance. † Lawler and Porter (1967) who were â€Å"expectancy theorists themselves argued that performance would lead to job satisfaction through the provision of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. As these authors noted, briefly stated, good performance may lead to rewards, which in turn lead to satisfaction. † The Job Satisfaction-Job Performance Relationship: A Qualitative and Quantitative Review 2001, 376-379, American Psychological Association, Inc, 3 I can conclude that leaders can motivate there staff using motivational theories such as McClelland’s Motivational Needs Theory in order to improve productivity and job satisfaction. I have also came up with my own theory based on McClelland’s Motivational Needs theory and the work of Naylor, Pritchard, Ilgen; 1980; Vroom, 1964, Lawler and Porter (1967). Josh Albright’s (2014) Motivational Flow Theory I agree with McClelland’s theory; which I have discovered to some extent also agrees with other theorists (such as Naylor, Pritchard, Ilgen, Vroom, Lawler and Porter) that motivation leads to improved performance (productivity) and job satisfaction, In order to increase job satisfaction and productivity you must increase motivation. The diagram I drew below shows that the more motivation is increased or â€Å"poured into staff† the more job satisfaction and productivity will thereby be increased.