Media Diary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Media Diary - Essay Example The trends accumulate and spread to individuals who then show different groups the same trend. This leads to a sense of popularity with a given association and the relationship that it holds to a main organization, allowing the central area to continue to grow because of the associations that have been used for networking and development. b. The concept of networking and growing with trends and ideals is one which is specific to professional associations that are working for civic engagement in American democracy. Different associations will have a specific agenda related to political leaders, rights, bills and other changes needed in society. The associations are able to take a specific issue and advertise this to society. As this is done, individuals are able to decide for or against the leader, policy or other issue from the association. This allows the democratic decisions and trends to take shape and to push specific issues into the center of politics. More important, different types of associations are able to create different trends and associations. Many of the associations will have a hierarchical structure based on the importance of the political engagement needed. These will be pushed to create a specific trend in society and to alter the way in which many respond to the given issue. This creates a sense of civic orientation within society and structures democratic issues and the level of responses and trends which are seen among groups of individuals (Schofer, Gourinchas, 806). c. The organizational concerns which occur over time happen because of the patterns and changes within society. Authors note that the changes which become of concern are based on both the internal and external environment. In the internal environment, there is a concern because of the employee dynamics and the diversity which is a part of the work force. Different cultural influences, personal preferences and understanding of the organization changes the dynamics of the worki ng area and what occurs within the organization. For most, this leads to the need to create an organizational environment which can match the needs of individuals and groups. More important, there is the need to create a sense of changes to ensure that there is organizational growth and which meets the challenges for competition and within the marketplace. The changes in organizational concerns are furthered by the societal trends which occur and which influence the patterns in buying habits. A business is primarily focused on providing products and services to customers. However, there are dynamics which change the success of this main goal. This includes alterations in societal demands, trends and behaviors, political alterations, belief systems by groups, advertisements and competition. There are also influences within the economy which changes the popularity of a corporation. The trends which are in society then influence the patterns of a businesses success and their ability to move forward with specific alterations that are able to build into the needs of societal trends (Coplien, 43). d. The impact which is given from professional organizations and civic engagement is based on the way in which each influences the other. Professional organizations develop with a specific purpose or need to influence society in a given manner. This is done by providing information and by showing the benefits or downfalls

Impacts of Terrorism on Global Events Literature review

Impacts of Terrorism on Global Events - Literature review Example Management issues involved The increasing terror threats demand the stakeholders enforce pragmatic management measures of dealing with the vice. These include enforcing preventive strategies and mechanism for mitigating the ultimate outcomes of terrorism. This project focuses on the impacts of terrorism on global events. It informs the stakeholders of the extensive effects terrorism has had on the sector in the past. To address these effects, I have used the second method of collecting data of past terror attacks targeting global events. I have examined the effects of terror attacks in 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, the attacks at International cricket tournaments in Pakistan in addition to the impacts of September 11 attacks on the attendance of the FIFA World Cup. From the data collected, analyzed relevant themes pertinent to the study. (3c) Statement of the research question The impacts of terrorism on global events (3d) Aims and objective The aim of the study is to examine the eff ects of terrorism on global events. Objectives i. To examine the effects of terrorism on the motivation of tourists attending global events ii. To examine the effects of terrorism on attendance at global events. They were not only carried out in the territory of a global superpower but also by foreigners, who had previously gained entry into a sovereign state. The attack demonstrated the vulnerability of all countries to terrorism and the need to enforce preventive measures became apparent (Baxter and Downing, 2001). Since the attacks, immigration and movement of people across international borders are highly controlled and consequently, the organization of major global events such as sports and musical events was affected. (4a)The significance of hosting global events Events such as sports and music are increasingly becoming an important segment of tourism market (Yuan and McDonald, 1990). According to Bramwell (1998), countries across the world strive to organize global events in order to increase visitations in their countries, mitigate the seasonality of tourist visits and enhance the attractiveness of the destinations to tourism. In addition, organizing global event spurs development in the destination. The achievement of these goals depends on various factors but the numbers of people attending the events play a critical role (Sageman, 2004). Some of the major sports events that attract a high number of people globally include FIFA world cup, Olympic Games, UEFA champions league games, formula 1 racing among others. In addition, music and concerts featuring popular artists such as Live 8 attract numerous audiences across the globe. (4b) History of terror attacks on global events Due to the large number of people that global events attract, terrorists are increasingly targeting them (Toohey, et al 2003).

Ryanair â€Southwest of European airlines Essay Example for Free

Ryanair –Southwest of European airlines Essay The objective of my report is to analyze the external environment in Ryanair-Southwest of European airlines case, which is very important factor for the firms formulated effective strategy. The external environment consists of a wide array of economic and sociopolitical factors. It is the specific market arenas that the organization has chosen in its strategy; it provides the business opportunities to the firm and its also a source of threats or forces that may impede the successful implementation of a strategy. Macro-environmental Analysis (PEST factors affecting Ryanair Airlines)To analyze the macro environment, I will use the PEST analysis, which refers to political, economic, social and technical factors that confront Ryanair airlines. This analysis provides a no exhaustive list of potential influences of the environment on the organization. Each of the forces is categorized by a particular macro-level external influence, which directly impacts strategic direction at Ryanair. The political environment can have a significant influence on businesses as well as affect consumer confidence and business spending. The political environment is one of major advantages to Raynair, as the majority of its operations are contained within Europe. This region maintains political stability, thus Ryanair does not experience issues with governmental instability in Europe as a concern regarding passenger volumes or flight destinations. Political factors in our case are:-Irish government policy from September, 1989. This policy were known as two airline policy valid for three years and was directed at benefiting both Irish carriers Aer Lingus and Ryanair. The new policy ruled that the two major Irish airlines will not compete on any international route and they both had to have separate routes-European Union deregulation of the airline businesses from 1997; set up a number of low-cost airlines offering no-frills services. This deregulation enabled Ryanair to open new routes to continental Europe. -European Union expansion enabled the company to expand its business to new countries in Europe. Other very important factors that have near- and long-term effects on the success of companys strategy are the economic forces. They include inflation rates, tariffs, the growth of the local and foreign national economies, exchange rates, as well as unemployment rates. Economic factors include:-Economically- stable European Union market provided Ryanair with significant value in the form of higher volumes of consumers. -Increasing oil prices inflated the costs of fuel and impacted profit margins-At the same time people in Europe are willing to travel more for lower price and this was option for low-budget airlines like Ryanair. -European Union deleted duty-free on intra- European Union countries, and this new taxation policy affected Ryanair in loss of revenue, increased landing charges and increased the number of flight attendants. The social and cultural influences of business vary from country to country. Social cultural factors in Ryanair case include:-Increasing of the peoples mobility in Europe, where good transportation is essential for every European citizen and it was a great opportunity for Ryanair to expand its business. -Personal disposable income of people in Europe was rising which increased travelling lifestyles and business travelling. -People in Europe travel for leisure, business, and searching for new jobs, as well as the number of senior citizens who were enjoy travelling. -Travelling low cost has become a norm on European market. Technology is vital for competitive advantage and is a major driver of globalization. Technological factors have a major effect on the threats and opportunities firms encounter and in Ryanair case they are:-A new trend in European airline industry which was website establishment. Airlines set up websites through which they sell tickets and other ancillary products and services such as car rentals and travel insurances. This led to cost  decreases and to greater reach to customers. With creation of its website, Ryanair saved on cost and increased its revenue (no agent commission costs, but good advertising income). -The improvement of technology aid European airline industry development and competition. -Airlines provided satellite TV and phone services on board as well as broadband Internet and thus enhance value to customers. -Information systems allowed airlines collect data about passengers, cost, and prices as well as ensure better service when boarding and handling luggage. Industry Analysis: The effect of the Five Forces of Industry Competition on Ryanair. The five forces were identified by Michael Porter as the industry Five-Forces model. This is a framework for evaluating industry structure according to the effects of rivalry, thread of entry, supplier power, buyer power, and the thread of substitutes. Rivalry is the intensity of competition within an industry. The European airline industry is highly intense; market is highly competitive. Passengers have choices to switch to another mainstream (KLM, or British Airways) or low-cost budget airlines (EasyJet), because there is a low level of switching costs. The airline industry, therefore, is highly competitive and barely attractive. At the same time, the low-budget sector is in a more favorable situation due to greater traffic and customer affection. This sector is more attractive, as entry costs, as well as bargaining power of both passengers and suppliers are lower. Most cost advantages can be copied immediately, but if any company does decide to compete on the same basis as Ryanair there will be heavy pressure on prices, margins, and hence on profitability. In this industry there is not much differentiation between services and price in the main differentiating factor. Threat of new entry is the degree to which new competitors can enter an industry and intensity rivalry. There are difficulties to enter European airline industry, since high initial investment and fixed costs. High barriers to enter suggest that only early entrants such as Ryanair could succeed. There has been much industry shake-out and many airlines left the market. There are high entry costs due to the necessity to buy expensive aircraft and equipment, to pay high airport fees, and to advertise massively. In addition to some of the barriers to entry I would like to include restricted slot availability which makes it more difficult for airline companies to find suitable airports, the needs for low-cost base and flight authorizations. The threat of substitutes is the degree to which products of one industry can satisfy the same demand as those of another. In Ryanair case the degree for subsidies is in medium to high level. By this I mean that the European airline industry as a whole faced a lot of pressure. There was a high internal industry competition, encountered by other travel industries such as- cars, ferries, and high-speed trains in Europe (especially on short-haul routes are posing an increasingly serious threat). Supplier power is the degree to which firms in the supply industry are able to dictate terms to contracts and thereby extract some of the profit that would otherwise be available to competitors in the focal industry. The bargaining power of suppliers is rather low because there are four major aircraft manufacturer (Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier and Embraer), which gives options for Ryanair to choose if decide to switch suppliers. But the switching costs from one supplier to the other would be high, because all mechanics, engineers and pilots have to be retrained. Boeing is Ryanairs main supplier and has an interest in co-operation with Ryanair because of stability of orders and high volume of outsourced services. Ryanair also proved its high bargaining power with aircraft suppliers (Boeing) by getting favourable contracts. Price of aviation fuel is directly related to the cost of oil and Ryanair controls it through hedging and future contracts. Also, the regional airports have low bargaining power as they are heavily  dependant on only one airline- Ryanair. Major bigger airports, where Ryanairs competitors operate, have greater bargaining power, and Ryanairs policy is to avoid these airports as much as possible. Buyer power is the degree to which firms in the buying industry are able to dictate terms on purchase agreements that extract some of the profit that would otherwise go to competitors in the focal industry. The bargaining power of customers in our case is from low to medium. If Ryanair increase its prices, the customers are price sensitive and they could switch to another airline relatively simple, with no high costs, because all airlines have internet web sites through which they sell services. The volume of the passengers traffic is great that airlines can afford not to satisfy all customers at all times. Even if a lot of passengers are not satisfied with customer care of Ryanair, companys profits continue to rise. Customers know about the cost of supplying the service and the trade off between the price and quality of service. Analysis of Opportunities and ThreatsOpportunities and threats are factors which contribute to the success or failure of achieving the organizations mission, and which are outside of the organizations direct control. Ryanairs opportunities are:-Expansion of the European Union would bring larger population base and larger transportation needs. There would be more new destinations open up and Ryanair could launch new routes. -Potential to capture market share, where low-cost carriers market share could double. -Advanced technologies could improve Ryanair service, as well as there would be possibilities of expanding aircraft. -Benefits from less exposure to geopolitical risks as Ryanair operates only in Europe. -Economic slowdown helps Ryanair, because customers replace traditional mainstream carriers as they seek lower fares. Threats for Ryanair are:-Ryanairs fuel costs depend on the oil market. The cost of fuel is increasing, due to oil prices raise globally. This affects companys speed development and earning ability; Ryanair operating expense has increased. -Increasing low fare competition on the market and limited economic growth on the South and East European markets. -Customers, as I already mentioned are very price sensitive and also regional airports gain bargaining power for second round. -Increase in air traffic control charges as more planes fly in the sky. -Weak employees relationships cause less production efficiency and effectiveness. It may waste Ryanair resources and capabilities. -The high salaries the company pays for its pilots and flight attendants would increase Ryanair operating cost. Resources: Fottrell, Quentin. The Rise and Rise of Ryanair, June 6, 2004, www.thepost.iePorter, M.E. (1979) How competitive forces shape strategy, March/April, 1979, Harvard Business Review. Channon, Derek. (1997). The Blackwell Encyclopedic Dictionary of Strategic Management. , July, 1997, Oxford, Blackwell Publishers. Carpenter, M.A. and Sanders, W.G. Strategic Management: A Dynamic Perspective Concepts and Cases, 2nd edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009Thompson, J. L. (1997) Strategic Management. International Thompson Press: London. Delfmann, W., Baum, H., Auerbach, S., Albers, S. Strategic Management in the Aviation Industry, September 30, 2005, Kolner Wissenschaftsverlag, Koln, Germany.

Critical Evaluation of the research methodologies

Critical Evaluation of the research methodologies 1. Introduction: In this report I have critically reviewed the methodologies which are used by Chevrier in her research paper. In this paper I have revealed whether she has used the correct methodology for her research or not, whether her evidence support her findings or not and I have mentioned an alternative methods to improve her conclusion. Chevrier paper aims at better understanding the dynamics of international project groups and she focuses on how project leaders manage the cultural differences to overcome and to use national cultures, ethnic diversity efficiently and effectively in the multinational project team. In her research she has depict three kinds of cross-cultural practices which were implemented by the project leaders. With these findings she has proposed a strategy to enhance the functioning of cross-cultural projects. I think the methodology which she has used in this research i.e. Case study is largely fine but not an effective one instead of this if she had used Grounded theory methodology for this research it would have been much more better research. I argue that the three case studies which she has chosen is not a typical one of all the multinational project groups. I argue that the Data collection technique which she has used in this research i.e. informal discussion is not a good technique to collect the data from participant. I argue that the strategy which she has proposed doesnt hold good for all types of cross-cultural project groups. 2. Literature review: Research can be a tricky, fascinating, awkward, tedious, annoying, hilarious, confusing, disturbing, mechanical, sociable, isolating, surprising, sweaty, messy, systematic, costly, draining, iterative, contradictory, open-ended process (Anthias, 2002) Methodology is identical to a research model employed by a researcher in a particular project, including basic knowledge related to the subject and research methods in question and the framework employed in a particular context (Sarantakos, 1998 cited Lather, 1992:87). Sarantakos (1998) relates the nature of Methodology to a theoretical and more abstract context, and perceives it in conjuction with distinctive, unidimensional, and mutually exclusive theoretical principles. Methodologies offers the research principles which are related closely to a distinct paradigm translated clearly and accurately, down to guidelines on acceptable research practices. Methodology is determined not by the research model but rather by principles of research entailed in a paradigm. Case-study research involves studying individual cases, often in their natural environment, and for a long period of time and employs a number of methods of data collection and analysis. (Sarantakos, 1998 cited Kromrey, 1986:320) 3. Critical Analysis of her Methodology: In this research the Methodology which is used by Chevrier is Case study. I think to do this research survey studies or experimental strategies will be too complex to implement, this is the main reason for Sylvie to choose Case study as the Methodology for this research. Generally case studies are done by a researcher when he/she is interested in the structure, process and outcomes of a single unit. (Sarantakos, 1998) Case studies are done by a researcher when he/she wants to extract data from a single field of study. Here Chevrier has chosen Engineering (i.e. three Project groups) as a field of study in which she has extracted the data and processed into information in which it will fit into the research topic. But this research topic demands to do study on all different kinds of field; but Sylvie hasnt done it, this is the main drawback of this research paper. In this research Chevrier focuses on how project leaders deal with cultural differences to surmount and even benefit from the variety of national cultures in their team. They have studied three cross-cultural practices that the project leaders explicitly or implicitly use to manage their international team and also studied the related outcomes from these practices. I think some methods and techniques which are used by Chevrier in her research paper doesnt holds good to the research topic. I think the samples(case studies) which she has chosen for this research doesnt sounds well because she has chosen only three international project groups to study the cross-cultural practices which are implemented in the team and moreover all these three project groups has the same background i.e. engineering. I believe just three project groups of the same background will not give a good weightage to her research paper. This is mainly because other than these three project groups there are different types of multinational project groups in which they are directly related to the cross-cultural management which I think she should have taken into this research paper. This research paper is pointing towards Multinational groups but the project groups which she has chosen has only people who are from European countries and Brasil, it misses out people who are from Asia, Africa and Australia. In this field work data is collected from Formal interviews, attendance to their meetings as a participant observer and informal discussions. I think the Primary data obtained from the formal interviews with project leaders and project members will be useful to analyse the data in this research and this data is important because the members of the project groups are the one who will be following cross-cultural practices and they will be knowing whether these practices are useful or not . In her research she has used participant observer as a data collection technique. I think it is a good technique for collecting the data in this research. Since her team will be a part of the cross-cultural group so they can observe easily how the team members/managers will behave and whether they are following the cross-cultural practices or not. They have attended even meetings to collect the data I think this is the place where they might have got a good data because this is a place where they can observe whether the managers and leaders are following cross-cultural practices or are they giving any importance to it or not. Chevrier and her team was also present daily among the project groups particularly for project 1(for 2 project weeks) and project 2(for 2  ½ months), I think daily presence in a project group is important because generally people wont behave same way in every time/day and also we cant judge their behaviour on cross-cultural practices in a single day. So daily presence in a project group will give a good data for the researcher but interesting point in her data collection is she or her team was not present daily for project team 3 but they were present only in project team 1 2 and that to in project team 1 they were present daily with team for just 2 ‘project weeks, so I dont think within these 2 weeks they have collected a strong data because in just 2 weeks it is less practical to summarize their behaviour. I think the primary data which they have collected in project team 2 will be useful because for 2  ½ months they were daily present with the team so with this time they will be in a better position to judge their behaviour with respect to cross-cultural. I also think that the Informal discussion which she has used in this research is not an effective technique. I agree this technique partially and I also disagree partially. I think this technique should be used depending on the situation in the working environment; if the working environment is not so good then there is no use of having discussion with them because the interviewee may give answers simply just to pass time. I think they should use only when the team members are in a good mood and moreover this discussions will take place mainly during lunch time of the employees, this is the time where most of the employee will relax, spend time with their colleagues and chat with them, if Chevrier and her group starts to discuss with these employees then most of them wont be interested and they will just say something or they will give less answers so that the discussion will be over fast. She has analysed the collected data by Cutting of Tran scripted interviews and meeting notes by theme. She has prepared a monograph for each and every theme which I think its a good idea and it will be useful for comparing all the themes. This type of comparison will help to find out the common and uncommon features of all the cases 4. Will her evidence support her findings? I think the evidence which she has used in Case 1 will support her findings. This is a project group of European consortium set up to make RD in the telecommunication industry. The contract which is signed by these companies designates one company as a primary contractor which will appoint a project leader among its engineers. We know that the newly appointed project leader has no hierarchical authority over the other partners due to this he/she cannot demand anything from other partners, infact he/she cant expect that other partners will involve totally (100% commitment) in this project and there is also a possibility that this may also lead to lack of institutional management with the other partners. In this project the leader has to take some technical decisions in which sometimes it may not be accepted by the other partners as she found this from Northern Europe and especially from Scandinavia that they only speak up when they disagree with what is being said. These project groups were not totally involved in the project. In this case the project leader has no choice he has to tolerate with these kinds of partners. This is what Chevrier has found that the leader explicitly or implicitly relies on tolerance of team members to surmount difficulties. The project group (RD consortium) has people from different countries; definitely all of them will have different opinion on Cross-cultural activity. Some may tolerate the diversity and some may not. Chevrier has found out different opinions from the interviewees e.g. In multinational teams some team members tend to forget the nationality of their colleague to focus on technical issues. Oppositely, the second part of interviewees says that they make their best to struggle against prejudices, stereotypes and ethnocentrism. In the 2nd case of Chevrier it is said that the greatest difficulty for the project manager is to make the work required for his own project a priority for team members who are very much in demand. If this is the case most of the manager tries to protect his team members to work in his project because every manager will have some task to complete, so to do this task without skilled workers in his team it will be difficult for him to complete it. If the manager couldnt maintain these workers in his team then there is every chance of showing less interest in the project. This is what happened to Swiss manager as it is told in Chevrier paper that â€Å"Swiss manager straightforwardly declared he did not want to make any difference and was careful to manage all team members the same way.† Chevrier has also backed up this argument by giving the reference of Laurent (1998), â€Å"we observed that when managers encounter cross-cultural differences, they often do nothing and consider that it is legitimate not to talk about them.† In case 1 the main job of the project leader is to maintain a strong institutional management with the other partners. Since the leader doesnt have the hierarchical authority over the other partners it will be difficult to manage all the other partners. His main job is to get the task done, since he doesnt has the upper hand over other project members it will be difficult for him to give orders for other groups to complete the job. In chevriers research, for this problem she has founded that â€Å"developing personal relationship with one another in a team will set up working arrangements more easily. If they know each other very well, it will help them to become acquainted with one other†. This strategy will suit only for RD consortium project group because in this project all its partners doesnt know each other so this strategy may enable effective mutual agreements between all the partners. But it doesnt suit for Electrical engineering project infact it can reinforce negative stereotypes and polarization between cultural groups. This is true because in this project the Swiss manager straightforwardly declared that he did not want to make any difference and was interested to manage all team members the same way, if this strategy (developing personal relationship) is implemented in this project group it may result in other way because due to less involvement by Swiss manger there is a more chance of negative stereotypes and polarization between cultural groups. This may lead in such a way that project may not complete. The strategy which is proposed in this paper by Chevrirer (cultural mediator) suits good for some multinational project groups but for some project groups it doesnt. Since in this strategy cultural mediator has to invite the project members quite regularly to find out the exact problem, this is possible only when all the project members are meeting together quite regularly at some place but this strategy cannot be applied to some multi-national groups where the project members wont meet regularly. However, in a multi national group most of the time the project groups will be from different countries so it is not practical to implement this strategy because all groups are from different countries and also it will be difficult for all the members to attend the meeting if it is put up by cultural mediator. As we can see in RD consortium group all the team members meet each other only four or five times a year. During these weeks all the project members will be busy with other partners about their plan and objectives in their project. So if this strategy is applied to this group then cultural mediator will not find sufficient time to spend with the team members to talk about their problematic situations which have encountered. I think this strategy can be applied to the project team in electrical engineering because this team is composed of a project manager, engineers who are all located in a single building but in a different floor. In this team cultural mediator can easily set up a meeting with the team members and find out the problematic situations which have encountered. Even in the product development project have subsidiaries which are located in different countries such as Germany, France, Belgium and Italy and co-ordinating the development process is in charge by ‘‘central group which is located in the French subsidiary. So even in this project group cultural mediator will find difficult to set up a meeting to talk about their problematic situations which have encountered. I think she has not justified all the problems which will occur in the multinational group. For e.g.— Race can be a problem in the group. Merriam et.al. in their research has found that â€Å"Racism was the specific dominating factor in cross cultural groups†. Color As an issue of concern amongst Blacks, colorism is examined and debated in Black communities in a less than open manner. This intraracial discrimination among Blacks gives preferential treatment to those who have lighter skin shades. (Merriam et.al) 5. Alternative Methodology: I think Grounded theory analysis will be a better approach for this research because in this research topic we need to analyse more number of case studies, interviews and observation so I think grounded theory will be the best methodology for this research. Another reason for using grounded theory techniques is â€Å"Grounded theorising is well suited to capturing the interpretive experiences of owner/managers/employees and developing theoretical propositions from them.† Rowlands B. (2005 cited from Strauss Corbin 1990) From the above reason we can say that, Since Chevriers research is related to the cross-cultural practices which are followed by Leaders, Managers, and Team members, so this methodology will be very useful in gathering and analysing the data. Similarly, Grounded theory has been effectively used in recent Information System research to develop theory of Information System practice. Rowlands B. (2005 cited from Urquhart et.al., 1997) In choosing the International project groups Chevrier has chosen the groups in which all groups has the same background i.e. Engineering. Instead of choosing three project groups from a single background she could have chosen three project groups from different fields. Because choosing a sample project group which is typical to that environment is very important and the data collected from this typical one will bee much stronger than the data which she has collected from the three Engineering project groups. I think Ethnographic interview will be useful to get valuable data from the interviewee. The main aim of this type of interview is to study the Culture of the people and to find out how it will impact on the people behaviour. â€Å"It aims to discover or understand the culture of people in their social environment and of explaining the social justification of their role and position in that culture.†(Sarantakos, 1998). This interview would have helped her in finding the culture of the project members/leaders and based on her understanding on their culture she could have compared with the Cross-cultural practices which were implemented by the management and she could have got a better result. If Chevrier had used all the above methodology in her research, I think this would have improved her research conclusion. 6. Conclusion: In this paper I have revealed that the methodology which is used by chevrier for her research is not a good one. I have shown that some of her methodology which she has used is not effective with respect to the research. The three case study which she has chosen in her research is not a typical one because all the case studies had the same background i.e. Engineering, instead of that she could have chosen case studies which are from different background and I also showed that the data collected from participant observation in project group 2 was strong. I showed that the data collected from informal discussion technique was not good. This paper reveals that Ethnographic interview and Grounded theory would have helped her to collect the strong data and to analyse the data which she has collected. I have shown that up to what extent of her evidence will support her findings. In this paper I have also concluded that her proposed strategy will holds good only if all the project members/g roups are in the same company or at least in the same country, it doesnt suit if all the project members/groups are in a different countries. 8. Bibliography: Sarantakos S.,(1998).Social reseach, 2nd edition, Macmillan Education: Australia, Chapter 8, pp 33,191,251. Floya Anthias,( 2002) Where do I belong?: Narrating collective identity and translocational positionality, [Online] Accessed from: http://etn.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/2/4/491 [Accessed on: 05/11/07] Merriam S., et.al., Power and Positionality: Negotiating Insider/Outsider Status in Multicultural and Cross-Cultural Research, [Online] Accessed from: http://merriamsetal1-final.pdf [Accessed on: 05/11/07] Rowlands B., (2005), Grounded in Practice: Using Interpretive Research to Build Theory, [Online] Accessed from: http://v3-i1-art7-rowlands.pdf [Accessed on: 03/12/07]

All Quiet on the Western Front: Taking Leaves :: World Literature

Paul Bäumer's leave from the war is an opportunity for him to see life removed from the harshness of war. As he makes the journey home, the closer he gets the more uncomfortable he feels. He describes the final part of his journey, "then at last the landscape becomes disturbing, mysterious, and familiar." (154) Rather than being filled with comfort at the familiarity of his homeland, he is uneasy. War has changed him to the extent in which he can no longer call the place where he grew up home. Bäumer visits with his mother and recognizes that ideally this is exactly what he wanted. "Everything I could have wished for has happened. I have come out of it safely and sit here beside her." (159) But ultimately he will decide that he should have never gone on leave because it is just too hard to be around his family and see how different he has become. Bäumer finds that it is easier to remain out on the war front than return to his family. Before Bäumer gets leave to return to his family, he often discusses how the war has changed him and his comrades. However, he does not understand to the great extent in which he has changed until he returns to his old life. Seeing his family, his old home, his bedroom, his piano, and dressing in his old clothes is a direct confrontation with the distance the war has created between his old self and his new self. "A sense of strangeness will not leave me; I cannot feel at home amongst these things... I am not myself there. There is a distance, a veil between us." (160) It is heartbreaking for Bäumer to see his family because he has learned to disconnect his emotions in the war. Once soldiers train themselves to be so disconnected, it is different to reverse the effect. The emotional disconnection has destroyed Bäumer's sense of humanity and makes it difficult for him to be around not just his family, but all people who are not soldiers like him. He enjoys the scenery of his homeland but does not like being around all of the people. "It is pleasant to sit quietly somewhere... This is good, I like it. But I cannot get on with the people.

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio Essay -- Literary Analysis

â€Å"You are to look upon this grim opening as travelers on foot confront a steep, rugged mountain: beyond it lies a most enchanting plain which they appreciate all the more for having toiled up and down the mountain first,† (Boccaccio, pg. 7). The Decameron, by Giovanni Boccaccio embodies this verse. Until this time period, religion guided society like an invisible hand pushing everyone along. Throughout many generation religion evolved. From polytheism to monotheism, form idols to churches, people leaned on the virtues that religion presented, and led their lives accordingly. Everyone learned to submit themselves to the Church as they were too scared to pave their own virtuous way. Instead of using the Church as a guide they surrendered themselves completely becoming monkeys in the face of emperors. The Pope was no longer a messenger of God rather he was God-like himself for he too held scores of lives in his hands. The power that the sacred rulers grasped deceived them of their true abilities; they now acted as if they were gods despite their limiting human capabilities. The Popes now used â€Å"virtues† to elicit supremacy, opposed to using authority as an instrument to spread morality. Giovanni Boccaccio wishes to lift the veil and expose the church for what they have become. Using Satire he exposes the true actions of those in command. Though the road in revealing the corruption of the Church is jagged and rocky it allows for a new beginning. It allows everyone to discover â€Å"a most enchanting plain.† While many praise Boccaccio for his disclosure of the Church there still are menacing effects of such an action. He boots the Church off of its pedestal leaving an open seat for the next ruler. While the church may have been crooked Bo... ...ety to a better world was convoluted and crooked. Boccaccio laid out many examples and effects that the church had on civilization in hopes to overcome the fraudulent society that everyone depended on. Life is about living. Human competence has the ability to meld the physical world and the spiritual world into one boulevard. Life is about experiencing freedom. Freedom to control one’s actions, freedom to choose one’s leader and freedom to grow past difficulties. In The Decameron, Boccaccio tried to give everyone their freedom back. Bibliography Alchin, Linda. "Middle Ages." Middle Ages. Online. September 20 2006 16 December 2010. "Avatar ." Avatar; The Journey Continues. Online. 2010 16 December 2010. Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. New York: Oxford, 1998.

Characterization in the Dentist

Characterization in â€Å"The Dentist† from The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien Name Course January 19, 2012 Instructor Characterization in â€Å"The Dentist† from The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien In â€Å"The Dentist† from The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien begins by telling a story of a character, Curt Lemon, whom O’Brien was not particularly fond of and whose death was not easy to mourn. O’Brien tells a story of Curt Lemon as to avoid sentimentalism. The setting takes place along the South China Sea, in which the men of the platoon are working in an area of operations called the Rocket Pocket. This story of Curt Lemon begins by telling of a visit by an Army dentist who was flown in to examine the men’s teeth and perform minor repairs. O’Brien describes Lemon as tense in this moment, at which point Lemon explains to the men of the platoon that his experiences with dentists in the past have not been pleasant and now he refuses to let anyone mess with his teeth. When he is called in to get his teeth checked, he faints. But later he returns and tells the dentist that he has a severe toothache and insists that it be pulled immediately. Although the dentist finds no problems with Curt Lemon’s tooth, he obliges. It is ironic that Curt Lemon is killed at the Rocket Pocket by a grenade that he was playing catch with, just after he is reassured of his bravery by facing his fear and having his tooth pulled. It is ironic because Lemon is severely afraid of something as typically harmless as a checkup by a dentist, yet completely disregards the potential harm of playing catch with a deadly weapon. The tone is that of an introspective story of memory, as shown through this story of his remembrance of Curt Lemon and the Army dentist as well as the way in which he speaks of Lemon’s experiences with dentists in his past. I believe O’Brien chooses this particular story of Curt and the dentist because it is one of general fondness, which is in line with the tone of the story. This story is somewhat humorous and ironic and these are the types of sentimentalisms that typically remain in one’s introspective memory for a lifetime. The general themes in this story appear to portray the weight of one’s emotional as well as physical burdens. There also seems to be a theme of motivation through a fear of shame, as shown by Curt’s fear of the dentist, which he is ashamed of, which then motivates him to prove his bravery. The Dentist† appears to illustrate physical suffering as an easier burden than that of emotional or mental suffering. The greatest enemy of these soldiers was that which was unknown. Curt Lemon gets his tooth pulled in an attempt appear brave to his platoon and perhaps to be acquainted with the feeling of suffering. Through the act of experiencing this pain and becoming acquainted with this suffering, Curt Lemon’s mind is eased of the anticipation and fear of the unknown suffering he might endure in war. This appears to be an insignificant triumph, but in reality is necessary amid the chaos of war.