The Postmodern Perspective Of William Faulkner Essay free essay sample

Many critics consider William Faulkner a modernist author, mentioning the clip period between the 1930s and 40s as the epoch in which he wrote himself into and out of modernism. Indeed, Faulkner s novels during these old ages reflect many of the typical facets of modernist literature, and it is demonstrably advanced and alone. However, Faulkner appears to be making more than what the Modernists were using at the clip, particularly in the context of his experimentation with linguistic communication. In fact, the great Southern author appears to more so on the route to Postmodernism in his later plants than anything. During this period between the 30s and the 40s what critics call Faulkner s modernist epoch his authorship besides seems to flux with Lacan s poststructural theories of linguistic communication. Get downing with The Sound and the Fury in late 1929, Faulkner begins his journey through the Lacanian Mirror Stage, aware of the lingual Imaginary. We will write a custom essay sample on The Postmodern Perspective Of William Faulkner Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page His attempt to craft the imagined universe of Yoknapatawpha reflects his early Modernist ego in Lacan s Fanciful order phase, taging his uncomfortable attitude towards his disaffection from the South he one time knew. Quentin, whom most critics see as a dual to Faulkner, is the embodiment of Faulkner s attitude, and his multiple visual aspects in Faulkner s novels marks the phase in Lacan s procedure of lingual development each clip. The age ends with the writer s fulfilment of the Lacanian journey, with nowhere to turn but back. Absalom, Absalom! and Afternoon of a Cow prove Faulkner s credence of the impossibleness of Lacan s Real, highlighted by a authorship manner which could be characterized as transitionally postmodernist. Faulkner s modernist/postmodernist individuality crisis between the 30s and 40s occurs during the writer s Lacanian development in linguistic communication and idea, stoping with the acknowledgment of literature s inability to interrupt the symbolic ceilin g.While it would be improbably shortsighted and doubtless incorrect to mention to The Sound and the Fury as developing and non modern, the novel is nevertheless Faulkner s most immature piece of literature in the context of Lacanian development. Here, Faulkner begins his problems with linguistic communication as he is ab initio trapped in the Imaginary phase. John T. Irwin, in his essay on Doubling and Incest in Faulkner s literature, suggests that Faulkner created the character of Quentin as an unconsciously dual of himself. Irwin purports that Faulkner s ain remarks about the fresh support this analogue between him and Quentin, particularly his acknowledgment of his ain failures in literature and destiny to recite the same narratives ( Irwin 280 ) . While most critics point to Caddy as the focal point of the novel because of her function as the absent centre, a Lacanian reading of the text implies that the absent centre is really Faulkner himself since he puts so much of himself into Quentin ( and some of the other characters as good, though it is most prevailing here ) . Quentin s chapter, which becomes increasingly more self-reflexive and dying, reveals Faulkner s ain concerns and discontent with linguistic communication. It ends with his ultimate disaffection from everyone and everything Quentin s self-destruction which is how L acan explains the mirror phase as stoping. Lacan describes the completion of the mirror phase as the formation of the Ego through subjectification, during which a individual undergoes a struggle between his or her ain perceptual experience of the ego and the existent ego through experience Lacan refers to this consequence as disaffection ( Evans 110 ) . Quentin has undergone this find of his ain world that which others have defined him to be and his perceptual experience of himself. As Irwin suggests, It is alluring to see in Quentin a alternate of Faulkner, a two-base hit who is fated to recite and reenact the same narrative throughout his life merely as Faulkner seemed fated to recite in different ways the same narrative once more and once more ( Irwin 281 ) . His decease signifies Faulkner s appraisal of his ain destiny. He predicts literary failure for himself due to the inability of linguistic communication to the full express everything he attempts to convey. This marks Faulkner s first brush with the futility of linguistic communication, and his first measure in Lacanian development.Through this interior struggle, Faulkner associates with Quentin, and other characters like him. Indeed, he puts a portion of himself in every character that he creates, but characters like Quentin best serve as literary representations of hi m when sing his problems with linguistic communication. Lacan holds that in the beginningaˆÂ ¦we exist as portion of one uninterrupted entirety of being. In this early phase of development, we experience noaˆÂ ¦sense of difference, and, exactly for this ground, the [ capable ] has no sense of a separate identityaˆÂ ¦there is no I and no other, and, Lacan insists, the two constructs come into being together ( Duvall and Abadie 98 ) . Faulkner s province at this point in his literary development is such as Lacan defines it. He has no sense of difference between himself and his work, and hence he meshes himself with Quentin and his other characters. However, his ain repressions appear in Quentin s ideas and words, and Faulkner is incognizant of the sum of similarities between himself and the character. Faulkner revised the debut [ to The Sound and the Fury ] several times. In its concluding version, in which Faulkner doubles Quentin s ain words in the novel. .. : So I, who had neer had a sister and was fated to lose my girl in babyhood, set out to do myself a beautiful and tragic small miss ( Irwin 283 ) . It is clearly through his ain connexion with Quentin that he learns how to link with this novel, but the relationship that he develops with the character finally blurs the line between himself and Quentin. Faulkner can see the spread between linguistic communication and world, but he can non look to guarantee the distinction between himself and his creative activities.A twelvemonth subsequently, Faulkner published his following novel, As I Lay Dying, in which he continues the lingual battles and development with the Bundren household. As Terrell Tebbetts suggests, each of the Bundren kids suffers his or her ain issue with linguistic communication: Cash can merely show himself through lists and figures, and though he seems perceptive at the terminal by explicating what happened to Darl, Cash recognizes Darl s jobs with linguistic comm unication but presumes that they the mistake of Darl, non linguistic communication ( Tebbetts 128-130 ) . But it is better so for [ Darl ] . This universe is non his universe ; this life his life ( Faulkner 149 ) . Cash speaks with a perceptual experience that is Faulknerian, as it reflects William Faulkner s anticipation of his ain destiny. In this novel, he connects most with Darl through their shared discontent with the defects of linguistic communication.Darl s lingual problems are the most serious, as he isolates himself through his inability to show his feelings. His jobs cause him to lose his individuality, repeatedly inquiring things about himself such as who am I. Early on in the novel, Vardaman asks what Darl s female parent is ( Vardaman describes his female parent as a fish ) , and Darl comments that he does non hold one. I have nt got ere one, Darl said. Because if I had one, it is was. And if it was, it cant be is. Can it? ( Faulkner 58 ) . Darl s construct of linguistic communication is that it describes world, and merely world. He perceives that he does non hold a female parent because she is dead ( hence, the was ) , yet what he truly means is that he no longer has a female parent. However, he gets so lost in his efforts to gestate this that he arrives at the determination that he does non hold a female parent. As alluded to earlier, these problems affect his ain individuality. I dont know what I am. I dont know if I am or non. Jewel knows he is, because he does non cognize that he does non cognize whether he is or non. He can non empty himself for slumber because he is non what he is and he is what he is non ( Faulkner 46 ) . Darl has entered the mirror phase along with Faulkner, and he is therefore cognizant of the struggles between his ain perceptual experiences and the perceptual experiences of others.Darl is foregrounding the spread between the form and the signified in linguistic communication, as Lacan calls it. Darl is our brother, our brother Darl. Our brother Darl in a coop in Jackson where, his grimed custodies lying visible radiation in the quiet interstices, looking out he foams ( Faulkner 146 ) . He has been improbably nonsubjective internally, seeing himself in an omniscient, third-person position, but this is a consequence of the inability to accommodate the existent him and the him that others perceive him to be ( the Lacanian form is their Darl, the signified is the existent Darl ) . Therefore, he becomes the best illustration in the novel of a character that, by go throughing through the mirror phase and come ining the Symbolic Realm, alienates himself wholly ( even within himself ) . Darl is besides, so, the most affiliated with Faulkner, since he becomes cognizant of the failure of linguistic communication to of all time state what one agency ( Duvall and Abadie 39 ) . Darl reflects what his female parent discovered much earlier: words are no good ; that words dont of all time fit even what they are seeking to state at ( Faulkner 99 ) . Addie besides saw the spread between experience and linguistic communication, which proves Cora s statement that Darl has the most in common with Addie, but her problems are more affiliated with the patriarchality of linguistic communication, and hence non as connected with Faulkner as Darl. Besides, Addie s decease is another illustration of what Faulkner sees as the futility of attempts to link world and linguistic communication. Likewise, despite Darl s development from the Mirror Stage into the Symbolic Stage, his destiny committedness to an insane refuge provides more grounds to turn out that Faulkner saw no manner to forestall these lingual problems from estranging and finally destructing his characters and himself. Therefore, Faulkner is still doubtless a Modernist at this point, every bit good as underdeveloped in the patterned advance of Lacanian development, because he sees no flight from such a destiny at this point. He would state that linguistic communication is a hinderance more than a aid. Darl Masterss linguistic communication internally, but he can non use it in world, therefore demoing thespread between linguistic communication and experience a modernist thought:aˆÂ ¦the integrity of the image threatens the topic with atomization, and the mirro r phase thereby gives rise to an aggressive tenseness between the topic and the image. In order to decide this aggressive tenseness, the kid identifies with the imageaˆÂ ¦ The minute of designation, when the topic assumes its image as its ain, is described by Lacan as a minute of exultation, since it leads to an fanciful sense of masteryaˆÂ ¦however, this exultation may besides be accompanied by a depressive reactionaˆÂ ¦ ( Evans 115 )While Faulkner would non hold known the psychological theories of Lacan, the characters of Quentin and Darl seem to suit the word picture of these issues good. However, these two characters are unable to come to footings with their image. While the terminal of Quentin s chapter does non stop with his self-destruction, we learn subsequently that he takes his ain life because he foresees no flight. Likewise, Darl s unmanageable laughter at the terminal of As I Lay Diing is his minute in which he has the chance to place with one portion of his disconnected ego but proves unable to make so. Darl s job is besides left unresolved, as his internal ego argues within, demanding an account for his false victory. They are both cognizant of their unstable provinces with linguistic communication. Additionally, the mirror phase is where the topic becomes alienated from itself, and therefore is introduced into the Fanciful order. Clearly both characters have entered this phase and happen themselves wholly alienated from themselves and the universe.Terrell Tebbetts claims that Vernon Tull is the lone character in the novel that can come to footings with this job, fall backing to the changeless usage of like in his descriptions and an employment of similes while speaking ( Tebbetts 130 ) . Tebbetts is misled, nevertheless, because Tull is really a Modernist character. By utilizing similes to pull comparings between things he is trying to specify, he is still hold oning for the ideal that Modernists spent their callings seeking to make. Alternatively, a Postmodernist would take advantage of linguistic communication instead than invariably highlight its failures ( as I will discourse subsequently ) . Tebbetts believes that Vernon Tull is Faulkner s manner of stating that the manner out of the job is acceptance, but the solution is more complicated than simple acknowledgment. Besides, characters like Darl, Addie, and Quentin all understood the spread between linguistic communication and world, which drove them to their ain signifiers of disaffection.As I Lay Dying besides features a degree of intended wit that is classified as dark, or black, wit. One of the best illustrations of dark comedy in the novel is when we find Addie Bundren propped up on a pillow in order to wa tch as Cash constructs her casket. Then [ Addie ] raises herself, who has non moved in 10 daysaˆÂ ¦She is looking out the window, at Cash crouching steadily at the board in the weakness lightaˆÂ ¦He drops the proverb and lifts the board for her to see, watching the window in which the face has non moved ( Faulkner 28 ) . This minute evokes immediate laughter because Cash, the oldest kid of the household, seems like a proud pet recovering its gimmick of the twenty-four hours for his maestro. Likewise, everyone sees the grotesque and gaunt figure of Addie rise as if from the dead in order to see her burial chamber and so return to her former place, apparently in blessing. Even more dark comedy prevarications in Faulkner s intended unfavorable judgment of the other characters positions toward each other. Every character that makes a negative remark about another is subsequently shown to be hypocritical, being unusual and far-out in his or her ain manner.Elementss of Faulkner s early novels, particularly As I Lay Dying, show that the writer was on the route to self-reflexivity and metafiction. Much of the Addie chapter, through its overcritical expression at the failure of linguistic communication, is self-reflexive because it is actively noticing on the words and thoughts presented in the novel, yet the self-aware elements seem merely present through deduction. Faulkner neer reaches his possible ( or becomes to the full cognizant of what he was making ) with the component of self-reflexivity until Absalom, Absalom! and Afternoon of a Cow. In his novels until so, Faulkner besides had a preoccupation with what Modernists referred to as the effort to do it new, seeking to experiment with literature and trying things unobserved earlier. He is foremost in the Mirror Stage, looking at the traditional novel with its content, signifier, mimetic doctrine of linguistic communication, and decides that he needs to interrupt from tradition. Then he enters the following phase the Symbolic and efforts to make new and modern literature. While in this phase, though, he realizes the futility of linguistic communication, and that everything he attempts fails. Faulkner repeatedly tries to accomplish literary transcendency, but all he writes is simply a symbol of what he genuinely intends. It is non until Absalom, Absalom! that he non merely accepts his province and failure, but he wittingly plays with the postmodern techniques and thoughts. In the novel, Faulkner uses linguistic communication to make what Lacan says it does reflect the status of the anomic topic, the fractured ego ( Moreland 47 ) . Nothing Faulkner efforts attains the literary transcendency for which he has been seeking, and so he realizes this, comes to footings with it, and makes merriment of this job.Faulkner s motion through the Lacanian lingual patterned advance led him prematurely to postmodernism. While he thought he was being modern by experimenting, he was really using many elements that surpassed the kingdom of modernism. As I Lay Diing was his first clear transitional work, in which it marked a route from modern to postmodern literature, as the novel hinges between the two genres itself ( although, as mentioned before, it should be classified as a modern text if it must be categorized. Faulkner resists many of the modernist techniques and doctrines, but his interruption from the motion was non clean, as he continued to scratch them. Patri ck ODonnell agrees with this, aware of the presence of ephemeral texts: Yet, there are minutes in the plants of the high-modernist writers I have mentioned that work beyondaˆÂ ¦that tear its bonds ( ODonnell 34 ) . His illustration from Faulkner is the manner in which some of his novels attempt to shatter the connectionaˆÂ ¦between trying to exceed the yesteryear, and being condemned to reiterate it ( 34 ) . This battle with the past no longer seems to be an issue one time Faulkner writes Absalom, Absalom! although it had been a focal point of his earlier novel, The Sound and the Fury. ODonnell agrees that the ulterior plant of William Faulkner present more important interruptions from modernism, proposing that Go Down, Moses is really a postmodern revision of Absalom, Absalom! ( 36 ) . However, Faulkner s work after that became much more conservative, returning to the modernist inclinations which he displayed at the beginning of his calling.Even a speedy reading of Absalom, Absalom! in comparing to Faulkner s early novels reveals big differences between the manners. Much like his presentations of characters in old novels, Faulkner puts elements of himself into his characters ; neverthe less, in this novel, he intentionally employs a self-reflexive concentration in order to make metafiction. It is here that Faulkner stops refering himself with epistemology and alternatively with ontology. Faulkner operates the text otherwise in Absalom, Absalom! in the manner that he exerts absolute control over every facet of the narrative and creates a commentary on linguistic communication and fiction. ODonnell refers to Faulkner non as the writer of the text of Absalom, Absalom! but as the unobserved bead that falls into a pool of H2O and gives rise to a series of ripplings, borrowing from Quentin s ain words in the novel ( Weinstein 31 ) . In other words, he becomes the accelerator for the things that of course occur. Faulkner puts adequate of himself into the novel that everything he has put into topographic point takes over for him. From this, he no longer stresses or stews over the futility of linguistic communication ; alternatively, he allows it to take over. The metafictional facet of Absalom, Absalom! lies in the alone construction and composing manner. Unlike his old enterprises, Faulkner dares to state a narrative within the narrative a narrative about storytelling . The act of stating a narrative is artistic because the storyteller imposes his or her ain will upon it, and it is hence subjective as good. Previously he is incognizant of the subjective nature of linguistic communication, and now he non merely accepts it, but he employs it every bit good ( his primary storyteller has a subjective point of view unlike what he has done antecedently ) . His attack in this fresh allows him to hold merriment with it, therefore accomplishing postmodern position and finishing his Lacanian development.Examples of the metafictional facets in the fresh appear most frequently during the subdivisions concentrating on or narrated by Quentin and Mr. Compson. In chapter four, Mr. Compson tells his boy, people excessively as we are, but victims of a different circumstance, simpler and hence, whole number for whole number, larger, more heroic and the figures hence more epic excessively, non dwarfed and involved but distinguishable, uncomplexaˆÂ ¦author and vi ctim excessively of a 1000 homicides and a 1000 copulationsaˆÂ ¦Perhaps you are right. Possibly any more light than this would be excessively much for it ( Faulkner 90 ) . This is possibly the most debatable illustrations of metafiction in the novel because of its focal point. While, so, it involves Mr. Compson noticing on literature through knocking a narrative, it is besides taking a Modernist s position. Faulkner, through Compson, is naming for a return to myth, reasoning that the fabulous narratives of the yesteryear are uncomplex and do non endure from the ambiguity that plagues modern literature. This focal point on the importance of myths is a common concentration of modernist authors, as is the call to utilize these narratives and do them new. Likewise, Compson seems to be suggesting at the significance of this declaration and its symbolism instead than being direct about his point, and deduction is the Modernist s manner of implementing metafiction. The lone redemptive factor of the address lies in his concluding words, utilizing possibly to mean his uncertainness, hence offering a postmodern, disbelieving position and rejecting absolute truth.The fact that the characters are actively stating the narrative of Sutpen and noticing on it at the same clip is slightly postmodern, as it is including and pulling attending to the writer within the narrative. There are besides times when the narration from a character goes on for such a long clip that the reader forgets who is stating the narrative, and at this point, the presence of Faulkner as a storyteller begins to go more apparent. It is besides so that remarks such as the address from Mr. Compson take on new and deeper significance, as the reader begins to tie in Faulkner with these thoughts more so than the characters. Another more complicated illustration of metafiction appears once more in chapter four, as Mr. Compson says:We have a few old mouth-to-mouth narratives ; we exhu me from old short pantss and boxes and shortss letters without salute or signature, in which work forces and adult females who one time lived and breathed are now simply initials or monikers out of some now inexplicable fondness which sound to us like Sanskrit or Chocktaw ; we see dimly people, the people in whose life blood and seed we ourselves laic dormant and waiting, in this shady fading of clip possessing now epic proportions, executing their actsaˆÂ ¦impervious to clip and incomprehensible. ( Faulkner 102-103 )Faulkner, one time once more through the oral cavity of Mr. Compson, is noticing on the province of literature, but more significantly, the uncertainness that literature creates as it all returns to mythology. As he suggests, we as readers have to recognize that every narrative that is told is simply a representation of another, and each is besides a mere representation of world. This besides gets back to Faulkner s job with linguistic communication it neer says what you want it to intend. However, it seems now that he has arrived at a hole for this jobThe character of Judith, when discoursing the narrative, comments that words are mere abrasions without intending but it does nt count that it is so ( Faulkner 131 ) . This differs from the position of earlier novels characters because Judith both comes to footings with the nonsense of linguistic communication and decides that it is no longer debatable for her. When asked if she wants Miss Rosa to read the miss ive, Judith answers, YesaˆÂ ¦Or destruct it. As you like. Read it if you like or dont read it if you like. Because you make so small feeling, you see ( Faulkner 130 ) . Clearly Judith recognizes the futility of linguistic communication, but she besides overcomes the job, caring non whether Rosa reads the missive or non, because it will non do much of a difference either manner. Harmonizing to Tebbetts, Postmodernists see human efforts to depict and set up truth non merely as futile but even as destructive ( Tebbetts 131 ) . In other words, if linguistic communication is purely symbolic, so it can non take us to truth. This comes from a poststructuralist position that truth is a transcendent form and does non be ( Lewis 96 ) . The fresh embraces this, and Faulkner no longer struggles with the uncertainness of linguistic communication. Some critics see the novel as holding a form of uncertainness, which is seeable through its usage of words like possibly and possibly. Faulkner had been rejecting this in his earlier novels, but he is eventually encompassing it here.Faulkner besides chooses to use the metafiction to inform the reader about his Lacanian journey with linguistic communication. Lacan says that when the person is able to divide and quash a portion of itself, it enters the symbolic kingdom. The capable becomes cognizant of its absent centre but is driven by desire to make full the nothingness of absence. For Sutpen in Absalom, Absalom! Falkner s fleeting substitute for the continuance of this narrative his enlightenment minute occurs in Chapter Seven, when he is turned off at the plantation owner s house ( Duvall and Abadie 47 ) . Faulkner, looking back on the past, looks at Sutpen in his Mirror Stage and radiances visible radiation on his ain. Before this minute, Quentin says that Sutpen was no more witting of his appearanceaˆÂ ¦ or of the possibility that anyone else would be that he was of his tegument ( Faulkner 185 ) . At this point, Sutpen has evolved into the Symbolic Stage, merely as Faulkner does in his earlier novels.Faulkner s manner in the novel is more unwritten than literary, and the novel flows through ideas and character duologue that frequently seems like Faulkner himself is orally associating the narrative to his hearers. Critic Conrad Aiken agrees, naming his alone manner grossly overelaborate and grammatically raging ( Aiken 135 ) . However, Aiken claims that this proves Faulkner s Modernist run, which is, as proved therefore far, shortsighted since Absalom, Absalom! is the writer s most postmodern book. What he achieves through this manner is the defamiliarization of linguistic communication, film overing the boundaries of literature. It is these drawn-out, apparently ceaseless sentences in the novel that reflect Faulkner s purposes. Similarly, he besides enacts a maneuver of delayed revelation through this attack, get downing a subdivision of a narrative and suddenly halting to stray onto something else. This manner in which he withholds the points and significance of his sentences, information about characters, and the continuances of half-finished narratives is basically Lacanian.A word picture of Faulkner s novel as either modern or postmodern requires understanding of what it means to be a postmodern piece of fiction. Postmodernist literature is frequently perceived as a reaction to Modernism, which legion writers, poets, and bookmans worried was going progressively excessively conventional and traditional. Likewise, they frequently saw Modernism as an elitist signifier of authorship, since it was normally hard and vague. They cited the many complex literary mentions as a beginning of this, and suggested tha t Modernism was providing merely to the extremely educated because of these mentions. Postmodernism, in response, often involves pop cultural mentions, including those to other postmodern plants, popular art, telecasting shows, political relations, well-known historical happenings, and films. Postmodernism is besides frequently jumbled with atomization, but the usage of atomization is much more terrible than in Modernism, as there is sometimes no clear secret plan, characters sometimes seem pointless, the narrative is broken up and baffled ( frequently beyond fix ) . This utmost degree of atomization is frequently used to do the point that literature is frequently more about what is under the surface, and that cognition of a novel s secret plan does non vouch that a reader has gotten all significance from the work. Even Faulkner s daring nature and separation from Modernism does non develop into what postmodern literature is known for.In order to reply the inquiry of where Faulkner falls in the spectrum of modern and postmodern literature, one must turn to scholarshi p that identifies obvious postmodernism and find if Faulkner lives up to the criterions. Barry Lewis, writer of Postmodernism and Literature, provides a great description of postmodernism as it applies to literature. He purports that the literature that best falls into this class was written between 1960 and 1990, and that anything earlier is ephemeral ( Lewis 96 ) . He suggests that the most of import elements of postmodernity are temporal upset, medley, comfortableness with atomization, diarrhea of association, paranoia, barbarous circles, and linguistic communication upset ( 95-105 ) . Likewise, Lewis besides brings Jacques Derrida s construct of drama as a postmodernism technique. Alternatively of the modernist pursuit for intending in a universe of pandemonium, the postmodern writer denies, frequently playfully, the possibility of significance ( 98 ) . As a consequence, the postmodern novel is frequently a lampoon of the modernist pursuit. Within Faulkner s plants, there are elements of each of these features, but they all seem to look faintly and fleetingly. For illustration, temporal upset is overtly obvious in The Sound and the Fury because Faulkner blurs the line between all clip yesteryear and nowadays are difficult to separate. However, as Lewis would hold, Faulkner does non accomplish the grade of upset associated with postmodernist fiction. Alternatively of acknowledging that history repetitions itself and that there are definite concrete minutes in clip, Postmodernists instead do all clip obscure and lampoon other plants compulsion with clip ( 98 ) . Faulkner s Quentin in The Sound and the Fury would hold been really Modernist in this class, since his preoccupation with clip is ultimately portion of what destroys him. However, Absalom, Absalom! removes this concern wholly, being wholly unconcerned about the transition of clip since it does non count. In fact, the novel s construction, invariably switching tenses between present and past of all time so seamlessly, is postmodern. Therefore, some of these postmodern qualities appear in the novel, but others do non.Another of import facet of postmodern literature that Lewis points out is medley, which literally means to unite and glue together multiple elements. Pastiche, so, arises from the defeat that everything has been done before. .. postmodernist authors tend to tweak existing manners higgledy-piggledy from the reservoir of literary history, and fit them with small tact. This explains why many modern-day novels borrow the apparels of different signifiers ( Lewis 99 ) . Although there are some critics who suggest that this is portion of Faulkner s repertory, reasoning that he employs this in Absalom, Absalom! at that place does non look to be adequate grounds to turn out that he is actively doing the fresh parodic. Indeed, there are clearly elements within the narrative that suggest that Faulkner had the authoritative Southern Gothic novel in his heard while composing it, such as the concluding conversation between Shreve and Quentin at the terminal: Now I want you to state me merely one thing more. Why do you detest the South? I dont hatred it, Quentin said, rapidly, at one time, instantly, I dont hatred it ( Faulkner 395 ) . Quentin, who frequently represents Faulkner, may be quashing something, and it really good could be a shared feeling of Faulkner ; nevertheless, there has non been adequate legitimate grounds or scholarship to turn out this relationship. Therefore, the novel is non a lampoon, which hurts its opportunities at being classified as a postmodern novel.Modernists treat atomization and subjectiveness as experiential crises a job that must be solved, which their literature efforts to make. Postmodernists, nevertheless, believe that this issue is unsurmountable, and the lone reactionist action that is worthwhile is to play with the helter-skelter inclinations. In postmodern literature, gaiety becomes the major focal point, therefore doing any order or irrefutable truth extremely improbable. Faulkner, at least in his early plants and Absalom, Absalom! does non look to venture really deep into this gaiety. Indeed, there is decidedly a presence of this in Absalom, Absalom! but it neer reache s the extremeness that other major postmodern plants achieve. Compared to a work like Kurt Vonnegut s Slaughterhouse-Five, Faulkner s fiction does non stand up in footings of where it falls on the modern/postmodern graduated table. The first chapter of Vonnegut s book begins by stating, All this happened, more or less I ve changed all the names. I truly did travel back to Dresden.. . I went back at that place with an old war brother, BernardaˆÂ ¦ ( Vonnegut 1 ) . The writer blurs the line between where his influence terminals and where the storyteller ( who is, in other words, understood to be separate from the writer ) begins. The first chapter seems more like a foreword by the writer, or a ulterior remark on his novel that should come after the text ; alternatively, Vonnegut s first class of action is to put himself up as both the writer and storyteller. It is clearly postmodern because he is forthright about it alternatively of connoting the bleary line. I would detest to state you what this icky small book cost me in money and anxiousness and clip. When I got place. .. I thought it would be easy for me to compose and I thought, excessively, that it would be a chef-doeuvre or at least do me a batch of money, since the topic was so large ( Vonnegut 2-3 ) . The reader is cognizant of the fact that the storyteller is besides the author, and that the author is speaking about the procedure of authorship: this is, doubtless, one of the best illustrations of playfully postmodern metafiction around, and Faulkner s degree of metafiction does non even compare. John Barth, another well-known postmodernist novelist, published an essay in 1979 entitled Literature of Replenishment, which was meant as a response to his earlier essay, Literature of Exhaustion. The Replenishment that Barth refers to is postmodern literature, since he was naming for an inspection and repair of Modernism in his earliest essay. In Literature of Replenishment Barth says,My ideal Postmodernist writer neither simply repudiates nor simply imitates either his twentieth-century Modernist parents or his nineteenth-century premodernist grandparents. He has the first half of our century under his belt, but non on his dorsum. Without sinking into moral or artistic oversimplification, cheapjack workmanship, Madison Avenue venality, or either false or existent naivete , he however aspires to a fiction more democratic in its entreaty than such late-Modernist wonders as Beckett s Texts for Nothing The ideal Postmodernist novel will somehow lift above the wrangle between pragmatism and irrealism, formalism and contentism, pure and committed literature, coterie fiction and debris fiction ( Barth 22 )Barth sets the criterion for what postmodern literature needs to carry through, every bit good as how it should be written. Vonnegut s Slaughterhouse-Five meets all of these demands, while nil of Faulkner s can compare.While Absalom, Absalom! boasts many features that make the novel appear postmodern, it still seems to hold excessively small in common with the clear postmodern plants of recent old ages. As with every other literary motion, Modernism met its extremum someplace in the center of its clip and began a diminution in the last few old ages of its prominence. Somewhere in between the autumn of Modernism and the rise of Postmodernism lies Faulkner. One of his commonly overlooked short narratives, Afternoon of a Cow, appears to be his most postmodern piece, and it is his last flirting with the postmodern daring before returning to a more conservative, overtly modern manner of composing in the waning old ages of his calling. Afternoon of a Cow is the definition of Faulkner s self-reflexivity, and it is every bit postmodern as the writer gets since it achieves its metafiction through open description and commentary instead than deduction. Likewise, the narrative is a self-parody. Written under a anonym, the short narrative takes a bantering attack to Faulkner s manner in his old novels. Faulkner himself is the chief character, though the storyteller is Ernest V. Trueblood: the purported writer of the narrative every bit good, and the individual whom Faulkner pretends to be his shade author. Much in the mode of a postmodernist writer, Faulkner plays with this piece of fiction to notice on the narrative within a narrative the narrative about his literature and how he ( Faulkner ) views his past achievements.Ernest V. Trueblood, clearly an fanciful character, even though Faulkner purports that he is the existent shade author of his past novels, tells the narrative but focuses prevalently on William Faulkner as a character, so much that the compulsion becomes inordinate. However, it becomes obvious once the reader recognizes that Faulkner is the existent creative person that the map of this preoccupation is for Faulkner the author to be overcritical of himself and his authorship from an foreigner s point of position. In the narrative, Trueblood explains that every twenty-four hours Mr. Faulkner informs him what to compose and Trueblood adapts Mr. Faulkner s narratives into recognizable pieces of fiction ( Faulkner 421 ) . This, if true, would account for the unwritten construction of novels such as Absalom, Absalom! Besides, the character may be a lampoon of characters in Absalom, Absalom! who express a captivation with lineages, sing that the storyteller s name is Trueblood. As mentioned earlier, the alleged separation between Faulkner and Trueblood allows for a metafiction: aˆÂ ¦with the exclusion of myself, whose pattern and belief it has neer been to name any animal, adult male, adult female, kid or least, out of its rightful name merely as I permit no 1 to name me out of mine, though I am cognizant that behind my back bothaˆÂ ¦refer to me as Ernest be ToogoodaˆÂ ¦ ( Faulkner 421 ) . Since Faulkner claims that Trueblood is his shade author, he therefore represents the writer side of himself. His remark about neer mentioning to anyone with its rightful name suggests that anything he has of all time written about has been a world at one clip, adapted into fiction with the names a ltered ( film overing the lines of world and imaginativeness ) . Faulkner is besides placing for the reader the manner in which his existent individuality ever seemed to be different than his composing individuality. He is clearly being self-reflexive, looking back on himself in add-on to his authorship. Likewise, Trueblood is repeatedly extremely critical of Mr. Faulkner, stating on multiple occasions that he is violently sedentary and normally expresses a unenrgetic wit ( Faulkner 427 ) . The storyteller besides calls him out for other features, but these are evidently unfavorable judgments of Faulkner s authorship manner, hence in world being self-reflexive approximately himself as an writer. When the cow empties its vesica and bowels onto Faulkner, the temper and manner of the narrative instantly alterations, as does the tone of Mr. Faulkner s actions. The narrative ends with Faulkner depriving in the stallss and rinsing himself, after which Trueblood comments that the existent and soft Mr. Faulkner has retreated once more and the violent and inactive personality has returned. The cow s laxation of the writer is what brings out the existent Faulkner, which is a blending of Trueblood and Mr. Faulkner a quiet and philosophical being that is the writer in his basest signifier. When the original Mr. Faulkner returns, though, he one time once more becomes the foolhardy failure that he tried to soak off to society in interviews and friendly relationships as his existent ego.Much of the wit in the narrative is a postmodern black wit, since it focuses on a cow s laxation onto Mr. Faulkner. It besides lies in the beautiful and flowery descriptions that Trueblood utilizations, which are extremely dry sing the disgusting subject. The storyaˆÂ ¦is a barnyard gag, but he tells it in a entirely inappropriate manner, as if it were the material of high love affair ( Grimwood 5 ) . Likewise, many of the descriptions and words that Trueblood uses seem as if they were taken right from Absalom, Absalom! : The wit is intensified for those who recognize that such a transition is non at all foreigner to William Faulkner s ain manner ( Volpe 222 ) . The writer is clearly cognizant of the verbal maze that his last novel had been, and so this short narrative can be see a lampoon of that manner. In fact, as Grimwood points out, Faulkner was composing Afternoon of a Cow at the same clip that he was completing Absalom, Absalom! ( Grimwood 4 ) . After a meeting for dinner one clip, Faulkner gave his friend a transcript of both Afternoon of a Cow and Absalom, Absalom! stating him that they were the complete plants of Trueblood and that they must be read together. Of class, the two plants of fiction were non written by anyone besides Faulkner, and he merely said this to divide them from his earlier texts and to affect upon his reader that they are meant to be coupled, the short narrative noticing on the novel. Ernest V. Trueblood s manner exhibits the rhetorical extremism we associate with William Faulkner ( Grimwood 7 ) . The narrative is an auctorial dissection of his individuality as an writer, peculiarly the 1 in whose position the novel is told. Afternoon of a Cow decidedly seems to be an early postmodernist work, but even if it is, one work out of many does non do him a postmodernist. As Terrell Tebbetts makes clear in the first line of his essay, Faulkner was non a postmodernist, and he did non go a postmodernist either ; nevertheless, his motion through Lacan s lingual patterned advance led him prematurely to postmodernism ( Tebbetts 125 ) . While Faulkner thought he was really being modern by experimenting with literature, he was genuinely exceling the kingdom of the Modernists. As I Lay Diing was basically his first transitional novel in which he began this clear way from modernism to postmodernism, as the novel hinges between the two genres. Absalom, Absalom! and Afternoon of a Cow were his most postmodern pieces, though they, excessively, simply hit the outer shell of this literary cl ass. I besides think his rejection of what we consider pop civilization undercuts the statement that he is postmodernist, given that he follows more so the modern position here. Numerous facets of his composing reject elements of modernism, but they besides frequently employ and embrace these same elements at times. Even though Faulkner managed do it to postmodernism even before it was developed and characterized, he failed to interrupt the ceiling by returning to his old methods of composing. Likewise, Faulkner s fiction abides by Lacan s phases of lingual development, and even though he develops as an writer and critic of linguistic communication merely as a kid grows and matures, he merely briefly trades with the attacks to linguistic communication after germinating into the Symbolic and Imaginary phases. Any critic who defines William Faulkner as a postmodernist is misled and clearly non well-read in Faulkner s repertory ; on the other manus, critics who call him a modernist should see reviewing his literature through a postmodern lens, since they will detect, as I have, that William Faulkner is one of those rare ephemeral authors of the 20th century.

Composition of the Universe

Composition of the Universe The universe is a vast and fascinating place.   When astronomers consider what its made of, they can point most directly to the billions of galaxies it contains. Each of those has millions or billions- or even trillions- of stars. Many of those stars have planets. There are also clouds of gas and dust.   In between the galaxies, where it seems there would be very little stuff, clouds of hot gases exist in some places, while other regions are nearly empty voids. All that is material that can be detected. So, how difficult can it be to look out into the cosmos and estimate, with reasonable accuracy, the amount of luminous mass (the material we can see) in the universe, using  radio, infrared and x-ray astronomy? Detecting Cosmic Stuff Now that astronomers have highly sensitive detectors, they are making great advances in in figuring out the mass of the universe and what makes up that mass. But thats not the problem.  The answers theyre getting dont make sense. Is their method of adding up the mass wrong (not likely) or is there something else out there; something else that they cant see? To understand the difficulties, its important to understand the mass of the universe and how astronomers measure it. Measuring Cosmic Mass One of the greatest pieces of evidence for the mass of the universe is something called the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Its not a physical barrier or anything like that. Instead, its a condition of the early universe that can be measured using microwave detectors. The CMB dates back to shortly after the Big Bang and is actually the background temperature of the universe. Think of it as heat that is detectable throughout the cosmos equally from all directions. Its not exactly like the heat coming off the Sun or radiating from a planet. Instead, its a very low temperature measured at 2.7 degrees K. When astronomers go to measure this temperature, they see small, but important fluctuations spread throughout this background heat. However, the fact that it exists means that the universe is essentially flat. That means it will expand forever. So, what does that flatness mean for figuring out the mass of the universe? Essentially, given the measured size of the universe, it means there has to be enough mass and energy present within it to make it flat.The problem? Well, when astronomers add up all of the normal matter  (such as stars and galaxies, plus the gas in the universe, thats only about 5% of the critical density that a flat universe needs to remain flat. That means that 95 percent of the universe hasnt yet been detected. Its there, but what is it? Where is it? Scientists say that it exists as dark matter and dark energy.   The Composition of the Universe The mass that we can see is called baryonic matter.   It is the planets, galaxies, gas clouds, and clusters. The mass that cant be seen is called dark matter. There is also energy (light) that can be measured; interestingly, theres also the so-called  dark energy. and nobody has a very good idea of what that is.   So, what does make up the universe and in what percentages? Heres a breakdown of the current proportions of mass in the universe. Heavy Elements in the Cosmos First, there are the heavy elements. They make up about ~0.03% of the universe. For nearly half a billion years after the birth of the universe the only elements that existed were hydrogen and helium They arent heavy. However, after stars were born, lived, and died, the universe started getting seeded with elements heavier than hydrogen and helium that were cooked up inside stars. That happens as stars fuse hydrogen (or other elements) in their cores. Stardeath spreads all those elements to space through planetary nebulae or supernova explosions. Once they are scattered to space. they are prime material for building the next generations of stars and planets.   This is a slow process, however. Even nearly 14 billion years after its creation, the only a small fraction of the mass of the universe is made up of elements heavier than helium. Neutrinos Neutrinos are also part of the universe, although only about 0.3 percent of it. These are created during the nuclear fusion process in the cores of stars, neutrinos are nearly massless particles that travel at nearly the speed of light. Coupled with their lack of charge, their tiny masses mean that they do not interact readily with mass except for a direct impact on a nucleus. Measuring neutrinos is not an easy task. But, it has allowed scientists to get good estimates of nuclear fusion rates of our Sun and other stars, as well as an estimate of the total neutrino population in the universe. Stars When stargazers peer out into the night sky most of what the see is stars. They make up about 0.4 percent of the universe. Yet, when people look at the visible light coming from other galaxies even, most of what they see are stars. It seems odd that they make up only a small part of the universe.   Gases So, whats more, abundant than stars and neutrinos? It turns out that, at four percent, gases make up a much bigger part of the cosmos. They usually occupy the space between stars, and for that matter, the space between whole galaxies. Interstellar gas, which is mostly just free elemental hydrogen and helium makes up most of the mass in the universe that can be directly measured. These gases are detected using instruments sensitive to the radio, infrared and x-ray wavelengths. Dark Matter The second-most-abundant stuff of the universe is something that no one has seen otherwise detected. Yet, it makes up about 22 percent of the universe.  Scientists analyzing the motion (rotation) of galaxies, as well as the interaction of galaxies in galaxy clusters, found that all of the gas and dust present is not enough to explain the appearance and motions of galaxies. It turns out that 80 percent of the mass in these galaxies must be dark. That is, its not detectable in any wavelength of light, radio through gamma-ray. Thats why this stuff is called dark matter.   The identity of this mysterious mass? Unknown. The best candidate is cold dark matter, which is theorized to be a particle similar to a neutrino, but with a much greater mass. It is thought that these particles, often known as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) arose out of thermal interactions in early galaxy formations. However, as yet we have not been able to detection dark matter, directly or indirectly, or create it in a laboratory. Dark Energy The most abundant mass of the universe is not dark matter or stars or galaxies or clouds of gas and dust. Its something called dark energy and it makes up 73 percent of the universe.   In fact, dark energy isnt (likely) even massive at all. Which makes its categorization of mass somewhat confusing.   So, what is it?   Possibly its a very strange property of space-time itself, or maybe even some unexplained (so far) energy field that permeates the entire universe. Or its neither of those things. Nobody knows. Only time and lots and lots more data will tell. Edited and updated by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Business and Society for Journal of World Business

In the business world, it is seen that outsourcing is the major problem, mainly when it includes cheap labor that is offered in many developing countries.   It is analyzed that there are many businesses that have embarked on this exercise with the motive of earning profits, that enhances the overall satisfaction level of the shareholders and give assurance of the success in the future. There are many individuals who are claiming that it is ethical practice and also others are claiming that the practice is not considered as moral. This argument does not take into consideration the method of outsourcing but consider the ethical issues that are surrounded by the process of outsourcing. Outsourcing of cheap overseas labor has b e a corporate process but the practice has raised many questions related whether the practice is immoral or not (Gerbl, McIvor, Loane & Humphreys, 2015).  Ã‚   In this paper, the analysis will be made by taking into consideration both the positive and negative facets of the practice. By taking into consideration ethical opinion, there are many advices opposing the use of overseas cheap labor. One of the argument states that the panies make profits from the use of cheap labor and the profits are reserved by the rich class people, while the people belong from middle class lose their purchasing power and also high taxes are paid by them. There are various individuals who notice government's distribution of economic wealth with negative opinions. The corporate practices considered by the organizations are related to contributing to the economic difference will be taken in a negative way by the public. It is analyzed that overseas employees are not able to make any contribution to the security which is socially related and tax rate of any country. According to Kline (2010), the high tax rate achieved from the business profits cannot justified for the overall amount that the government lose just because of the i e taxes.   Negativity is created in the residents due to the loss of various opportunities related with the jobs.   If the cheap overseas labor is used then it disregards the munity and the workers who assisted the organization to achieve success in the market (Poutanen & Kovalainen, 2017).  Ã‚   So, it is evaluated that success of the organization is related to profits and also concerned to develop the munity.   If cheap overseas labor is taken into consideration than it affects the job opportunities for the individuals that are available and also weaken the economy of the developing nations (Bevan, Brinkley, Cooper & Bajorek, 2018).   For instance: If working criteria of the individual increases than extra cash is available that can be spent on products, which suggests that extra jobs can be formed to consid er the overall demand of the products in the market.   Therefore, by taking into consideration overseas cheap labor by American organizations can affect the economy cycle of the country. It is analyzed that those who are stating that use of overseas cheap labor is right, for them it is important to consider that, at the time of manufacturing of goods by using overseas cheap labor it is important to import more products than manufacturing it on a domestic platform.   This argument states that product should be in the country where there is cheap labor as this is one of the best strategies that the pany should consider so that profits can be enhanced and also the satisfaction level of the stakeholders can be maximized. Advocates of outsourcing cheap labor by the organizations maintain the petitive advantage by focusing on products that can help to enhance the overall profitability.   The argument is that organizations have the goal of earning cash by producing goods and selling them to the customers at a low cost (Wuyts, Rindfleisch & Citrin, 2015).     In this way, if overseas labor is used then there can be a difference in the overall cost. This cost difference that takes place helps the organizations to achieve overall goals and objectives and also the cheap labor that is used can be justified (Oshri, Kotlarsky & Willcocks, 2015).   For instance:   US organizations should give petition in a global economy which states that the organizations are permitted to recruit worldwide. petitive advantage is important and one of the best strategies that US organizations should adopt is cheap overseas labor. The next argument that is in support of the panies considering cheap labor overseas is due of the enhancing want of corporate social responsibility which states that many organizations are offering service to individuals in developing nations. Use of cheap labor plays a great role in offering job opportunities for the individuals in developing countries (Beam, 2016).   It is also seen that with the use of overseas labor supports American organizations to shape the middle class in the developing nations. Outsourcing cheap labor will help the Americans to grow into a country including of consultants and entrepreneurs.   Outsourcing overseas labor is related to partnership and not with theft.   Corporations who take into consideration the usage of cheap overseas labors acts in the interest of the customers (Lester, 2018). For example: To pay more to the US workers as linked to the foreign labors is not beneficial to the local economy. Workers always want that the earnings should b e high. It is ethical to provide employment to the people who are existing in developing nations rather than individuals existing in First world nation where jobs are availed. So, from the argument, it is analyzed that the use of cheap labor by the panies can give an advantage to the customers and shareholders at the expense of the employees.   An Argument is made in which support point is that use of cheap labor is not ethical from the point that outsourcing cheap overseas labor can give more expense to the foreign economies.   The argument is elevated to assist the point that using cheap overseas labor is ethical by taking into consideration corporate social responsibility.   Therefore, ethical problems arise related to how organizations should consider the cheap labor like inadequate working conditions and poor wages to the employees. Beam, E. A. (2016). Do job fairs matter? experimental evidence on the impact of job-fair attendance.  Journal of Development Economics,  120, 32-40. Bevan, S., Brinkley, I., Cooper, C., & Bajorek, Z. (2018).  21st Century Workforces and Workplaces: The Challenges and Opportunities for Future Work Practices and Labour Markets. Bloomsbury Publishing. Gerbl, M., McIvor, R., Loane, S., & Humphreys, P. (2015). A multi-theory approach to understanding the business process outsourcing decision.  Journal of World Business,  50(3), 505-518. Kline, J. (2010).  Ethics for International Business: Decision-Making in a Global Political Economy.  New York: Routledge. Lester, M. (2018). The Creation and Disruption of Innovation? Key Developments in Innovation as Concept, Theory, Research and Practice. In  Innovation in the Asia Pacific  (pp. 271-328). Springer, Singapore. Oshri, I., Kotlarsky, J., & Willcocks, L. P. (2015).  The Handbook of Global Outsourcing and Offshoring 3rd Edition. Springer. Poutanen, S., & Kovalainen, A. (2017). New Economy, Platform Economy and Gender. In  Gender and Innovation in the New Economy  (pp. 47-96). Palgrave Macmillan, New York. Wuyts, S., Rindfleisch, A., & Citrin, A. (2015). Outsourcing customer support: The role of provider customer focus.  Journal of Operations Management ,  35, 40-55. Looking for an answer 'who will do my essay for cheap',

Child and the Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Child and the Law - Case Study Example The multiple needs of the child, together with the fact that he has been acting as a caregiver for his mother, make the case a multifaceted one in which several different agencies need to be involved. The basic duty of care towards Justin involves assuring he receives parental care or in loco parentis care, adequate educational opportunities and medical provisions for the "signs of depression" that might incapacitate him or even put his life in risk if they were allowed to develop into full-blown depression. All these facets need to be taken into account. Taking each part of the account of Justin in turn, this analysis will first consider the "education supervision order" which he is under and also the fact that he has been "taken into care on a voluntary basis by Hoppingdean Social Services on a number of occasions". An education supervision order is an order that is granted by a family court under the provisions of section 36 of the Children Act, 1989. The Education Supervision Order (ESO) has a clear and compelling reasoning behind it. The ESO is designed to "ensure that the child receives an efficient full-time education, suitable to his or her age, ability and any Special Educational needs; and that the Child benefits fully from the education received" (cumbria, 2006). At the present time it appears as though the general provisions of such an order are not being met for Justin. Thus the fact that his "frequent absences" have left him without the peer group vital for social development at this age, and that despite the "remedial work" being offered by the school he "has fallen far behind on his schoolwork" shows that he is clearly not receiving an efficient education. The blame for this cannot be put at the school's door, as they appear to be meeting Justin's needs as far as is feasible for a general Comprehensive school. Neither, under the exceptional circumstances within which the family is living, can the blame be put on the mother who is suffering from depression and alcoholism. Normally the parents/parent would be required to attend a magistrate's court to discover why the elements of the ESO are not being met, but this would not be appropriate in this case. The question arises as to whether the fact that Justin has been taken into care on a number of occasions on a voluntary basis should offer the way forward: should Justin be taken into care on a full-time basis, thus transferring responsibility for the ESO onto the Local Authority Social Services Department. As it is the child exists in a kind of limbo in which no one agency, or his mother, is fully responsible for what is occurring to him. He clearly is not thriving within this situation, as his educational problems and initial signs of depression graphically illustrate. Some other action is needed. The case of Justin could be seen as an embodiment of the need for some kind of integrated services for at risk children in the United Kingdom. It was the realization of this need that led to the creation of the Children's Trusts. The Trusts were created in order to keep up with the Children Act of 2004. As the National Evaluation of the Trusts suggests, English Local Authorities and National Health Service organizations serving children, young people and families are expected to take steps to unify or co-ordinate these services . . . .Children's Trusts are the emerging framework in which improvements in outcomes for children and young people are to be brought

Organisation, People and Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organisation, People and Performance - Essay Example This refers to a measure of the ability to recognize, manage and evaluate emotions. The test base on four key elements; the ability of the candidate to recognize his own and other people emotions, generating and using emotions in solving problems, understanding emotions and the changes in emotions and the ability to manage both his own and other people emotions. Several methods that may include test questions can help achieve the objective (Hough 1984).These are assessments employed to measure a number of mental capabilities like mathematical and verbal ability, comprehension reading and reasoning ability (Hunter 1986). They comprise of multiple choice objects administered through a paper or computer. The total score of the candidate represents the true measure of his mental ability in performing the job. It is possible to design the exercise to measure one character after the other and then summing up the final score at the end.1.6 Biographical dataThese tests deal with the backgrou nd of the candidate, interests and personal characteristics. This relies on the belief that past performance is the most significant predictor of future performance. It concerns the manner the candidate performed in the past in the areas related to the management task (Shoenfeldt 1999). For example, the number of volunteer activities the candidate participated in the past provides a measure of his willingness to volunteer. In addition, the test reveals the candidates’ independence and responsibility.

NewEgg Essay Example for Free

NewEgg Essay NewEgg. com is the fastest computer software and hardware retailer online store. Newegg. com is a leading e-retailer committed to becoming the most loved and trusted marketplace on the web by offering superior shopping experience, rapid delivery, and stellar customer service. NewEgg. com was founded by Fred Chang in 2001 running operation in California. As today NewEgg. com has more than 11 million registered users and has managed to gain their trust as the customer gets excellent service, fast process and delivery. Newegg. com has implemented a tracking system that allows them to fulfill and process orders, allocate parts needed in a fast and organized way to save time. The system makes an accurate forecast that let them know to refill their inventory and workload as needed. Once the order gets entered the system labels and assigns a tote that moves on a conveyor system to a pick up area where parts get scanned along the tote and order gets filled. By doing so it keeps the inventory controlled and parts bins get refilled as inventory gets low. The company reduces the operational cost by monitoring orders and work loads, if an area gets busy its easy for the managers to re assign operators to move and reduce the work load in that area. Conveyors not in used the systems stops the automatically to save energy. UPS and FedEx make almost 10 stops a day bringing parts and making pick ups to deliver customers. High percentage of orders gets processed and leaves facilities within the same day and makes it to the customer by the second business days and just about the 10 percentage the customer gets it by the third day.

American Dream in Edward Albees Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf Essay

In the final act of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Honey apologetically and drunkenly explains that she has peeled the label off her brandy bottle. To this, George replies, "We all peel labels, sweetie: and when you get through the skin, all three layers, through the muscle, slosh aside the organs, and get down to bone, you still haven't got all the way, yet. There's something inside the bone†¦ the marrow†¦ and that's what you gotta get at." In a play blending realism and absurdism, Edward Albee peels off the institutions and values that Americans held and hold dear, such as family, beauty, marriage, success, religion, and education. With blackly humorous ridicule and through critical analysis, Albee suggests that these institutions, traditionally comprising the "American dream," have been desperately created to escape reality. Ultimately, however, he shows us that reality continues to pervasively lurk not far beneath the surface that we have slapped over it, almost as if threatening to eat up the very thing with which we suppress it. Even before an analysis of Albee's dramatic action, the location itself sets the scene for a study of American society. Albee sets his play in the fictitious New England town of New Carthage, alluding to the ancient civilization of Carthage, which for thousands of years flourished, but was permanently conquered by the Romans. The name is not coincidental, as George refers to New Carthage as "Penguin Island," a mythical island destroyed by capitalism in a novel by Anatole France, and as "Gomorrah," the city in the Bible that was destroyed, along with Sodom, for its wickedness. (40) The allusion invites parallels to our own country, which, at the time facing the threat of communism, not only face... ...an philosopher. "And the west, encumbered by crippling alliances, and burdened with a morality too rigid to accommodate itself to the swing of events, must†¦ eventually†¦ fall." (174) Albee suggests that, behind the faà §ade of the American dream, behind the pretense of American ideals, behind the false front of the tranquility of American society in the early 60's, America's internal corruption and emptiness threatened, and perhaps continue to threaten, the country with a similar fall.    Work Cited Albee, Edward. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Rev. ed. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 2005. Print. Works Consulted Clurman, Harold. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Edward Albee: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. C.W.E. Bigsby. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall 1975. 76-79 Hirsch, Foster. Who's Afraid of Edward Albee? Berkeley: Creative Arts, 1978. American Dream in Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf Essay In the final act of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Honey apologetically and drunkenly explains that she has peeled the label off her brandy bottle. To this, George replies, "We all peel labels, sweetie: and when you get through the skin, all three layers, through the muscle, slosh aside the organs, and get down to bone, you still haven't got all the way, yet. There's something inside the bone†¦ the marrow†¦ and that's what you gotta get at." In a play blending realism and absurdism, Edward Albee peels off the institutions and values that Americans held and hold dear, such as family, beauty, marriage, success, religion, and education. With blackly humorous ridicule and through critical analysis, Albee suggests that these institutions, traditionally comprising the "American dream," have been desperately created to escape reality. Ultimately, however, he shows us that reality continues to pervasively lurk not far beneath the surface that we have slapped over it, almost as if threatening to eat up the very thing with which we suppress it. Even before an analysis of Albee's dramatic action, the location itself sets the scene for a study of American society. Albee sets his play in the fictitious New England town of New Carthage, alluding to the ancient civilization of Carthage, which for thousands of years flourished, but was permanently conquered by the Romans. The name is not coincidental, as George refers to New Carthage as "Penguin Island," a mythical island destroyed by capitalism in a novel by Anatole France, and as "Gomorrah," the city in the Bible that was destroyed, along with Sodom, for its wickedness. (40) The allusion invites parallels to our own country, which, at the time facing the threat of communism, not only face... ...an philosopher. "And the west, encumbered by crippling alliances, and burdened with a morality too rigid to accommodate itself to the swing of events, must†¦ eventually†¦ fall." (174) Albee suggests that, behind the faà §ade of the American dream, behind the pretense of American ideals, behind the false front of the tranquility of American society in the early 60's, America's internal corruption and emptiness threatened, and perhaps continue to threaten, the country with a similar fall.    Work Cited Albee, Edward. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Rev. ed. New York: Dramatists Play Service, 2005. Print. Works Consulted Clurman, Harold. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Edward Albee: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. C.W.E. Bigsby. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall 1975. 76-79 Hirsch, Foster. Who's Afraid of Edward Albee? Berkeley: Creative Arts, 1978.

Case Analysis: Minit-Lube Essay

A substantial market exists for automobile tune-ups, oil changes, and lubrication service for more than 250 million vehicles on U.S. roads. Some of this demand is filled by full-service auto dealerships, some by Walmart and Firestone, and some by other tire/service dealers. However, Minit-Lube, Mobil-Lube, Jiffy-Lube and others have also developed strategies to accommodate this opportunity. Minit-Lube stations perform oil changes, lubrication, and interior cleaning in a spotless environment. The buildings are clean, painted white, and often surrounded by neatly trimmed landscaping. To facilitate fast service, cars can be driven through three abreast. At Minit-Lube, the customer is greeted by service representatives who are graduates of Minit-Lube U. The Minit-Lube school is not unlike McDonald’s Hamburger University near Chicago or Holiday Inn’s training school in Memphis. The greeter takes the order, which typically includes fluid checks (oil, water, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and differential grease) and the necessary lubrication, as well as filter changes for air and oil. Service personnel in neat uniforms then move into action. The standard three-person team has one person checking fluid levels under the hood, another assigned interior vacuuming and window cleaning, and the third is in the garage pit, removing the oil filter, draining the oil, checking the differential and transmission, and lubricating as necessary. Precise task assignments and good training are designed to move the car into and out of the bay in 10 minutes. The idea is to charge no more, and hopefully no less, than gas stations, automotive repair chains, and auto dealers, while providing better services. 1. What constitutes the mission at Minit-Lube? (10 points) The mission statement for Minit-Lube is to provide fast, reliable and superior services in a customer friendly environment while ensuring lowest possible fares pertaining to the oil changes, lubrication and interior cleaning to the vehicle owners in the USA as comparison with gas stations, auto dealers and automotive repair chains. 2. How does the Minit-Lube operations strategy provide competitive advantage? (Hint: Evaluate how Minit-Lube’s traditional competitors perform the 10 decisions of operations management vs. how Minit-Lube performs them). (25 points) Minit-Lube operations strategy provides the organization advantage over its competitors in the following ways: Product Design: Minit-Lube concentrates only on lubricating services of automobiles as opposed to its competitors, by providing fast service and as per convenience to the customers. The superior service mechanism has been designed to do service quickly 3 cars at a time. Service process is quick and efficient to the satisfaction of customers as each of the three bays is handled by a team of three persons. Because Minit-Lube has a narrow product strategy, such as â€Å"lubricating automobiles†, it allows them to be more focused and efficient with its service operations. Quality Strategy: Quality exceeds normal standards as all employees are neatly dressed and fully trained from Minit-Lube school. Because of limited task variety, high repetition of work, good personnel training, and use of handy manuals, quality is relatively easy to maintain for Minit-Lube. Process Strategy: The process strategy of Minit-Lube allows its employees to stay focused on doing their jobs well. It is not a general purpose garage or gas station as compared to its traditional competitors. Efficient use of human resource enables fast service provision as three workers simultaneously work on a car to provide oil-change services. Location Strategy: Location premises are spotless with appealing surrounding environment and are usually conveniently placed near residential areas. Layout Strategy: Layout designs of service bays are planned in such a manner that all the service tasks are carried out without any loss of any time. The three bays are designed specifically for lubrication and vacuuming tasks to minimize wasted movement on the part of the employees and to contribute to the speedier service. Supply Chain Strategy: Purchasing is facilitated by negotiation of large purchases and custom packaging. Human Resources Strategy: Well trained staff graduated from Minit-Lube school, ensuring cost effectiveness by building good customer relationships and providing speedy and accurate service. Each individual specializes in its own work enabling the maximum level of service. Inventory: Inventory investment is relatively low, and they should expect a high turnover. Inventory investment is limited. Scheduling: Scheduling of services is provided in least possible time frame, with use of efficient human resource in order to meet customer schedules. Scheduling is quite straightforward at Minit-Lube with similar times for most cars. Maintenance: Minit-Lube provides reliable maintenance solutions because of their trained staff and superior operations management. There is relative little equipment to be maintained, therefore little preventive maintenance required. With three bays and three systems, there is backup available in the case of failure. To conclude, Minit-Lube differentiates itself from other service providers by providing fast, reliable and superior services at the lowest possible cost in a customer friendly environment. 3. Is it likely that Minit-Lube has increased productivity over its more traditional competitors? Why? How would we measure productivity in this industry? (15 points) The main criteria of measuring productivity of service providers such as Minit-Lube is differentiation, flexibility and cost involved in their service provisions. The Minit-Lube has distinguished itself from its rival automobile service providers by differentiating as a narrow service provider limited to automobile lubricating services rather than a general servicing of automobiles. Its approach is flexible and responds quickly to the needs and convenience of customers. The service provided is better, quick and cost competitive. Full satisfaction of customers is its Motto. Due to these approaches for the last three decades of its existence, the productivity of Minit-Lube is increasing as compared to other traditional competitors. [pic]

Ebooks Are Inferior to Real Books

1. Good evening chairperson, ladies and gentleman. It is one thing to down load an eBooks and read it at your convenience but is this experience the same as lying out on the beach reading the latest publication from your favourite novelist with the worry of the device failing | 2. Your expensive device may be stolen while you’re in the surf or sand could enter your devices interface. Ladies and Gentlemen reading from an eBook is simply not the same as reading from a physical printed book as all electronic devices are subject to failures. 3. The topic before us this evening is that â€Å"eBooks are inferior to real books† Not one member of the affirmative team will deny that eBooks have been a great innovation however there are many disadvantages associated with the use of eBooks which would support our team’s argument that traditional books are superior and therefore by definition eBooks are inferior. | 4. We as the Affirmative team define eBooks as electronic co pies of books, usually read through an e-reader or computer and real books as physical printed paper copies of books.Tonight we will be discussing this on two key levels: I will discuss the social aspects and my second speaker Tom will address the disadvantages of eBooks from an economic perspective. | 5. Firstly I will address the inferior qualities of eBooks with regard to them denigrating the culture of reading and secondly the notion that print books promote a more holistic and equitable circumstance for people to have a greater access to literature both contemporary and traditional. | 6. Now to my first point, addressing print books and their significant contribution towards promoting a culture of reading.E-Readers are far less capable of presenting artistic illustrations in the same capacity as real books. | 7. Very complex, design-heavy books such as comics do not translate well into eBook format, and in many cases people in possession of older e-reader devices, fail to suppo rt all of the technologically advanced features that are included within newly released eBooks and e-readers. | 8. Ladies and Gentleman how are we to cultivate a love for books with future generations if all we have access to is unexciting and uninteresting, dull, black and white text.Think of the long held reading traditions which families employ when raising their children. | 9. Young children will always be interested in beautiful three dimensional illustrations adorned in colour and exciting imagery, not walls of text. The artistic value and interactivity of the children’s books we grew up with is something you certainly cannot replicate with an e-reader. | 10. This is a crucial part of the culture of reading that can and will engage our youth in reading from an early age. For centuries book lovers have enjoyed browsing the shelves in a book store, reading the blurbs and thumbing through the illustrations.This is an important part of the culture of reading, a culture prom oted by print books and a culture degraded by eBooks. | 11. This is further vindicated as statistics from over 250 000 surveys conducted by Amazon have revealed that 55% precent of e-books purchased from the kindle or amazon online catalogue have been planned purchases and only 5% of buyers have actually browsed the online catalogue like you would in a real bookstore. | 12. Print books are often utilised for decorative purposes in a home.They can define ones interests’ and even a person’s profession, for example doctors and lawyers often have large libraries of books in their homes. Furthermore print books are often culturally and historically significant for various reasons, can form part of collections, or represent sentimental significance. Ebooks do not have that same utility. | 13. According to Jan Noyes and Kate Garland’s scientific report released in 2008 addressing the cognitive advantages and disadvantages of eBooks; it was discovered that screen readin g was found to increase stress and exhaustion levels.Finally, the technology of an e-book can also prove to be a disincentive for prospective readers. | 14. Add to these, the health issues of eye strain, the anxiety of worrying about battery life, damaging the screen of a reading device, its lack of portability in extreme or remote environments, problems of viruses and software bugs and the incompatibility of formats across devices are not issues that the reader of traditional books encounter. | 15.RSI and long periods looking at a screen, plus the possibility that an e-book can be hacked and edited so that the original text could be censored or lack authenticity thus creating several more reasons why e-books can turn people off reading. | 16. All of these significant points refer to the culture of reading which is vital to society as we know it. This now brings me to my second argument that print books promote a more holistic and equitable circumstance for people to have a greater access to literature both contemporary and traditional. | 17.EBooks are often a non-inclusive medium as it is a significant financial investment for individuals to purchase an E-reader. It is difficult for people without substantial financial means to make that investment when their primary focus is directed at providing for their families and their needs. | 18. Traditional books are always more accessible to the general public, in many cases through a library. Libraries provide a free and easy way for people of all socio-economic backgrounds to access books of all varieties and in addition libraries can be accessed locally as there is one in most suburbs. 19. Also, opportunities to read are enhanced because books are a tangible asset that can be easily exchanged, passed on from generation to generation and discarded for other people to pick up cheaply at fetes, book fairs and second hand bookshops. | 20. They are also a valuable resource to be collected and donated to institutions, waiting rooms, schools and third world countries. In other words making them accessible to the general population. Ladies and Gentleman you cannot do this with an eBook! | 21.The reliance of e-books on technology conjures the frightening prospect of a world without literature, recorded historical data, in fact, all of the knowledge and entertainment that is currently held in the traditional manuscript of books and digital media. | 22. What happens if the gadgets and software we need to decode e-books malfunctions, there is a lack of electricity or our digital world collapses? We need traditional books to protect future access to reading for everyone. | 23. Tonight Ladies and gentleman I have argued the social aspects of why eBooks are most definitely inferior to real books. 24. My first point tonight detailed how print books significantly contribute towards promoting a culture of reading whereas eBooks damage that culture and my second point addressed how print books, through libra ries promote a more holistic and unified circumstance where it is much easier for people who have less, to gain a greater access to more. | 25. Ladies and gentleman when DVD’s came out people thought that would be the end of cinema. There will always be a place for real books and if eBooks are such remarkable products why are we still publishing books?Comparing e-readers to books is similar to comparing a modern contemporary rock song to a cover, which is never as good as the original. | 26. Every now and again you might get a cover version of a song that is perceived as better than the original but generally speaking more often than not the cover is never as good as the original. You can manipulate it and improve it but when it all comes down to the crunch it is the original that stands the test of time. The same is true for the traditional book which will pass the test of time. |

Co-op Bank Essays

Co-op Bank Essays Co-op Bank Essay Co-op Bank Essay As the regulation had been more relaxed in the bank industry, cost accounting came more important due to aggressive competition among banks. Traditional volume based costing is obviously inappropriate. Therefore, the Bank changed to activity-based costing (BBC). We find that the implementation of activity-based costing (BBC) enhanced the ability to identify profitable products and customers but it had some weakness as follows: 1. BBC implementation was too costly, time-consuming and complex. 2. Too small sample from past data might affect the accuracy of its cost driver rate and not sufficient for decision making. . The 15% Of banks expense Ewing sustaining costs were not allocated to any products due to irrelevant causing too high administrative cost. Recommendations discussed include: 1. The bank should regroup 235 activities for those with the same characteristics. 2. The team should extend data collecting range since there were a few transactions occurred in three months and use the most recent data. 3. The bank should allocate sustaining cost by using dual-rate cost allocation method. 4. The bank should follow up the service quality to ensure that customers receive what it used to be. 5. The management should increase sales for profitable products. Then unprofitable products, we suggest the firm reduce non-valued added cost. The report also investigates the fact that the analysis conducted has limitations. Some of the limitations include: The article didnt state cost of BBC implementation so we couldnt compare between cost and benefit of using it. Contents Page Company Background Cost Structure Analysis of BBC implementation 3 Recommendation Conclusion 5 Appendices Exhibit 1 : Timeline of Co-pop Bank 6 Exhibit 2 : Major Resource Cost Pools Exhibit 3 : Personal Sector Products (classified by profitability) 7 References 8 The Co-operative bank was founded as an department of the Co-operative Wholesale Society (COWS) serving the treasury needs for its operation. Between late sass and 1 971, the deposit dramatically increased. As a result, the bank was separated to independent entity with COWS holding the whole issue of share capital. Then the first situation for new hired managers was to solve the problem which was from competitive pressure. They decided to focus on personal customers by introducing free banking for customers who maintained credit balances in their current accounts. In 1975, the banks broadened customer base for both assets and deposits as a settlement bank. During 1 sass and ass, the bank expanded the range of products and services for personal and corporate customers by introducing credit cards and launching many saving products to generate growth from internal. In 1988, since the Government deregulates the financial sector, many new players were inspired to move to this area. When there were many banks, customers were willing to switch banks and to take products from several institutions so the competition was very aggressive on price. To compete the market, Managing Director assigned Thomas, one of the management, to solve this problem. He thought that the bank should re-affirm the fundamental values which were Mission Statement and Ethical policy then restructure Co-pop Banks operations by settle Personal Customer Service center serving personal customers and Regional Processing Center serving corporate customers. Moreover, the bank increased cross-selling activities and offered new products such as credit cards, current account and services. Unfortunately this affected on high cost-to-income ratio. In late 1992, the ann. was about to restructure so Thomas launched Project SABER (Sales And Business REengineering) to improve the cost income ratio and the service to customers. This project was to address five corporate needs: 1. Overhead Reduction 2. Re-engineering of business processes, particularly those that did not add value to customers. 3. Product Profitability 4. Customer Profitability 5. Segment Profitability The existing cost system Co-pop Bank used was traditional cost system described as Expense was measured for geographic and departmental cost centers. Headquarter expense was allocated to operating segments by illume and size of business. Revenue measured from fee income and net interest. No estimation for costs of producing the revenue. After 3-month data collecting (March-May 1993) for analysis and decision making to restructure organization, the banks project team decided to implement BBC following the pilot project in check clearing center. BBC implementation steps are as follows: 1 . Identify resource cost pools and divided into three categories: operational staff, infrastructure and miscellaneous. (See the major resource cost pools in Exhibit 2) 2. Identify activities. 3. Match resource cost to activities. . Define activity cost driver and collect the quantities of each activity cost driver. 5. Calculate activity cost driver rate. 6. Trace activity cost to each product with 15% remaining to the sustaining cost. 7. Calculate product profitability. (See the profitable/unprofitable products list in Exhibit 3) After they implemented BBC, they use the result for decision making in many way. L. Product decision The bank used BBC allocating sustaining cost to analyze whether its product were profitable. Its targeted product were financial advice and new investment products which grew in deregulated area. Fortunately they were not successful as they hoped. However; there were high profitable products: Visa credit cards. II. Customer profitability With limited customers data, the BBC team extend the study to the customer- specific expenses based on sample of current accounts. They found that 55% of expense were related to processing transactions and the rest w ere maintaining costs. Revenue measurement was classified by each product for each customer. The analysis showed that current accounts were unprofitable because of low balance so the managers started to find the way to attract this reduce from customers. For Visa credit card, the team divided into two groups: profitable and unprofitable customers. The bank earned interest income from customers who had large unpaid balances and processing fee from customers who transacted frequently. Ill. Overhead reduction and business process reengineering From SABER project, the Co-pop Bank moved their focus to process-oriented organization. This urged managers to figure out which processes were value added to customers and which were not, and to improve efficiency for processes which could help the bank reduce cost and use extra capacity to enervate more income. In detail, analysis showed that high cost was from fixed cost so the bank solved this problem by outsourcing some areas such as computer development and ATM network to replace fixed cost with variable cost. IV. Sustaining Cost Since a large number amount of expenses classified as sustaining cost was a result of property and information technology resources not from products and customers, the management would have to concern more about making a decision on these issues. The main point was to lower cost-to-income ratio. Analysis of BBC implementation. Strength: Expenses were directly allocated to each cost center except for support department expenses. It could allocate cost to each product so cost of product became more accurate leading to identify profitable area and unprofitable area which increases accuracy when top management performed decision making. Weakness: As the project team collecting data for analysis from March to May, 1 993 (3 periods), that might affect the accuracy of its cost driver rate and not sufficient information for manager to do decision making. The 15% of banks expense being sustaining costs were not allocated to any products due to relevant causing too high administrative cost. If the bank can allocate BBC implementation was too costly, time-consuming and complex. The cost of using this BBC might be high comparing with the benefits from it. For example, when there are too many activities, it was time wasted for collecting cost driver data such as service hour. Sahara (1992) described step-by-step why bank should implement BBC: Identify and set up profit centers. Prepare product list associated to each profit center, product list related to activities and non-product list related to activities. Classify non-product list to activities by using unit-specific significance and organization-wide significance. Spread the former activities across all products Comparing Co-pop banks step with Sharmas step above, the banks BBC system was good but it needed some improvements for better efficiency. Our suggestions are as follow; 1. The team should extend data collecting range since there were a few transactions occurred in three months and use the most recent data. We recommend to collecting data from January to December 2012. 2. The bank should regroup 235 activities for those with the same characteristics. For example, Existing Activity Description Activity Cost Driver Clear debit items No. Of debits processed Clear debit and credit items No. Of debits and credits processed Clear credit items NO. Of credits processed Branch operations for debit items No. Of branch counter debits Branch operations for debit and credit items No. Of branch counter debits and credits Branch operations for credit items No. Of branch counter credits Customer inquiries No. F telephone minutes No. Of questions Customer correspondence No. Of customer letters 3. The bank should allocate sustaining cost by using dual-rate cost allocation teeth by classifying all costs into two cost pools: a fixed-cost cost pool and a variable-cost cost pool. Fixed-cost cost pool There are three steps to allocate fixed sustaining cost for bank products. 1 . Evaluate budget for fixed sust aining cost such as hardware maintenance and long term software license 2. Calculate cost allocation formula by using activity cost of each product. This formula will show proportion of all activities of all products. Proportion rate = activity for one product/ activities of all products. 3. Allocate fixed sustaining cost by resource product required. Allocation rate = Proportion rate * Budget for fixed sustaining cost Variable-cost cost pool Variable cost to activity cost driver ratio will generate constant value for period of time which consider significantly. When activity cost driver has changed, the ratio also changed. For example, we identify activity cost driver as the number of cheese book issued. If the number of cheese book issued is increased, relating cost increases. We use two ratios together to calculate total allocated cost for each product. 4. As Co-pop Bank implemented BBC system to reduce cost, they should follow up the service quality to ensure that customers receive what it used to be. This leads to customers loyalty. So, it becomes sustainable competitive advantage. 5. The management should increase sales for profitable products by offering promotions to attract more customers. Then unprofitable products, we suggest the firm reduce non- valued added cost.

Comparison of market structures of US retail and housing industry Term Paper

Comparison of market structures of US retail and housing industry - Term Paper Example Where there are four types of market structure which are monopoly, oligopoly, pure competition and monopolistic competition. there are number of factors which determine the market structure which are number and size of firms in the particular market, degree of similarity with competitor’s product, firm’s control over its product’s prices, barriers to entry and exit in the market, and the amount of competition based on non price factor. USA housing industry is classified sector wise in mining, construction, manufacturing, retail, wholesale, real-state, professional, administrative and other. These sectors are interdependent on each other in terms of performance and growth. The effect of US crises on housing industry was devastating as demand for land development turn down largely, now the circumstances are far better and recovering. Whereas US retail industry vends specialized and customized products and offers wide variety of products to the consumers. The change in consumer preference and taste has brought up many new opportunities and challenges for retail industry. Recent recession in US economy has shrank the purchasing power resulting in low sales and ultimately low revenue. The selected US retail industry for analysis is tobacco industry; it retails cigarettes, loose tobacco, cigars and cigarillos, and chewing tobacco. Cigarettes have the highest market share of more than 90% in tobacco industry, whereas others have very low market share with very growth rate. Whereas construction is the selected sector from housing industries, which is the second largest revenue generating industry among others US housing industries. US tobacco retail industry is dominant by few large players namely Philip Morris, Reynolds American and Lorillard which jointly holds 90% of the total market value which is actually very huge percentage and hindrance for the growth of small companies (Zitzewitz, 2003). Cigarettes segment is the dominant segment therefore market structure of this industry depends on its market size, market growth, competition and number of companies operating. Product differentiation is very low in this market whereas barriers to entry are significantly high, and associated companies face non-price competition. This shows that this industry possess oligopoly market structure. The selected US housing industry is construction and engineering, is the second largest in terms of revenue contribution to housing industry whereas it has the highest employment ratio as this sector is highly dependent on human resource. This industry decline by 13.9% in 2010 with a market value of $563.1 billion where as it is forecasted that this industry will show an increase from 2010 to 2015 by 26.2 % with an increased market value of $712.9 billion (Datamonitor, Aug 2011). This US industry contributes 24.7% in the global construction and engineering industry. Players in the market are dependent upon suppliers and buyers, whereas the larg est segment of US construction and engineering industry is non-residential building (Datamonitor, Aug 2011). The market structure of the US construction and engineering industry is determined by five key drivers, which are supplier power, buying power, degree of rivalry, new entrants and number of substitutes available. Barriers to entry are there in the market but industrial growth, accessibility of suppliers and weak brands in the market largely appreciates new entrants. There are various factors which determine the supplier power in US construction and engineering industry which are, the degree to which input is differentiated, forward integration, importance of quality/cost, number of substit