Gothic Architecture :: essays research papers

Gothic and Romanesque Style Arch. Represented primarily through cathedrals, Romanesque and Gothic styles of architecture were some of the few symbols of civilization in the poverty stricken and often depressing Middle Ages. These cathedrals represented faith, dedication, and cooperation; a sane place in a world of anarchy. Gothic and Romanesque styles of architecture were related in various ways, yet they also contrasted in style in some ways. Romanesque and Gothic architecture, although having many similarities, also have many differences. This may be due to the fact that lifestyles changed in the time between these two eras of architecture. Romanesque architecture was designed to be more for protective purposes than for any aesthetic quality. The walls of Romanesque cathedrals were built very thickly, so as not to be destroyed by invaders. Gothic, on the other hand, had thinner walls and worked towards a more artistic approach. Gothic cathedrals have many more buttresses than Romanesque cathedrals. Gothic cathedrals were also designed with statues and sculptures on them such as the gargoyle, which also served as a rain spout. Romanesque cathedrals had few windows, as the walls of the cathedrals were very thick and made the placement of windows extremely difficult. This lack of light seemed also to project the general mentality and lifestyles of the people of the Middle Ages. To brighten the cathedrals, they often added many wall paintings and mosaics. Contrary to Romanesque architecture, Gothic had many stained glass windows, which spread colored lighting, giving a feeling of peace. They also depicted biblical figures in the windows. Gothic style used many flying buttresses and pointed arches, while Romanesque used rounded arches for added support to the heavy construction of the walls and ceilings. In conclusion, Romanesque and Gothic styles of architecure helped to show

Knowledge and reality Essay

The quest for knowledge remains a perplexing problem in the field of philosophy. Even nowadays mankind continue to seek to understand himself and the world around him he is thirst to know were exactly our knowledge comes from. The question of knowledge appears to be a battle between the empirisists who believed that knowledge is acquired through sense experience and the rationalists who believed that knowledge can only be required through reasoning. Although there are a lot of people who abides with these groups in my essay in my essay I will only deal with John locke who in this case argues that knowledge is acquired throughsense experience thereby representing the empirisists group and Rene Descartes who argues that knowledge comes fronm reasoning thereby representing the rationalists. Diffrent scholars have also shown their appreciation to the work which was done by the two groups. Rene Descartes who is the rationalist have claimed that the ultimate starting point for knowledge is is not the senses but reason. According to Cottingham,Descartes argues that knowledge of a particular subject matter is underwritten by intuition or rational insight and deductive reasoning rather than experience of that subject matter(1984). Descartes in this case is of the opinion that the only way one can acquire knowledge is through deductive reasoning ,reasoning that aims at exactitude. In one way or other that exactitude is the one which we can now call knowledge Descartes maintain that without prior categories and principles supplied by reason wen could not organise and interrupt one’s sense experience in any way (Kenny:1986). In this case one would be faced with just one huge ,undifferentiated,kaleidospic whirl of sensation ,signifying nothing(Kenny:1986). Rationalism in its purest form goes so far as to hold that al our rational beliefs and the entirety of human knowledge consists in human principles and innate concepts. According to Russel Descartes believes that men are born with innate ideas or ideas that we are born with (1946:548). He argues that those innate ideas are generated and certified by reason along with anything logically deducable these first principles. Furthermore on innate ideas ,a number of mankind still how can reason supply ay mental category or first principle at all? The question is a bit easy for such people like Descartes who claimed that we are born with several fundamental concepts or categories in our minds ready for use(Stitch:1975). Descartes went own to argue that this gives us innate knowledge . This might be through certain categories of space ,time,cause and effect. In one way or other Descartes argues that people thinks in terms of cause and effect and this helps one’s experience of the world(Stitch:1975). A ccording to Stitch Descartes argues that people think of themselves as seing some things causing other things to happen,but in terms of our raw sense experience ,one sees certain things happen before other thing happen and remember having seen such before and after the sequences at earlier times (1975). One can come up with an example like ,a rock hits the window and then the window breaks. We don’t see the third thing called causation but we believe it has happened. The rock hitting the window caused it to break but this is not experienced like the fight of the rock or the shattering of the glass. Descartes argues that experience does not seem to force the concept of causation on us. On this case Descartes bis denying the fact that knowledge comes fron sense experience but reasoning. Descartes also claimed that the foundations of our knowledge are propositions that are self-evidently true. A self-evident proposition has the strange property of being such that ,on merely understanding what it says and without any further checking or special evidence of any kind. One can just intellectually see that it is true(Caruthers:1992). If A is greater than B the B is greater than C and therefore A is greater than C. In this example the claim is that once these statements are understood ,it takes no further sense experience whatsoever to see that they are true . Descartes was athinker who used sceptical doubt as a prelude to constructing a retionalist philosophy. He was convinced that all our beliefs that are founded on the experience of the external senses could be called into doubt ,but that with certain beliefs like ‘I am thinking’,there is n o room for creating and sustaining a reasonable doubt(Pojman:1991:72). Descartes then tried to find enough other first principles with immune to rational doubt that he could provide an indubitable ,rational basis for all other legitimate beliefs. According to Pojman Descartes thought that mathematics gave a paradigm or model of certain knowledge or of attaining such knowledge (1991:73). He argued that mathematical knowledge is based on self evident axioms ,or first principles. In this case those principles are clear and distinctly persued as self-evident and in other words they are indubitable that is to say it is hard to doubt them. They are intrinsically valid on self-certifying . Dscartes argues that once we have such self-evident truths ,then with the rules of reasoning or logic ,theories can be validly deduced from them (Spinoza:1905). Descartes wanted to apply the method of philosophy as he argued that in mathematics ther is no appeal to sense experience . Human reasoning is the sole source of mathematical knowledge (Spinoza:1905). In this case Descartes claimed that by poor reasoning one can achieve knowledge. It was this method of doubt that Descartes used to get at the indubitable starting point which will be unshakable foundation of the edifice of knowledge hence to doubt means to think and think means to be(Pojman:1991). On the other hand we have the empirialists who in this case are being represented by John Locke. Locke is of the view that knowledge is acquired through sense experience. Locke was actually influenced by Descartes writings in which Descartes was arguing that knowledge comes from reasoning and the issue of innate ideas. According to Pojman Locke believes that the senses we maintain ,gives us all our raw data about the world and without this raw material their would be no knowledge at all(Pojman:1991:83). To Locke perception starts a process and from this process come all our beliefs . In its purest form ,Locke and his collegues believes that sense experience alone gave birth to all our knowledge. Locke was influenced by Descartes writings because what Descartes believes was the opposite of what Locke and his collegues believed mostly on the issue of innate ideas hence he decided to put on his suggestion on were exactly our knowledge comes from. Locke argues that innate ideas are suppose to be inborn ideas and they are their in the human mind since birth (Locke:1894). He argues that these ideas are neither created by us nor derived from our experiences. Locke argues that the human mind is a ‘tabula rasa’ meaning to say it is blank and it looks like a white sheet of paper without any content or ideas. According to Pojman there are no inborn ideas in the human mind(Pojman:1991). Ideas denote the content of human mind and consciousness. This then supports the idea that all ideas spring from experiences. According to Spinoza ,Locke argues that all knowledge is formed as and ultimately derived from sensational or inner reflection(1905) To add more the empirisists argue thatideas acquired through sensation and reflection are simple ideas. According Russel Locke argues that the mind has the power to reject ,compare and combine them to then form complex ideas(1946:551) . The simple ideas are the materials of the mind or consciousness. The mind elaborates them in defferent ways and this knowledge is developed(Russel:1946:551)Simple ideaas in this case are thus produced in the mind by the outer things through external experiences and simple ideas posseses valididty. The two theories presents different ideas on were exactly we get knowledge but I think I am convinced with the theory of Descartes which says knowledge is acquired through reason. Although the theory was mainly meant for the mathmaticians I think it is good for me because a men ought to reason so as to find knowledge. To me reasoning shows that someone really is thinking deeper so as to find whatever he wants . The method of doubt which he uses convince me also because I think through doubting you will be able to find knowledge. The Christians might want to say Thomas was wrong but in one way or other Thomas made Christians to know that realy the man they saw was Jesus and Christians were made to believe that really there is resurrection and this was through doubting Thomas. I cant just believe what I have not see without doubting because nowadays people tend to lie so as to get whatever they want in their lives . Therefore the theory of Descartes to me is good one on how we aquire knowledge . ? BIBLIOGRAPHY Carruthers. P.(1992)Human knowledge and human nature,Oxford: Oxford University Press’ Cottingham. J. (1984)Rationalism,London:Palada books. Fieser. P. (1991) Introduction to Philosophy. Oxford:Oxiford University Press Kenny. A. (ed). (1986)Rationalism,Empiricism and Idealism ,Oxiford:Oxiford University Press Locke. J. (1690)An essay on human understanding. (ed)R. Woolhouse. (1997). London:Panguin Books Louis. P. (2007)The theory of knowledge ,classical and temporary readings. Belment CA:Wadsworth Stitch. S. (ed)(1975)Innate ideas ,Berkely CA:Carlifonia University Press Russell. B. (1912)History of Western Philosophy . Oxiford:Oxiford University Press.

Discrimination Against Gays and Lesbians in the Workplace

The topic I have chosen for my research paper comes under the general heading of culture. Culture may be defined as the language, beliefs, values, norms, and material objects passed from one generation to the next. The specific topic I proposed to investigate is discrimination of homosexuals in the workplace. This topic is particularly interesting to me because I am an advocate of equality for all. I believe that no matter your race, age, sex, or sexual orientation you should be treated fairly. My paper will provide an in depth look at this type of discrimination, the laws that protect the victims, and explain how this affects our society. Finally, I will describe the insights I have gained in researching this topic as well as pose some†¦show more content†¦Some feel that same sex relationships are completely wrong and that they shouldnt be allowed anywhere, especially in the workplace. But, there are others who are fighting for homosexual equality. Another opinion is Dont A sk Dont Tell. Some employers feel that, if an employers personal life is not evident at work, he/she shouldnt make it known. They feel that what an employee does in his/her personal life; is personal and they want to have an unbiased opinion. From researching this topic I have gained a newfound insight about myself and the world around me. Not only does prejudice affect your race, it also affects how you live your life, a job, and has the basic needs in life. Homosexuals choose a life different from the norm of society and they have to deal with the pressures of fitting in where they are told that they do not belong. It is put upon them to conform to what society wants and not to be different. Researching discrimination against gays and lesbians in the workplace helped me understand more about the struggles that they face. Having seen the similarities that racism and sexual orientation have in common has made me want to research further into the lives of homosexual persons. References Carroll, R. (2003). Gays, lesbians making gains in workplace, study shows. The Detroit News, . Retrieved Oct 02, 2005, from www. detnews.com (Carroll, 2003) Human Rights Campaign, (2002). Gays getting fair treatment at work. Retrieved Oct. 11,Show MoreRelatedEssay on Homosexual Rights and Equality1242 Words   |  5 Pagesfaithful citizens. Gay and lesbian couples are discriminated against and unfairly treated because of their sexual orientation. This discrimination against gay and lesbian couples must be confronted so that those who are trustworthy citizens have the same rights as heterosexual citizens. In this paper, I will argue that homosexual individuals should have equal rights as heterosexuals because (1) hate crimes against homosexuals continues to occur, (2) the discrimination in the workplace is on the riseRead MoreHardships Faced By The Lgbt Community1496 Words   |  6 PagesHardships Faced by the LGBT Community in the Workplace Taelor Faulkner, Brianne Hamilton, Brianna Johnson, and Laci Jones Who decides what is normal in this world? What gives us the right to discriminate against an individual, specifically individuals of the LGBT community? Can a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender person have a normal career? If they do have a career, will they be able to advance? Relationships can be tested in the workplace, which can hinder one s career. Both bosses andRead MoreIs It A Victim Of Persecution?1554 Words   |  7 Pagesthem to find out that Nassr was gay. Nassr had two children whom the militia captured. The Mahdi militia tortured them in order to get information on Nassr. Finally they killed Nassr children. Now Nassr is living in Siria by himself and alone because of the intolerance his country had for gay people. Intolerance impacts multiple sectors of society with far-reaching effects on the gay community. Due to the amount of intolerance in society these days, the gay community is facing persecutionRead MoreWorkplace Discrimination Against Lgbt Essay1601 Words   |  7 PagesTopic: Workplace Discrimination against LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose: Discrimination occurs against LGBT who are in different industries. Thesis: In each state people are afraid of coming out in the workplace of different industrials because the chance of get fired or harassed (Throughout the US, those who are LGBT do not come out in their industries due to fear of harassment or getting fired). Introduction Attention GraberRead MoreThe Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2009—Ensuring Equality in the Workplace for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Workers1485 Words   |  6 Pagesfor being gay, lesbian or bisexual. 38 States in the Union have no laws on record preventing discrimination against gender identity or expression—commonly known as transgender. While these statistics may be disheartening for many gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) individuals, it is not all doom and gloom. Employment protections and rights for GLBTs have grown exponentially in the past two decades. Fortune 500 companies have helped lead the charge for securing equality for gays and lesbiansRead MoreIs It A Victim Of Persecution?1553 Words   |  7 Pagesthem to find out that Nassr was gay. Nassr had two children whom the militia captured. The Mahdi militia tortured them in order to get information on Nassr. Finally they killed Nassr children. Now Nassr is living in Siria by himself and alone because of the intolerance his country had for gay people. Intolerance impacts multiple sectors of society with far-reaching effects on the gay community. Due to the amount of intolerance in society these days, the gay community is facing persecutionRead MoreDiscrimination Based On Sexual Orientation Essay1492 Words   |  6 Pagesall people no matter what their race, gender, or social class is. In a world where Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people are being slandered, it is hard for them to get jobs because of their sexual preferences or how they identify. Gays and lesbians who choose to come out around â€Å"straight† people they work with will probably face at least some (if not much) discrimination. During work, â€Å"discrimination based on sexual orientation must not be tolerated in any form in modern law enforcementRead MoreGay Rights1676 Words   |  7 PagesGay Rights The movement of the gay and lesbian population in the United States is one that has been in progress since the early 1900s, and is still facing overwhelming controversy and backlash today. The push for gay liberation in a country founded on Christian morals and beliefs has subsequently led to struggles over equality of marriage, adoption, jobs, and healthcare. One side of the controversy argues that every individual deserves the same rights, while the opposing mindset argues that beingRead MoreSexual Identity Discrimination1297 Words   |  5 PagesSexual Identity Discrimination According to the American Psychological Association, sexual orientation is defined as an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions to men, women, or both sexes (APA, 2008). Moreover, the definition offered suggests that sexual orientation does not solely relate as a characteristic of an individual but is most reflective of a relationship with another individual (APA, 2008). In the United States, those with a sexual orientation describedRead MoreLgbt Discrimination In The Workplace. Introduction. People1350 Words   |  6 PagesLGBT Discrimination in the Workplace Introduction People of lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, or queer identification in the United States are not given equal employment opportunity and or treatment in the workplace compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. There is currently no federal legislation that prohibits a person with LGBT identification from being fired, or federal legislation that protects employees of varied sexual orientations and gender identity from discrimination

Charles Dickens, Great Expectations - 3502 Words

Ch. Dickens, Great expectations The text under consideration presents an excerpt from the novel â€Å"Great expectations† by Charles Dickens who is one of the world’s greatest novelists of the 19th century famous for his criticism of the bourgeois society of his time with its evils and contrasts of wealth and poverty, his unique mastery of character drawing and optimistic point of view concerning life and the world around him. The reader highly appreciates Dickens’s spirit of optimism, his love for common people and his strong belief in the final victory of good over evil as well as his humour which is to be found on every page and in characters and incidents of the greatest diversity. However, Dickens possesses a great dramatic instinct which†¦show more content†¦The wind is personified by the author and likened to a terrible monster, primeval beast which deals death and destruction and demolishes everything in its way (violent blasts, rages of the wind, the wind assails and tears the sound) in order to emphasize the implied feeling of the dramatic events coming. The lexical expressive means are strengthen by definite syntactic structures used by Dickens to contribute to a more colorful and probable presentation of the scene. The expressive intensive sentence â€Å"So furious had been the gusts† brings additional vividness and luster to the description is accompanied by a SD of detachment which primary function is to add significance to the part of the sentence manifesting itself in the following phrase: and gloomy accounts had come in from the coast, of shipwreck and death. The time is flowing carrying away the last moments of Pip’s peaceful reading and the final one is burned out by the Saint Paul’s and all the many church-clocks striking. In this paragraph the author’s godsend is the use of SD of onomatopoeia (the sound of the clocks striking – leading, accompanying, following) that perfectly presents the idea of the clock chime as a sign of approaching danger or disaster. The parallel construction of this sentence is backed up by anaphora accentuating the temporary state ofShow MoreRelatedGreat Expectations By Charles Dickens1113 Words   |  5 Pagesadventures that the male characters go on. This seems to be relevant in a lot of movies and books like the story Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. In Great Expectations there are multiple female characters like Estella, Biddy, and Miss Havisham who all play a large part in the main character, Pip’s life. One of the first that we meet the character Estella in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations is when Pip goes to Miss Havisham’s to play with her. The two kids play the game beggar my neighbor when EstellaRead MoreGreat Expectations By Charles Dickens1347 Words   |  6 Pagespoor status of the economy, social mobility does not seem to be occurring at high rates, with the poor getting poorer and rich getting richer. Despite this, social mobility is alive and well, and has been for centuries. In his novel, Great Expectations, Charles Dickens voices the concerns of many that lived in Victorian England during the 19th century by promoting such a desire to live life in a more prosperous social class. One of the most fundamental and reoccurring themes in the novel is that ofRead MoreGreat Expectations By Charles Dickens1426 Words   |  6 Pages Twelve-year-old Charles dickens gets ready for bed after a long day at the blacking house. These Victorian-aged memories will provide him with many ideas for his highly acclaimed novel Great Expectations. Set in 1830 England, Great Expectations is a coming-of-age story about a common innocent boy named Pip and his road to becoming a gentleman through the influence of others. Pip is influenced both positively and negatively by Estella, Herbert, and Magwitch. Estella left a huge impression on PipRead MoreGreat Expectations by Charles Dickens984 Words   |  4 PagesCharles Dickens utilizes his life for inspiration for the protagonist Pip in his novel Great Expectations. They both struggle with their social standing. Dickens loved plays and theatre and therefore incorporated them into Pip’s life. Dickens died happy in the middle class and Pip died happy in the middle class. The connection Dickens makes with his life to Pip’s life is undeniable. If readers understand Dickens and his upbringing then readers can understand how and why he created Pip’s upbringingRead MoreCharles Dickens Great Expectations943 Words   |  4 Pages This is true in many cases but none as much as in Great Expectations. In many ways the narrator/protagonist Pip is Charles Dickens in body and mind. While there are many differences between the story and Charles Dickens life there remains one constant. This constant is the way Pip as the narra tor feels, because these feelings are Dickens s own feelings about the life he lead. Since Great Expectations was written towards end of Charles Dickens life, he was wiser and able to make out the mistakesRead MoreGreat Expectations By Charles Dickens1375 Words   |  6 PagesGreat Expectations by Charles Dickens and The Talented Mr Ripley by Anthony Minghella present similar criticisms of society to a large extent. Both of these texts consider the criticisms of rich social contexts (wealth and status), societal morality (whether a society is good or not. Status [can lead to the wrong people being in a high position i.e. making bad decisions affecting the community/society] Appearance [society appears to be moral/good (if you’re from a higher status) {dickens criticisesRead MoreCharles Dickens Great Expectations1223 Words   |  5 PagesBeloved author Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, England. Growing up in a life of poverty, his childhood hardshi ps provided the inspiration to write a myriad of classic novels including his 1861 seminole masterpiece, Great Expectations (â€Å"BBC History - Charles Dickens†). Great Expectations follows the life of an orphan named Pip, who’s perspective of the world is altered when he is attacked by an escaped convict in his parents’ graveyard in the town of Kent. Throughout hisRead MoreGreat Expectations By Charles Dickens924 Words   |  4 Pagesa character driven novel, or a mix of the two. In order for a novel to be character driven, it must revolve more around the characters’ individual thoughts, feelings, and inner struggles, rather than around the quest of the story. Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, is a character driven novel. While the story does have a plot, it is not contingent upon that plot, but rather is reliant upon its characters and their natures. This is evident from the beginning of the novel. From the opening ofRead MoreCharles Dickens Great Expectations1669 Words   |  7 PagesCharles Dickens He was one of England s greatest authors of the 1800 s, better known as the Victorian era. The various themes and ideas of that time are perfectly showcased in his many novels and short stories, such as Nicholas Nickelby, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and A Christmas Carol. Much of the inspiration for these works came from the trials and conflicts that he dealt with in his own life. His volumes of fictional writing show the greatRead MoreCharles Dickens Great Expectations1017 Words   |  5 Pagesexperiencer is somewhere else absorbing knowledge of a different setting.This abstract adventure is seized by author Charles Dickens in Great Expectations. Great Expectations is historical fiction giving readers comprehension of the Victorian Era.Upon the reading, readers begin to catch on the intended purpose and its significance. A person who lived during the Victorian Era was Charles Dickens himself.He grew up during a time where differences in social class were to an extreme degree.Dickens went through

The Issue Of Teen Drug Abuse - 1388 Words

There is a growing issue in Franklin County, Ohio that needs to be addressed, teen drug abuse is on the rise. More than 289,730 teens in Franklin County, Ohio are using drugs like Marijuana, Pills, and Heroin. Teenagers in Franklin County, need to be informed about what these drugs specifically Marijuana, Pills, and Heroin. Teens who struggle with addiction need to learn howwas to get involved in treatment centers and what they have to offer, About 1/4th of arrest made by Fugitive Apprehensive Officer Jason Brooks, involve teenagers. Officer Brooks states that of these teens he has arrested for various reasons, they have confessed they use/used drugs. So the real question here is, wWhy do teens use drugs? Officer Brooks believes that†¦show more content†¦Ordinarily, these receptors are activated by brain chemicals similar to THC that are part of a neural communication system, and play an important role in the brain development and function.† Once the Marijuana is in your body it â€Å"over activates this system, causing impaired coordination, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and disrupted learning and memory.† Teens are also using Pills which can be very dangerous. There are many different types of pills that teens are using but the most common one in Franklin County according to Officer Brooks is MDMA, commonly known as Molly. Many pop artist of today have publicized the drug. According to The Huffington Post (2013) article Miley Cyrus in her famous song We Can’t Stop says â€Å"We like to party dancing with molly/doing whatever we want.† She is not alone there was a whopping total of twenty songs in the article talking about the drug. Above The Influence (2013) defines MDMA (Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) as a â€Å"Synthetic, mind-altering drug that acts both as a stimulant and a hallucinogenic.† MDMA increases your heart rate and blood pressure. According to Above The Influence (2013), People who use MDMA are also at risk of dehydration, which may not seem like a big deal, but by interfering with the body’s ability to regulate its temperature, it puts you at risk of dangerous, sometimes fatal, overheating.â₠¬  The highly addictive drug that Officer Jason Brooks sees that is on the rise is Black Tar Heroin.

Management of Change Cultural

Question: Discuss about the Management of Change for Cultural. Answer: Managing cultural changes in Grand Stores A Case Study The following case study is subjected on a UAE based distribution company Grand Stores where the author worked as the Brand Manager in the photography department. Grand Stores is one of the most renowned names in the retail and the wholesale business and this particular store, is there in the market since 1981 (Schmiedel, vom Brocke and Recker 2013). In the recent times, the company had gone through a major downsizing process as there was a drop in sales of around 35% in the business of wholesale and retail. Nature of the change Cultural changes seem to be the only possible change that the organization could have since in the last few decades as the retail and the wholesale business and the format of these kinds of business has gone through many changes. There has been the emergence of the hypermarket as well as the super market, which have brought a change in the format of the wholesale and the retail business (Cameron and Green 2015). Thus, the nature of the change that the organization could have is the cultural change, only then the company could come of the problem it is going through. The change that has been found in the business of Grand Stores is that there is a downfall of sales in the whole sale and retail business as taste and preferences of the consumers have changed significantly (Quinn et al. 2012). The company basically deals with the world famous brands in the field of electronics, perfumes, cosmetics, gifts and dinnerware which were been preferred by their customers. But in the recent times, it had been found that the customers are keen to buy those items which they dont deal. There are been several reasons which have led to such situations. One of the primary reasons behind is the customer tendency towards All in one place shops such as the Hyper Markets like Carrefour, Geant or Lulu. They are also looking for the retailers of the electronics power such as Virgin Mega Store, E-Max and Sharaf DG (Abbas and Asghar 2010). These emerging retail houses has offered such competitive prices along with aggressive promotions for their products that Grand Store found it very tough to survive. Therefore, they have planned to make strategic changes for withstanding the competition. Grand Stores mainly deal with the expensive products and accessories along with luxury brands where the customer base is dependent on the rich locals and tourists. It has been noticed in the current times that these customer segments have been decreased due to tough economical situations (Chand 2012). On the other hand, the electronic power retail houses and the hyper markets have targeted customers of all categories starting from low income to high income through the utilization of the availability of multiple brands, range of wide products, continuous promotions and aggressive pricing. Moreover, the interior designs of the Grand Store showrooms are dull and outdated. This factor has also made a loss of customer attraction (Gattermeyer and Al-Ani 2013). Apart from that, lack of social media marketing in the business strategy and absence of promotional product catalogues have led the company to come in the section of backwards. Therefore, the change in the strategy is required on urgent basis. Scope of the change If the organization is going to make changes in the products they deal with then it will have a good level of scope for recovery of business. Products distributed as per the choice of the consumer will definitely make the restoration of the business (Gollenia 2016). Therefore, the brand image that has been created previously with a high impression in the consumers mind will definitely get restored. Dealing of new products in the organization will make more flexibility among the management people and the executives. Therefore, if the managers and the leaders within the organization could convince the employees about the changes that are going to take place within the organization; then the scope of changing the culture of the organization will be feasible. Extent of the change The extent of change should be incorporated up to the sub-variants of the products that are been dealt. The company should make the changes in the order to reach the optimum number of its audience (Kondalkar 2013). The changes should be done keeping the culture of the buyers in mind. Such extent of change will actually make the dealers and distributors of Grand Stores to reject the products which are treated to be unmovable. Like other hyper markets and electronic power retailers, Grand Stores should concentrate on aggressive promotions and impose competitive prices for their products to make them acceptable to their customers (Lowder 2016). They should deal with those products with aggressive pricing and continuous promotions which are for the customers of all income categories. Grand Stores should renovate the decorations of their showrooms for making it more open spaced to bring life to them. They should adapt the touch and feel stand and the podiums for implementing the experience zone concept in the place of closed display cabinets and the lockers (McGuire 2016). They should also produce promotional product catalogue and create profile in the social media for the purpose of marketing and business networking to restore their business positions. The company should vacate sensitive managerial posts and make reduction of the sales professionals along with closing of couple of showrooms for the purpose of cutting the overall cost. Key stakeholders The major internal stakeholders of Grand Stores are the companys shareholders and the Head Office employees (Murphy 2016). The employees of Head Office include directors, managers of senior and mid level, sales executives and merchandisers along with the support staffs. On the other hand, the external stakeholders include the Brand principals, organized retail customers, independent retail customers and the consumers. Milestones The head quarters of Grand Stores was established in the year 1981 with 11 employees along with a single store in Abu Dhabi (Moran, Abramson and Moran 2014). The company has grown over the years and is currently running 33 theme retail outlets all over UAE with multicultural employee strength of nearly 1000. The head office store has provided dedication towards business ethics, and this has turned to be one of the major driving forces to attract most of the consumers of the organization. The head office has taken initiatives to expand its business in other cities of UAE and has established other outlets accordingly (Nastase, Giuclea and Bold 2012). They have concentrated to deal with improved quality of photography, consumer electronics, cosmetics, dinnerware and gifts which belong to established household brands. Therefore they have achieved the milestone for symbolizing trust and reliability for their consumers. Issues The major and the important issue that the company faces is the problem of economic downsizing in the wholesale and the retail business (Cummings and Worley 2014). The major reasons behind the issue are customer tendency towards the Hyper Markets as well as the Electronic Power Retailers. Other reasons include Grand Stores focus on the luxury brands and expensive products and accessories which are only for the high income customers and the number of those customers were decreasing due to tough economic situations. The showrooms of the company had an outdated interior design which was not able to generate attraction to their target audience (Quinn et al. 2012). Moreover, lack of social media marketing and production of promotional product catalogues were the major reasons of such downfall in business. As the company has a good strength of 1000 employees currently and has 33 retail outlets, they have faced pressure in maintaining the manpower and store costs. Questions for discussions 1. What factors the company will consider before bringing a major change within the organization? 2. New changes within an organization are often not acceptable by the employees of the organization; and grand store is a multi-cultural organization, thus there can be cultural conflict within the organization. What kind of leadership style would help in avoiding such problems? 3. What should be the companys strategic decision if a resistance takes place from the employees who will be unable to deal with the new products for not being of that cultural segment? 4. What should the company do in case of such downfall in sales of their products in the future? Outlines of the case study It can be learned from the given case study that there is no such assurance that a business will run consistently with a lead in the market at all times. There may be situations when the demands of the organizations products will be very high, resulting to appreciation of the products (Hyatt 2012). On the other hand, there may be a reverse situation which can create a negative response from the consumers regarding a product. This situation can lead to decrease of sales in wholesale and retail business just like that happened with Grand Stores. Such issues have risen due to customer tendency towards Hyper Markets and Electronic Power Retailers who offer aggressive promotions and competitive prices to their customers over the season. The other reason was Grand Stores continuous focus only on the luxury brands whose demand was decreasing due to deteriorated economic conditions. Apart from that the interior designs of the showrooms were dull which was unable to attract the target audienc e. Grand Stores did not produce promotional product catalogues and did not adopt social media marketing strategy which led to make them backwards compared to their rivals in terms of popularity (Cummings and Worley 2014). To deal with such situation, the company has to make strategic moves such as discontinuing the sale of those products which are non-movable and deal with those products which have consumer likings. They also have to reduce their manpower along with couple of stores for reducing the cost in order to avoid financial crisis. The definition of the culture is not simple rather it is elusive in nature and thus before bringing a cultural change within the organization the following factors should be taken into consideration: Evaluation of the present culture of the organization: The current culture of the organization, most of the time is responsible for determining the present performance. Thus, before bringing a massive cultural change, one has to find out the flaws that are there within the current or the present culture of the company, which is affecting the overall performance (Hyatt 2012). The organizational culture also affects things like the internal behavior. Those aspects that should be eliminated: The current culture of an organization goes through a change because it has certain flaws (Murphy 2016). Therefore, before bringing a change or rather a cultural change within the organization, one should consider those flaws and make sure that in the changed culture those flaws are not there. The cultural change within the organization is only possible if the leaders of the organization take proper initiative (Abbas and Asghar 2010). The leadership quality of the leader during the time of the cultural change is helpful not only attracting new employees in the organization, but also at the same time, it is helpful in retaining the employees in the organization. The leaders of the organization, to avoid the resistance from the employees within the organization, require sharing their views and their vision with the employees of the organization. Thus, among all the four leadership styles, the transformational leadership style is the most suitable leadership style (Chand 2012). The transformational leadership style is constructed around the four important parameters and these four parameters include the idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. Among the four parameters, the inspirational motivation is one of the most important parameters. According to this particular parameter, the leader of the organization has the capability to influence the culture that is there within the organization. The leader with the help of their personal attitude, decision-making power and with the help of their action could influence the culture of the organization (McGuire 2016).. According to many scholars and critics, the transformational leaders believe in Kantian Capitalism. Thus, the leader of the organization never considers the employees in an organization as a means to the end or the goal that is being set by the organization (Lowder 2016). The transformational leaders also encourage the followers within the organization and at the same time, they could motivate the leaders as well. Thus, the transformational leadership style seems to be the most appropriate leadership style that the leaders of an organization could adopt, if it is going through any cultural changes. The company should be versatile in making strategic decisions to maintain their sustainability in the market. If the management faces the issue regarding resistance from changing the products dealt from the people who are unable to deal the consumers for not belonging to their cultural segment, they will shift them to some other division where they can work in their full potentials without any interaction with the customers (Hayes 2014). If the company feels that those people are making too much problems while making the changes of the product to be dealt, then they should replace them with those who are suitable for the changed environment (Cameron and Green 2015). The congruence model gives the explanation of the situation where the management makes the strategy on the basis of studying the environment, history and resources as inputs, processes them for the transformation of people and work and produces the output of a modified system, unit and an individual. It is a high matter of concern for a company that they can face the same evil situation in their business that they have undergone in the past. Grand Stores has noticed a reduction of 35% in their sales which signifies huge business loss along with reduction in market share (Gollenia 2016). Such issues have taken place due to shift of consumers taste and preference as number of customers belonging to the culture of Indian subcontinent has increased. Those consumers have a different choice of products than the natives of United Arab Emirates. There may be chances that in the near future, the demand of the products preferred by the current customers becomes obsolete due to further cultural changes and preferences (Kondalkar 2013). The company should therefore invest much time in doing the market research and survey to have a clear picture of the latest trends and the changing demands. Such strategy will help the company to decide what products are required to deal with. McKinseys 7S model elaborates the companys approach to ensure flexibility. The organization can make detailed research from the market survey and will do the sharing of values through an efficient utilization of their skills, staffs, systems, style, structure and strategy (Nastase, Giuclea and Bold 2012). It can be said that all these factors are interlinked with shared values to give a better view of the market and plan accordingly to excel in the near future. References Abbas, W. and Asghar, I. (2010).The Role of Leadership in Organizational change. 1st ed. By, R.T., Burnes, B. and Oswick, C., 2012. Change management: Leadership, values and ethics.Journal of Change Management,12(1), pp.1-5. Cameron, E. and Green, M., 2015.Making sense of change management: a complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers. Chand, S. (2012).4 Different Types of Leadership Styles. YourArticleLibrary.com: The Next Generation Library. Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G., 2014.Organization development and change. Cengage learning. Gattermeyer, W. and Al-Ani, A. eds., 2013.Change Management und Unternehmenserfolg: GrundlagenMethodenPraxisbeispiele. Springer-Verlag. Gollenia, L.A., 2016.Business Transformation Management Methodology. Routledge. Hargreaves, A., Lieberman, A., Fullan, M. and Hopkins, D.W. eds., 2014.International Handbook of Educational Change: Part Two(Vol. 5). Springer. Hayes, J., 2014.The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan. Hyatt, M. (2012).How Do You Change Organizational Culture?. Michael Hyatt. Kondalkar, V.G., 2013.Organization effectiveness and change management. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.. Lowder, T. (2016).The Best Leadership Model for Organizational Change Management: Transformational Verses Servant Leadership. Academia.edu. McGuire, J. (2016).Leadership Strategies for Culture Change Developing Change Leadership as an Organizational Core Capability. 1st ed. Moran, R.T., Abramson, N.R. and Moran, S.V., 2014.Managing cultural differences. Routledge. Murphy, M. (2016).Forbes Welcome. Forbes.com. Nastase, M., Giuclea, M. and Bold, O., 2012. The impact of change management in organizations-a survey of methods and techniques for a successful change.Revista de Management Comparat International,13(1), p.5. Quinn, D., Amer, Y., Lonie, A., Blackmore, K., Thompson, L. and Pettigrove, M., 2012. Leading change: Applying change management approaches to engage students in blended learning.Australasian Journal of Educational Technology,28(1), pp.16-29. Schmiedel, T., vom Brocke, J. and Recker, J., 2013. Which cultural values matter to business process management? Results from a global Delphi study.Business Process Management Journal,19(2), pp.292-317.

Cartoon Channels free essay sample

With the advent of satellite broadcasting technology during the mid 1970’s it became possible for Television networks to air their programs all over the world. By the 1980’s, Television established itself as a powerful medium of communication and new strategies were devised by television companies to stay ahead in the game. One such strategy was the development of programmes that targeted specific sections of the community. A few of the television channels decided to focus on children and began developing programmes that would appeal to them. It was to leverage this niche market that channels like Cartoon Network came into existence. It was launched in October 1992 in the US by one of the world’s leading media companies, Turner Broadcasting System. It offered animation programmes from TBS’s extensive library of more than 10,000 Warner Bros, Hanna-Barbera and MGM cartoons. Over the next few years the channel launched in different parts of the globe showing not only their famous cartoons, but also developing original shows. We will write a custom essay sample on Cartoon Channels or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Cartoon Network entered India in October 1995, sharing airtime with Turner Network Television (TNT). As the pioneer in the Indian cartoon and animation market, Cartoon Network quickly gained popularity and had a huge fan base in the metropolitan cities. When Cartoon Network entered India, there were no established players and it was not very difficult for the Network to entrench itself in the minds of the children and register itself as a channel synonymous with cartoons. It established itself very quickly as a major player in the Indian satellite Television market and became a household name. In the 1990’s the entry of other leading children’s channels like Kermit and Nickelodeon created intense competition and Cartoon Network had to rethink their strategy to stay ahead in the game in the Indian cartoon market. The strategy that it worked out was the emphasis on ‘localization’. It localized the content by dubbing its cartoons first in Hindi to appeal to the Hindi-speaking audiences and then taking its localization efforts further it introduced Tamil-dubbed shows in 2000. The first dubbed programme was ‘Toon Tamasha’ and very soon it started offering localized versions of its popular cartoons. Localization is the key to success in television programming. Localizing the content to suit the needs and tastes of the audiences is the key to garner more viewership and television rating points. When Cartoon Network introduced Tamil-dubbed shows, Kathy McClaure, Vice President Programming, Turner Network, Asia, said, â€Å"The bringing in of Tamil-dubbed cartoons is to further reinforce Cartoon Network’s commitment to bring localized programming. † Some of cartoon shows that were dubbed in Hindi and Tamil were Scooby Doo, Flintstones, Swat Kats, The Mask, The Addam’s Family, Johnny Quest and Captain Planet. On account of its growing popularity it started its 24-hour non-stop service in July 2001. The 24-hour service was part of the channels global strategic mission to place cartoons and animation in level with general entertainment that appealed not just to the children but to the adults also. Today the appeal of cartoon network is not just to children between 4 and 14 years, but also to the teenagers and adults who constitute 30 to 40% of the channel’s viewership. Cartoon Network in India is the most popular cartoon dedicated television channel in India. Chutti TV was launched on April 19, 2007 and is a 24-hour Tamil language television channel owned by the Sun Network. It is Sun TV Network’s first ever television channel for kids. The target audiences are children aged between 3 and 14. It is a free-to-air channel available on most local cable television networks. It broadcasts cartoon shows of foreign countries and networks translated into Tamil. Some of the famous and most popular shows are Jackie Chan, He-Man, Astro Boy, Avatar, Dora the Explorer, Bob Morane, Lucky Luke, Spider Man, Bumba and Danny amp; Daddy. Disney XD or Disney Channel is another famous cartoon channel and it telecasts cartoons like The Donald Duck Show, Dennis and Gnasher and television shows like Shararat Karishma Ka Karishma, Shaka Laka Boom Boom and many more. The Donald Duck Show is based on the typical Mickey Mouse Series and there are other shows like Chip and Dale, The Rescue Rangers and Dennis the Menance. POGO is a cable and satellite television channel created by Turner Broadcsting, a unit of Time Warner for India, which primarily shows animated programming. It was launched in January 2004 as a children’s entertainment hannel like its sister channel Cartoon Network and its primary target audience is children aged 3+ to young adults aged up to 40. Pogo airs in multiple languages in India. The channel carries a number of popular animated shows as well as live action shows. Turner produces exclusive shows for Pogo under the brand name Pogo Originals. The Music Art and Dance show M. A. D. is India’s No. 1 do-it-yourself show. A super-hit 2D animated series is ‘Chhota Bheem’ which won the Best Animated TV series award at the ‘Golden Cursor Awards 2009 held in Mumbai. Chhota Bheem is produced by Green Gold Animation, Hyderabad.