Post-modern management Essay Example for Free

Post-modern management Essay It has always been the goal of man to be able to describe humanity and the world in which they live in. In doing this, we are inclined to search for answers, to find resolutions to our needs and problems. Decisions become important and the ability to use knowledge to make intelligent choices become essential. It is not such a wonder then that through all those years, man has developed countless theories and practices and had reinforced them with countless examples. In the world of management and leadership, the conventional approach to things involves a rigid and tested way of creating solutions. Traditional management science, furthermore, involves the use of computational processes to organizational decision making. It starts off with the recognition and definition of the problem in the real world. The ultimate goal then is to find what is needed is to be able to bridge what the present situation lacks to what the intended result is. It is a beginning of the search for improvement. Conventional methods use an idealized and linear manner to fuse the problem and a known pattern or puzzle to create a solvable model. To make a good intellectual decision, it is necessary to conduct optimization, forecasting, modeling and simulation, and decision analysis. It involves finding out what the best feasible option is, what it entails for the future and what its result would be for varying situations. Models are used wherein the object is to be able to match a puzzle to represent the problem in the real world. Traditional models such as linear and dynamic programming, queuing, discrete-event simulation and causal models are used and from all of these, ultimately the best decision is made. This discipline has become integrated to the basic field of management and has become a standard for various functions of business. (Whalen, 2001) In the context of marketing, traditional methods of simplification and reduction to formulae are used. Highly structured devices, pre-determined market and brand standards are employed to achieve desirable goals. Marketers are the one controlling and driving these goals and therefore consumers respond to this. (McKernon) Robbins, in the article of Summers et al. , further reinforces these patterns of cause and effect by relating organizational behavior through scientific methods. The real world is â€Å"mirrored† by organizational behavior through methods of investigating behavior†. (Summers, 1997) Robbins argues that most of the generalizations of man are made on the basis of intuition, not proven facts and thus investigation is needed. Intuition is likened to common sense and that, most of the times, it is inaccurate. Robbins further explains that common sense is different for different groups of people and that investigation tackles diversity. By investigating, managers can better and more precisely handle and predict the behavior of their personnel. This investigation must be coupled with good research especially on the comparison and weighing trade-offs. The use of case studies, surveys, and experiments must be implemented. Robbins further reiterates that generalizations and conclusions must be based on systematic study, scientific evidence supported by verified data. Organizational behavior knowledge is attained by avoiding intuitive approach and focusing more on knowledge based on meta-quantification analysis and surveys. (Summers, 1997) The leader or manager eventually uses these techniques to properly guide the organization and his/her employees. Optimal leadership ultimately depends on internal and external factors. In the organizational behavior perspective, leaders use contingencies such as national culture, gender and race to improve and strengthen the relationship with subordinates. This contingency theory theoretically provides the manager with the capability to independently make decisions and to do amendments necessary to obtain the desired result. Summers et al. , argue that this is a one-sided view. The conventional organizational behavior methods only show how managers can exercise their influence on the workers but not the other way around. Traditional ways involve exploitation and discipline and encourages an ideology of domination. â€Å"Managers are taught skills in getting workers to accept the status quo, to get ahead and to get along with others but not to question the game plan†. (Summers, 1997) As evident in the deconstruction of Robbins article, Summers et al. propose a de-emphasis on this rigid structure of conventional management. Whalen et al advocate this postmodern view and puts focus on discourses and de-emphasized precise and fixed meanings. With this premise, the dynamic quality in knowledge is established. Soft computing is rallied to be a faster, more creative approach to solutions although admittedly, it welcomes inaccuracy and ambiguity. In the perspective of knowledge management, however, this postmodern approach provides ways for problem management that cannot be quantified through mathematical computations. Whalen et al. further discuss three types of knowledge approach, creation by means of evolutionary and neurocomputing, deployment through decision support systems, and discovery by data mining, applied virtual reality and data visualization. In neural methods, the model build on gathered data and experimentation and proceeds by the random systematic search. The model is based on a fixed database and relies on the matching that of an existent criterion. With experimentation, on the other hand, the aim is to look for an action from a set of choices and parameters that would result to the desired outcome. Decision support systems may also use the case-based approach. Knowledge is derived from various case studies and banks on experiential logic to create the optimal response to a problem. Moreover, data mining utilizes different techniques to look for patterns that associate and correlate various fields of databases. Data visualization and virtual reality applications likewise bring the important contribution of human perception that is irreplaceable by artificial computer simulations. Whalen et al. stress the importance of humanizing the decision process and that the organization’s stakeholders are best catered to when managers are able to produce the right choices that assert the organization’s goals and mission. As the world is getting more complex and dynamic, a postmodern stance must be advocated and that this will â€Å"greatly advance our ability to understand how humans make perception based rational decisions in an environment of imprecision, uncertainty and partial truth† (Whalen, 2001) The postmodernism approach also applies to consumer marketing. The media and marketing are important to aid the people in knowing and explaining the things around them and the events that are occurring. While the consumers are getting smarter, a need for a more suited method arises. In postmodern marketing, the styles of consuming and strategies of the consumer are given more emphasis and focus. In an environment that is mobile and complex, sustainable dynamic techniques must be employed. This approach challenges diversity and creates avenues for discourse among differing people. This is beneficial to managers, employees, consumers, and stakeholders alike. With the right facilitation of information, a brand can reach more of its market and thus generate more favorable returns. Postmodernist approach also banks on the use of critique and story-telling for consumers. Effective stories would be able to connect to the consumer and that its result relies on its ability to provide the consumers with meaning and explanations. Critique, on the other hand, is essential for a brand in that it generates feedback; whether it was a success or not depends on the informed reactions of the users. Reinvention and smooth changing of styles are important techniques in a rapidly changing world. A careful way of guiding the consumers from the familiar and traditional to the contemporary and new must be done with good aptitude. McKernon) It is a fact that the world has increasingly become more complex and ever-changing. At the very least, the knowledge that we have to gain and understand about life in general is much more vast and challenging and that traditional methods and techniques for problem solving, whether in organizational behavior or marketing might actually be lacking in such that they may not be able to solve and explain the entirety of the world’ s troubles and unquantifiable conceptions. It is therefore imperative that a healthy mix of traditional and postmodernist approach to business and management be utilized to be able to grasp more of what the world is telling us. Leaders, employees, customers and stakeholders alike must be able to make informed decisions and take into consideration the various models, theories and practices both old and new for them to make real and objective sense of the world and its organization.

Why Do We Need Solar Energy? Essay -- essays research papers

Why Do We Need Solar Energy?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the world’s natural resources depleting rapidly, humans must find a way to compensate. This society has milked oil, coal, gasoline, lead, uranium, and many other of these reservoirs in our Earth for hundreds of years and much has been done. Asphalt was used for our roads and highways, coal was originally used for heat before there was oil, and even water was used as a form of electricity on many rural farms. Luckily, more companies around the world are waking up to the fact that these resources will not be around forever, and that in the near future, other forms of energy will take heed. Solar energy, or energy powered by the sun, is one of the most promising. Since the sun’s rays create so much for the wildlife that surrounds us, why can’t it do the same for people? It can, and as many industries are finding out, will be around long after the other resources are gone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is solar energy? To fully comprehend this, background information must be presented. How did we get to the point we are at now? Most people look to the 1973 oil embargo, where Arab delegates announced they’d no longer be shipping petroleum oil to countries, such as the U.S., who had supported Israel in their conflict with Egypt. About the same time as this was announced, members of OPEC agreed to quadruple world oil prices. Focus then turned to solar energy. With barely any oil being imported, the Federal government started putting close to $400 million per year for research on solar energy. The facts were and still are ever-present: oil, coal, and nuclear energy are depletable, causing a massive amount of pollutive particles to go up into the air, which in turn causes a bounty of problems. On the other hand, solar energy is clean and renewable with no bad after effects. The actual definition of solar energy is â€Å"energy from the sun that’s converted into thermal or electric energy.† The terminology used when discussing solar energy may be complex and difficult to understand to the average Joe. This is because not much has been done to try and explain the uses or even the way this system operates to the public. The money allocated by the government has seemed to go towards research instead of encouraging and educating the people about the benefits of renewable energy. The breakdown shows us that ... ...exchanger, radiant floor, low consumption plumbing, fresh air intake, and propane for heat, cooking, and drying of clothes. These are the essentials of one solar powered house. Yes it sounds like a lot of work, but the same amount goes into a regular home. Some solar- homeowners are attracted by the low cost of monthly bills, others by the practicality. Whichever, the benefits to the inhibitors and the environment are well worth the time and money spent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In summation, we can change the world like Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young once said. It can start with one person, but will need more support in order to flourish. Solar energy is not the answer to all of the world’s problems. There are constant new ones emerging each day as we humans make our everlasting impact on the planet. Yet, to get something done, one must do it himself using whatever it takes. Partnerships, group aid awareness, community action, maybe even wars, but the time for action is quickly passing us by. The environment in which we all live in and by depends on us and the way we live in this world. With voice, action, education, and funding we will start to see a new and better future.

Movie Concept Proposal Essay

The gender of the target audience I believe would mostly be males because in gangster films, males take the prominent role and women are sometimes degraded in the roles they play. For our film, the gender of the target audience would mainly be males, though females could be attracted to the film also. 4. Background: I. Time:1949-1980 II. Place:Taipei III. Event or specific social context:In December 1949, Chiang evacuated his government to Taiwan and made Taipei the temporary capital of the ROC (also called the â€Å"wartime capital† by Chiang Kai-shek). Some 2 million people, consisting mainly of soldiers, members of the ruling Kuomintang and the intellectual and business elites, were evacuated from mainland China to Taiwan at that time, adding to the earlier population of approximately six million. After the 228 Incident, the conflicts between the â€Å"benshengren† and â€Å"waishengren† turn white hot. The different goals of the Chinese Nationalists and the Taiwanese, coupled with cultural and language misunderstandings served to further inflame tensions on both sides. The early Han Chinese immigrants known as the â€Å"benshengren† (Chinese: ; literally â€Å"home-province person†) in Chinese, which often referred to â€Å"native Taiwanese† in English, but the term is also frequently used for the Taiwanese aborigines. The people who emigrated from mainland China after 1945 known as â€Å"waishengren†. 5. Characters:(1) Xiang( ) (2) Shin( ) (3) Mei( ) (4) Li( )Xiang’s father (6) Han( )Shin’s father 6. Scenario:The relationship between Xiang, Shin and Mei was just a case of playmates in their childhood. Xiang’s father, Li, was one of the soldiers who evacuated from mainland China to Taiwan at 1949. One day, when Li was working at canny plant, he met Hua, a beautiful Hak-ka girl, and then they fell in love. Xiang was born in 1954, Taipei. Xiang’s family and Shin’s family lived next door; as a result, they became best friends. When they got to elementary school, they met Mei. They didn’t keep anything from each other. After Graduated from elementary school, they entered a school in which most of the students were born locally. As one of only three non-locals in Xiang’s class, he became a frequent target of bullying; he and fellow students with roots in the mainland began to form gangs for their own protection. He didn’t know why, and He was confused that why those local students hate him. He swore to take their revenge on those who bullied him. He joined a local gang at 12, and United Bamboo Association (uniting all the â€Å"non-local† gangs to stand up against another local gang) was created a couple of years later. The friendship between Xiang and Shin was broken. After few years, Shin became a cup and Mei married him†¦ This is a story about love and hatred between them and also the struggles about family, nation and gangster. 7. Main Issues: (1) the contradiction and struggles between Benshengren and Waishengren (2) the struggles and conflicts between friendship and gangster (3) the love and hatred between young people (4) the grief of nobody in the great era (5) Cooperation and Symbiosis is the only way for a Healthy Taiwan 8. Marketing Strategy: (1) Where:Focus on metropolis. Taipei, New Taipei City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung. (2) How: (a) Starting up to a year before the release of a major studio movie, distributors run movie trailers that are meticulously edited and audience-tested. The idea is to give moviegoers a taste of the laughs, special effects and plot twists of the studio’s upcoming releases, while leaving them wanting more. (b) About the same time that the first trailers hit the theaters, the movie studio will unveil an official Web site for the film. Typical movie Web sites allow visitors to view multiple versions of the trailer, watch behind-the-scenes interviews and mini-documentaries, read plot synopses, download cell-phone ringtones and desktop wallpaper, play games, and chat in forums and even pre-order tickets. (c) As the release date of the film draws closer, try to get early favorable press coverage in newspapers, magazines and on entertainment TV shows. (d) To bombard the public with so many images and promos for the movie that it becomes a â€Å"can’t miss† event. Plaster the sides of buses with huge ads, run tons of teaser trailers on TV, place full-page ads in major newspapers and magazines, and the movie’s stars will show up on all of the major talk shows. (e) Place rich, interactive ads on the Web sites most trafficked by their target audience. They can also release behind-the-scenes clips, and other viral videos on video-sharing sites like YouTube. 9. Poster Design (pictures & copywriting) The characters in the poster from left to right are Xiang, Mei and Shin. In the poster, the Chinese word â€Å"Yi†(? )means the loyalty in friends or gangster, where is Xiang’s second family, just like his home. The historical novel â€Å"Romance of the Three Kingdoms† glorified Guan Yu by portraying him as a righteous and loyal warrior. Guan Yu was one of the most altered and aggrandized characters in the novel, which accounted for his popular image in Chinese society. As a result, I used the image of â€Å"Guan Gong† to represent the meaning of â€Å"Yi†, which also means loyalty in Chinese word.

The Hunger Games Reversed Stereotype - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1250 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/08/16 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: The Hunger Games Essay Did you like this example? The Hunger Games is a movie series based around the female lead character Katniss Everdeen. The movie introduces a very unique perspective on gender roles and gender stereotypes. The main plot of the movie involves people of the lower class districts, which represent the lower class, are placed in a battle royale death match. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Hunger Games Reversed Stereotype" essay for you Create order Katniss is entered into the event and can be viewed as a symbol of strength and independence by a woman as opposed to the usual portrayal of a damsel in distress in media and other films. She ends up being a part of The Hunger Games, a televised entertainment event which people must fight for their lives. Her ability to achieve victory without needing to be saved by someone is a positive representation for women who often are portrayed as weak, and not leaders. Her father dies in the film and Katniss immediately has to take the role of the leader pof her home. She must hunt and provide for them, leaving the area of the village she lives in for adventures in the woods. This is how she begins to build her character and independence. The first example of Katnisss characteristics in the film is when she volunteers in place of her young sister, Prim, who was selected as a participant in the upcoming Hunger Games. When her sisters life was threatened, she stands out among the crowd as a brave woman who is willing to risk her life to save her sister, unlike the many others in the crowd who would have rather let the young girl go to battle than go themselves. Katniss is now placed in the hero role of the movie. She doesnt plan on going to die either, as she knows her family depends on her. While an action like this is usually given to a male character to portray the stereotypical heroic and manly thing to do, Katniss is driven by her maternal instincts to protect her sister and to make it out alive for them. She will endure the the harsh conflict herself for her family. Katnisss primary goal in The Hunger Games is survival and nothing more. At some point, she ends up in the midst of an elaborate plan with another char acter and participant of The Hunger Games, Peeta. Katnisss plan is to pretend to fall in love with Peeta for the cameras to watch. The cameras that broadcast the event spectate the survivors during the game. In order to attract the attention of some sponsors, she needs to deceive the viewers into believing she has romantic interests. The sponsors are her best bet to survive. They will provide Katniss with the help she needs to ensure that she survives the Hunger Games. Katniss and Peeta also want to assure President Snow that their main interest is true love driven by their romantic passion, and not a rebellion against the upper class. After their success in The Hunger Games, they begin to prepare a wedding which is actually an elaborate trick. This emphasizes Katnisss rejection of the traditional narrative of a feminine romance. Usually the woman will feel like she needs to seek a romantic interest at some point in their character development. Katniss does not want to marry Peeta and she doesnt need the stereotypical happily ever after ending. She is not that kind of feminine character. She is her own person in the film. She consistently gives off a serious tone. She only has one goal and she doesnt let anything distract her from it. She needs to return to her family, so she will save herself, not rely on being saved. The Hunger Games will occasionally put Katniss in female roles throughout the movie, but not to show a change of thought by Katniss. This is done in order to emphasize how nonsensical such female roles are, and she is visibly uncomfortable investing in those female roles. She wears multiple dresses in the film which completely changes Katnisss appearance and makes her seem like a more desirable woman than usual. Katniss does have a strong bond with the designer Cinna, and because of this she admires the dresses despite how much she dislikes the idea of dressing up to look pretty. She wears the dresses because she has to, not because she wants to. The reason why she has to dress up is because she wanted to win the sponsors over from the Hunger Games battle. However, her plan after the Hunger Games is actually to inspire a resistance against the capital, the upper class people who are responsible for having created and organized The Hunger Games as a televised event. The dresses she wears are all part of an act. They serve as a decoy for her grand scheme, rather than as an expression of her own personal identity or choices. Connecting to the main theme that this film implies, Katniss is not a stereotypical female character. She is a leader who develops her own ambitions and wants to influence a rebellion. Katniss ultimately takes on leadership and displays qualities that are often held by a man in films. Peeta, on the other hand, seems to swap the role commonly held by the female. Peeta is actually committed to the romantic act that he and Katniss put on. He really loves Katniss and constantly expresses it directly to her. He seems to fill that role of a damsel in distress that Katniss has avoided. Katniss and others save Peeta multiple times from danger and near death throughout The Hunger Games. This further supports that the stereotypical gender roles seem to be reversed in The Hunger Games. Katniss is seen as a hero who helps Peeta, the damse l in distress. However, some believe that throughout the movie there is too much of an emphasis on typical male qualities in the character of Katniss. Some believe that she should have embraced more feminine characteristics while maintaining the role as a leader. Katniss could be seen as the media still pushing the ideas of a dominant male lead because of Katnisss masculine characteristics and rejection of feminine qualities. This is the wrong approach to the ideas pushed by the film. The Hunger Games is telling the story of a woman who lost her father and learned how to provide for her family on her own. She developed traits of not only a father but of a mother as well. Her influence on others in the film was a result of her desires. She didnt let outside factors distract her from her objective, and in the end, she ended up seeking more to accomplish than just stay at home to protect her family. She shows that women are capable of being successful when they have a goal, that women can be the leader of change. The Hunger Games series is based on the kill or be killed excitement of a battle royale to the death. It celebrates Katniss for her heroics, leadership, and ambitions. The stereotypical masculine characteristics do seem to be present in Katniss throughout her violent battles. However, Katniss should instead be viewed as a strong female who is driven by her maternal instincts to protect and to provid e for her family. She has her own goals of leading a rebellion rather than indulging in a romance. She is the symbol of a focused and ambitious woman, a quality which is underappreciated and overlooked in the development of so many female characters in films.