A Day In The Dark Essay -- essays research papers

This passage was written by Elizabeth Bowen and is titled ‘A Day in the Dark’. It is a story told by a girl named Barbie. She tells a tale of when she was fifteen and visited the house of Miss Branderry to return a copy of Blackwood’s and to request to borrow, for her father, a thistle cutter. She also takes some roses to apologise for glass stain and thumbmarks on the cover of the magazine. The passage mainly focuses on Barbie and her view on the events. But the passage also looks into the relationships between the Barbie and her uncle, and Miss Branderry and her niece. The first paragraph sets the scene and creates an atmospire for the story. The author immediately begins by saying ‘It was July, a sunless warm afternoon, dead still.’ She also talks of ‘idlers’ who of coarse are people who have nothing to do, because it is to hot. And also she uses words like ‘heavy’. We get this sense of oppression. Sound seems to be a predominant feature in the opening paragraph. For the writer mentions her senses and then continues with references like ‘childless silence’ and the ‘mesmeric sound of the weir.’ At the very end of the paragraph the last sentence is only two words long. ‘It opened’. ‘It’ being this red door, the entrance to Miss Branderry house. By simply using two words it has great effect, emphasising the presence of this door, it seems to be the only thing that has actually moved. Throughout the passage the Elizabeth Bowen has explored the relationships between Nan an...

Peer Acceptance Essay

As Sentse, Lindenberg, Omvlee, Ormel & Veenstra (2009) stated, the need to belong is one of the most important need of an individual, and during adolescence, the closest group of people that an adolescent could have strong attachments with is his/her family and friends. In a study by Khurshid & Rehman (2006), those who have low self-esteem were reported to have higher peer stressors as compared to others having high self-esteem. Their findings suggested that those who have low self-esteem face more problems with their peers; that because they lack in self-confidence, their peers would see them as inferior, considered them as a boring personality and that they always felt uncomfortable in the company of strangers, even among their friends. According to the study conducted by Parker et al. as cited in Kistner, David & Repper, 2007), the perception of an individual to be accepted by peers would contribute to his/her adjustment in school or in any other areas of his/her life. Rejected individuals who perceived themselves to be accepted by their peers tend to cope with and initiate social interactions better, than those who were rejected having negative perceptions of themselves being accepted (Rabiner & Coie as cited in Kistner, David & Repper, 2007). It was stated by Furman & Robbins (as cited in Kingery, Erdley & Marshall, 2011) that having the companion of peers would provide intimacy, affection and a source of reliance for an individual, thus helping in his/her adjustment and help enhance self-esteem. Behavioral Indicators: Individual feels that she belongs to a certain group; feels that she is not alone in life; accepts criticisms from other people; does not find it difficult to socialize with peers.

Hospitality Across Culture

Hospitality is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. When coming to another country, we always want to make a good impression to the native people like showing them our hospitality. But sometimes, because of different culture our hospitality is considered as offence.So what should we do in this case?In case study, a typical situation surprised me. The American manager by the name of Bill Morris just simply want to show his emplyees in France his hospitality. He decided to throw a party for the whole office. His intention was pretty good. He thought it would be a good way to get accquainted with everyone in a less formal environment. Then, people with know that he is an open person and easy to talk. However, this wasn’t work.His employees didn’t think like that and just in a negative way.In French employess’s thought, their boss was showing off his money by inviting them to his elegent apartment. They felt strange and uncomfortable in his home as well as socializing together. Certainly, Morris didn’t make a good impression to his employees.The situation gave me knowledge of America and France hospitality culture in : socialize with employess from different levels of the company, role of the boss in the social life of the office, style of entertaining colleagues, different about socialiszing with friends and collagues, common ways of socialising with business colleagues. This is two different country with different culture, working style : formal and informal. It’s not easy to mix them. In solving situation tasks, our class was discuss to help Morris able to adapt to the social ways of his French employees. We all think he should learn about France culture, shouldn’t so formal with his colleagues to build his presigate. He should care to his working style, languages using, attitudes †¦Above all, following French culture will make his employees respect him and feel heâ₠¬â„¢s more familiar to them. Step by step, they’ll sure understand his good intention and have a good point of view on him.Hospitality across culture isn’t simply at all. It requires a certain knowledge about culture and ways to apply it appropriately. This situation reminds me a famous saying : ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’ Obviously when you come another country, the native people expect you to do as their culture. This will make they feel that you searched and interested in their culture before and respect it. Getting to know about eachother culture is a simply way to communicate people from all over the world. This is a chance to widen your knowledge, open your working opportunity, build relationship across border.

Film Noir to Neo Noir

Murphy 1 Rachel Murphy Professor Charlotte E. Howell Film 2700 12 November 2012 Word Count: 1411 Film Noir to Neo-Noir: A Shift in Cultural Tides Film noir of the 1940s captivated audiences through its distinct form of storytelling. Strongly influenced by German Expressionism, these films have a definitive look and style that still resonates with modern audiences today. Like other classical Hollywood genres, film noir sought to bring to light tensions felt within society, namely those that affected men following World War II.Neo-noir films pay a great deal less attention to social commentary. Like film noir of the past, neo-noir elevates style over narrative; however, the genre has seen significant changes in regards to narrative, the disappearance of the femme fatale, and the prevalence of onscreen violence due to shifting cultural tides. In observing examples of film noir and its contemporary version, neo-noir, it is clear several elements in regards to the style and overall  "feel† of these films have virtually remained the same throughout the years.In Nicolas Winding Refn’s neo-noir, Drive, a sense of otherworldliness is portrayed through several night scenes, intense shadows, and an overall dark rather downtrodden mood to the film. The scenes in the film take place at night and invariably in an urban setting. All of these elements are Murphy 2 extremely typical of classic film noir as well as German Expressionism. Drive’s narrative unfolds with surprisingly little dialogue. Instead Refn focused scenes on the mood, further strengthening the style of the film. Similarly, Curtis Hanson’s L. A.Confidential keeps with traditional film noir in elevating the style of the movie above its narrative. This is done through the heavy emphasis of the urban cityscape. As the title suggests, Los Angeles, is a major component within the film. The peppy, orange-filled paradise portrayal of L. A. in the film’s opening scene sharply cont rasts the corrupt, crime-ridden town shown throughout the rest of the film. In addition, voice-overs and flashbacks, typical elements of film noir, are extensively used. The genre has seen great changes in regards to its social commentary, however.Noir films of the 1940s strongly reflected the social climate of the time. In several respects, film noir can be seen as the male equivalent to melodrama. Just as women dealt with the crisis of femininity in post-war years, men also struggled with their masculinity as well as adjusting to their new roles in an ever-changing society. After World War II, many Americans, especially men who had experienced the atrocities of war firsthand, took on a more cynical outlook on the world. Film noir of the 1940s sought to bring these feelings of isolation and changing attitudes to light.Like many men returning from the war, the heroes were disenchanted and often very isolated. In many respects, their fate is predetermined. In Tay Garnett’s The Postman Always Rings Twice, the audience gains a sense that John Garfield’s character, Frank’s, fate is already sealed as soon as he first plots, and eventually carries out the murder of Cora’s husband. This action clearly serves as a marker in the downward spiral of Frank’s life. Similarly, in Billy Wilder’s Murphy 3 Double Indemnity, Fred MacMurray’s character, Walter, irrevocably alters the course of his life when he gives in to Phyllis’s pleas to murder her husband.In both of these instances, the motivation behind this clearly immoral acts is lust. Both protagonists seem somewhat helpless against these forces. Both films also end with little doubt as to the fate of the protagonists. In The Postman Always Rings Twice, the film ends with Frank awaiting his punishment on death row. Similarly, Wilder’s Double Indemnity ends with Walter, critically injured from a gunshot wound inflicted by Phyllis, confessing his role in her hu sband’s murder. This clearly reflects upon the attitudes of males during the 1940s as helpless against the imposing forces of an oppressive society.Neo-noir films differ from their film noir counterparts because they are no longer reflective on social and cultural tensions. This is simply because the tension is not as widespread or heavily felt in today’s society. In the ending of Refn’s Drive, the nameless driver, though stabbed in the abdomen, clearly lives. It left up to the viewer to decide what kind of life he will lead in the future. In Hanson’s L. A. Confidential, the future of the city is somewhat unclear, but both protagonists in the film are met with at least somewhat happy endings.The male protagonists in neo-noir films are also much more strong-willed. Their actions, though at times extreme, are seen as justified to the viewer and made by the protagonist alone. Unlike earlier noir films, the protagonists are at least somewhat in control of the ir future. This turn within the genre clearly reflects changing attitudes within society, as the helplessness and isolation men felt after the war is no longer felt on such a large scale. Murphy 4 The influence of culture on the content of noir films is especially evident in the disappearance of femme fatale in neo-noir films.The 1940s marked a major shift in gender roles with the start of World War II. As men left for war, women took up jobs in the workforce and in factories in order to help with the war effort. This brought about a new sense of independence for women. When men returned home from the war, however, this shift was not necessarily seen in a positive light. The emergence of the femme fatale in film noir clearly reflects that in the eyes of men, women’s changing roles in society often presented a threat to perceived masculinity as well as established gender roles of the day.The femme fatale of noir films is invariably portrayed in a negative light. She is in most cases seen as the major driving force behind the protagonist’s tragic end. Furthermore, the protagonist is usually helpless against the advances of these women. Femme fatales, such as Cora in The Postman Always Rings Twice and Phyllis in Double Indemnity, are almost always met with an end even more bleak than that of the protagonist. In these two films, the femme fatales are both killed with little thought. Neo-noir films, however, approach female characters in a much more favorable light.The relationships between protagonists and these women are based on love, rather than mere lust. Thus, the actions of the protagonists appear often more justified. This can be accredited to the changing cultural tides since the 1940s. Women’s independence is generally no longer seen as a threat to male masculinity and thus is virtually extinct thematically in neo noir films. This is especially evident in Drive as well. The nameless driver’s love interest, Irene, is characteriz ed by her innocence rather than her sexuality. Murphy 5 Even in L. A.Confidential, Lynn, a prostitute, has a relationship with one of the protagonists, however, the relationship is based on love rather than lust. Film noir arguably would not translate well to modern audiences if not for its integration of onscreen violence. Like German Expressionism, 1940s film noir drew a definitive reaction of discomfort and psychological unease from its audiences. In Double Indemnity, the scene in which Phyllis’s husband is murdered is brief and little is shown. The audience is shown only Phyllis’s cold, detached expression while her husband is murdered next to her in the passenger seat.In the 1940s, filmmakers didn’t necessarily need to show Phyllis’s husband being murdered in order to elicit a strong psychological reaction from audiences. With the abrogation of the Hay’s Code, however, audiences have become somewhat desensitized to the mere implication of viol ence. L. A. Confidential and Drive both use violence as a means of eliciting this same reaction. Perhaps the most memorable scene in Drive occurs in an elevator where the driver, in order to protect himself and Irene, not only kills a man, but proceeds to unleash all of his anger by stomping the man’s head into a gruesome, bloody pulp.In L. A. Confidential, numerous murder scenes and uncomfortable police interrogations illustrate how violence is now used in neo noir to elicit the strong emotional and psychological discomfort that typified 1940s noir. Certainly the strongest influence on the evolution of film noir has been societal and cultural changes throughout time. These changes have served, however, to maintain film noir’s relevance with contemporary audiences while still keeping with specific attention to the overall â€Å"feel† of the film and high level of stylization.

Business Process Workflow Management Business Essay

Business Process Workflow Management Business Essay Business process management is important for both existing and new businesses. BPM is also known as Business Process Reengineering. It is a set of inter-related tasks that help companies maximize their present business processes and cope with future operational and organizational changes. An efficient business process saves and makes money for an organization. Workflow, in its very basic sense, is an implementation of the answers to the questions that arise in a business process. Workflow answers the questions, who? What? And When? in a business process. It is the movement of documents or tasks through a work process. Business process workflow management is an essential element in organizing a variety of business tasks and processes so that the business can be benefited as a whole. Workflow management systems range from the basic activities of a business to thousands of complex features. Workflow management helps business managers perform a lot of varying functions depending on the needs of the organization. Different businesses have different workflow management needs to perform varied functions for them. Some businesses need workflow management for organizing data available on the net; some need them for managing various business transactions whereas some need them for organizing and segregating all the documents of an enterprise. Workflow management is helpful to all kinds of business irrespective of their size. It helps them define and spot various processes that will help increase efficiency in the long run. Business process workflow management helps to define, create, execute and manage various processes within the organization itself and enhance business-to-business transactions to maximize productivity. It facilitates changes in the enterprise that are needed for its betterment and maximization of output and profits in the minimum time possible. It also helps an organization in spotting existing inefficiencies by keeping a constant check on their emplo yees’ productivity. BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT JOURNALS Business process management is implemented to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of an enterprise by automating its business processes. The key factor involved in choosing a BPM solution is to choose one that will fit the organization in all situations, as conditions governing a business tend to change with fluctuations in market conditions. It is not feasible for an organization to change its BPM as and when situations change. Business re-engineering can mean serious trouble especially when applied by people who do not understand it. There are examples of thousands of organizations that were running into losses but subsequently, achieved remarkable profits due to well-managed BPM projects. The key to the success of these companies lay in applying BPM to their key business processes. Business process management journals play a key role in making businessmen aware of the prevailing business conditions and how to ad apt to these changes by applying the right re-engineering and process change projects. BPM journals are the premium channel for beginners, practitioners and researchers to acquire leading edge information related to current developments in BPM concepts, practices, tools and technologies. It is a helping aid for students studying BPM related areas and consultants who assist organizations in managing processes. They also provide useful articles that focus on quality and relevance.

HRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 3

HRM - Essay Example or recruiting able and established staff is very much there since every organization or company for that matter wants to achieve efficiency and effectiveness when it comes to getting the things done in a quick manner. [Cooper, 2004] There are instances when employees have been known to prolong things just because they do not feel to be in the mood to do so. This is a definitive statement on the part of the employees that they were recruited wrongly at the time of their hiring and the organization did indeed make a mistake in choosing such a worker over other options that were available to it, not only in the United Kingdom but also around the world. It has been seen that at times, the top line personnel present in offices delegate jobs and assignments to their sub-ordinates without even thinking that the same might not be the correct manner and mode of action as to go about carrying out the tasks and responsibilities. They think that delegation would prosper a sense of getting more work within the sub-ordinates who themselves are pretty much occupied with their already assigned tasks and jobs. This is hence not the correct manner in which things should be done and hence a need has to be chalked out to ramify the very same problem. The best possible diversity that could be made in this regard is to appoint top line managers who understand the psyche of the people working under him or her or on the same level as his so that he or she can get a grasp as to what employees usually are best suited at and what they do not prefer under certain strenuous conditions in the office place environment. As a consequence, being able to do more work is definitely considered a plus and an added advantage for an employee but this should not, under any level, exceed his or her capabilities and skill sets. He or she must be assigned the amount of work which is proportionate with his or her pay, already set working conditions and more so the skills on the basis of which he or she was

Acid base titration Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Acid base titration - Lab Report Example This is because in acidic, basic conditions phenolphthalein indicator usually indicates colorless and pink/purple colors respectively. Background theory Acid – base titration is one of the most essential Titrimetric analysis techniques commonly used in wet analysis to determine quantities or concentrations of the reacting reagents (Patnaik, 2010, p. 57). This is a neutralization reaction whereby its endpoint or neutrality point is marked by the change of phenolphthalein’s color from pink/purple to colorless. Colorless color in this experiment is an indication the reaction has reached its endpoint or undergone a complete neutralization route, hence basic condition is exhausted and instead acidity is increasing. Endpoint refers to a point where an indicator changes its color and assumes another thereby implying an acid has completely neutralized the available basic solution (Parsons, Forsythe, Edge & Bewick 793). At exact endpoint, the solution’s nature is neutral bearing a pH value of 7 similar to that of pure water. The addition of more acid solution reduces the solution’s pH from 7 towards 1, hence increasing its acidity nature compared to when it was a basic and a having a pH value more than 7. However, the color continues to remain the same but extent of acidity increases with addition of extra acid solution to the titrant, which in this experiment is a Standard 0.10 mol. /dm3 Sodium Hydroxide. Suppose there is a need to plot titration curves, then potentiometer is more accurate than either weak organic acid indicator or a weak organic base indicator (Patnaik, 2010). Since, it gives exact values compared to the latter two, which only relays the change of solution’s color (Patnaik, 2010.p. 61). An indicator is a weak organic acid or weak organic base having a formula of HY or HOY correspondingly, where Y represents a complex organic ion (Patnaik, 2010). During reaction, HOY or HY indicator usually dissociates as shown in the reversible equation below (Patnaik, 2010, p. 61). HY + H2O H3O+ + Y- Color -1 Color – 2. Reversibility in the above equation depends on the amount of either acid or basic solution added during neutralization process, which implies more base or acid shifts the process to the right (Patnaik, 2010). Hence, change of color from 1 to 2. The general equation involved in the neutralization process is, Acid + Base/Alkali Salt + water (Neutralization reaction equation) Essential components or agents for the above neutralization process to reach its completion state include hydronium ions, H3O+ (aq) from the acid and hydroxide ions, HO- (aq) from a base/alkali. However, these ions must be in aqueous form (in water) to facilitate their free movement besides ensuring intimate interactions when reacting. Respective equations for both Dilute Hydrochloric acid and Dilute Sulphuric Acid are, Ordinary equations (1) HCl(aq) + NaOH(aq) Â ® NaCl(aq) + H2O(l) H+(aq) + Cl-(aq) +Na+ + OH(aq) Â ® Na+ + Cl-(aq) + H2O(l) (2) H2SO4 (aq) + NaOH(aq) Â ® NaSO4(aq) + H2O(l) 2H+(aq) + SO4- (aq) + Na+(aq) + OH-(aq) Â ® Na-(aq) + SO4-(aq) + H2O(l) After eliminating spectator ions these equations reduce to, (1b) H+ (aq) + OH (aq) Â ® H2O (l) (2b) 2H+ (aq) + OH-(aq) Â ® H2O (l) Or (3) H3O+1 + OH- Â ® 2H2O (l) However, moles of H+ ions in each side of the equation should be equal for the reaction to proceed to the right or neutralization to occur (York, 175). Molarity concept Titration calculation in this experiment entails use of stoichiometric mole ratio of H+ and OH- ions (Parsons, Forsythe, Edge & Bewick). Moles’ ratio comparison in this experim