Applying Karl Marx to Ritzers McDonaldization of Society essays

Applying Karl Marx to Ritzers McDonaldization of Society essays Karl Marx believed that a major revolution was in the future for the Western world. Exactly how far in the future remains to be seen, but many would argue that capitalism is as strong as it ever was and no class conflict will occur. I believe the reason that no major conflict has yet occurred can be attributed to Webers idea of bureaucratization as described in The McDonaldization of Society. In bureaucracies, every movement by an employee is a calculated one. There is a rule for every situation and every employee must abide by the rules. Doing this allows bureaucracies to be extremely large yet efficient, and more importantly, profitable. These systems, however, dehumanize people, and that is part of what Karl Marx fears. When workers are dehumanized and alienated they become restless and unhappy. Today, however, it is not only the lower class laborers who are being affected. White-collar workers, as well, must fall into line when working for a large corporate bureaucracy. It has become the way of life for almost everyone. Work is work. Everyone has to fall into line. Since the distinction, now, between those workers alienated and those who are not is a very blurred line, a class conflict would be difficult to see coming. Another reason that this conflict may never come is because of the positive sides of a bureaucratic world. In this world, many unskilled workers can get a decent job with a decent amount of responsibility attached to it and make a decent pay check. All they can do is decent, but that is better than not being able to do anything. Secondly, because of the bureaucracies and the good wages they provide for unskilled workers, many more products are available to all people. The bureaucracies allow for mass production of many products and with many people making a steady paycheck, they can afford something that would be extremel ...

Sociology Paper Writing †Prompts and Tips

Sociology Paper Writing – Prompts and Tips Useful Tips on Writing a Good Sociology Paper Have you always been interested in people’s relations? Would you like to learn more about their interaction with society? In this case, you are probably good at writing amazing sociology papers. Sociology is a science that studies different aspects of our lives ranging from politics to religion and society. It highlights major conflicts between different types of social groups, displays individuals’ behavior and more. The science refers to actually every aspect of our lives from economy and psychology to commerce and other different fields. Although writing a sociology paper may seem to be rather easy, you need to follow several vital stages to provide an outstanding work that will result in higher marks. Just follow our useful writing tips to succeed during the course. Ways to Write a Decent Sociology Paper Unlike other types of the essay with a typical structure, this particular assignment requires more involvement, research, and discussion. Most students are familiar with baseline parts like introduction and conclusion. However, a brilliant sociology paper deals with something more than that. Introduction. There is nothing difficult about this part. Make sure you state the problem quite clear for the reader. A good idea is to include some common hypothesis and raise questions that are of great value for a chosen topic Once you are done with the introduction, you need to perform all your analytic skills. Choose as many literature sources as you can and do the research on the topic. There is nothing wrong in incorporating findings of other experts and scientists that have been already published. Methodology. At this stage, you will need to discuss methods and approaches that will help readers to solve and resolve problems arising in your paper. The clearer your methodology, the more validity your paper gets. Discussion. The stage is set the green flag drops. This is where you should start discussing your findings and providing outcomes. Using charts, graphs and other visual representations is certainly a good idea. Conduct surveys to highlight the main pros and cons of your particular theme. Details. At this stage, you need to stress all key points and provide the result of your work. Reference List. Make sure you indicate all sources in your reference list arranged on a separate page. If sociology paper writing still looks daunting, check our improved writing tips that will let you handle the task. Improved Sociology Writing Paper Tips Most students start facing difficulties at their first step when choosing the right topic for the paper. You can come across the list of topics while surfing the net for additional prompts or you can ask for professional writing assistance. If you handle the assignment yourself, here are the tips that may come in handy: Start with an outline and indicate all key points for the major paper; Use first paragraphs to state the problem and argument; Make sure you write a strong introduction and conclusion paragraphs. Those are the essential parts of your paper that will make a final impression on your readers; Keep an eye on your paper structure and make sure it meets all academic requirements. Feel free to browse for a sociology paper template on the web; Use real evidence only when it comes to building a strong argument and thesis statement. Include statistics and real-life data; Avoid using too many direct quotes. Paraphrasing them would be the best bet for the paper. Passive voice is hardly the best grammar construction for this type of academic paper; Amplified historical context will add validity to your paper. Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Sociology Paper Although the task seems to be rather clear especially considering the above-mentioned prompts, many students still fail to avoid common mistakes when writing a sociology paper. They typically include: Spreading too much when speaking for details that require narrowing; Failing in effort to follow all requirements provided by the instructor; Problems with writing style, grammar and punctuation; Irrelevant or out-of-date information; The lack of logical connection between paragraphs. We do hope our tips will come in handy whenever you are assigned to write a sociology paper. If you till face difficulties, you can buy papers online.

Discuss the effectiveness of legislation regulating child employment Essay - 1

Discuss the effectiveness of legislation regulating child employment in Britain - Essay Example There is a problem area that will be touched upon, which is whether the legislation efficiently deals with children who are left to care for a family member. The first factor of legislation that UK has instituted is to promote education; therefore creating a skilled workforce and ensure sufficient rest; therefore children CANNOT work before 7am and after 7pm.3 The main piece of legislation that deals with child employment is the Children & Young Persons Act 1933. Also children that are under 13 cannot be employed at all, even in a family business. Children from the age of 13 to completing their GCSE’s can only work part-time, because education is paramount. If an employee is 13 or 14 they can only work in 9 specific types of employment; whilst at 14 or 15 they can work in any form of employment.4 Finally, the legislation also ensures that the work conditions and type are risk assessed for the child employee according to the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999. This illustrates that in traditional forms of employment the child is sufficiently protected, including being employed in the family business.5 The problem with legislation that regulates children’s employment is that it does not effectively address the problem of child carers6; rather it effectively deals with traditional forms of employment.7 There needs to be effective reform to protect the child who behind closed doors is effectively employed as the child carer. One could say that the current legislation does protect the child, because they cannot be in the employment of parents; however how can caring for a little brother or sister or even a parent be classed as employment?8 It is easy to identify if the person who is being cared for is receiving carer’s allowance and there was no identifiable adult carer that they are paying; therefore

Organizational Resource Management and Business Strategy at Staples Case Study

Organizational Resource Management and Business Strategy at Staples Organization - Case Study Example In regard to Staples organization customers, it is important to note that it serves its customers under its original name in the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, India, Germany, Portugal, Austria, France, Norway, China, and Italy, while it operates subsidiaries in Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, and Argentina. Staples organization’s customers have comprised of large global and national organizations as well as the wholesale and retail customers (Staples, 2012). The organization has highly customized services and products that are aimed at addressing the unique needs of large global and national organizations. For example, Staples Advantage that operates in most European countries is designed to provide customized services and products to both global and national customers in countries they are operating in (Staples Advantage, 2012). ... However, in order to ensure that a widened customer base receives their purchases conveniently and to facilitate convenience and accessibility of its products and services, Staples organization has involved a number of suppliers in its business (Staples, 2012). It is important to point out that there are criteria that have been set by the organization for a company to become its supplier, as well as legal requirements that must be complied with before a company becomes a supplier. Selection of suppliers is usually based on merit. As already been noted, the Staples organization deals with a wide range of products and services. This is very important considering that it is a listed company and therefore has to enhance its profitability. Staples products include the following: promotional products, technology, office machines, technology, furniture, and business services. These products are available online as well as in Staples stores. In order to boost its sales and enhance profitabil ity, the Staples organization recently launched a new line of products that are designed by Martha Stewart Living Omnnimedia Inc (Dow Jones Newswires, 2012). Competition in the retail industry dealing with office supply is usually immense because of changing customers’ expectations and increasing demands. The main competitors of the Staples organization are Office Depot Inc. (ODP) and Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (BBBY). Bloomberg Businessweek (2012) notes that Staples’ capital structure relies on debt level that is comparable to the retail industry norm, that is, at 12.68%, which represents a decline from the previous fiscal year.

Desdemona as a Victim in the Tragedy of Othello Essay Example for Free

Desdemona as a Victim in the Tragedy of Othello Essay Desdemona as a victim in The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare William Shakespeare is widely known for his famous plays, sonnets, and other works including the tragedy. In The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, many characters are unjustly victimized. Throughout the play, Othello’s wife, Desdemona, is a victim of many false statements that lead to her ultimate death. In the beginning, Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, believes that Desdemona is a victim under a spell of the Moor Othello. As the play progresses, Othello, who is overcome with jealousy, falsely accuses Desdemona of having an affair with his lieutenant and best friend, Michael Cassio. After acquiring â€Å"proof† that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair, Othello becomes so enraged to the point that he kills Desdemona. In conclusion, it is pretty obvious that Desdemona is unjustly victimized. In the beginning of the play, Brabantio believes that his daughter, Desdemona, is a victim under a spell of the Moor Othello. Because of this Desdemona has betrayed her father and she is said to be dead to him. Ay, to me. She is abus’d, stol’n from me, and corrupted  By spells and medicines bought of mountebanks; For nature so preposterously to err, Being not deficient, blind, or lame of sense, Sans witchcraft could not. (Oth. 1. 3. 59-64) In this quote, Brabantio tells the Senators that Desdemona is dead to him because she married Othello. He is sure that Desdemona is either being tricked or drugged because there is no way she would make the mistake of not only marrying behind his back, but also marrying a black man. Shawn Smith states that from the moment Brabantio learned of his daughter’s marriage, he was not happy with Othello, accusing him of witchcraft. [Desdemona’s suffering] initially appears in Othello in a formal legal setting when, in the first act, Brabantio initiates a suit against his new son-in-law, accusing him of improperly obtaining the love of Desdemona† (13). During this suit, Brabantio discovers that Desdemona intended to marry Othello and that she was not under a spell; because of this, he disowns his own daughter. She is considered a victim in this situation not only because her father disowns her, but because she was falsely accused of being under a pell her husband created. As the play progresses, the dishonest Iago tells Othello that Desdemona is having an affair with his best friend, Michael Cassio. At first Othello does not believe Iago, but after acquiring â€Å"proof,† he falsely accuses Desdemona of not being faithful. â€Å" . . . She’s gone, I am abus’d, and my relief/ Must be to loathe her† (Oth. 3. 3. 269-270). Because he thinks his wife is cheating on him, Othello believes that his only solution is to hate Desdemona, even though it will tear him apart. Desdemona is a victim in this scenario because she is being falsely accused of cheating on her husband. She can also be considered a victim because of words that she chooses throughout this act. After Othello fires Cassio from his position as lieutenant for being drunk and disorderly on the job, Desdemona promises that she will make sure Othello forgives and forgets. â€Å"He [Othello] now believes that Cassio has despoiled Desdemona, and for that he seeks the cuckolds vengeance. No longer the doubtful, frustrated falconer, he has become the convinced, determined avenger† (Carson 193). Othello is one hundred percent convinced that Desdemona is being unfaithful and he makes a rash decision to no longer be a trustworthy, loving husband, but rather a mean and vengeful man. Because she is stubborn with her words and actions, Othello mistakes her to be in love with Cassio. This does not work out for Desdemona in the end. Othello becomes so enraged and jealous at Cassio and Desdemona that he believes the only solution is to have Cassio killed and kill Desdemona himself. After â€Å"hearing† Cassio being murdered, he makes his way back to Desdemona’s chamber where he plans to strangle her in her sleep. Desdemona wakes up and after asking if she has said her prayers, Othello informs her of his plan. â€Å"Sweet soul, take heed,/ Take heed of perjury; thou art on thy death-bed† (Oth. 5. 2. 51-52). While he is in the act of killing her, Emilia, Desdemona’s attendant and friend, shows up. He lets her into the room and after she discovers the body of her mistress, she questions Othello as to who has murdered Desdemona. Othello replies, â€Å" . . . ‘Twas I that kill’d her† (Oth. 5. 2. 131). Shawn Smith paints a sad picture with his description of the reactions of playgoers and actors of Desdemona’s death. When Othello murders her, the horrible injustice of the act causes both the characters on the stage and playgoers, such as Henry Jackson, to be moved to pity her unmerited suffering† (7). Anyone who reads or watches the play will be moved with such an enormous amount of pity that they can’t help but see Desdemona as a victim under her horrifying husband, Othello. Desdemona can clearly be seen as a victim at the end of the play, not only because of all the false accusations made against her, but because of her murder. Throughout the play, Desdemona is a victim in many situations that lead to her ultimate death. Her father, Brabantio, believes that she is under the spell of Othello and after finding out that she willingly married him, he disowns her. Her own husband is overcome with jealousy made by false accusations and believes that she is cheating on him with his best friend. His jealousy and anger get so out of hand that Othello murders Desdemona in the end, not only because of the rumor, but because of her own words. If Desdemona had not been murdered, she would not be seen as a great victim. Her murder and the events leading up to it show that she is unjustly victimized throughout the entire play.

A Day as a Physical Therapy Volunteer :: Community Service, Service Learning

As usual, John is late. Because the other two Physical Therapists (PTs) are busy on their rounds, I just wait, sitting on the therapy tables reading the assorted pamphlets that are available to the patients. Every part of the body is represented in these books on the shelf. A slight humming sound comes from the air conditioner. The freshly waxed tile floor reflects the light that shines from the ceiling tract lights. Since I am a volunteer, the lowest on the totem pole of health care, I have no specific duties. Mainly, I observe the work of the PTs. I also assist in cleaning the immaculate therapy room. As I wash down the tables with ammonia, trying not to inhale too many fumes, a Dr. Riddel is paged over the hospital intercom. Then someone else is paged, "Thomas Lykins to front desk. Thomas Lykins to front desk." Front desk actually means office, and usually social workers are paged to clear up some problem. I also stock the linen closet. Every patient who lies on the big brown therapy table has to be on a sheet with at least 2 or 3 towels nearby. The towels feel rough and course from years and years of reuse. Everything gets the ammonia treatment, including the silver parallel bars, the whirlpool and the giant rubber gym balls that are used with patients who have bad backs. Suddenly, the door swings open and all of the sounds from the nearby emergency room flood into the room. John has returned from his lunch break. He brings a patient to the gym to work on the bars. Hunched in her wheelchair, staring at the ground, her gray hair a mess, she shakes slightly. I think, "Can’t the PTs feel the coldness in this room? Maybe their white lab coats keep them warm." John says, "Paige, this is Mrs. Meyer. She is going to walk the bars today." He asks, "Aren’t you, Mrs. Meyer?" All that Mrs. Meyer can do is mumble "Yes, I hope." Mrs. Meyer had a stroke, her second. John tells me privately so that she can’t hear. She seems to be in a state of confusion about where she is and who we are. John wheels Mrs. Meyer to the silver parallel bars and helps her stand. Slowly talking very quietly, he assures her that he will not let her fall, if she can’t balance herself. I stand behind her, as instructed by John.

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 19

Chapter 19 UP ON THE ROOFTOP, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK This is what it's all been about, thought Ben Miller as he climbed into the tiny bell tower atop the chapel. It had taken ten minutes to saw through the painted-closed seams of the hatch with the bread knife, but finally he'd made it, thrown the latch, and crawled from the top of the Christmas tree into the bell tower. There was just enough room to stand, his feet on narrow ledges around the hatch. Thankfully, the bell had been taken away a long time ago. The bell tower was enclosed by louvered vents and the wind whistled through like there was nothing there at all. He was pretty sure he could kick through the vents, hundred-year-old wood, after all, then make his way across the steep roof, drop off whichever side looked safe, and make it to the parking lot and the red Explorer he was holding the keys for. Thirty miles south to the highway-patrol post and help would be on the way. All of the years after high school and college when he had continued to train, all the hours of roadwork, all the weights and swimming and high-protein diets, it all came down to this moment. Keeping himself in shape all these years when no one really seemed to care would finally pay off. Anything out there that he couldn't outrun, he could take out with a lowered shoulder. (He'd played one season as a jay-vee halfback in addition to his varsity track career.) â€Å"You okay, Ben?† Theo yelled from below. â€Å"Yeah. I'm ready.† He took a deep breath, braced his back against one side of the bell tower, then kicked at the louvered slats on the opposite side. They broke away on the first kick and he was nearly launched out on the roof feetfirst. He fought to get his balance – turned around on his stomach and scooted backward out the opening onto the roof. Facedown, he was looking down the length of the Christmas tree at a dozen hopeful faces below. â€Å"Hold tight. I'll be back soon with help,† he said. Then he pushed back until he was on his hands and knees on the peak of the roof, cold wetness cutting everywhere he touched. â€Å"Please, bitch,† came a voice from right by Ben's ear. He jumped sideways, and started to slide down the roof. Something caught his sweater, pulling him back, then something hard and cold was pressed against his forehead. The last thing he heard was Santa saying, â€Å"Pretty fucking tricky for a jock.† Below, in the chapel, they heard the gunshot. Dale Pearson held the dead track star by the back of the collar, thinking, Eat now, or save it for after the massacre? Below him on the ground, the rest of the undead were begging for treats. Warren Talbot, the landscape painter, had made his way halfway up the pine-tree trunk that Dale had used to climb up on the roof. â€Å"Please, please, please, please,† said Warren. â€Å"I'm so hungry.† Dale shrugged and let go of Ben Miller's collar, then gave the body a shove with his boot, sending it sliding down the roof and off the side to the hungry mob. Warren looked behind him at where the body had fallen, then at Dale. â€Å"You bastard. Now I'll never get any.† Disgusting sucking sounds were rising from below. â€Å"Yeah, well, the quick and the dead, Warren. The quick and the dead.† The dead painter slid back down his tree and out of sight. Dale had some revenge to take. He stuck his head inside the bell tower and looked down at the horrified faces below. The wiry little biologist was climbing up the Christmas tree toward the open hatch. â€Å"Come on up,† screamed Dale. â€Å"We haven't even gotten to the main course.† Dale spotted his ex-wife, Lena, staring up, and the blond guy who had charged them with the buffet table had his arm around her. â€Å"Die, slut!† Dale let go of the edge of the bell tower and aimed the .38 down the Christmas tree at Lena. He saw her eyes go wide, then something hit him in the face, something furry and sharp. Claws cut into his cheeks and scratched at his eyes. He grabbed for his attacker and in doing so lost his balance and fell backward. He slid down the side of the roof and off the edge onto his feasting minions. â€Å"Roberto!† Tuck yelled. â€Å"Get back in here.† â€Å"He's gone,† said Theo. â€Å"He's outside.† Tuck started to climb up the Christmas tree behind Gabe. â€Å"I'll get him. Let me come up and call him.† Theo grabbed the pilot around the waist and pulled him back. â€Å"Close and lock the hatch, Gabe.† â€Å"No,† Tuck said. Gabe Fenton looked down briefly, then his eyes went wide when he realized how high above the floor he was. He quickly pushed the bell-tower hatch shut and latched it. â€Å"He'll be okay,† said Lena. â€Å"He got away.† Gabe Fenton backed down the Christmas tree. When he got to the lower branches, he felt some hands at his waist, steadying him down the last few steps. When he hit the floor, he turned around into Valerie Riordan's arms. He pushed away so as not to smudge her makeup. She pulled him out of the branches of the tree. â€Å"Gabe,† she said. â€Å"You know when I said you weren't engaged in the real world?† â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"I'm sorry.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"I just wanted you to know that. In case our brains are eaten by zombies without me having a chance to say it.† â€Å"That means a lot to me, Val. Can I kiss you?† â€Å"No, sweetheart, I left my purse in the car and don't have any lipstick to touch up. But we can knock out one last stand-up quickie in the basement before we die if you'd like.† She smiled. â€Å"What about the kid at the Thrifty-Mart?† â€Å"Squirrel porn?† She raised a perfectly drawn eyebrow. He took her by the hand. â€Å"Yes, I think I'd like that,† he said, leading her to the back room and the stairs. â€Å"What's that smell?† Theo Crowe said, remarkably glad to turn his attention away from Gabe and Val. â€Å"Anybody smell that? Tell me that's not –  » Skinner was sniffing the air and whimpering. â€Å"What is that?† Nacho Nunez was following the smell to one of the barricaded windows. â€Å"It's coming from over here.† â€Å"Gasoline,† said Lena.

Report on Feasibility Study to Start a Restaurant

Waste Disposal †¢ Periodically inspect for leaky dumpsters and compactors. If dumpsters are leaking, call the leasing company to repair or replace dumpsters. †¢ Cover dumpsters and other waste containers to prevent stormwater from entering the container. †¢ Never dispose of waste products, such as food or liquid wastes, to storm drains. Donate edible food to a food donation bank, participate in food waste composting programs, contact an animal feed company or dispose of food waste in a trash receptacle. †¢ Never wash down dumpsters or dumpster areas with a hose.If a dumpster must be cleaned, contact the dumpster leasing company. Use dry clean up methods to wash dumpster area or use other Best Management Practices (BMPs) to clean dumpster area to prevent wash water from flowing to the storm drain system. †¢ Improper handling and disposal that creates a discharge to a storm drain is illegal. Both the company and individuals responsible are subject to civil and criminal prosecution. Grease Handling and Storage †¢ Do not pour cooking oil or grease into sinks or floor drains, or into a parking lot, stormdrain or street. Dispose or recycle cooking oil and grease through a licensed waste grease hauler or licensed grease recycler. Search for grease haulers and recyclers under â€Å"tallow† in the Yellow Pages. †¢ Service oil/grease interceptors at least monthly. For an oil/grease interceptor to function properly no more than 1/3 of the depth of the interceptor should be a floating grease layer and no more than ? of the depth should be sediment on the bottom of the interceptor (www. oracwa. org). †¢ Under-sink grease traps should be serviced at least weekly, more often if the grease trap is more than 50% full (www. racwa. org). †¢ Practice dry clean up. Use scrapers to remove food wastes from serving ware, pots, pans, grills, and cooking surfaces prior to cleaning them with water. Dispose of food waste in a trash recep tacle, send to an animal feed company, or donate edible foodstuffs to a food donation bank. †¢ Use food grade paper to soak up oil and grease under fryer baskets. Dispose of soaked paper in a trash receptacle. †¢ Improper handling and disposal that creates a discharge to a storm drain is illegal.Both the company and individuals responsible are subject to civil and criminal prosecution. Pavement and Floor Cleaning †¢ Keep parking lot, drive through, and dumpster areas clean and remove accumulated debris. Use dry methods for spill cleanup: such as sweeping instead of washing; the use of rags, cat litter or another type of absorbent; place trash and solid waste into dumpsters. If you mop up a spill, dispose of mop/washwater in indoor janitorial/mop sinks. †¢ Do not hose down pavement or any outside area to the storm drain. Use a BASMAA certified surface cleaner (www. ity. palo-alto. ca. us/cleanbay/cbb. html) to wash sidewalks, drive-through and parking lots. Your e mployees and your contractor must use BMPs to prevent washwater from flowing to the storm drain system. †¢ Never pour or sweep wastewater from restaurant floors out the back door, or into a gutter, stormdrain, or creek. Dispose of mop/washwater in indoor janitorial/mop sinks or toilets. †¢ Improper handling and disposal that creates a discharge to a storm drain is illegal. Both the company and individuals responsible are subject to civil and criminal prosecution.Equipment Cleaning †¢ Clean floor mats, grease filters, grills, garbage cans and other restaurant equipment in a janitorial/mop sink, inside floor drain, or other designated wash area that flows to the sanitary sewer system. Talk to your local sanitary sewer agency for requirements. Equipment cleaning washwater shall not flow to the storm drain system. †¢ If your restaurant uses a contractor to clean floor mats, exhaust hoods, or any other equipment, check to be sure that they are not allowing washwater t o flow to the storm drain system.The restaurant is responsible for contractor actions. †¢ Check roof top exhaust fans and flumes at least weekly. Place an oil collection tray under rooftop exhaust fan shrouds to collect cooking oil and grease and empty the shrouds weekly. †¢ Do not clean equipment in food preparation sinks. †¢ Improper handling and disposal that creates a discharge to a storm drain is illegal. Both the company and individuals responsible are subject to civil and criminal prosecution

Reichs Boats essays

Reich's Boats essays In the late 1970's it was customary for families to have the dad as the bread winner. The Leave it to Beaver persona poured from home to home and engrossed the budding families to come. Now in the modern day Gucci society, a one person income is not adequate enough to keep a family above water. Everything is getting to be more and more expensive, but the income of modern families, is not rising to the occasion. Robert Reich in Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor, Poorer, describes a metaphor of three boats, explaining the fates of the following American workers: the routine producer, the in-person server, and the symbolic analyst. The first group of American workers that Reich discusses is the routine producer, or factory worker. He stresses that in the mid twentieth century, routine producers were to make a decent living: they could buy homes, take annual vacations, and save toward retirement(254). However, Reich states that this is no longer the case. His metaphorical boat containing the routine producers is sinking steadily(254). Because of ease of transportation as well as advances in communication, modern factories can be installed all most any where on the globe(254). Therefore, it is a simple process for factories simply to relocate wherever labor is cheapest. Reich cites the example of AT Louisiana relocated to Singapore where labor cost were cheaper. However, by the late 1980s, ATs strategic brokers found that routine producers in Thailand were eager to assemble telephones for a small fraction of the wagers of routine producers in Singapore(255). Thus, the factory was once again moved in the quest for cheaper labor(255). Reich stresses that routine producers in the united states, then, are in dir...

Are data and sales publishings driving forces

Are data and sales publishings driving forces Are data and sales publishing's driving forces? Reedsy was at The Frankfurt Book Fair this year. The conferences from the self-publishing program were interesting, but often too short to really dig into details. Luckily, I had registered ahead of time for a panel that went almost unnoticed thanks to poor programming; by Saturday morning, most of the trade visitors had either left or were too exhausted to reflect on the state of the industry with any wit or coherence.Porter Anderson, journalist for The Bookseller’s Futurebook and Thought Catalog; Orna Ross, â€Å"indie† author and founder of ALLi; and Marcello Vena, founder of All Brain, a publishing consultancy, convened to answer one brilliant, pertinent question: Is it all about sales?The dissection of a publisher by Marcello VenaPorter opened, putting the question to the panel. First up was Marcello Vena with a 15-minute dissection of a publishing company. Marcello didn’t try to be elaborate or- heaven forbid- present us with another blueprint of how to â⠂¬Å"disrupt† the publishing industry. Rather, he drew a clear, structured picture of what publishing should be about, going back to the fundamentals.Here’s what I took away from Marcello’s contribution: Yes, publishing is a business. The biggest publishers are owned by multinationals and are under the pressure of the markets. And the markets care about sales. Whether this should be its philosophy or not, a publishing company is always there to make money, because else it cannot be sustained. It’s that simple.However- and this is where the beautiful twist comes in- even though sales are just as important to Penguin as to Pampers, selling books isn’t like selling diapers. Publishing is a creative industry. Sales depend on two different capabilities: first,  acquisition (luring the best authors who write the best books, and developing their careers), and second,  marketing (i.e. ensuring that the books get into the hands of their target audience).T his is what makes publishing such a puzzle, an industry resistant to standard strategies of â€Å"disruption†: you have to compete both for content and distribution.When both are done together, and done well, that equals†¦ sales.When the balance is not respected†¦Good debate needs common ground- something we can all agree on. Now that we know how a publisher should work, we can identify what is going wrong (if, indeed, something is going wrong).And no one better than Orna to help with that. You can read her story here. Orna’s publisher didn’t respect the necessary balance between acquisition and marketing. Her publisher took her book about â€Å"strong women rising above their inherited circumstances† and turned it into a love story with a neon-pink cover. â€Å"For the mass market,† she was told.This is not the first â€Å"horror story† (Polly Courtney has a similar one), nor will it be the last. They always follow the same classi c plot: author takes book to publisher, publisher uses book as raw material for making something more â€Å"marketable,† author feels like giving up.To widen the debate: a reflection on data and creative industriesThis is when Porter kicked in with a comparison to the news industry. Before the data-era, the power in newspapers and magazines resided with the editorial team. Journalists wrote what they wanted, how they wanted - and this often resulted in well-written, in-depth pieces on critical subjects.Now, power has shifted to the advertisers. Journalists are not supposed to write what they think is â€Å"good† or relevant; they have to write what data shows will be read and clicked on.This comparison led the audience to a crucial question in this debate: is data compatible with creative industries?Data-driven strategies are all about testing and iteration, repeating what works. Obviously, Marcello points out, big publishers do other things too. If they didn’t, we’d be drowning in a sea of erotica right now. But things might be moving that way, just like they have for journalism.Trying to be iterative in a creative industry is problematic because it stops publishers from finding the next â€Å"big hit†. Big hits are almost always books that uncover a market that either didn’t exist or looked dead (exempli gratia: Harry Potter, Fifty Shades of Grey). Sometimes the acquisition team of a publisher has to take a leap of faith- a leap unsupported by data- and marketing has to trust it.Closing remarksThe balance between editorial and marketing is maybe only one of the challenges facing publishing companies nowadays, but it might be the most important. The balance is at once about publishing itself, what it means, what it does.As Porter has repeatedly pointed out in his articles for The Bookseller or Thought Catalog, we often forget that the big shift happening in the publishing industry is a relatively recent one.   We ar e in this industry and this makes us impatient to see progress and adaptation to change, but we must not forget that no other industry would have reacted quicker or better to such a paradigm shift. It’s not exactly the most comforting of thoughts, but it’s true.Nevertheless, hopefully when I’m in Frankfurt this time next year we’ll have started to see some sort of response to all this kind of thing.Thanks for reading.RicardoCOO, ReedsyIf you enjoyed Ricardo’s thoughts on the business of publishing, you might want to check out some of these posts†¦Patience: The Modern Author’s Lost VirtueAuthorpreneurs VC PublishersUncommon Author - An Interview with Eliot Peper

Foreign Direct Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Foreign Direct Investment - Essay Example Foreign Direct Investment refers to the investments that a multinational firm makes when it is initially located in one country but decides to locate to or acquire substantial production facilities in another country. FDI is a significant factor in operation of MNCs. As Bernard, Jensen and Schott [2] point out, its importance to the U.S. economy is demonstrated by the fact that about 90% of all exports from and imports into the U.S. flow through a U.S. MNC while roughly 50% of the trade flows in fact occur between subsidiaries or affiliates of the same MNCs.[2]. Foreign Direct Investment in another country could take place through the financing of new investments within the target country or even through mergers and acquisitions of local firms and production facilities, etc by a multinational entity, with the value of mergers increasing from 52% of the FDI in 1987 to 83% in 1999, as per UNCTAD [13].1.2:  Ã‚  Ã‚   Benefits of Foreign Direct Investment:  Foreign Direct Investment c an be beneficial to a multinational firm in several ways and Isobe et al [8] have examined the multinational firm in the context of technology transfer. They have examined the impact of early movers in technology within emerging economic regions as far as performance is concerned by studying 220 Japanese multinational companies that have set up their business in China. The findings in this study suggested that a multinational firm gains from technology transfer especially when the degree of commitment of the firm is high.