Commentary on Oscar and Lucind essays

Commentary on Oscar and Lucind essays Commentary on Oscar and Lucinda The passage from the novel, Oscar and Lucinda is a narrative, descriptive piece of writing describing in detail Oscars experience of visiting a glass factory/business. Oscar is surprised to discover beauty and wonder in the manufacturing process of glass; however this infatuation and deep admiration of glass could be a reflection of his admiration for the owner of the glass factory. The passage is written in third person, but readers engage in Oscars thoughts and feelings through the authors use of expressionism. Although Oscar and Lucinda was written in 1988, it is set in the past. This is apparent from the oxen droppings in the street as well as the fact that men are used to manufacture glass bottles and not machinery, man had made his body comply with the needs of manufacturing. The structure of the passage shows a noticeable change in imagery halfway through, from natural scenery to foul and dirty images of a factory. The passage starts with a lighthearted, humoristic tone. We are introduced to Oscar, as he is seen by other men. These men consider him to be an odd bird and they laugh at his comic figure, but not maliciously This conveys to readers, that Oscar is a likeable character with unusual ways, or just unique qualities. He is not like other men and this is accentuated even more by his movements or actions, he leaped across the puddle, waved an umbrella, jumped to avoid some oxen droppings. The image suggests, that he is a happy, lively person, however his behavior is slightly childish, and it is possible to assume that he is not very macho or manly. From line six onwards, the focus is directed on Oscar and his various feelings, the tone consequently becoming somewhat more serious. With the line Oscar felt he had opene...

Chinese Business Etiquette

Chinese Business Etiquette From setting up a meeting to formal negotiations, knowing the right words to say is integral in conducting business. This is especially true if you are hosting or are guests of international business people. When planning or attending a Chinese business meeting, keep these tips on Chinese business etiquette in mind. Setting Up a Meeting When setting up a Chinese business meeting, it is important to send as much information to your Chinese counterparts in advance. This includes details about the topics to be discussed and background information on your company. Sharing this information ensures that the people you want to meet will actually attend the meeting. However, preparing in advance will not get you confirmation of the actual meeting’s day and time. It is not uncommon to wait anxiously until the last minute for confirmation. Chinese businessmen often prefer waiting until a few days before or even the day of the meeting to confirm the time and place. Arrival Etiquette Be on time. Arriving late is considered rude. If you do arrive late, apologizing for your tardiness is a must. If you are hosting the meeting, it is proper etiquette to send a representative to greet the meeting’s participants outside the building or in the lobby, and then personally escort them to the meeting room. The host should be waiting in the meeting room to greet all meeting attendants. The senior-most guest should enter the meeting room first. While entrance by rank is a must during high-level government meetings, it is becoming less formal for regular business meetings. Seating Arrangements at a Chinese Business Meeting After handshakes and exchanging business cards, guests will take their seats. The seating is typically arranged by rank. The host should escort the senior-most guest to his or her seat as well as any VIP guests. The place of honor is to the host’s right on a sofa or in chairs that are opposite the room’s doors. If the meeting is held around a large conference table, then the guest of honor is seated directly opposite the host. Other high-ranking guests sit in the same general area while the remainder of the guests can choose their seats from among the remaining chairs. If the meeting is held around a large conference table, all the Chinese delegation may opt to sit on one side of the table and foreigners on the other. This is especially true for formal meetings and negotiations. The principal delegates are seated in the meeting with lower ranking attendees placed at either end of the table. Discussing Business Meetings usually begin with small talk to help both sides feel more comfortable. After a few moments of small talk, there is a short welcoming speech from the host followed by a discussion of the meeting’s topic. During any conversation, Chinese counterparts will often nod their heads or make affirmative utterances. These are signals that they are listening to what is being said and understand what is being said. These are not agreements to what is being said. Do not interrupt during the meeting. Chinese meetings are highly structured and interjecting beyond a quick remark is considered rude. Also, don’t put anyone on the spot by asking them to provide information they seem unwilling to give or challenge a person directly. Doing so will lead them to become embarrassed and lose face.

Social Network Website Design & Justification Assignment

Social Network Website Design & Justification - Assignment Example Users are then prompted to complete their public profile. Completing the contact details and public profile section allows users to effectively participate on the online community forums. For example, they can use their screen name to share their blood donation pictures online. One a first user is logged into my account, they will find a number of interactive features that will help them navigate the interface and customize their own profile the way they want. New users can also click navigation help to learn how to interact with the interface of the site. Returning users will have enhanced interactive features that allow them to donate blood, track their donation. They will also be able to build their reputation based on their number of friends and the number of donations, ratings. The website will incorporate a number of links to various online games where by registered users who are online will be able to play win/loose games with other users who are also online. One of the main social network games that will be in cooperated into the new site is a farming simulation game known as FarmVille. The proposed design of the social media site for Canadian blood services has a number of interactive features that are not only designed to enhance the usability of the social media site but also to motivate potential users into donating blood as well as increase the number of people joining signing up into the site. For example, to attract more people to the new site, various features have been included to allow registered members of the donor community to invite their friends through other social media channels such as Facebook and twitter by click â€Å"add friend† or â€Å"invite others† buttons. On the other hand, non registered users and visitors can also share the contents of the social media site to their twitter or Facebook accounts. Once individuals have been attracted to the site, the next important challenge is to motivate them to successfully undergo

Keeping Up Appearances At All Costs Mr. Nilson and The Japanese Quince Essay

Keeping Up Appearances At All Costs Mr. Nilson and The Japanese Quince - Essay Example The bird and the tree were fully alive, truly natural; Mr. Nilson merely existed - going through the motions behind the faade of a wealthy businessman. Appearances had to be maintained, even if this resulted in a lonely life and missed opportunities for friendship. The main problem with Mr. Nilson is his inability to break away from what he saw as the rules and strictures of polite Victorian society and make contact with another human being. He was a rich, London businessman, living in wealthy surroundings, a man who took care of his health and appearance. He was a creature of habit, leading an orderly life, which made him feel secure, even as he suffered some physical discomfort. His neighbour, Mr. Tandram seemed his exact replica, as in "well known in the City" and "of about Mr. Nilson's own height, with firm, well-coloured cheeks, neat brown mustaches, and round, well-opened, clear grey eyes, and he was wearing a black frock coat." (Galsworthy) How he looked to others was important for Nilson. The similarities run right through the story, ending in sadness for two lonely people who could have connected, if only they had not been so conventional, so concerned with how things looked, and with keeping up outside appearances. It was the tree, the blackbird and the beauty of the day that combined to touch their separate emotions and bring them together for a short time, to forget themselves.

Channel Conflict Analysis of Schwinn Essay Example for Free

Channel Conflict Analysis of Schwinn Essay With Schwinn’s recent expansion into many large-scale retail stores (i. e. Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us, Target, etc. ), they began to shift into a dual channel marketing strategy. Often times, if not handled properly, this type of approach can result in significant problems for some or all of the distribution channel partners. Fortunately for Schwinn however, they were able to make many critical decisions which ensured that each of the partners’ distinct interests was narrowly aligned with their own. This proactive plan not only motivated many of their smaller independent bicycle dealers to continue carrying their products but it also allowed Schwinn to effectively reach a much larger segment of their target market. By closely analyzing this case, we can learn many valuable lessons regarding the overall importance of strong channel management. Product differentiation was one of the primary ways that Schwinn managed to avoid channel conflict. Schwinn segmented the market and delivered to the different segments of the market through different channels. The product line delivered through the mass market channel consisted of completely different bicycles than those found at the independent bicycle dealers. This segmentation reduced the likelihood of conflict between the two channels, since the two product lines were targeted at segments with little to no crossover. Additionally, Schwinn introduced products like the Sting Ray which had nostalgic appeal and stretched beyond the traditional customer base of the independent bicycle dealers. These types of bicycles provided them with a unique product and furthermore a healthy margin to bolster profits. By maintaining distinct product lines for their two channels, Schwinn was able to minimize multi-channel conflict. The key to motivating channel members is to provide value and benefits to each partner in order to align interests and thus achieve the ultimate goal: satisfy the customer’s needs. Schwinn used both push and pull strategies effectively. By offering a relatively higher margin level than other high-end manufacturers catering to independent bicycle dealers, they were able to restore the confidence and interest of their long term retailers in spite of going for a dual channel strategy. Moreover, as mentioned in the article, unlike most companies in the industry, there was no complicated loyalty formula required to get the best prices from Schwinn. In addition, Schwinn did not require specific pre-order sales in order to carry their products. Instead, suppliers were granted flexible purchasing options so they did not have to unnecessarily stock inventories during their off-seasons (i. e. winter months in cold climates). This push strategy not only reduced the administrative cost of the retailers, but also improved the inventory turnover and ultimately the retailers’ bottom line. Conversely, Schwinn was also able to simultaneously create a pull strategy after they utilized the extensive media exposure of products, such as the Sting Ray, to increase the brand recognition among customers thus drawing them to the independent bicycle dealers. In addition to this, the specialty storeowners found significant profits lying in the repairing of these bikes and selling of parts/accessories. This proved to be a great factor for specialty bike owners to remain in business while selling Schwinn. They had a clear edge over other big retailers like Wal-Mart who did not provide any after sales service to its customers. Because they were making money by servicing the bikes sold at the mass market stores, the independent bicycle dealers were more tolerant of losing some sales on the edge of their segment to Wal-Mart, Target, Toys-R-Us, etc. Schwinn has done a good job of heading off any channel conflict by keeping the incentives aligned for its two main distribution channels. By expanding its product line into major retailers, the company has been able to target a new segment of casual bike riders. With Schwinn’s new line of entry-level bikes, big-box stores can satisfy the needs of casual bike riders by offering a large selection of affordable bikes at convenient locations. Meanwhile, Schwinn still provides a number of incentives to local bike shops, which form the company’s other main distribution channel. These shops still profit from service and repair, which large retailers do not offer. Additionally, some of Schwinn’s higher-end models are exclusively available in bike shops. Finally, Schwinn is flexible with its inventory requirements and offers good margins. By offering different incentives to each of its distribution channels, Schwinn has been able to target more customers while also keeping its retailers happy.

Orientalist Musings and their Applicability to Three Kings :: Essays Papers

Orientalist Musings and their Applicability to Three Kings The concept of Orientalism is one in which Edward Said, a renowned intellectual with a solid background in the field of Arab study, is particularly knowledgeable. If the concepts surrounding Orientalism are broken down into specific elemental degrees, then Said portrays the American conception of Arabic entities and their inhabitants with a plethora of stereotypes that generate a false depiction of the Arabic culture. This, of course, is only an extremely small portion of the grandiose Orientalist dilemma that is currently quite prevalent in modern day society. Yet, for this paper’s ultimate purpose, this sector will be the sole focus. As Said intimates, the lens that the Americans utilize in order to acquire information about Arabs is one that reflects perceptions falsely. This lens is skewed in order to protect and support certain interests, whether they be American or western based. Movies, particularly when generated through the Hollywood action- based gen re, have an false generalization of the way in which an Arabic people are. In some respects, the Hollywood produced movie, Three Kings, is a pertinent acknowledgment of the former. In many portions of the film, the enumerated antics may cause for a feeling of disdain toward the Arab nation. Yet, compared to the majority of the typical Hollywood action-based films, Three Kings manages to break away from these abhorrent stereotypes and provide a more than average acknowledgment of the sheer complexity of the Arab people as individual, separate from Saddam Hussein. Therefore, Said’s primary proposed conception of Orientalism is challenged and the Arab is depicted as a person trying to fight Hussein. In correlation with Said’s Orientalist argument, American film portrays the Arab as the enemy, but in Three Kings this concept is challenged. Typically, by the end of an American film, there are a significantly greater number of Arab bodies than that of the superpower, in this case the United States of America. To a greater extent, Three Kings plays around with this typical film-like mentality. In the film, when the men are stranded and are looking for some way to escape from the village and rescue their man Troy, George Clooney states, â€Å"we are not supposed to be involved with this, we killed Iraqi soldiers, violated the peace accord, and a plane will not come for us.

The Most Memorable Event in My Life

According to my experience, the most memorable event in my life was realizing the significance of being honest. At the age of sixteen, I was not only stubborn but also naive. I always thought that I was a perfect girl who would never have any fault. Those attitudes caused some negative consequences, such as ignoring people's suggestions, or being harsh to realize how foolish I was. I was an exchange student at Japan when I was sixteen years old. At the beginning of exchanging experience, I felt curious and excited to be in a totally new environment.People around me spoke different languages, and majority of them had different culture and background from mine. Initially I did feel pleased to talk about my culture with new friends, but those feeling didn't last long. After few days, I suddenly felt exhausted and embarrassed at Japan. I didn't understand the class, and I couldn't even ask questions. The main difficulty was expressing my ideas in understandable ways. Later, I found the t extbook in Chinese version to catch up class materials.Unfortunately, the teacher announced that the quiz would come shortly. At that moment, I was not only lost but also scared. I tried my best not to be behind, but ability of learning independently disappointed me a lot. There were misunderstanding of basic principles and concepts existed when I was studying. However, no one could help me to understand better. At the quiz day, the whole class seemed confident except me. During the quiz time, I cheated at my neighbor’s paper when she went to washroom and exam proctors caught me.After the quiz, my counselor was shock when she knew what happened. I received the punishment from school with one-week volunteer time. At the same time, my best friend advised me to apologize to my counselor because she trusted so much. After several days, my counselor finally talked and taught me the importance of being honest in life. After long time, I still remember this experience. This made me recognize that people were not perfect, but you could make little progress every day to get closer to being perfect.