A Biting Elegy Ben Jonson on Shakespeare - Literature Essay Samples

A master of humor and satire, Ben Jonson was a playwright, poet, and actor; he was also known as one of Shakespeare’s theatrical contemporaries, if not Shakespeares prime literary rival. His poem â€Å"To the Memory of My Beloved the Author, Mr. William Shakespeare† was as an elegy to commemorate Shakespeare and his works. However, Jonson is not truly sincere in his admiration of Shakespeare. Jonson shrewdly undermines Shakespeare by hiding his criticism under the laudatory guise of the poem. Jonson subverts the expected, masterful image of Shakespeare by overtly praising him in a theatrical manner, discrediting his admirers, exposing his faults, and questioning his greatness relative to the great poets of the past. While the poem is written as an elegy to Shakespeare and therefore is supposed to be extolling in nature, Jonson’s excessive use of praise hinders the reader from fully admiring Shakespeare. The title not only overstates the obvious intention of the poem (a devotion to Shakespeare), but also is also especially lengthy and superfluous that it hints insincerity. Jonson attempts to praise Shakespeare by giving him several adjectives as decorative titles. He opens with â€Å"My Beloved,† an intimate and loving term. However, instead of being consistent with this level of affection, he unexpectedly distances himself and calls Shakespeare â€Å"the Author† and then formally addresses him as â€Å"Mr. William Shakespeare,† with the full prefix, first name and last name, halting the reader from fully viewing Shakespeare affectionately and signaling the reader to question his relationship with Shakespeare. Such disconnect also makes it look as if Jonson cannot find any other good things to say about Shakespeare and is resorting to a fact. By using such formal term and resorting to the obvious (i.e., his profession and official name respectively) Jonson succeeds in pretending to praise, while not evoking any admirable feelings from the reader for Shakespeare. Immediately, the title of the poem sets the premise for the rest of the poem as it makes the reader be more skeptical look for Jonson’s criticism beneath his praise for Shakespeare. Jonson continues to stage the obvious and over exaggerates his praise for Shakespeare that it verges on mockery, trivializing Shakespeare and his works. Jonson presents the poem like as with an over exaggeration of everything as if it’s staged. Thus, the praises should not be taken seriously, so transitively trivializing Shakespeare’s achievements. To illustrate, Jonson stops midway in the poem and announces, â€Å"I therefore will begin,†(17) referring to how he will begin eulogizing Shakespeare. The sudden change in narrative voice to first person, and the fact that the speaker is stating his intent instead of just diving into a praise creates an image of Jonson as a narrator on the stage, telling the audience that the show is about to start, the show being his applause for Shakespeare’s â€Å"great† achievements. In fact, in addition to the abrupt change in narrative voice, the period at the end of the phrase also creates a dramatic pause, stops the flow of the poem, making whatever comes after the phrase forced an unnatural. Jonson further dramatizes his praise of Shakespeare through his excessive use of exclamations marks. By using exclamation marks back to back with praises like â€Å"soul of the age!† followed by â€Å"the applause, delight, the wonder of our stage!† (17/18), takes away the impact the exclamation mark usually makes. Suddenly, the praises carry less weight and is trivialized. Moreover, later in the poem Jonson tries to top his previous praise of saying Shakespeare is â€Å"soul of the age† when he exclaims how Shakespeare â€Å"was not of an age but for all time!† as if he is playing a game to see how more over the top he could be. Logically, these two phrases also contradicts each other, which makes both laudatory statements cancel each other out, leaving them as empty praises. Therefore, Jonson’s imagery of a stage as well as his over exaggerated compliments trivializ es Shakespeare and his works. In fact, Jonson not only demeans Shakespeare through his own hyperbolic praises, but also discredits other people’s praise for Shakespeare. Jonson understands that one of the reason Shakespeare’s popularity is because he’s celebrated for being celebrated (similar to the idea of being famous for being famous) people admire him because a lot of other people praise him. Thus, Jonson attempts to take away this shield of praise as he explains how praise can be harmful and discredits Shakespeare’s admirers. Jonson presents the concept that praise is not always positive when he uses the â€Å"too much† to describe praise in the line â€Å"neither man nor muse can praise too much†(4). The phrase â€Å"too much† strikes as rather unconventional. In contrast to using â€Å"can praise enough† which evokes the idea of an empty space that still needs to be filled to be completed, Jonson uses â€Å"can praise too much† which presents an image of an overload of praise, as thought its gone past the point of completeness. Therefore, presenting how praises are now doing more harm than good. This slight change in wording, causes the reader to look at praises for Shakespeare differently, if not more critically. Jonson elaborates on this idea of how praises can be more harmful than beneficial when he analyzes Shakespeare’s admirers. Jonson is introducing the fact that many of Shakespeare’s admirers are â€Å"blind [in] affection† and praise him out of â€Å"seeliest ignorance,† lacking the ability and knowledge to truly appreciate his works (9). Naturally, such an argument causes the reader to look to themselves and question whether they hold Shakespeare in high regard because of others? Consequently making the reader even more critical of their views on him. At the same time, putting down some of Shakespeares admirers further gains Jonson the reader trusts as he presents himself as the few who can really understand Shakespeare’s work. Jonson does not stop there as he compares the situation to when â€Å"some infamous bawd or whore/ Should praise a matron† (13-14). Suddenly, Jonson presents the case to be worse than it actually is as comparing someon e who can’t appreciate work to a whore or bawd is rather extreme. Nonetheless, it proves effective in that it converts these praises from something positive to negative and subtracts from Shakespeare’s greatness. Not only does Jonson cancel out many of Shakespeare’s ignorant and thus fake admirers, but he also decreases the praise of Shakespeare’s top admirers like Queen Elizabeth and King James I. Instead of addressing them formally with their respective titles of â€Å"Queen† and â€Å"King,† Jonson refers to them as â€Å"Eliza and our James† (74). Jonson reference to the Queen and King in such casual terms may on the surface show Shakespeare’s close relationship with them. However, by using informal language, Jonson also reduces the monarchs, something so high and unreachable, to familiars, which takes away from the awe inspiring fact that Shakespeare is under the patronage of the highest ranking person in the country. Thus, by discrediting Shakespeare’s blind admirers and familiarizing his high ranking admirers, Jonson is stripping Shakespeare from the praises that make him so great, consequently reducing Shakespeare to the shadow of his f ormer, admirable self. Like how Jonson makes the monarchs seem more relatable, he also tries to pull Shakespeare from his pedestal by familiarizing Shakespeare and presenting him as an imperfect commoner who make mistakes as opposed to an unreachable literary genius. Jonson starts by exposing Shakespeare’s low educational background as he superficially commends Shakespeare for being able to make it this far when Shakespeare â€Å"hadst small Latin and less Greek† (31). Although it seems like Jonson is praising Shakespeare for becoming successful despite his educational background, the reader cannot fully admire Shakespeare. The reason for this incomplete admiration to is due to Jonson’s use of superlatives. Jonson could just saidâ€Å"hadst small Latin and Greek† withot the â€Å"less Greek† and it would still have relayed the same point across. However, by adding the extra superlative he creates a descending imagery, which conflicts with the idea of Shakespeare inclining in position, consequently halting the reader from truly admiring Shakespeare. In fact, Jonson is rather biased in his commentary, as Jonson is known for his grasp of the classics and is judging Shakespeare from his own high standard. Already Shakespeare’s educational background creates a hole in the prior image of a perfect Shakespeare. Moreover, Jonson tears at an image of a genius Shakespeare when he reveals that Shakespeare can makes mistakes, like any other ordinary person. Jonson states how â€Å"who casts to write a living line, must sweat (such as thine are)† referring to how hard Shakespeare had to work to produce a prose so good that it is â€Å"living.† Such a statement is meant to compliment Shakespeare’s hard work ethic, but Jonson’s real motive is attribute Shakespeare’s success to his hard work and not his genius as a way of brining him down from the pedestal. Jonson also uses brackets as a means of demoting Shakespeare to an ordinary citizen when puts â€Å"(such as thine are)† in brackets. Although â€Å"Thine† could be referring to Shakespeare, it could also be referring to the reader. The brackets allow Jonson to break the fourth wall and address the readers as it creates a space for an aside, as it doesn’t cut the flow of the poem. By exposin g Shakespeare’s educational backstory and showing that Shakespeare can make mistakes, Jonson is able to take away Shakespeare’s pedestal as he presents as ordinary. Jonson acknowledges Shakespeare’s abilities. However, he attempts to shrink Shakespeare’s greatness as he poses the question of how great Shakespeare relative to the great poets in history as he calls Shakespeare’s burial location into question. Jonson pretends to be indignant of how Shakespeare is buried in Stratford and not buried where â€Å"Chaucer, or Spencer, or bid Beaumont lie† (20) in Westminster Abbey. However, Jonson’s true motive for protesting is to shed light on this issue so that reader, naturally, would be inclined to ask why he wasn’t buried there in the first place? Did the authorities see something they didn’t? Or was Shakespeare good, but just not exemplary enough to be buried with other great poets?† After creating this gap of doubt in the readers mind, Jonson shows Shakespeare’s inadequacy by challenging Shakespeare himself and filling in the gap of doubt with an image of Shakespeare trying to squeeze himself into the poet’s corner. Jonson starts off by mockingly challenging Shakespeare to find himself a space when he cries â€Å"Shakespeare rise!† By using the word â€Å"rise†, Jonson conjures an image of a dead Shakespeare â€Å"rising† from the dead, which is not only disrespectful to Shakespeare, but also paints Shakespeare in a very weak and disturbing state, an image that makes Shakespeare seem even farther away from the poetic martyr. Moreover, by using a one-syllable verb followed by an exclamation mark, Jonson treats Shakespeare as an inferior, someone he can command. Therefore, making Shakespeare seem even less deserving to be buried by the greats. Most importantly, Jonson ends with a relatively weak sentence â€Å"to make thee a roo m† (21). The phrase is weak because it lacks a subject and thus presenting an imagery of a limited space that Shakespeare has to force and squeeze himself into it as opposed to a more definitive phrase of â€Å"a room will be made† where the subject is present and in the beginning, creating an image of a room that must be present for him. By challenging Shakespeare on his burial space and building an undeserving image of him, Jonson succeeds in making Shakespeare’s accomplishment become relatively less great. Throughout the poem, Jonson fervently praises Shakespeare and his works. However, there is always an underlying motive to undermine Shakespeare beneath all of them. Jonson criticizes Shakespeare through the superfluous title of the poem, his theatrical praises, attempts to discredit Shakespeare’s admirers, revealing his faults as well as questioning his burial location. In a way, by hiding his attacks behind his praises, the reader is led to actually listen and be swayed by Jonson and his attempts to subvert Shakespeare’s great legacy.

Mistakes That Can Ruin One s Interview - 1768 Words

In this paper I describe mistakes that can ruin one’s interview for a job in person. Interviews can make or break a relationship. Interviews are the first impressions of someone before they are accepted or denied. As being the interviewee, one must do research on the company, dress formally, talk without any slang, and especially not be late to the interview. After reading this paper, one should be successful in any interview. The first credible source I found that was helpful was LifeHack.org. LifeHack is one of the top 10,000 most visited sites in the world. This site was made for college students and was founded by Lean Ho at Hack College. On this site, it describes 5 most common mistakes during, and before the interview. One common mistake is the wardrobe. Even if it’s summer and blazing hot, that is not an excuse for not being properly attired, this means an interviewee may not wear short. LifeHack studies say that in the first 7 to 17 seconds, that’s the fi rst impression. If not properly attired, one can be disqualified before open their mouth. The next common mistake is being late. A good saying is, â€Å"If you’re not 5 mins early, you’re 10 mins late†. Showing up late can have one immediately dismissed. One suggestion LifeHack makes is if you feel like the interview is too far away from you, suggest to the interviewer to doing an online interview. Life can throw a lot of obstacles such as traffic or getting lost in an unknown area. Always be early! The third commonShow MoreRelatedProfound, Poetic Rock and Roll by Bob Dylan 793 Words   |  3 Pagesaccurate. Following a 1991 interview conducted by Paul Zollo with Bob Dylan, Zollo stated that â€Å"There’s an unmistakable elegance in Dylan’s words, an almost biblical beauty† and that â€Å"Dylan’s answers give you a lot to think about while not necessarily revealing much about the man†. (Zollo 2) The same can be said with reg ard to many of the lyrics of Dylan’s songs. 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The Physics of Semiconductor Devices Essay example

The Physics of Semiconductor Devices The purpose of this paper is to give a greater understanding of the semiconductor world, for Physics 100 students who have a little knowledge of electronics. I will cover conductors, insulators, semiconductors, and the operation of a diode and a transistor. The reason that it is important to understand these devices is the vast effect that they have had on our modern world. Our lives are filled by electronics, especially in this computerized age that we live in, and I have found that a knowledge of some electronics has greatly helped my understanding of the many electronic devices that we deal with on a daily basis. To understand the physics of a semiconductor device it is first necessary to†¦show more content†¦The outer shell of electrons that orbit the nucleus of an atom is called the valance shell. This is what makes a copper atom conduct. For a copper atom the number of electrons is one. When a charge of electricity is placed in the end of a wire the electrons move into the wire. Since there is only one electron in the valance shell of a copper atom it can be easily dislodged with a small amount of energy causing it to jump to the next atom. This will then cause the valance electron of that atom to jump to the next atom and so forth. This movement happens very fast making it possible for a large number of electrons to move through the wire. An example of a conductive atom is shown figure 1. Now we will move onto other materials that are involved with electronics. The next group of materials that will be discussed are insulators. An insulator is a material that does not conduct electricity at all but will resist or stop it from traveling further. An insulating atom has eight electrons in its valance shell which makes this shell complete. 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Challenger Disaster free essay sample

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster has been well investigated and analysed as a typical management case by numerous researchers. Although the disaster is the direct result of a technical issue, the hardware failure of a solid rocket booster (SRB) O-ring caused by abnormally low temperatures, there is an unambiguous relationship between the disaster and numerous organizational factors such as communication (Gouran et al. 1986), leadership decision-making (Fisher, 1993 and Heimann, 1993) and individual behaviour in a stressful environment (Boisjoly et al. , 1989, Romzek and Dubnick, 1987). Arguably, all parties involved contributed to these issues, possibly outweighing the technology aspect. This paper will address fundamental questions relating to the organizational causes of the disaster. What organizational factors contributed to the accident? The organizational factors contributing to the disaster are centred on the following three issues. The first issue is the serious communication breakdown was between NASA and Morton Thiokol. According to historical records, Boisjoly (2006), the former Morton Thiokol engineer, had â€Å"ordered the Marshall Space Flight Centre (MSFC) to present a preliminary report prior to formal FRR meetings† after noticing the design flaw of these primary seals on the two field joints as early as 1985. We will write a custom essay sample on Challenger Disaster or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Boisjoly subsequently brought the problem to the board’s attention. Nevertheless, until 1986 the issue had not yet been resolved although NASA had classified it as ‘an emergency’ matter. Not only Boisjoly, but also other engineers such as Thompson (1985) reported the O-ring seal problem to their managers, and highlight that it had become ‘acute’. Attempts to make the issue clear were ultimately disregarded by the management groups. The second issue is the excessively vertical rather than horizontal and collaborative decision making process of senior managers. As investigated after the accident (CST, 1986), the disaster could have been avoided if NASA and Morton-Thiokol managers had paid attention to the recommendations of the technical staff, and taken scientific decisive action to solve the increasingly serious problem. NASA managers made the final launching decision without the support of Morton Thiokol managers, not heeding the repeated warnings of engineers regarding the abnormal low temperature at the launch location (Rogers Commission, 1986). The third issue is the decision-making behaviour of people under intense pressure. According to the view of Romzek and Dubnick (1987), NASA made the hasty final launching decision under the pressure of the White House, because delaying the launch could cause potential loss of economic and political support for the space program as well as damage the overall reputation of the program. The same accountability pressures also had an impact on Morton Thiokol, which undertook transferring pressure of NASA with fear of contract loss. These pressures influenced the final decision ‘that set an overly ambitious launch schedule’. How did the forces of ‘reason’ and ‘emotion’ influence the decision to proceed with the launch? The Challenger disaster is an example of how, in an organisational setting, pressure and fear can lead to irrational behaviour on the part of the leaders and decision-makers involved. Irrationality connotes a lack of reason, which can be brought about via emotionally charged situations. The Thiokol team were put under intense pressure by NASA to carry out the launch and ultimately succumbed to fears of recrimination rather than follow their instincts and better judgment. They held the knowledge that multiple lives were at stake, thus illustrating the power of the forces of reason and emotion in organisational behaviour. George proposes that â€Å"emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage moods and emotions in the self and others, contributes to effective leadership in organisations† (2000). It can be argued that Thiokol and NASA were operating under a deficiency of emotional intelligence. This is apparent in their systematic ignoring of clear and persistent calls to redesign the O-ring. The Rogers Commission report outlines Marshall engineers Leon Ray and John Q. Miller’s attempts to elicit a redesign by issuing memos including the words â€Å"resulting in catastrophic failure† (1986). By ignoring such blatant warnings, Thiokol and NASA, the acting leaders in this endeavour, eschewed the responsibility to even merely address this emotional outcry. Thereby, they failed to understand and deal with the serious emotions of concern from Marshall and failed to manage their fears of failure by not admitting that problems exist and being committed to a solution. No reason or logical explanation for their actions can be found. This behaviour and the decision to proceed with the launch can be seen as an illustration of what Tourish and Robson call â€Å"threat-rigidity theory† (2006). This theory ties into the idea that speaking up or voicing concerns threatens â€Å"the vital interests of an entity† and the desire to always be seen in a â€Å"positive light† (Tourish and Robson, 2006). Ultimately, as the Rogers Commission report supports, since Thiokol and NASA lacked emotional intelligence in the organisational context they could not manage their emotions of fear, pride and complacency. How did the relations between NASA and Morton Thiokol affect the decision? In NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, the organizational structure was a vertical (tall) differentiation structure consisting of four levels (George and Jones, 2006). Level I was a final authority to determine launch readiness (Gouran, et. al. , 1986) and NASA engineers and managers were operating together. However, one issue of this structure was that it was highly autonomous and the entire managerial system became more complex, bureaucratic and political accountable (Vijay, 1996). Morton Thiokol was a contractor producing the Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) for the NASA team. When Thiokol’s engineering and managerial teams discovered the abnormally low temperature, which could cause a potential technical failure of O-ring, they provided a recommendation to NASA teams to postpone the time of the shuttle launch until noon or later on 28 January. However, NASA’s Level III managers strongly disagreed with Thiokol’s engineering analysis. They thought this was an ‘acceptable risk’ which was based on scientific method supported by sufficient testing and data. According to the Challenger case analysis by Vaughan (1996), the Challenger accident was due to the normalization of organizational deviance and misconduct. The normalization of organizational deviance was the outcome of the changing socially culture of NASA’s workgroup and production. Indeed, in NASA’s organizational structure, it can be seen that the decision-making power is highly centralized. Centralization is described as â€Å"the concentration of authority and responsibility for decision-making power in the hands of managers at the top of an organization’s hierarchy† (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2010). It can affect an organizational culture. In the Challenger case, NASA’s workgroup culture seemed to be ‘deviant’ and ‘inappropriate’. However, as they conformed the cultural beliefs, they still kept supporting the scheduled Challenger launch even though Thiokol explained that there existed a potential risk. As a result, it created a flawed decision-making process between NASA and Morton Thiokol. Is any one part, group or organization responsible for the disaster? Greene argues that there is a serious deficiency in communication and culture throughout the NASA and Morton Thiokol organizational structure and that both parties were responsible for the ultimate outcome (2013). The engineers failed to catch the attention of managers regarding the danger of launching the spaceship. Although engineer had alerted management to problems with the O-ring, thus communication was insufficient in preventing the tragedy (DeGeorge, 1981). As often observed, when information is transferred from subordinates to middle or senior management, it is more than likely that the truth may be twisted in favour of senior management’s preferences. The management took safety for granted and rushed to launch the space shuttle days before President Reagan’s State of the Union speech. Gouran (1986) has indicated that the decision to launch occurred under tremendous pressure. The chief engineer of NASA headquarters, Milton Silviera, should have taken the responsibility of safety, reliability, and quality assurance of the space shuttle. According to the Roger Commission report, the NASA x-range safety officer was not present at the meeting where the launch decision was made. Both the engineering and managerial teams knew of the technical defect, however, no one came forward to stop the launch. The organizational culture in NASA seems to deliberately ignore unpleasant voice (Tufte, 1997). Due to the pressure to conform and the loss of leadership at every level of management, NASA went ahead with the plan. Finally, NASA was flooded with pride because they set a precedent of success previously, and did not want to compromise their reputation. Therefore there was no room to manoeuvre (Silver, 2012). How might NASA’s own culture have contributed to the disaster? As this case identifies, the primary cause of Challenger’s accident was based on the ailure of the O-rings during the launch of the spaceship. Nevertheless, the processes behind this technical aspect unleash a far more distinct area that should be seen through the concept of Organizational culture. This notion is recognized by Stephen Johnson, an ‘ASK Magazine’ contributor; â€Å"Success and failures clearly have technical causes, but a system’s reliability strongly depends on human processes used to develop it, the decisions of the funders, managers, and engineers who collectively determined the level of risk† (Johnson, 2012). ASK Magazine’ is published by NASA, and the magazine points to what many argue to be the main reason for why Challenger‘s O-rings failed during take-off back in 1986. Organizational culture does have a significant impact on any organization’s performance, but not only in terms of positive and productive outcome. Edgar Schein, author of the article ‘What You Need to Know About Organizational Culture’ recognises in his text that â€Å"many have adopted â€Å"strong† cultures as a prescription of organizational success† (Schein, 2003). For NASA in the context of the Challenger disaster, the ‘strong’ culture may be seen in a more negative light due to the autocratic leadership style exercised by NASA managers at the time, in conjunction with their supplier (Morton Thiokol). This is emphasised through the comments made by a Senior Vice President of the operations where it was communicated that â€Å"a management decision [was] necessary† (Boisjoly et al, 1989) in responding to objections about the launch from engineering personnel involved in the preparation for take-off. This focus on managerial and performance related terms rather than technical and security factors was further emphasised by comments made by another manager who asked an engineer to â€Å"take off [your] engineering hat and put on [your] management hat† (ibid) in discussing whether Challenger was ready for launch. According to Boisjoly, â€Å"the process represented a radical shift from previous NASA policy. Until that moment, the burden of proof had always been on the engineers to prove beyond a doubt that it was safe to launch. NASA, with their objections to the original Thiokol recommendation against the launch, and Mason, with his request for a â€Å"management decision†, shifted the burden of proof in the opposite direction† (ibid). Power and politics in organizations: the impact of authorities decisions-making, their responsibilities and authority NASA as a governmental organization has a vast organizational scheme that engages in a wide range of activities. LaPalombara ,et a(2001) stated that considerations of power and its exercise are ubiquitous in public/political-sector organizations. There was a political pressure on NASA to show to the public that the shuttle Challenger’s program was not at the experimental stage anymore like Apollo was but is now completely operational, and reliable enough to attract commercial businesses. However, the decisions to reduce the federal finance of the program along with the pressure that NASA was facing in terms of unrealistic flight schedule due to commitments to government, have contributed to poor decision making from the launch managers. The pre-launch conferences (Groupthink, 1989) unveiled some flaws, which led to the Challenger disaster. These flaws included an environment in which decision-making was under pressure. For Vaughan, these decisions have contributed to the development of a new organizational culture that allowed some degree of technical flaws. Many entities were present in the organization; several private firms have contracts to assist in the launch process of NASA’s STS launch missions. For Cohen and Axelrod (1984), this condition of multiple accountability, formal and informal, implies that political organizations are considerably less autonomous than private-sector organizations. Another impact of power and politics in organizations is â€Å"the teacher in space† program. With this program, President Reagan was showing his support of education, but it put NASA under pressure to promote the image that shuttle flight is safe and should be perceived as normal airline travel. LaPalombara argues that Normative considerations are endemic to public/politicalsector organizations, because they are directly or indirectly involved in what Easton (1953) once called ‘the authoritative allocation of values’. What does it mean to manage a complex system? Perrow (1972) argues that complex systems should be avoided. Yet, complex systems in organizations such as NASA and hospitals cannot be avoided (2003). As these institutions will remain in existence, the risk of errors and mistakes is heightened. Communication is a central theme in complex system management. There should be focus on communication from managers to non-managerial staff (Dennis Tourish and Paul Robson, 2006). Seeger and Ulmer (2003) stated the collapse of Enron was partially caused by a failure on the part of its senior managers to maintain adequate communication systems capable of transmitting information about organizational problems. Managing change is also crucial: Managers of such organizations do not limit at redundancy, they also proceed to organizational and cultural changes. We have seen the changing of institutional expectations in NASA’s environment. Consequently, its structure began taking on an organizational ambience that supported compliance to administrative needs. That was a response to pressures. Organization components were supposed to work closely together but that was not the case among Marshall, Kennedy and Johnson space centres. These organizations acted independently with poor communication and extensive bureaucracy. Conclusion Managing a complex system of organizations such as NASA and Thiokol requires employees in key positions to be able to identify and address problems properly, while simultaneously being involved in the decision-making process and security manners. As explored in this analysis, a range of factors from bureaucracy to emotional intelligence and group think all make up for factors that can contribute to a compromise in judgement. These issues are of tantamount importance because, as we have seen, in the case of the Challenger disaster consequences of ignoring these issues can be catastrophic.

Kurt Vonnegut Essays (1898 words) - Kurt Vonnegut,

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. is a contemporary American author whose works have been described by Richard Giannone as comic masks covering the tragic farce that is our contemporary life (Draper, 3784). Vonnegut's life has had a number of significant influences on his works. Influences from his personal philosophy, his life and experiences, and his family are evident elements in his works. Among his comic masks are three novels: Cat's Cradle, The Sirens of Titan, and God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater. Throughout these novels, elements such as attitude, detail, narrative technique, setting, and theme can be viewed with more understanding when related to certain aspects of his life. These correlations are best examined in terms of each influence. One of the most significant influences from Vonnegut's life on his personal philosophy has been his participation in World War II. During the war, Vonnegut served in the American army in Europe and was captured by German soldiers. As a prisoner of war, he witnessed the Allied bombing of the city of Dresden, in which more than 135,000 people died due to the resulting fires (Draper, 3785). This experience had a profound impact on Vonnegut. From it, he developed his existential personal philosophy and his ideas about the evils of technology. He states, I am the enemy of all technological progress that threatens mankind (Nuwer, 39). The influence of Dresden shows up in each of the novels. In Cat's Cradle, one element of his experience at Dresden that Vonnegut portrays is his fear of technology. Initially, the intention of the story is for the narrator to write about what the scientists who invented the atomic bomb were doing the day it was dropped on Hiroshima. To this effect, one of the scientists in the story said, Science has now known sin, to which another replied, What is sin? (Vonnegut, Cradle, 21). The focus on technology quickly changes to a material called ice-nine, which has the ability to freeze water at room temperature. This technological breakthrough, by a scientist who worked on developing the atomic bomb, has the ability to destroy the world by freezing all its water. Even though the people with ice-nine are very careful all through the plot, they lose control of it in the end and the world becomes frozen. With ice-nine, Vonnegut thematically demonstrates how relatively simple technology can lay waste to the world, as the Allies did to Dresden (Draper, 3785). Cat's Cradle is an excellent example of Vonnegut's existentialism, a philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual experience in. . . [an] indifferent universe, [and] regards human existence as unexplainable (Bookshelf '94). Before the novel even starts, just below the dedication, he declares, Nothing in this book is true. 'Live by the foma [harmless untruths] that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy' (Vonnegut, Cradle). Vonnegut carries this concept all through the story, that the universe is meaningless and each person must exist for oneself. He even goes to the extent of inventing a religion, Bokononism, with which humans attempt to make some sense of everything, while realizing that everything is nonsensical. Vonnegut's existential philosophy also takes the form of a religion in The Sirens of Titan. The Church of God the Utterly Indifferent is established, on the principle that puny man can do nothing at all to help or please God Almighty, and Luck is not the hand of God (Vonnegut, Sirens, 180). Toward the end of the story, two existential ideas are developed: first that human life is incomprehensible (in this case controlled by aliens from another planet for a trivial purpose), and second that people must make a meaning for life on their own. When one character states, The worst thing that could possibly happen. . . would be to not be used for anything by anybody, Vonnegut is suggesting that a good meaning for life might simply be to be useful (Vonnegut, Sirens, 310). The theme and plot of meaninglessness and uselessness mirror Vonnegut's experiences in the aftermath of Dresden (Amer. Lit. Bio., 301, 303-304). God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater also exhibits elements of Vonnegut's take on technology and existentialism in plot and theme. The protagonist, millionaire Eliot Rosewater,

Theoretical Models in Understanding Working Memory

Theoretical Models in Understanding Working Memory Ericsson and Kintsch (1995) model The first model which attempts to explain how working memory functions is the Ericsson and Kintsch (1995) model which explains that all individuals utilize skilled memory in everyday tasks however most these memories are stored in long term memory and then subsequently retrieved through various forms of retrieval mechanismsAdvertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Theoretical Models in Understanding Working Memory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More (Gobet, 2000). Ericsson and Kintsch explain that it would be impossible to hold so to speak all memories within our working memory rather what occurs is that individuals hold only a few concepts related to a task within their working memory and then use those as indicators to retrieve the information from long term memory (Licata, 2009). This process which they described as long term working memory can actually be compared to the card catalo g within a library which stores information regarding particular books and then directs people to which specific shelf they are located (Gobet, 2000). This is a faster and more effective system as compared to merely stacking all the books within a library on tables and expecting people to find exactly what they are looking for. Baddeley and Hitch (1974) multi-component model The second model for understanding the processes involved in working memory is the Baddeley and Hitch (1974) multi-component model which states that working memory operates via a system of slave systems and a central controller which supervises the transmission and coordination of information (RepovÃ…   Baddeley, 2006). The first slave system of the Baddeley and Hitch (1974) model is called the phonological loop which stores the sound of language. This system operates via a method of continuous repetition where in order to prevent the decay of accumulated words, phrases, meanings etc. the system continuously re peats the content thus refreshing it and ensuring that a person doesnt forget it. For example, remembering people’s names, numbers and associated information regarding a particular individual is governed by this system (RepovÃ…   Baddeley, 2006). The second slave system is called the visual-spatial sketchpad which is involved in the storage and retrieval of visual and spatial information. Aspects related to this system come in form of visual images such as colors, shapes and the location of various objects and places of interest (Baddeley, Allen Hitch, 2011). Facilitating the proper operation of both systems in the Baddeley and Hitch (1974) model is the central executive system which is responsible for directing the processes related to systematizing information towards relevant processes while at the same time minimizes or outright eliminates inappropriate or irrelevant information from being disseminated (Baddeley, Allen Hitch, 2011).Advertising Looking for resea rch paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It must also be noted that under this particular model the central executive also handles the delegation of processes when more than one activity is being done at the same time. Cowan model The last model for explaining how working memory functions is the Cowan model which is rather unique in that it considers working memory as not being a separate system but is actually part of long term memory unlike other models and explanations which indicate a separation between the two (Sà ¶rqvist Rà ¶nnberg, 2012). Combining the Concepts One way of combining the various models into a cohesive whole is to consider that working memory is indeed the result of retrieval mechanisms as indicated by the Ericsson and Kintsch (1995) model however by integrating the Baddeley and Hitch (1974) model we can come to understand that these retrieval mechanisms are in fact part of the central executive as described by Baddeley and Hitch. As such it can be assumed that memory is the direct result of a complex relationship between retrieval mechanisms, the central executive and the slave systems which comprise the long term storage of memories which are only retrieved when necessary via memory triggers within working memory (Hamamà © et al., 2012). When combined with the Cowan model it can be assumed that working memory and long term memory are indeed integrated with working memory acting as a means of triggering long term memory to function thus indicating some form of inherent connection between the two. Reference List Baddeley, A. D., Allen, R. J., Hitch, G. J. (2011). Binding in visual working memory: The role of the episodic buffer. Neuropsychologia, 49(6), 1393-1400. Gobet, F. (2000). Retrieval structures and schemata: A brief reply to Ericsson and Kintsch. British Journal Of Psychology, 91(4), 591.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample o n Theoretical Models in Understanding Working Memory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hamamà ©, C. M., Vidal, J. R., Ossandà ³n, T., Jerbi, K., Dalal, S. S., Minotti, L., Lachaux, J. (2012). Reading the minds eye: Online detection of visuo-spatial working memory and visual imagery in the inferior temporal lobe. Neuroimage,  59(1), 872-879. Licata, I. (2009). A Dynamical Model for Information Retrieval and Emergence of Scale-Free Clusters in a Long Term Memory Network. Emergence: Complexity   Organization, 11(1), 48-57. RepovÃ…  , G. G., Baddeley, A. A. (2006). The multi-component model of working memory: Explorations in experimental cognitive psychology. Neuroscience,  139(1), 5-21. Sà ¶rqvist, P., Rà ¶nnberg, J. (2012). Episodic Long-Term Memory of Spoken Discourse Masked by Speech: What Is the Role for Working Memory Capacity?. Journal Of  Speech, Language Hearing Research, 55(1), 210-218.

Global Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Marketing - Case Study Example It has already made an unplanned foray into India, but is not finding the move very successful. This is despite the fact that the mobile communication market in the country is huge and the potential to grow exists especially in the larger towns (not the four big metros in the country) and semi urban areas. This report is a global marketing opportunity analysis for entering the Indian market. This is a preliminary to a full fledged marketing plan which will be prepared at a later stage. Political Factors: The following political factors is the key concern; Current / future taxation policy to be monitored. Current and future Political supports will render a great control to the regulation of business of a country and add value to clients and other business also. Bank loan facility such as bank guarantee to be made in between employers and bankers and the bankers provide the finance on a instalment basis i.e. on the basis of work progress. Trade bodies to be complied with such as trade license to be provided by the Government bodies to start the business and the license to be renewed periodically (yearly). To be make sure, concerning the war effects and related draw back on the affected Country. Stability of political environment also another important factor. Government policy i.e. rules and regulations influence the business requirement. Government's role on marketing principles should be evaluated. Look at the Government policy on the financial end. Government vie w of point on cultural and religion environment to be analyzed. Economic Factors: Traders has to consider the situation of finance in the business if it is short or long term. Strength of sale i.e. is another important factor which is applicable for current and future levels of Government spending. Access of loan feasibility has to be considered. It is really a fact for doing an international marketing. You have to be particular about the interest rates as such current and future level, because the fluctuation in exchange rates has a great impact on the market now days. Due to the current global recession unemployment also badly effected at present. Price rises also another impact on the employment level per capital also to be considered the price rises how it affects the domestic product so. Tax levies and market trends is to be followed. Socio-cultural Factors: To look at the influential part of society and culture of the country on the business which varies from county to country. Another important factors are to be considered is dominant religion and the effectiveness of foreign products and services and mother tong (language) of that particular county is another factor which will have a great impacts for communicating of products in their markets. Timing is also considered as per the requirement / availability of Clients. Majority of roles of men and women to be identified. Population of that country is to be considered whether the older generations are wealthy or not. Religious customs of that particular Country and community to be respected so. Technological Factors: Current and future technology innovations is important for competitive benefit and is major guider of globalization. Fund status is concerned with by viewing technologically. The technology is deeply affected the products and services to produce more cheaply and to a prime standard of quality. Internet services and advanced mobile and