How to Mark a Book Essay -- Reading Literature Essays

How to Mark a Book missing works cited You know you have to read "between the lines" to get the most out of anything. I want to persuade you to do something equally important in the course of your reading. I want to persuade you to "write between the lines." Unless you do, you are not likely to do the most efficient kind of reading. I contend, quite bluntly, that marking up a book is not an act of mutilation but of love. You shouldn't mark up a book which isn't yours. Librarians (or your friends) who lend you books expect you to keep them clean, and you should. If you decide that I am right about the usefulness of marking books, you will have to buy them. Most of the world's great books are available today, in reprint editions. There are two ways in which one can own a book. The first is the property right you establish by paving for it, just as you pay for clothes and furniture. But this act of purchase is only the prelude to possession. Full ownership comes only when you have made it a part of yourself, and the best way to make yourself a part of it is by writing in it. An illustration may make the point clear. You buy a beefsteak and transfer it from the butcher's icebox to your own. But you do not own the beefsteak in the most important sense until you consume it and get it into your bloodstream. I am arguing that books, too, must be absorbed in your bloodstream to do you any good. Confusion about what it means to own a book leads people to a false reverence for paper, binding, and type - a respect for the physical thing - the craft of the printer rather than the genius of the author. They forget that it is possible for a man to acquire the idea, to possess the beauty, which a great book contain... ...em you can get through, but rather how many can get through you - how many you can make your own. A few friends are better than a thousand acquaintances. If this be your aim, as it should be, you will not be impatient if it takes more time and effort to read a great book than it does a newspaper. You may have one final objection to marking books. You can't lend them to your friends because nobody else can read them without being distracted by your notes. Furthermore, you won't want to lend them because a marked copy is a kind of intellectual diary, and lending it is almost like giving your mind away. If your friend wishes to read your "Plutarch's Lives," "Shakespeare," or "The Federalist Papers," tell him gently but firmly, to buy a copy. You will lend him your car or your coat - but your books are as much a part of you as your head or your heart.

Gender and Language Essay

Other forms which establish their superiority over women is their need for scientific jargon, to prove to women (and sometime themselves) that they are the more intelligent of the two genders. Other male magazines tend to use abbreviated terms for titles or objects, which connote authority, such as ‘FHM’, ‘GQ’ or even ‘MAX POWER’. These titles connote the idea of periodic and scientifically symbols or even macho representations such as G. I Joe. Max Power being a prime example of the bigger is better theory shared by a majority of males. In which case all the titles connote the idea that by reading these magazines they will fundamentally gain enjoyment and authority as well as establishing the male gender as the more dominant of the two. The placing of the title also suggests that what men really want from a magazine is what the media has always believed to be true; Sexually portrayed, attractive young women spread across the front cover, regardless if the title can be seen or not, is always more likely to sell to a male audience rather than another male being shown. The actress Tara Reid is the focus point of the front page and draws the reader in, due to her seductive pose. She is inviting but yet still shows sign of vulnerability and innocents as her ensemble of clothing is of very lacy and more to the point of white fabric, white connoting all that is good and untouched by others. The tag line also insinuates that the article containing her will also be of great interest to a male audience as it is sexually oriented and suggests phallic implications. This has been chosen to suit what is speculated to be the needs of today’s man, which is the chance to be the more dominant of genders and who is capable of giving women security. This ideology and belief has now been shifted, as women today are more than capable of dealing with life much better on their own without a man. Men are also more aware of how women like to be seen as equal to them, and some are very open to this change while others prefer to remain in the past and continue to view women as docile individuals. The cover of ‘Maxim’ doesn’t encourage today’s changes in genders, which suggest this is how they maintain an audience of male chauvinists, or at least to gain their attention. Within the actually magazine stories and articles are very similar to those found in female magazines but obviously aimed at a male audience. It’s very refreshing to see that the barriers between the two sexes are very alike, in terms of language used and design. The typical ‘hard’ image of what men perceive to be has in some ways become more softer and less aggressive, showing that the new man of the twenty-first century can also adapt to new ideas, and that the gap between the two genders draws closer with each generation. Obviously certain aspects of the magazine must be deemed just for a man, or at least of more interest to a man than to a women, for instance an article which expressed ways in which police officers captured and tormented their prisoners, showed images of guns and military dressed young men with vicious blood thirsty dogs barking at the prisoners. The overall affect of the images were very crude and somewhat inhumane, but for some men the idea of human destruction and war will always be of interest to them, for reasons which still hold questions as to why? Overall the identification of this magazine being targeted at a male audience can be said to be true, due to the following aspects: – A Semi- nude female (preferably blond) will be spread across the front page, more identifiable if the female is already well known. – The title expresses a large quantity as mentioned by theorist Raymond Williams that men are prone to the idea that ‘Big is always better’ – Sub-headings denote issues, which contain those related to sport, especially as the world cup is due to start. – And current affair issues which reflect destruction and chaos from around the world whereas with a female magazine the current affairs brought up are mostly directed at individuals who are form the world of showbiz or contain humour. In terms of the last point, female magazines such as ‘MORE! ‘ tend not to dramatise or even discuss issues which reflect those found on the news unless it is of relevance to their British, female audiences. This in some ways might be because they still fear that women are quite frail and are more prone to show emotion to such topics. Hence defeating the object of a magazine being a medium of entertainment, if the issues raised are of a more serious nature. This is where the difference between magazine journalism and that of newspaper journalism lies. As Newspaper writing is aimed at various individuals and not to one set gender or age group it allows for news and entertainment of both kinds to be expressed without the fear of upsetting anyone, as this is what it is set out to do. Magazines such as MORE, are what give female audiences a break from reality and allow them to indulge into the world of gossip and fame. A belief shared by most people, in particularly men, that women enjoy gossip. Mary Crawford states that gossip allows women to communicate with their peers and gives them a sense of comfort; being allowed to know what other people are doing from another world, which in turn is very different to that of their own gives them satisfaction and enjoyment. In conclusion what I have noticed within my brief analysis is that although times have changed male magazines still seem more relatable to today’s society and contain more in-depth issues which a lot of female magazines fear to tread on. However this may only be the start, barriers have already started to break between the two genders and with time these barriers may cease to exist. As women are now given more sexual freedom and social changes have taken place in terms of media influences (for instance commercials now cater for all genders and represent them as equal to men). A lot more of society now embrace the new feminist women and single mothers and radical changes have taken place in order to have reach this state as well as changes from men and their somewhat narcissistic attitudes. A quote, which most women of today’s society can now identify with would be that of Charles Fourier in 1808, which said stated that ‘The extension of women’s rights is the basic of all social change. ‘ In other words allow women to live the way in which they choose and not condemn them for it and changes within the sexes will be made for the better. Bibliography Crawford, M ‘Talking difference: on Gender and Language’, Sage 1995 Fourier C, ‘ Theories of the forth Movement, 1880 Martin, M, ‘Ways of reading’, language and gender, 2000 Williams, R. (1980/1996) ‘Advertising the Magic System’, Media Studies: A Reader

Strategy Implementation - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2312 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Strategy Implementation" essay for you Create order       à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Teams and groups are essential to strategy formulation and implementationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Please discuss with reference to the literature. Strategic Management brings together the goals of the business in unison with the environment it competes in. Formulation and implementation of these goals using the companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s resources is key to the strategic Management concept. An essential part of a companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s resources is its teams and groups. Management can steer teams and groups in a meaningful way to achieve the goals of the business. Cane suggests that a group of people that donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t know they are a team cannot be one. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“It is certainly true to say that any group of people who do not know they are a team cannot be one. To become a team, a group of individuals needs to have a strong purpose and to work towards that purpose rather than individually. They need also to believe they will achieve more by co-operation than working individuallyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Although groups and teams appear to be similar entities there are distinct differences as pointed out by Meredith Belbin in à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Beyond the Teamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . The differences that can be found relate to size, selection, leadership, perception, style and spirit. Some differences of note include the fact that teams are limited by size whilst groups can be bigger another notable, selection of team members is crucial compared to a groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s which is immaterial. Belbin created nine team roles that all have their strengths and weaknesses Plant:Creative but can ignore important details Resource Investigator:Extrovert but can be overly optimistic Co-ordinator:Delegates well but can be seen as manipulative Shaper:Dynamic but can provoke others Monitor-evaluator: See all options but can be overly critical Team worker:Co-operative but can be indecisive Implementer:Reliable but sometimes inflexible Completer:Delivers on time but can be reluctant to delegate Specialist:Dedication but only to a certain area From a strategy perspective these roles all have their place within the team and their interaction together serves the organisation as a whole. Managers must be careful to utilise team members in their roles taking note on how they complement each other. Direction must be led by managers who believe in situational leadership and remember the statement below from Ken Blanchardà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s bestseller à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Leadership and the one minute managerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“There is nothing so unequal as the equal treatment of unequalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Blanchard, 1985) P.33 As individuals in organisations we are prone to the social loafing effect made famous by Ringelmann. This effect means people exert less than 50% effort within their team in contrast to the effort they would exert in individual tasks. The effect is directly related to links between effort and reward. The opposite of social loafing is social facilitation when workin g with others can have a positive effect on output. The key reason for its success depends on what level individual contributions are evaluated. In general people donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t want to show weakness in front of others. Companies that seek successful strategic management should seek to enjoy social facilitation by evaluating individual performance within teams. Groups within organisations can be split into two types formal and informal. Both are important for Strategic Management, the formal group which operates at multiple levels within the organisation is relatively permanent. The informal group which can be important for networking and work satisfaction is more informal. (Mullins, 2013) P.305 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Richesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ suggests that teams should create norms of behaviour and stick to them in order to achieve good team performance. Team members get used to these norms and they mostly have a positive impact but can be negative also. They teach people t o behave in a certain way within the team often depending on the behaviour of the manager. An example of a negative team norm would be the code of silence relating to drug use during the US Postal Teams Tour de France victories. Lance Armstrong and his colleagues had entered into this norm together to protect themselves from sanctions. Eventually the truth came out but it took a long time before the scandal actually unfolded. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/usada-report-slams-lance-armstrong/ Information available from their website (cbsnews.com, 2012) To develop teams for strategic management organisations can incorporate Professor Bruce Tuckmanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s stages model: Forming:Getting to know each other Storming:Disagreements expressed and challenges offered Norming:Focus begins on making team decisions Performing:Cohesiveness is created, Performance of outlined goals occurs Adjourning:Group is dissolved due to goal being met Hrebiniak describes the importance of coordinating teams and groups in his book à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Making Strategy Workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The work of diverse and separate organizational units must be coordinated to achieve desired results and a unity or consistency of effort. Structure shows the different parts of an organisation and their separate capabilities. Integration or coordination of these parts or units and their capabilities is absolutely vital to the execution of a coherent, focused strategyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  In addition he describes how execution of strategy suffers if performance measures arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t used. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Execution suffers heavily if performance measures arenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t used as the basis of managerial responsibility and accountability. Measurability and accountability are vital aspects paving the path to execution successà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Measurable objectives Accountability for Performance against Objective s Execution Success (Hrebiniak, 2005) P.141 P.190 According to ACAS the importance of forming teams and groups for strategic management can be attributed to the following reasons: Improves productivity Improves quality and encourages innovation Takes advantage of opportunities provided by technological advances Improves employee motivation and commitment (Mullins, 2013) P.325 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Adamsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ confirms how important teamwork is to organisations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The point is that teamwork is not an option for a successful organisation; it is a necessity. Teamwork can lead to achievement, creativity and energy levels that someone alone or perhaps with just one person could hardly imagine. (Mullins, 2013) P.326 Ashmos and Nathan make the following point à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The use of teams has expanded dramatically in response to competitive challenges. In fact one of the most common skills required by new work practices is the ability to work as a teamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Grant, 2010) P.188 A fundamental problem of organizations is reconciling specialization with co-ordination and Cooperation. Employees are usually grouped by Tasks, Products, Geography and Process. These groups then need to be controlled. Oliver Williamson calls this à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The Principle of Hierarchal Decompositionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Grant, 2010) P.190 Additionally factors that can affect organizations are: Economies of Scale: Group specialized teams together to exploit maximum economies of scale Economies of Utilization: Group together similar activities results in fuller utilization of employees Learning: Create multifunctional work groups to form architectural knowledge Standardization of control systems: Similar tasks should be grouped together from a performance measurement standpoint The below website outlines five disciplines relevant to the strategy direction of teams in organisations. The article states that organizations rarely have an issue with developing a strategy, ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s the execution that is the problem. https://www.fastmeetings.com.au/5-disciplines-of-successful-strategy-implementation/ Information available from their website (fastmeetings.com.au, 2014) Commissioning: Being clear about the purpose and ends Ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s importan t for teams and group to have full sight of the end goal throughout the process. They should understand why they are trying to achieve this goal and the benefits it will bring. Understanding the process and end state motivates team members making their work more interesting. Clarifying: Being clear about strategies, priorities and measurable objects Teams need to ensure the goals they set for themselves are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) Complete reviews of goals should be set at regular intervals to ensure plans move forward. Occasionally team members may need coaching assistance to achieve the goals that are set. Co-creating: Working together to innovate, make decisions and solve problems Companies that encourage innovative tasks among team members will provide ideas for the future. Brainstorm labs and creative settings should be encouraged at all costs to secure the organisation in future years. This is vital especially in the techno logy sector where companies such as Apple, Dell, Samsung and Nokia fight for limited market share. Innovation and patents can often be the lifeblood of this fast moving sector. Connecting: Engaging with stakeholder groups, staff, boards and customers Teams should align themselves together for the good of the organisation. This involves meeting together at regular intervals to discuss strategy objectives. An open mind is required by all groups in devising and implementing strategy. Team Learning: Developing each other and the collective whole through action, learning and unlearning Groups work together to learn and apply new items that will make the organisation successful. Items that hinder or are negative to the organisation should be unlearned at this point. This article also addresses why organizations use teams https://www.managementstudyguide.com/importance-of-team.htm Information available from their website (managementstudyguide.com, 2014) Teams get th ings done faster than individuals alone: The output of teams working together is better than that of individuals. Together teams can specialize and utilize economies of scale. Work does not fall behind within a team: Work can be managed by other team members during holidays and illness. This ensures full cover and attention to all clients consistently. Teams promote healthy competition within the organization: Employees will strive to meet and exceed the work rate of their colleagues. This increases output within the team and creates experienced new leaders for the organisation. Bonding of employees is better within teams: Employees feel motivated to perform when they work with others. This team building is important for culture and staff retention. New skills are developed within teams: A diverse team can share knowledge and improve each otherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s skills by introducing their experiences from their previous organizations. In addition team members may hav e developed valuable skills in third level education they may wish to share. A certain type of group called a Quality circle can help the organisation improve its output and overall standards. On completion of their work the group will make recommendations to management to improve their processes. The group may also have the authority to implement the recommendations. This type of proactive involvement by groups is a great example of how strategy formulation and implementation is assisted by specialised groupings. Strong working groups are not always a positive for organisations as their culture can be hard to change once developed. In addition the norms of certain groups may cross the boundaries of what the organisation expects. To get the most out of teams and groups in relation their strategy needs they must have effective leadership in place. Management styles can differ and treatment of others is vital in order to develop success. Some basic management philosophies include: Recognition and trust Involvement and availability Consideration, respect and trust Fair and equitable treatment (Mullins, 2013) P.478 Managers who lead teams with effective strategic management in mind should take note of the 3-D model of managerial behaviour devised by Reddin. This model involves a combination of task orientation and relationship orientation. The interaction between these determines the behaviour of the manager towards his/her team. There are 4 effective styles and 4 less effective styles. Bureaucrat (Effective) Benevolent autocrat (Effective) Developer (Effective) Executive (Effective) Deserter (Less effective) Autocrat (Less effective) Missionary (Less effective) Compromiser (Less effective) Hayes and Hyde (1998) created six steps that organisations should use when approaching external change. Teams and groups have full involvement in each of the steps. Senior management needs to apply strategic management using these steps and be cognisant that their teams and groups will be affected during the process. Recognise the need for change Start the change process Diagnose Plan and prepare to implement Implement change Review Without teams and groups in organisations it would be impossible to implement strategy successfully. As individuals we do not have the capabilities or the time to be good at everything. Our dedication is not as strong when we are on our own. Physcologically we need others to stimulate our competitiveness. We strive for the social facilitation effect even if we donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t actually realise we are doing it. Organisations that mentor and grow teams successfully reap the benefits down the line. By steering the teams via senior and middle management good leadership will implement strategy successfully. The changing face of technology and input of new disrupters ensures organisations need to work hard to formulate and implement ahead of their competitors. Large companies that failed to adapt to change and suffered because of it could have utilised their teams a little better. Could Kodak have foreseen and implemented digital camera technology quicker? Why did Nokia fall fro m the market leader position for mobile phones? Of course adapting our people is a challenge for all people managers and depends on the individuals Locus of Control. Changes of strategy can be difficult for people within teams if they have an external locus of control. Management needs to be wary of this when making strategy decisions and they should guide their teams through the process. Communication needs to be clear and motivation/support high. In addition any training needs should be addressed to ensure a smooth transition. References Textbooks Management Organisational Behaviour, 10th edition, L. Mullins (with G. Christy), Pearson, 2013 Robert M. Grant, 2010. Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Text Only. 7th Edition. Wiley. Ken Blanchard, 1985. Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness Through Situational Leadership. 1 Edition. William Morrow. Lawrence G. Hrebiniak, 2005. Making Strategy Work: Leading Effective Execution and Change. Editio n. Pearson Prentice Hall. Websites USADA report slams Lance Armstrong CBS News. 2014. USADA report slams Lance Armstrong CBS News. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/usada-report-slams-lance-armstrong/. [Accessed 19 July 2014]. 5 Disciplines of Successful Strategy Implementation Fast Meetings | Effective Meetings to Improve Productivity. 2014. 5 Disciplines of Successful Strategy Implementation Fast Meetings | Effective Meetings to Improve Productivity. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.fastmeetings.com.au/5-disciplines-of-successful-strategy-implementation/. [Accessed 21 July 2014]. Importance of Team and Team Work. 2014. Importance of Team and Team Work. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.managementstudyguide.com/importance-of-team.htm. [Accessed 23 July 2014]. Lecture notes Strategy Implementation Module à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" (Bachelor Financial Services, 2014) 1