The Affordable Care Act Essay Example for Free

The Affordable Care Act Essay The Affordable Care Act objective is to decrease health care expenses through services presented to individuals at this time that cant acquire insurance. Individuals in society with no healthcare insurance regularly use hospital emergency departments as their primary care physician (PCP), which increases cost for everybody. Some advantages to Affordable Care Act are: Preventive services are free, which drops health care costs by handling illnesses in advance, so they won’t reach an expensive crisis. On behalf of individuals who don’t have sufficient amount of money for health insurance, the Federal government will compensate the states for adding individuals to the Medicaid program. The income condition is stretched out up to 133% of the Federal poverty level, roughly $31,000 for a family of four according to (The Affordable Care Act). Individuals who are not eligible for extended Medicaid is given tax credits. States are required to set up insurance interactions, or use the Federal governments exchange. Insurance businesses cannot reject children coverage for pre-existing illnesses. Insurance businesses can no longer drop someone from coverage when they have an illness. If a company rejects somebody’s coverage, that individual can go to an external appeals method. Parents can put their children up to age 26 on their health insurance plans. Obamacare does not relate to businesses with less than 50 employees at their company. Big businesses are obligated to offer health insurance, but receive tax credits to benefit staffs premiums. Disadvantages to Affordable Care Act do exist. There are millions of people who presently purchase private health insurance. American has canceled their own insurance company because the plan doesnt benefits the living health status or situation. Replacing insurance is greater since it provides various services, like maternity care, that many people dont want. Those who dont purchase insurance by March 31, 2014, and dont qualify for Medicaid, will  be assessed a tax of $95 (or 1% of income, whichever is higher) in 2014 according to (Healthcare reformation, CNN.com). Pharmaceutical corporations will pay an additiona l fee to close the gap which exists in Medicare Part D. This may possibly increase drug prices if they permit this onto users. General public could lose their company sponsored health care plans. A lot of companies will find it more cost operative to pay the penalty. Other small businesses might find they can get a better plan through the state-run exchanges according to (â€Å"The Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Employment-Based Health Insurance†). Services and equipment that supports individuals with injuries, disabilities, or chronic, the Obamacare plans will also cover goods and services to help you preserve a standard of living if you contract a chronic disease. The Affordable Care Act keeps insurers from cutting benefits to lower costs. Do you think they be required to raise people premiums? Not certainly, since their returns will increase as millions of people uninsured start paying premiums. Republicans holds much more negative views of The Affordable Care Act and the federal government than Democrats. Furthermore, when told that the federal government (rather than the state) will implement their exchange program, Republicans are far less self-reliant that program will prosper. Democrats oppositely were at least as confident in the federal government’s capacity to manage the exchanges as they were in the states’. These differences in observations, together with the opinionated makeup of states that have opt ed for state versus federal implementation of the health insurance exchanges, have the prospective to lead to further overall disbelief of the federal government and greater separation across states and parties. Practically all Republican states are opting for federally managed exchange programs and nearly all Democratic states are opting to run the exchanges themselves. As a result, federally run health insurance exchanges are likely to experience more struggles than are state-run exchanges, but not necessarily due to shortcomings of the federal government. Reasonably, the struggles of federally run exchanges will stem from biased disagreement to health care reform at the state level. Due to the baffling role of opinionated time-wasting, we cannot unswervingly associate states with federally run platforms to those with state run programs to evaluate which level of government is more capable of performing this difficult policy reform. The  problem arises when each state has dissimilar preferences, and based on those choices, the states â€Å"category† into two sets: one group that wants to, and does, receive the treatment, and one group that does not want to, and therefore does not, receive the treatment. Republicans plan to challenge health care reform, and then criticize that it does not work, although attributing guilt to the Obama administration. For the time being, states with Democratic governance want the reform to succeed, and likely to work together with the federal government. In an effort to help the policy prosper, these states are taking a more hands on approach and applying the contacts themselves. In addition, in states where both the federal and state governments want the reform to succeed, the program will be well applied and public approval of health care reform, the state government, and also the federal government will rise. The ability of the House of Representatives and the Senate to approve this legislation scored a historic victory in the century long battle to reform the nations health care winning final approval of legislation that expands coverage to 32 million people and attempts to contain spiraling costs. The House voted 219 to 212 to approve the measure, with every Republican voting. Over the next 10 years, the measure will set in gesture a complex series of deviations to the health insurance market that will transform into the biggest enlargement of coverage since Medicare and Medicaid were created in 1965, and the most aspiring power ever to restrain health-care costs. Presidents as far back as Theodore Roosevelt have rued the nations approach to health coverage, a structure that assists fairly well to 150 million Americans who have health insurance through their jobs but offers few affordable choices for individuals who work part time, are independent or work for establishments that dont propose health benefits. The bill will affect almost every man, woman and youngster in the United States in some way, from the young adults who establish one of the largest uninsured groups to poor and childless adults who are not eligible for Medicaid in most states. The healthcare debate affected many moral issues in American life The impact on the American consumer is very important. These authorized assistances will allow more individuals to find and treat chronic illnesses beforehand. Millions of families will be able to dodge economic failure by receiving treatment early, or by having the insurance to cover these expenses. In the  forthcoming, this ought to lower health care costs by reducing disastrous care. Many people will get insurance, thanks to the motherhood, newborn and pediatric care. This will reduce health insurance charges overall. Near to the ground income drug addicts, alcoholics and the mentally ill will have insurance coverage to aid their circumstances. While no one can make them to get spotless, clear-headed, defensive coverage can show. References †¢TITLE I-QUALITY, â€Å" AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL AMERICANS,† The Affordable Care Act http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/rights/law/index.html †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Healthcare reformation†, CNN.com †¢(â€Å"The Effects of the Affordable Care Act on Employment-Based Health Insurance†, March 15, 2012) †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Affordable Care Act: An Experiment in Federalism?,† Kyle A. Dropp, Molly C. Jackman, Saul P. Jackman †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"House passes health-care reform bill without Republican votes† By Shailagh Murray and Lori Montgomery, Monday, March 22, 2010

Starbucks Motivation Strategy: Case Study

Starbucks Motivation Strategy: Case Study Nowadays, the competition becomes more extreme because rapid globalization in the recent years, especially for the service industry with the similar products. The most vital point for business to success is not only the quality of products they supply, but the atmosphere of cooperating and the amount from yield of teamwork in retail sales. The employees who always touch with customers and can realize what customers really need are first-line staffs. Therefore, it turns to be essential for companies to motivate, reward and train their employees to be the best quality personnel. In the first stage, the historical background of Starbucks will be introduced. Secondly, an issue about the methods of motivating employees are going to discuss. Next, the strategies, which are used by Starbucks to make their teamwork performance well, will be pointer out. In the end, there is a conclusion about the effect of policies in motivation and teamwork. Managers are constantly searching for ways to  create a motivational environment where associates  (employees) to work at their optimal levels to  accomplish company objectives. Workplace  motivators include both monetary and non-monetary  incentives. Monetary incentives can be diverse while  having a similar effect on associates. One example of  monetary incentives is mutual funds provided  through company pension plans or insurance  programs. Because it has been suggested that  associates, depending on their age, have different  needs pertaining to incentives, traditional incentive  packages are being replaced with alternatives to attract younger associates.  This paper will discuss how monetary and non-monetary incentives are influenced by career stages and the problems associated with monetary  and non-monetary incentives. How the entire total reward and human resources (HR) systems at Starbucks are linked to the business objectives and reinforce the companys strong culture and values. Working in mutual support of the business, the culture, and values, this integrated HR system has helped shape a powerful success story that didnt rely on conventional thinking and trends with respect to the treatment of its workforce. Part 2: Setting the Scene A Brief History of Starbucks Starbucks Coffee Company, as we know it today, began in 1987, when Howard Schultz, the current chairman and CEO, acquired the assets from the original founders, whom he had worked with from 1982 to 1985. In 1987, Starbucks had 11 stores. The original business plan, and promise to the investors, was to have 125 stores within five years. From 1987 to 1992, the company remained private, growing at the astonishing rate of 80% per year to more than 150 stores. In June 1992, the company went public, and it was one of the most successful initial public offerings of the year. Today, Starbucks is the leading retailer, roaster, and brand of specialty coffee in North America. It operates more than 1,800 retail locations in North America, the United Kingdom, and the Pacific Rim and has established joint-venture partnerships with Breyers (to produce coffee ice cream) and PepsiCo (to produce Frappuccino, a bottled coffee drink). Sales for fiscal year 1997 were $967 million, an increase of nearly 39% over the previous year, and the company employed more than 25,000 partners (the companys term for employees). The company goal is to have more than 2,000 locations in North America by the year 2000. The company mission is to establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromi sing principles as we grow. Starbucks Culture and Values: The Driver of HR and Reward Systems Starbucks is a values-driven company, with a firmly established set of principles that are widely shared within the organization. It is also a company that puts its employees first and invests a tremendous amount in them. None of this is by accident. Source: Wilson, Thomas, B., Rewards That Drive High Performance, Amazon, New York, 1999. www.wilsongroup.com 1 It all stems from the values and beliefs of its CEO. Says Schultz, I wanted to establish the kind of company that gave people a form of equity (ownership) and comprehensive health insurance, and most importantly, give them self-esteem in the workplace. People feel that Starbucks is a place that gives them self-respect and values the contributions they make, regardless of their education or where they are in the company. The company believes that if it puts partners first, the result will be exceptional customer service, and by extension, if it has highly satisfied customers, the financial returns will follow. The history of Starbucks Starbucks began by three friends, Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker, who knew each other in the University of Seattle. In 1971, the first name of their store is Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spice in Seattle, Washingtons Pike Place Market. They engaged in making profit from selling coffee beans roasted to individual customers and restaurants. Until 1982, they had increased the number of stores to four. During the same period, a sales representative of the house ware business in New York, Hammerplast, visited them. Howard Schultz wanted to know why a small company needs a large number of percolators from Hammerplast. Because of the trade relationship between these two companies, he was acquainted with the three inventors. After he realized the atmosphere and environment of the company, he decided to be a part of Starbucks, then as a director of marketing and retail sales. In the following year, he had a vocation to Milan, Italy. Though the time, he experienced an entirely different coffee culture from the United States. The culture of Italian cafà © had been one part of peoples daliy life. There were numerous coffee bars around the area and the public usually liked to socialize in a coffee bar. Under those circumstances, Schultz had an idea of a new flavor of cafà © and a stylish environment to communicating with friends. After the trip, he prepared the business plan for his vision. However, the three initiators did not want to transfer their business into restaurant industry. Consequently, in 1985 he chose to establish a new coffee shop, named II Giornale, in Seattle. After the next two years, due to the successful strategy of Schultz, the original three owners of Starbucks decided to sell their corporation to Schultz. Then Schultz gathered other investors and took over the name of II Giornale to Starbucks. He sought to pursue his dream to make everyone taste his coffee, so he focused on the rate of expanding. At that time, he though that the most efficient way to grow the amount of branches is to set up new stores in other places. In I987, Starbucks had the first overseas store in Japan. In the subsequent years, owing to the rising expenses with the worldwide broadening, there was a deficit in Starbucks for the next three years. In contrast, he firmly believed that not to sacrifice long-term integrity and values for short-term profit (Michelli, 2006). In 1991, it turned loss into gain and its sales grew up sharply to 84 percent. Until the end of 2002, Starbucks has developed from 17 stores to 5,688 spreading over 30 countries in by this strategy, it is an over 300 times growing in these ten years! (shown as Exhibit 1) From Fortune magazine, Starbucks was ranked the 11th best company to work for in 2005 in the USA and then risen up in 2006 to 29th. As to 2007, it was ranked as the 16th best. In the same year, Starbucks was also voted as one of the top ten UK workplaces by the Financial Times. (Resource: wikipedia) Part 3 Literature Review Definition of Motivation Motivation is one of the most important aspects of an individualà ®Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬sb eh av io r that determines not only how individual behaves and thinks but also ways in which he / she interacts with others and influences them. Motivation is derived from the word motives. The word motive is derived from Latin word movere, which means to move or to energize. Thus motivation actives us and directs our behavior to a particular goal. According to Armstrong (2002 P.56) states that People wont change their behaviour unless it makes a difference to  them to do so Managers are individuals who achieve their goals through other people. They are constantly searching for ways to motivate their employees to make them work at their optimal level of performance to accomplish the company objective. Various incentives are provided by the managers to their employees for motivation. The incentives that are provided by the mangers to their employees can be broadly classified as monetary incentives and non-monetary incentives. 2.1 Comparison of monetary and non-monetary incentives The purpose of monetary incentives is to reward associates for excellent job performance through money. Monetary incentives include profit sharing, project bonuses, stock options and warrants, scheduled bonuses (e.g., Christmas and performance-linked), and additional paid vacation time. Traditionally, these have helped maintain a positive motivational environment for associates. Monetary incentives can be diverse while having a similar effect on associates. One example of monetary incentives is mutual funds provided through company pension plans or insurance programs. Because it has been suggested that associates, depending on their age have different needs pertaining to incentives, traditional incentive packages are being replaced with alternatives to attract younger associates. On the other hand, the purpose of non-monetary benefits is to reward excellent job performance through opportunities. Non-monetary incentives include flexible work hours, training, pleasant work environment, and sabbaticals. 2.2 Problems with monetary incentives Managements have always looked at man as an animal to be  manipulated with a carrot and stick. They found that when a man is lured/hurt, he will move to get the prize/avoid the pain-and they say, Were motivating the employees. Hell you are not motivating them, you are moving them.* -Frederick Herzberg, Professor Emeritus Monetary incentives usually encourage compliance and achievement of difficult targets instead of encouraging creativity, innovation and foresight which are more important in the long run. Thus employees are not able to express their true talent and in the long run lose their creativity. Employers also may use monetary incentives as an extrinsic rather than an intrinsic motivator. In other words, associates are driven to do things just for the monetary reward versus doing something because it is the right thing to do. This can disrupt or terminate good relationships between employees because they are transformed from co-workers to competitors, which can quickly disrupt the workplace environment. Another problem with monetary incentive is that it is given to circumvent a bigger problem for a short run. Sales employees are given higher monetary incentives to compensate for poor management and poor products, employees are paid more for working in poor work environment. Monetary incentives can even drive the employees to falsely reporting their achievements. Huge monetary incentives given to middle mangers are seen as a hook to retain them which may make them work counterproductively. Though the monetary incentives have a better effect than the monetary incentives in the short run, they fail miserably in the long run and in extreme situations downfall of the company (when employees start anticipating monetary incentives even for routine jobs and in absence of which they start working inefficiently or go on a strike as in the case of some government employee s). Also most of the non-monetary incentives are intrinsic in nature. Intrinsic motivation is more effective as the impetus to work is from within. Employees are working because they feel satisfied or fulfilled by the activity they undertake. Under these circumstances the management can be regarded as more of a support than control. So managers should concentrate more on non-monetary incentives after the minimum level of monetary benefits and properly structure them according to their employees preference. This will ensure high motivational level of the employees which will get reflected in their better performance at work. 2.3 Theories which support intrinsic motivation Various theories that support the concept that intrinsic motivation which is attained through non-monetary incentives is important and better than extrinsic motivation are as follows: Maslows Hierarchy of needs This theory states that the needs of social, esteem and self actualisation are higher order needs. The differentiation between the higher order needs and lower order needs is that the higher order needs are satisfied at the individual level whereas the lower order needs are satisfied externally. Herzbergs two-factor theory It supports the emphasis on factors associated with work like promotional opportunities, opportunities for personal growth, recognition, responsibility, and achievement which employees find intrinsically rewarding McClellands Theory of Needs This theory focuses on three needs: achievement, power and affiliation. They are defined as follows Need for achievement: The drive to excel, to achieve in relation to a set of standards, to strive to succeed. Need for power: The need to make others behave in a way that they would not have behaved otherwise Need for affiliation: The desire for friendly and closely interpersonal relationships. Cognitive evaluation theory This theory states that allocating extrinsic rewards for behaviour that had been rewarding intrinsically leads to decrease in overall level of motivation. Thus it supports the view that it is better to continue intrinsic motivation to boost the morale of employees. Goal-Setting theory This theory supports the idea that specific and difficult goals with feedback  lead to higher motivation and performance. Self-efficacy theory(Social cognitive theory) It is the individuals belief that a task assigned can be done. Higher the self efficacy higher is the confidence of the employee at the workplace. Reinforcement theory This theory states that the behaviour is a function of its consequences. If employees feel that their efforts are duly rewarded then they will work in a more effective manner for the organisation. Equity theory This theory states that individuals compare their job inputs and outcomes with those of others and then respond to eliminate any inequities. If their colleagues are given recognition employees will work towards achieving those rewards. This motivates them to perform them to work better which beneficial to the organisation. Expectancy theory The strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual. Thus when expectations from a employee increases the employee responds with better performance. From the above theories (however different they may be) it is clear that intrinsic motivation is desired by the employees. 2.4 Intrinsic Motivation by non-monetary incentives Various non-monetary incentives motivate employees intrinsically which is more efficient than the extrinsic motivation. The intrinsic motivation that these incentives offer is the result of intrinsic rewards of self management. Self management In employees perspective self-management is choosing activities, monitoring competence, committing to purpose and monitoring progress. The intrinsic motivation that energises the work comes directly from the four management events namely activities, purpose, opportunities and rewards. From these four events the employees make a judgement -of the meaningfulness of the task purpose, the degree of choice available in selecting activities, the competence with which the activities are performed, and the amount of progress being made to the task purpose. The judgements from self-management lead to intrinsic rewards which in turn provide the energy for self- management which completes the cycle. OPPORTUNITY ACCOMPLISHMENT Rewards Rewards From task ACTIVITIES From task PURPOSE Sense of meaningfulness It is the opportunity that makes the employees feel that they are on a path that is worth the energy and time-that they are on a valuable mission that matters in the larger scheme of things. Sense of choice It is the opportunity that the employees feel to select task activities that make sense to them and to perform them in ways that seem appropriate to them. The feeling of choice is the feeling of being free to choose-of being able to use their judgement and act out of their own understanding of task Sense of competence It is the accomplishment that employees feel in skilfully performing task activities that have been chosen by them. The feeling of competence involves the sense that they are doing good, high-quality work on a task. Sense of PROGRESS It is the accomplishment felt in achieving the task purpose. The feeling of progress involves the sense that the task is moving forward, and their activities are really accomplishing something. It is the accomplishment felt in achieving the task purpose. The feeling of progress involves the sense that the task is moving forward, and their activities are really accomplishing something. 2.5 Non-monetary incentives The non-monetary incentives desired by employees across generations have gone rapid changes. The following table shows the preferences in non-monetary incentives across generations. Baby Boomers (born between 1946-63) Generation Xers (born between 1964-81) Generation Yers (born after 1982) Retirement planning Flexible schedules Job training Sabbaticals Flexible schedules Professional development Feedback Tangible rewards Work environment Flexible schedules Professional development Feedback Tangible rewards Work environment Attentive Employers Autonomy Table 2: Preferences in non-monetary incentives across generations Thus it is obvious that the demands of the current generation of employees are ever increasing and in current scenario where there is low loyalty to the companies, high attrition rate these demands have to be met reasonably well to attract prospective employees who can perform really well and to retain the employees. 3. PRACTICES IN ORGANISATIONS Various non-monetary incentives in Table 1 are affected by career stage and proximity to retirement. The older the associate, the more the focus is placed on retirement or supplementing retirement income with part-time or temporary jobs. The younger the associate, the more the focus is placed on job satisfaction and the work environment. Types of non-monetary incentives Various types of non-monetary incentives are as follows: Flextime Professional development Feedback Tangible rewards Work environment Attentive employers Autonomy Redesigning of jobs Retirement planning and others. 3.1 Flextime Flextime refers to several arrangements that allow the employee to work a non-traditional schedule. The employee and the manager agree in advance on the hours of work. Flextime is a popular option for good reasonit lends balance to busy lives. Fortunately, flextime also benefits the manager too. Allowing employees to work schedules that best suit their lives results in more productive workers. The most common flextime arrangements include: Compressed workweek This arrangement allows the employees to work a full, 40-hour schedule in 4 days by extending the hours they work each day. The compressed week can also be scheduled over 2 workweeks, during which they work 9 longer days and have the tenth off. In any case, the compressed workweek maintains the same overall number of hours, just divided up differently. The workload, benefits, and pay are not affected by the arrangement. Adjusted lunch Working an adjusted lunch schedule doesnt actually allow any additional days off. Instead, he employees can take a longer lunch each day, making up the hours at the beginning or end of the day. For example, he manager may allow the employee to take your lunch from 11-1 so that the latter can run errands, go to a doctors appointment, or work out, but in exchange the employee works that additional hour at the beginning or end of your day. This sort of arrangement may be an unofficial privilege of every worker, especially if its used only occasionally. Core hours Next to the compressed workweek, this is the most popular scheduling strategy because of the flexibility it offers. With this schedule, an employee can work certain hours every day, and as long as the schedule is built around the work time specified. For instance, if the core hours are 10-3, the employee must work 10-3 every day, but the starting and ending times can vary. The employee may choose to work 10-6, or 7-3, or any other combination as long as those core hours are covered. If the employee maintains the same total number of hours, your workload, benefits, and pay remain the same. Flexible hours Common core Lunch Common core Flexible hours 6 A.M 9 A.M 12 noon 1 P.M 3 P.M 6 P.M Figure 2: Example of a Flextime schedule The only problem with flextime is that it cant be extended to employees involved in production as the work time also depends on the machines which have to be run continuously for a certain period of time. Problems may arise if flextime is offered to employees of other departments and not to those of production department. So it is better not to introduce flextime in organisations where it cant be extended to all the departments. 3.2 Professional development In a broad sense professional development may include formal types of vocational education, typically post-secondaryor polytechnic training leading to qualification or acredentia l required to get or retain employment. Informal or individualized programs of professional development may also include the concept of personalcoaching. Professional development on the job may develop or enhance process skills, sometimes referred to as leadership skills, as well as task skills. Some examples for process skills are effectiveness skills, team functioning skills, and systems thinking skills. Some examples of task skills are computer software applications, customer service skills and safety training. Examples of skills relevant to a currentoccupation are leadership training for managers and training for specific techniques or equipment for educators,technicians, metal workers,medical  practitionersand engineers. For some occupations there is a provision for  accreditation tied to continuing professional education and proving competence  regulated by a professional body. 10 3.3 Feedback People dont quit organisations, they quit bosses. This can be extended to colleagues too. Improper communication, negative relationship, backbiting etc can lead to inefficiency and counter productivity. To overcome this, organisations are adopting feedback culture. It is the culture wherein all the employees are taught the skills of effectively receiving and giving feedback which is the degree to which carrying out the work activities required by the job results in the employee obtaining direct and clear information about the effectiveness in their job performance. This includes telling each other frankly, honestly and effectively what they think about their behaviour, job performance, ideas etc. Employees prefer being told what others think about them directly instead of in the round about way and they like being given feedback to self evaluate their performance. They also would like to frankly tell their bosses the various problems and issues faced by them. Feedback is of two types positive and negative. Positive feedback improves the morale of the receiver and negative feedback improves the performance of the receiver. Poor feedback can reduce morale, the ability to do the job, confidence of employees and can even lead to conflicts between the management and the employees. Hence great care has to be taken while giving and receiving feedback. So when both the managers and the employees acquire these skills of giving and receiving feedback the feedback culture works out well for the company. The following factors are to be considered while giving feedback: Make feedback specific Ambiguity and vagueness will make feedback ineffective as the receiver might miss out the whole point. It should be made sure that there is no personality clash between the giver and receiver. Both of them should be comfortable with the way the feedback is being given and neither of them should feel attacked or offended. To do away with these problems the feedback has to be specific. Concentrate on behaviour and results Feedback should concentrate on behaviour, results and future prospective and not on personality and attitudes so that the receiver gets the desired message in the desired manner. Take responsibility The manager/employee should take the initiative of giving feedback rather than putting the blame on others saying that it is not their job. Most often it is due to lack of skills and unwillingness to give feedback. Employees should also be encouraged to take responsibility as there is lot of emphasis on teamwork and empowerment in present days organisations which are becoming flat. Balanced feedback Feedback has to be balanced and accurate. Overstating or understating results will lead to ineffectiveness of feedback. Feedback on periodic basis Feedback has to be on a periodic basis preferably on weekly basis. Delay in giving feedback will render it ineffective. Similarly while receiving feedback the receiver has to listen attentively to all what is said, analyse the feedback and take remedial action. Though difficult to establish, feedback culture promotes teamwork, job satisfaction, employee empowerment, improvement in job performance and so is preferred by most of the employees. 3.4 Tangible rewards It is important to understand how different groups of employees perceive the total reward package offered by the organisation, particularly if the marketing adage Perception is Reality were to be recalled. If the employee doesnt understand the total reward package, how can employee value it? And how can it motivate he employee to perform? Therefore, there is a need to gain an understanding of how managers and employees perceive reward, and, in the case of the Senior Management Team, where they think reward should focus? Perception of reward can be researched using the following tool: Senior Management Team Brainstorm It is always important to involve the Senior Management Team (SMT) in Total Reward policy development. It is best to involve them from the outset to ensure that they understand and contribute to what you are doing. The key reason for conducting management interviews or focus groups is to gain buy-in from those who will be accountable for implementing the strategy. Interviews can help identify the information that managers will find useful, and begin to develop an action plan. This should focus on the big picture and on priorities, not on detail. Top teams (or other senior groups) are likely to be unenthusiastic about detailed level definitions. The specific organisation and style of the debate will depend on the make-up of the team and the nature of the facilitators relationship with it. The focus will be on discovering either what really matters to people who work here? or based on the kind of people you want to work here, what do you think would really matter to them? The focus in each case will be on discovering either what really matters to people who work here? or based on the kind of people you want to work here, what do you think would really matter to them? Cash vs. Tangible Rewards Why Do Merchandise and other Tangible Rewards Motivate Better Than Cash? Perks programs feature custom-designed rewards catalogues with highly desirable and attainable merchandise as rewards. Our reward items are memorable and reinforce the relationship between the reward earner and the reward provider. They keep on giving each time a merchandise reward is viewed or noticed: recipients relive the special recognition and appreciate the organization that honoured them. Cash rewards on the other hand, often have fleeting impact and more often than not, leave the recipients mind as soon as they are spent. Cash unfortunately for those companies that attempt to motivate with it is the least lasting type of reward, because its typically confused with other compensation and therefore forgotten. Additional reasons to use tangible rewards rather than cash are summarized below. Comparison between cash and tangible rewards. Cash or Any Cash Equivalent Purely an extrinsic motivator with little emotional involvement; does not  provide lasting satisfaction and long-term performance stimulation   Creates expectations, leads to entitlement and consequently looses its motivating value A dollar is a dollar; participant attaches no greater emotional or inspirational value to cash. Lacks emotional impact of tangible rewards; thus quickly spent and forgotten   No trophy value to be a constant reminder and continue to motivate. It is  difficult to show off; thus limits the lasting impact of the reward Difficult to target a particular behaviour because of the lacking association  with a particular achievement Recipients often cant recall what they purchased with cash reward which  further diminished its impact Minimal association with Sponsor Company due to minimal trophy value  of reward which minimizes the potential of goodwill toward the company   Not cost-effective; requires three times the incentive investment compared  to non-cash, on average Usually spent on necessities thus lacking a positive association with the  targeted accomplishment or behaviour Participant feels guilty for not spending a cash award on necessities which  taints the reward with unpleasant feelings Tangible Rewards 1. Carry a significant trophy value thus continue to reinforce

The Argument Of A King By Martin Luther Religion Essay

The Argument Of A King By Martin Luther Religion Essay While Martin Luther King Jr.s audience, the white clergymen, accused him of his protests being unwise, untimely, and extreme, he effectively constructs an acceptable Christian definition of just and unjust laws, as well as what nonviolent direct action should entail by the use of an assortment of rhetorical techniques. In his inspirational literary piece, Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King addresses not only the 8 white Alabama clergymen, but also a larger array of citizens, explaining his views on the evils of segregation. He was aware of the clergymens lack of interest in how civil rights activists were breaking laws instead of handling the matter in a lawful, controlled manner. This led him to devising a more brilliant strategy for his rebuttal rather than an aggressive confrontation. He also knew that his words would be ignored, because all white clergymen and most religious non-supporters saw him as an inferior human being. Too often, arguments fail to bring about any type of understanding to the opposing side because each group has an assortment of important ideas that circle the basis of an argument from two different ends of the spectrum but very rarely tie together. Dr. King, therefore, realized that he must relinquish the role of an anti-segregationist and instead write in such a manne r that would portray him as a righteous man with similar views and characteristics with that of his target audience, which, in this case, were the clergymen and other white members. He employs Aristotles three means of persuasion, ethos, pathos, and logos, to accomplish this task. Discussing whether or not a law should be followed on the grounds of its virtue requires the individual to be one whom is worthy of explaining such matters. Rather than coming out directly and arguing that the clergymen were wrong, which would illustrate King in the same likes as other anti-segregationists, he takes a much more sensible approach to his opponents to show his readiness of discussing these matters in good nature and maturity. Dr. Kings effective use of rhetorical technique begins with the opening line. He states, My Dear Fellow Clergymen (King 213). This form of salutation completes two objectives. Firstly, it addresses the men who he disagrees with in a warm, welcoming fashion. The use of the word Fellow also creates a bond between King and his addressees, instead of separating them and making his letter seem quite offensive. The two aforementioned methods of using an affable type of welcoming set Kings letter up to be a logical discussion, rather than a customary disp ute in opposition to the clergymens views. King employs this method further into his letter when he identifies the men as men of genuine good will (King 214). King states that he understands their viewpoint on the subject at hand and acknowledges them as men with good intentions before he explains why he disagrees. If King instead accused these white clergymen, who happen to be heavily influenced by religion, of any act of sinfulness, he could have potentially lost their interest and respect exceptionally early in his letter. Another remarkable strategy used in Kings letter, also found in his opening excerpt, is the following: While confined here in Birmingham city jailà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (King 213). Rather than being interpreted as a meaningless introduction, it illustrates the readers interpretations of a cold, isolated, and unfeeling jail cell. Constructing this idea early into the minds of his addressees reminds them throughout the entire letter of where King is expressing these dee p, emotional feelings from, while they correspond from a significantly relaxed atmosphere. Having the foundation of his argument set in place, King begins to explain the hardship of African Americans in the South, and how despite their repeated efforts, they continuously fail to achieve recognized civil rights. He discusses the unjust laws keeping African Americans from the rights that they long to attain. Further into the letter, King introduces the reader to his assertion that unjust laws should not be obeyed faithfully; he explains, Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in a tragic effort to live in monologue rather than dialogue (King 216). Using the phrase Southern lands, rather than explaining that it is the African American community experiencing these troubles, effectively directs the reader into realizing that the hardships are not only felt by a small group of people, but rather the entire South. The aforesaid passage builds a strong logical appeal: if, in a specific populace, a persons opinions are heard and acknowledged, then the possibility opens up of the laws in that region being unjust and in need of alteration. King is delicately persuading his addressees to concur with his impending arguments toward, what were at the time, the current segregation laws. Doing so will successfully rid the reader of any disagreement barrier when he writes You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern (King 218). Dr. King strives to display a mellow comprehension on a matter in which he lived to fight for, while simultaneously sympathizing with the sentiment of his opposition. The logical and emotional appeal displayed in Kings thoughtfully planned out reasoning attracts the reader further into wanting to consider the remains of his argument. A major occurrence in Kings letter that signifies his use of logical persuasion is seen with his quote from St. Augustine, an early bishop of the Christian Church who deeply influenced the spirit of Christianity for many centuries, where he explains, an unjust law is no law at all (King 218). Before delving into the subject of just and unjust laws, however, King mentions that he strongly agrees with obeying just laws. Doing so creates another ethical bond with his addressees, which happen to be the men in charge of protecting laws, showing them that he also happens to be an individual with good intentions. This quote also draws a connection between King and St. Augustine, almost explaining that if the Saint were still alive, he would support Kings endeavors. This is an important passage to note due to the fact that Ki ngs addressees were strongly influenced by religion at the time, therefore, making connections through religious correspondence was a legitimate form of communicating his ideas. The use of several occurrences when Christians broke unjust laws and resisted unreasonable rules because of their belief in God attempts to make a connection between Kings actions and those of early Christians. This effectively portrays Kings ethical characteristics to his audience; placing him above the standards of what many white readers would see him as. Bringing religion into his argument forces the clergymen to re-evaluate their statement about the impropriety of disobeying segregation laws because it would be out of the question for them to argue against Kings biblical correlations. Although there appear to be a large display of literary techniques used by Dr. Martin Luther King to gain respect and approval from his addressees, one may argue against many of Kings ideals. One of which would be his main argument; the use of nonviolent direct action. The concern of the efficacy of nonviolent direct action arises, and ideas begin to develop on whether or not violence is actually needed in order to communicate ones viewpoint. As with anything else in the world, no action is guaranteed to work every time. Although nonviolence does have its drawbacks, as seen in Burma and China, it has a relatively strong effectiveness. There have been dramatic improvements in civil and political rights over the past two decades, and nonviolent action has played a crucial role in this transition, including the downfall of dictatorships in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Nonviolent struggles in recent decades have not only led to significant political and social reforms advancing the cause of human rights, but have also even toppled repressive regimes from power and forced leaders to change the very nature of their governance. As a result, nonviolent resistance has been evolving from an informal strategy associated with religious or ethical principles into an insightful, even institutionalized, method of resistance. One may also argue against Kings religious references, stating that these analogies wouldnt apply to those persons who were not as heavily involved with religious, or, happened to be a part of a group aside from Christians. In such case, King emotionally appeals to every true American when he finishes his letter off discussing World War II. He reminds the reader that everything Hitler did was considered lawful at the time, and that aiding the Jewish civilians in German-controlled regions was deemed unlawful. This example from King is one that touches the hearts of many, since at the time WWII had recently ended yet still rested in the thoughts of every American. Drawing such a comparison was an extremely effective, however delicate, way for King to emotionally persuade, and show that, religious or not, the act of killing another human being can never be established as lawful. King was quite aware of the white clergymens use of several caustic messages of altercation underlying the very sophisticated words that were used to compile their public statement that inspired him to write this letter. He therefore took it upon himself to strike back with a similarly professional tone, addressing both what the clergymen claimed and the implications they overlooked in their views. His ability to compose a logical, even-tempered, argument, with such anger and frustration hidden deep in his heart, truly gains him the respect of the reader. With this acquired respect, he therefore is able to justifiably express his views on just and unjust laws. His addressees, who have already been swayed both expressively and plausibly, are pushed even further into creating a whole-hearted bond with a man who many considered an inferior human being. It is by this extraordinary display of writing and technique that King is able to communicate his viewpoints in a way that is both ratio nal and nonviolent.

A Formalist Approach to Eavan Boland’s The River :: Boland River Essays

A Formalist Approach to Eavan Boland’s The River Over the years many different ways of analyzing poetry have been developed. One such approach is the â€Å"New Critical,† or the â€Å"Formalist,† which is based on the writings of Coleridge. The formalist approach is useful because it takes the poem’s form, which may be overlooked, and analyzes it to see what its effect is on the meaning of the poem. There are other aspects taken into consideration, like who the speaker is and how the author incorporates â€Å"ironic awareness† into the poem. Eavan Boland’s message in â€Å"The River† comes across best when looking at the poem with the formalist approach, taking into consideration the speaker and the speaker’s situation, the organic form, and the use of irony. Some aspects may have more importance than others, but all need to be looked at, beginning with the speaker. Using the hints within the poem, I see the speaker as possibly being an adult writing or talking to a parent or some unspecified figure about her early childhood. The speaker could be looking back at a time when someone took her to a river, and she is reporting what she saw. There is textual evidence to support all of these claims. The possibility the speaker is looking back at a childhood experience is shown when she writes, I remember how strange it felt- not having any names for the red oak and the rail and the slantways plunge of the osprey. (6-12) I see the speaker as possibly being a child because the speaker remembers not knowing the actual names of what she saw. A young child wouldn’t know â€Å"rail† or the osprey’s dive, probably using a word such as â€Å"birdie.† The other choice for the speaker is an adult, who is speaking about a time spent at a river in a foreign land. This is the choice I see as most likely possible because the speaker says it feels strange to not know the names, yet as a child I never felt odd because I didn’t know a type of bird.

Free Essays on Terrorism: Independence Day Has New Meaning :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

Independence Day Has New Meaning    This week we will celebrate the Independence of our great nation, gained through the blood and sacrifice of our ancestors. This is the day we were meant to honor our way of life and the freedoms we enjoy. Disregarding the true meaning of the holiday, I am afraid that many of us, myself included, had forgotten the sacrifice our independence demanded. July 4th became little more than a day off work, punctuated by an excuse for family and friends to gather with the added attraction of fireworks. As in years past, there will be picnics and barbecues and fireworks. Some things will not change.       This year, for me, the significance will be different. We are not free in the same way as we were last year on this day. The events of September 11, changed that. It forced us to come face to face with what our way of life represents. Those tragic events woke this nation from centuries of complacence and reminded us what our freedom is worth. The veiled promises of terrorist acts to come may change the way we celebrate this year, but we will celebrate with rekindled determination.       This year our celebration of freedom has a restored sense of reality. I hope that each of us will see in our minds, the faces that flashed across our television screens of those who will be with us in spirit only this year. Those whose lives were stolen away in a foolish terrorist attempt to weaken our nation. Forever imprinted in our memories, are the gruesome images before, during and after the dreadful events of 9/11. Behind the surface gaiety, there are now absolute memories of lives sacrificed for our people and their freedom. I take solace in the knowledge that the intent of terrorists to weaken this nation and its people has had the opposite effect.

Make Way Movie Brats Essay

In the late 1960s to late 1970s, as the veteran directors retired, a new generation gradually took their place. Associated with â€Å"New Hollywood,† these young and diverse directors, often in their late twenties and early thirties, were considered â€Å"movie brats. † These new directors Some of the more famous were Francis Ford Coppola, Stephen Spielberg, and George Lucas; all of whom had an intense awareness of film history, worked with quotations and remakes, and created extremely successful films. With an influx of new directors, it seemed fit that they would take over the industry entirely. However, director Robert Altman, born around twenty years earlier and being significantly older than his â€Å"movie brats† successors, Altman remained essential to the industry. Post mid-1970s, it was less commonplace for efforts to be put toward maintaining Hollywood art cinema. The new directors were focusing on box-office revenue and the production of both action-oriented and youth-oriented, blockbuster films with radiant special effects. Two films that demonstrated such qualities were Steven Spielberg’s Jaws and George Lucas’s Star Wars. Altman persisted for efforts to be continued. He, as well as other older directors like Paul Mazusky and Woody Allen, ventured into the American art cinema. Altman had to work at a rapid pace during the 1970s as he completed more than a dozen films. He also had to compete with the younger generation of Hollywood that was producing huge blockbuster hits. Though rather than trying to create an action flick, Altman stayed true to his roots and produced films primarily based on the character’s emotions rather than plot. Two specific movies in which Altman emphasized shifts from objective reality and subjectivity of the character are Images and 3 Women. In 1970, Altman directed M*A*S*H*; a film praised for its uses of humor with a topic as heavy as the Korean War and for becoming one of the highest grossing films of the year. However, Altman’s films did not always prove to do exceedingly well at the box-office. McCabe and Mrs. Miller and The Long Goodbye created a few years later were generally well received and proved to be moderate earners. His films That Cold Day in the Park, Brewster McCloud, and Thieves Like Us evidently all became box-office disappointments, even though the three generally received good reviews from critics. Although Altman’s movies are not always top box-office earners, they are still habitually the subject of a lot of critical attention. Such is evident with his film Images where the movie didn’t garner a lot of praise for Altman, even though the film might have been considered a peak for other directors. It was released between the films â€Å"McCabe† and â€Å"The Long† and as mentioned previously, they were moderately successful. They received more acclaim and attention resulting in less appreciation of Images upon its release on-screen and it’s availability in today’s time. For this reason, the film can be compared to Francis Coppola’s The Conversation. Although a great movie, it was only considered to be a minor significance to Coppola’s career coming between the crowd pleasers and box-office smash hits The Godfather and The Godfather 2. Images was shot in the wet autumn months of 1971 in Ireland. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival the following May. It was there that Susannah York won the award for best actress. York credited her role as Cathryn in the film as the role she is most proud of. Although taking home an award, Cannes audiences were primarily confused. Images isn’t the type of film an audience would feel sympathetic towards. It’s somewhat complicated to follow and comes off as cold. However, it’s not as nearly as hard to comprehend as the first reviewers of the movie suggested. As film critic Roger Ebert states, â€Å"[The film] is a technical success but not quite an emotional one. † Because Altman was a hot ticket item in 1971 with M*A*S*H*; Columbia Pictures took the distribution rights of the film and entered it in the New York Film Festival. Unfortunately for Images, neither Vincent Canby nor Roger Greenspan (two dominant film critics for the New York Times) took up the movie to review. It was then left to Howard Thomson, a journalist and film critic for the New York Times nicknamed â€Å"mishmash† for writing brief reviews for films. Thomson made no exception for Images, leaving it only with an imperceptive review. The film never went on to have a traditional commercial release in America. Essentially the film is about a children’s author and housewife Cathryn (Susannah York) who receives several phone calls on a gloomy night in her London home. The voice on the other end is a female stating that Cathryn’s husband Hugh (Rene Auberjonois) is having an affair with another woman. Hugh comes home seeing his wife in grief and tries to comfort her. He vanishes and another man is shown acting as if he was her husband. Frightened at the sight, she screams and backs way, later seeing the figure change back into the â€Å"image† of her husband. Hugh feels that her angst is a result of stress and her budding pregnancy. He takes her to vacation at an isolated cottage in an attempt to relieve some stress. As she stays there, Cathryn dives farther into foreboding delusions as the stranger reappears. It becomes difficult for her to distinguish what is happening in reality and what’s just going on her head. Images shows a lot of subjectivity through its characters because of the extreme personas of the characters and the situations they are placed in. Cathryn begins hearing sounds and hallucinates constantly. She feels guilt sexually after envisioning encounters with two men that are not her husband. One is a sinister Frenchman who asked to be shot by Cathryn to exorcise his ghost. After he apparently falls dead, it is shown that her husband’s expensive camera is all that was really shot. The other man is more realistic, portraying a neighbor who’s infatuated with her and believes Cathryn has rape fantasies and needs strong care. She bares an attraction to him but also feels guilt. She eventually stabs the neighbor with a kitchen knife eventually â€Å"killing† him. The husband Hugh is relatively the only normal character of the film. He never completely comprehends the extent of his wife’s mental horror. Truly having his wife’s best interests in mind and acting as an ideal husband, Hugh thought relocating her to a more isolated place would relieve her of woes. He’s a typical simple American who is addicted to dumb jokes. What Cathryn actually feels about him is only pointed at towards the last 20 minutes of the film where she tries killing off a ghost she incorrectly sees as her other self. Altman’s introduction of his characters and plot comes off as him trying his hand at feminist tax. For one thing, there’s barely any scenes that don’t revolve around the main protagonist Cathryn. Her character isn’t compelling which somewhat dooms the film from the beginning. The male characters come across as jerks. Altman’s goal seemed to make a point about the way movies objectify women, turning them into the â€Å"images,† the film’s title indicates, for the consumption of male viewers. After all, Cathryn is only a little more than something for the men in the film to enjoy. Cameras figure plainly in the film’s mise-en-scene. Her pointing and shooting a gun (a symbol of male power) is yet another example of Altman’s use of gender associations. Although Altman’s point is clear, it seems like he went about delivering the message in a cliched way. In terms of objective reality, every image revealed rovides a lot of suspense and anticipation of what effect Altman will provide next. However it is somewhat difficult to find the reality as it is one of Altman’s most abstract films. It is full of so much symbolism and images that it reflects the work of Bergman and Kubrik. These â€Å"images† consist of shimmering water and tinkling ornaments. They are astonishing beautiful â€Å"images† cut often by shocks of Cathryn’s sensibilities. One daunting scene that does not occur in her head is when she is writing her story and watching ponies, but a dog and frantic sounds break the peacefulness. Altman wrote the film entirely, but the children’s story that accompanies some of â€Å"the images† was composed by Ms. York. This blends art and actuality. The film also has a wonderful use of color that separates the protagonist Cheryl from her ambience in a particularly unique and incomparable way. A few things that this movie can be credited for is its complete originality and uniqueness. Images is a very bizarre Altman film. For a filmmaker who characteristically produces works with large ensembles and layered dialogue, Images feels more blunt and almost claustrophobic. One thing that makes it so different is that the visual style is more lyrical at some points while jagged at the others. Another difference is that the dialog does not overlap. In charge of photography was Vilmos Zsigmond, one of the best cinematographers of the seventies and Altman’s favorite cameraman at the time of production. He does an amazing job with his photography by remaining with the woman’s point of view while never suggesting at what is really going on. Altman added a clever touch to interchange the character’s names with the actors that portray them. Susannah is played by actress Cathryn Harrison and Cathryn is played by actress Susannah York. Another switch of names is shown in the characters of three actors: Hugh played by Rene Auberjonois, Rene played by Marcel Bozzuffi, and Marcel is played by Hugh Millai. Altman’s demand of the audience’s senses is both nontraditional and expert. The fragmented style applied to the movie will definitely not please all senses to each audience member. However its witty script, brave look at a twisted inner world, and the eerie atmosphere the film creates is enough to keep one’s attention for the films entirety. If that’s not enough, there is always the pleasure of watching characters played by phenomenal actors Altman is so famous for providing. American film critic and film/animation historian Leonard Maltin described the film best in stating the film was â€Å"difficult but fascinating† and that it comes off as â€Å"off-putting at first, but worth the effort to hang on. † It is a definite must see for Altman admirers who want to see him in a new style. Altman doesn’t worry about the defenses needed for his film, but rather simply creates a spiritual and poetic vision letting logic and caution fall in the depths of the films beauty. Whether or not Altman produced a commercial success, didn’t change the pace at which he put forth films. Five years after Images was produced, Altman came out with the film 3 Women. The idea for the film came to Altman in a dream. It was because of Allen’s success with filmmaking; 20th Century Fox approved the movie before he had a definite script. Although it was original intention to film without a script, he eventually had one made before filming. This script was more like a â€Å"blueprint,† which he regularly did with previous films. The film centers around two women whose characters are in keen contrast with one another among their first encounters. The third woman the title hints at is a minor character but has a key supporting role, although not first recognized to the audience but gradually can be understood. Essentially the movie tells a story of three women whose characters change and merge, until finally, in the perplexing ending scene, switch roles. 3 Women, although praised for its uniqueness, was not very popular at the time. American audiences may not have even recognized its release at the time. Why you might wonder? A little movie directed by George Lucas bearing the name Star Wars was released in the same year. The three women the title hints at are Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek, and Janice Rule who live in the same apartment complex in the desert of California. Duvall plays Mildred â€Å"Millie† Lammoreaux, who works as a physical therapist at a senior care center. She comes off as very confident about her charm and her appeal to men, even though the men she goes after openly mock her. Pinky Rose, played by Spacek, is a young, naive, and childlike woman from Texas who too gets a job at the senior center. With Millie’s roommate moving out, she is forced to find a new roommate, after accepting the conditions, Pinky becomes that new roommate. Rule plays the supporting yet vital role of Willie Hart, the pregnant wife of the landlord of the apartment complex. She gives off an incredibly sad aura as she moves with a gloomy silence, keeping isolated from other people. Willie is a muralist who makes visually appealing yet moderately unsettling murals; one in which is painted at the bottom of the apartment pool depicting godlike creatures, absurd men, and women who annoy each other. The opening scene of the film reflects roles of each of the three women that women in general often play. Willie, the pregnant wife, represents a mother. From the mural she is painting in the pool, one can determine that she seems very sad. Millie reflects a teenager in that she is often very interested in the opposite sex. She is an odd character in that she obsessively gives recipes to others and tells them how she organizes them by the allotted time, even though no one seems to care. Pinky, when first introduced at the clinic, comes off instantly as immature and naive just like an average child. During lunch, she blows bubbles through a straw into her drink and later plays around in a wheelchair, pretending as if she was a patient. Along with making faces at the workers, she says to Millie, â€Å"You’re the most perfect person I’ve ever met,† resembling a young child admiring their cooler older sister. As with Images, this film is also extremely subjective in terms of the characters. Each character has an excessive emphasis on their moods, attitudes, and opinions. There’s no subtly in any of the way the characters act. Millie, as explained in the previous paragraph, is portrayed as an annoying friend who talks excessively. We’ve all experienced or know someone who has experienced a friend like this before, but someone having a personality as dramatic as Millie is just unusual. The audience quickly understands how desperate she is to find a man. Tom, a neighbor who works the grill during poolside dinners, is someone Millie fancies a lot but can’t get attention from. She even tells Pinky that he has asked her out on dates but she’s always been too busy to accept; clearly an act of desperation over someone she cares fantasizes about so deeply. During her lunch break she eats and sits with the doctors, consisting of only men, rather than her co-workers even though it’s more expensive. Her efforts are useless in that they still don’t really acknowledge her. Her last hangout spot to socialize with men is a local bar/ recreation area, owned by Edgar and bartended by his wife Willie. The boys too preoccupied with shooting at a gun range and riding bikes outback, provides yet another obstacle for Millie to find someone. Pinky too reflects the extreme of a personality behaving as some would call childlike. She is a withdrawn woman trying to begin a new life in California, refusing to go into specifics of her past life. The way she looks up to Millie after knowing her for less than a day is extremely odd. Most people emulate people, especially when they are the new one in town as Pinky was, when they are popular or are known for doing something good. They think by acting similar to that person, they will share that same sense of praise and popularity. What’s strange about Pinky’s situation is that Millie isn’t your ideal role model and is the complete opposite of a popular girl. Millie is more of the nerd that’s oblivious to what other people truly think about her. It brings to the question, why would anyone want to duplicate Millie? Also, what made Pinky not want to keep her past life hidden? Altman was very creative in creating Willie’s character. Although Willie doesn’t have many lines in the film, shown mostly with her paintings instead of with people, her supporting role is necessary for the flow of the movie. With a macho husband possessing such an extravagant personality, it wouldn’t be hard to miss her character entirely. Although withdrawn from social interaction, it is made evident that she is still caring. After Pinky attempted to commit suicide by jumping into the apartment pool, Willie didn’t hesitate to jump in and save her. Also in the final scene, even though Willie and Pinky were both messing around with her husband, she still decided to take them in and let them work at the bar with her after the â€Å"accidental† death of her husband. The three women make a complete 360 from polar opposites, into a family. The objective reality of the film is evident through its use of the visual representation found in the mirrors and the water. Mirrors and reflections represent the way Millie views herself. Through the mirrors, we begin to understand Millie’s obsession with looking good, something she is proud of accomplishing. Millie is always beautifying herself by making small changes to her clothes, touching her hair constantly to make sure her curls are intact, and perfecting her makeup. She looks at her reflection, apparently adoring what she says looking back at her, even though no one can figuratively see her. The mirror and the reflections represent Millie’s invisibility to other people in that when you look in the mirror, you are the only one to take notice of what’s reflecting back. Water is also extremely prevalent in the film’s entirety. Each of the three female protagonists of the film is associated with water in one way or another. The opening shot of pregnant Willie painting a mural and water being immersed as a backdrop is said by Altman to represent â€Å"the amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus,† (Ebert). The seceding scene shows Millie and her coworkers helping old people slowly descend into a pool- going to the water as their lives initially started. The wavy line shown on the screen is thought to represent an umbilical cord connecting the person to its life line. Also located in the pool is the crucial turning point in which Pinky jumps into the pool from the balcony, to be later saved by Willie. The movie does feature men; however they are of far less significance to the main protagonists. Edgar, played by Robert Fortier, is the husband of Willie. What someone might call a â€Å"manly man,† Edgar showcases himself with motorcycles, beer, and guns. He is very much a drunk who tries to portray himself as a benevolent western gunslinger and fails to acknowledge his wife properly. The other men, often seen lounging around the apartment’s pool, are objects of Millie’s captivation. She always comes off in preparation for dates or dinner plans with these gentleman, even though they never actually happen and they fail to notice her. It is understood fairly quickly that Millie is a lonely soul. The men are used only to further emphasize the personality of the female characters they come in contact with. It is obvious that this film was primarily focused on the significance of the character rather than creating an high-suspense adventure like Stephen Spielberg did with his film Jaws created a mere two years previously. Each actress perfectly resembles their characters through their looks and acting capabilities. Rule depicts Willie with no apparent expression on the face and a sad look in her eyes. Spacek’s light hair and eyes that stare in adoration fit a character named Pinky. Duvall especially contributed a lot to the creation of the film. She was accountable for creating the recipes, the diary entries, and a great deal of the dialogue her character Millie had. Her big brown round eyes resemble a deer in headlights as she is oblivious to the feelings others have towards her. It’s no wonder why she took home the Cannes Film Festival and Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards best actress award. Though the actors fit the characters well and portrayed each scene wonderfully, some things are left unanswered for the audience. Although Pinky is a main character, not a lot is understood about her past. Upon completion of the film, it is still left a mystery why she left Texas and whether or not she was actually from there. When Millie asked for specifics on what part of Texas she was from, Pinky accused her of giving her the third degree and avoided the question. Also, when Pinky saw her â€Å"parents† in the hospital she claimed that she had never seen them before, screaming for them to get out. This was a very peculiar scene since the old couple claim to be Pinky’s parents, but look far too old to actually be them. Whether they are frauds, grandparents, or her adoptive parents, is never actually presented. Another mystery Altman added to make the movie come off as a dream, where not everything makes sense and only certain details are vivid. For its use of water coming in and out of scenes with the primary characters, even though water is not actually present, and the mysteries that leave the audience questioning scenes, 3 Women possesses a dream-like quality. The idea of the film, the story, the cast, and everything included, was said by Altman to come to him in a dream, so he wanted to express it as such. The message and the overall point of the film are left open to interpretation for the audience. Altman himself says he is not exactly sure what the ending means but has a â€Å"theory† on what it signifies and what actually occurred. He wanted to create a film filled with emotion and allusion rather than â€Å"surface realities caught with the camera’s allegedly objective eye,† (Sterritt). Essentially this movie is not a narrative in any way but reflects the three stages of a woman’s life. The three women merge into a single person, who is mother, daughter, and granddaughter, â€Å"isolated but serenely self-sufficient (Canby). The film is about age and youth and the overall quality of American life. Trying to decipher the exact meaning of the movie is pointless in that no one could be definite for sure. 3 Women is a film concentrated more on mystery, mood, and behavior than the use of plot devices. In both Images and 3 Women, it is evident that Altman avoided an attempt to make a flashy movie in order to compete at the same level as his younger comrades in the business. Images depicted a fairytale and 3 Women, a dream; both very unconventional types of films. He was far too interested in the preservation of Hollywood art to care about garnering publicity. These were films that had emphasis on ambiguous between objective reality, and character subjectivity, decorated with abstract, enigmatic compositions. Both were films in which Altman was involved both with the writing and directing process, enabling him to project on screen what he himself envisioned as the direction of the movie. Also, these films examined madness in its female characters. It is no coincidence that these specific films both won a best actress award at Cannes. Although Altman’s movies don’t always do extremely well at the box office, they are perpetually the subject of a lot of analytical attention.

How to Identify Threats & Vulnerabilities in an IT Infrastructure Using ZeNmap Essay

1. Understand how risk from threats and software vulnerabilities impacts the seven domains of a typical IT infrastructure 2Review a ZeNmap GUI (Nmap) network discovery and Nessus vulnerability assessment scan report (hardcopy or softcopy) 3.Identify hosts, operating systems, services, applications, and open ports on devices from the ZeNmap GUI (Nmap) scan report 4.Identify critical, major, and minor software vulnerabilities from the Nessus vulnerability assessment scan report 5.Prioritize the identified critical, major, and minor software vulnerabilities 6.Verify the exploit potential of the identified software vulnerabilities by conducting a high-level risk impact by visiting the Common Vulnerabilities & Exposures (CVE) online listing of software vulnerabilities at http://cve.mitre.org/ Week 3 Lab: Assessment Worksheet Identify Threats and Vulnerabilities in an IT Infrastructure Overview One of the most important first steps to risk management and implementing a security strategy is to identify all resources and hosts within the IT infrastructure. Once you identify the workstations and servers, you now must then find the threats and vulnerabilities found on these workstations and servers. Servers that support mission critical applications require security operations and management procedures to ensure C-I-A throughout. Servers that house customer privacy data or intellectual property require additional security controls to ensure the C-I-A of that data. This lab requires the students to identify threats and vulnerabilities found within the Workstation, LAN, and Systems/Applications Domains. Lab Assessment Questions & Answers 1. What are the differences between ZeNmap GUI (Nmap) and Nessus? ZeNmap is the graphical user interface for Nmap. Nmap when introduced was all command line interface, ZeNmap was created to make the software user friendly. Nmap doesn’t tell you the vulnerabilities on a system that requires knowledge of the computer network, the network baseline, to figure out where the vulnerabilities exist. Nessus is like Nmap in that it can do network discovery, but unlike Nmap, it is designed to scan systems to determine their vulnerabilities. Nessus has the ability to create policies which are composed of scanning specifications. 2. Which scanning application is better for performing a network discovery reconnaissance probing of an IP network infrastructure? The best application for this process would be Nmap 3. Which scanning application is better for performing a software vulnerability assessment with suggested remediation steps? Nessus would be the best application for this process. 4. While Nessus provides suggestions for remediation steps, what else does Nessus provide that can help you assess the risk impact of the identified software vulnerability? Nessus allows users to identify vulnerabilities, and attack those vulnerabilities to establish the impact of an attack. Nessus starts with a port scan and attempts to exploit ports that are open. 5. Are open ports necessarily a risk? Why or why not? Open ports are not necessarily a risk, it depends upon the application that is using the port. If no service is using the port, then the packets will be rejected by the system. 6. When you identify a known software vulnerability, where can you go to assess the risk impact of the software vulnerability? Software vulnerabilities are documented and tracked by US CERT, U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness and Team, in a public accessible list called Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list, CVE. 7. If Nessus provides a pointer in the vulnerability assessment scan report to look up CVE-2009-3555 when using the CVE search listing, specify what this CVE is, what the potential exploits are, and assess the severity of the vulnerability. Does not renegotiation handshakes with an existing connection, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to insert data into HTTPS sessions, and possibly other types of sessions protected by TLS or SSL. The CIA scores are none, partial, and partial with a CVVS score of 5.8. 8. Explain how the CVE search listing can be a tool for security practitioners and a tool for hackers. I a public access list of known vulnerabilities that a security professional can use to check against the systems being analyzed. Hackers can use the list of know vulnerabilities in OS’s and software, to exploit the vulnerability to gain files, or information from systems. 9. What must an IT organization do to ensure that software updates and security patches are implemented timely? Allow testing of the patch or update on a non-production system, have an update policy for the implementation of updates and patches. 10. What would you define in a vulnerability management policy for an organization? An executive summary stating the findings of the vulnerability assessment from a penetration test. Audit goals and objectives, audit methodologies, recommendations and prioritization of vulnerabilities.