William Wordsworth’s Use of Nature Essay Example for Free

William Wordsworth’s Use of Nature Essay William Wordsworth sought to find universal truths, rather than individual ones. They challenged their readers to look at nature not with a sense of fear or apathy, but as an equal. Poets urged people to see that nature and man are one, and therefore, by experiencing nature, one can experience life more fully. To do so, people must first have an authentic experience, keeping an open mind, free from rational thought. Imagination must take over from there, providing one with not only a sense of resolution, but also independence. Although some experiences may make one sadder, it also makes one wiser in knowing the truth, and living through the experience. Wordsworth and the other Romantic poets strayed away from the common Neoclassical thought that poetrys main goal was to teach, in that he believed poetrys main goal was for pleasure. Out of teaching, comes pleasure in the learning. Lyrical poetry, a passionate speaking from the heart, was created as a result. The works of Wordsworth justify his experience as an early child who undergone hardship in life by losing early his beloved parents and leaving with him his neurotic sister Dorothy. (Online Literature) The magnificent landscape deeply affected Wordsworths imagination and gave him a love of nature. (Read Print Online). Nature deserves to be love and praise by addressing these to all his work. This can be proven in his following works: First, Wandered Lonely as a Cloud is Wordsworths interpretation of an experience that his sister, Dorothy, had. Second, Strange Fits of Passion Have I known is a realization and visualization of fear in losing Lucy. Third, The Prelude is full of his memories, youthful adventure and nature that mold him spiritually and feel free. There are lots of ballads written by William Wordsworth that illustrate the love and use nature based on his experienced. This research explores only these three works. Wandered Lonely as a Cloud First, Wandered Lonely as a Cloud is Wordsworths interpretation of an experience that his sister, Dorothy, had. Dorothy Wordsworth says in her journals that the day to which the poem refers to was full of furious winds and heavy rain, in which they tried to run away from. This running away symbolizes Wordsworth takes his sisters experience and gains his own; one of beauty and understanding versus his sisters running away. To him, and other lyrical poets, in order for man to grow and mature, he/she must face nature. When this balance is gained, the poet has been successful. Man in general running away from nature. (Applebee, Arthur N. , et al. , 2000). The poem lonely as a Cloud begins with the evidence of an error, resolves the problem, and shows at the end a proof of authenticity. Love is created, and therefore, the poet can never hate or destroy nature. The poem subjected a person to restrictions and classifications that society has placed on a certain ways of life. It also shows the feeling of Wordsworth in loving human and nature. It tells the pleasure from being in solitude. When in solitude and tranquility, the rational mind is stopped so that unregulated emotion can begin. I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, Wordsworth presents a picturesque natural setting that not only delights the mind’s eye of the speaker, but the reader as well. First, he describes the daffodils as â€Å"golden,† (Davies, Hunter, 1980) instantly giving them aesthetic value. Then he uses personification to add to the beauty of the scene by characterizing the daffodils as â€Å"dancing in the breeze. † A simile adds to the effect of the natural setting by comparing the natural daffodil garden to another beautiful natural panorama: â€Å"Continuous as the stars that shine/ and twinkle on the Milky Way/ they stretched in never-ending line. † Hyperbole emphasizes the magnitude of the scene. â€Å"Ten thousand saw I at a glance. † Wordsworth continues by juxtaposing the daffodils with the waves that crash in the sea beside them. Even the waves cannot compare in beauty, he says. Later, while lying on his couch, the daffodils give the speaker a feeling of â€Å"bliss,† accentuating the Romantic tenet that humans can find true beauty and joy in nature. Strange Fits of Passion Have I known revised and analyzed by Sarena Cha

The writers presentation of conflict and power between men and women Essay Example for Free

The writers presentation of conflict and power between men and women Essay In Thomas Hardy’s â€Å"The Mayor of Casterbridge†, â€Å"Tess of the D’Urbervilles† and William Shakespeare’s â€Å"King Lear†, the writers portray the lives of women and men during their time. One could argue male characters are generally seen to be stronger and powerful than female characters in each of the texts. In â€Å"King Lear†, we are introduced to Lear’s three daughters, â€Å"the eldest† Goneril, â€Å"dearest† Regan and â€Å"more opulent† Cordelia. In the story, Lear is seen to break natural order by dividing the kingdom into three for each of his daughters. He orders them to â€Å"say doth love us most†, making Goneril speak first. Our reaction to Goneril’s speech is one of strong dislike, which is caused by her desire for power. The blend of power and femininity demonstrated in this speech from the Jacobean society is one of the main contributing factors to our disdain for Goneril. This is an idea which holds true today. It is interesting that for a male character this trait is not be so offensive. This is due to the gender differences and expectations in society. Similarly in the novel â€Å"The Mayor of Casterbridge†, we clearly see the treatment of women in Victorian society. The novel begins with Henchard auctioning off his wife to the highest bidder at Weydon Fair, â€Å"I’d sell mine this minute if anybody would buy her†, showing how in early nineteenth century England country women of this class, were viewed as nothing. They could be disposed of if their ‘owners’, namely their husbands or fathers, wished, â€Å"it has been done elsewhere†, illustrating just how common these auctions were. This is similar to â€Å"King Lear†, where Lear has the power to order his daughters to speak. Equally in the novel â€Å"Tess of the D’Urbervilles†, Hardy portrays the way in which men dominate women, presenting their greater control and power in society. Alec, for example, recognises how morally corrupt he is for seducing Tess for his own brief pleasure. This displays his power over her and his ability to take advantage of it. In reverse, Tess’ parents ask her to work in the D’Urbervilles and she refuses. When her mother asks why she replies, Id rather not tell you why, mother; indeed, I dont quite know why. This shows us how aware Tess is of the differences in gender. She tries to use her power, even though it does not do much good. â€Å"King Lear† is in the form of a play, where speech is a main aspect. Notably the daughters speeches to Lear, particularly those of Goneril and Regan, present authority and greed, â€Å"I am made of that self-mettle†¦Ã¢â‚¬  proving to Lear, Regan is â€Å"made† of gold or silver, as she begs Lear with her â€Å"highness’ love†. Proving to Lear she wants money and wealth, Cordelia on the other hand refuses, â€Å"Nothing, my lord.†, as well as mocking her sisters explaining how she loves her father â€Å"no more nor less†, presenting Cordelia to be a fair and reasonable character. Likewise in â€Å"The Mayor of Casterbridge†, Susan has no control over Henchard and his rash decision making, â€Å"dropping her eyes again, and saying nothing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The word â€Å"nothing† here is different to â€Å"King Lear†, as the meaning of nothing here means no hope or words to fight back. However in â€Å"King Lear†, the word â€Å"nothing† is used metaphorically as no money or no love. The word â€Å"nothing† is used in another sense in â€Å"Tess of the D’Urbervilles†, â€Å"look here; I won’t walk another inch with you if you say any jokes about him†, confirming Tess’ loyalty towards her father, she proves â€Å"nothing† in another meaning. Tess depicts how she will exclude herself from the group if they talk bad about her father, presenting female characters in the novel to be faithful and independent. â€Å"King Lear†, as a play, has no direct description of the settings and environment. Although we see the action taking place, we are also guided through the stage directions, â€Å"Sennet† meaning a ceremonial entrance as well as â€Å"one bearing a coronet†, presenting a formal mood to the act. We are also aware of the â€Å"attendants† who are involved in this large event. The female roles in this royal occasion are classified as the King’s daughters, giving them a higher status than other women in the time. Hardy begins the novel in the â€Å"late summer† with the â€Å"valleys and woods† and the â€Å"sight of several horses†. He displays how women have a connection to nature, â€Å"she becomes part and parcel of outdoor nature†, that men cannot share as they are more involved with business â€Å"than of the systematized religion taught their race at later date†. Hardy portrays how men are more linked with a â€Å"systematised† world and the development taking place in the Victorian time. Similarly, Hardy uses natural imagery in â€Å"Tess of the D’Urbervilles†, â€Å"a swallow†¦flew to and fro in quick curves above their heads†, presenting a strong symbolic image. Swallows were often the first to land on a ship that had been out to sea for long periods of time, which relates to the buyer of Henchard’s wife, Newson who was a sailor. Foreshadowing the future, Hardy relates the swallow to Susan. One of â€Å"King Lear’s† recurring themes focuses on sight, where Lear has a lack of insight, as we see â€Å"how full of changes his age is† suggesting he is too old and making bad decisions. Unlike the female characters such as Goneril and Regan where they have strong insight towards Lear’s actions, â€Å"he hath ever but slenderly known himself.†, this shows how generally male characters are have greater power over women however one could argue the female characters have a greater insight to the people and actions around them, such as Goneril and Regan recognising Lear’s doom. Similarly in â€Å"Tess of the D’Urbervilles†, Tess has a large amount of insight to the world around her, this may possibly be connected to the daughters of Lear. However, Tess’ misfortunes and fate create tragedy’s which eventually destroy her insight â€Å"Why it was that upon this beautiful feminine tissue†¦ been traced such a coarse pattern as it was doomed to receive†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . As Tess is raped, Hardy uses the word â€Å"doomed†, where one could suggest it is Tess’ â€Å"doom† or â€Å"fate† to be raped. The meaning of â€Å"doom† is slightly different to â€Å"King Lear† as we see Tess’ â€Å"doom† from the beginning whereas we see Lear’s by a gradual build up. Differently â€Å"The Mayor of Casterbridge†, the word â€Å"doomed† could be placed in another sense as one could say Henchard shares the same characteristics to Lear with his rash decision making and again his lack of insight, causing the village and the people who are around him to be â€Å"doomed†. However the female characters such as Susan can see clearer into Henchard’s wrong actions and goes with Newson the sailor, â€Å"I’ll try my luck elsewhere.† A justifiable opinion could be Susan’s â€Å"luck† is far from â€Å"doom† by going with Newson, as one visualises Henchard’s personality from the beginning of the novel. In â€Å"King Lear† one could argue Lear does not notice his own faults, â€Å"I am a man more sinned against than sinning† presenting Lear to self-pity himself as he displays himself to be the victim. However on the other hand Lear’s favouritism for Cordelia makes Goneril and Regan despise Lear â€Å"He always loved our sister most†¦Ã¢â‚¬  showing how Lear could possibly be â€Å"sinned against† by his daughters. This portrays how women who are more â€Å"opulent† have more chances of being liked. Similarly in â€Å"Tess of the D’Urbervilles†, â€Å"Tess was now carried along upon the wings of the hours, without the sense of a will.† As Hardy relates back to the theme of â€Å"time† in the novel, Tess has waits â€Å"passively† for the wedding to take place as it is not under her responsibility anymore. One could say Tess is â€Å"more sinned against† as Hardy uses another theme of fate and free will as a symbolism for Tess’ life. She uses her free will to choose or determine her own actions; however these actions she makes, seems like fate always brings her down. In comparison Henchard in â€Å"The Mayor of Casterbridge† could possibly be seen as â€Å"more sinned against† as well as â€Å"sinning†. Henchard had sold his wife displaying him â€Å"sinning†, however on the other hand one could possibly argue how it was not his fault as it was his fate and he cannot change his actions, making him â€Å"more sinned against†. This could create sympathy for Henchard although he has done wrong, where usually the sympathy is for the female characters. In â€Å"King Lear†, Shakespeare uses pathetic fallacy by using a storm in Act 3 to conclude Lear’s insightful decisions. The storm is presented as a microcosm of Lear’s madness, as he encourages the storm to continue he shouts â€Å"Blow winds and crack your cheeks!†. Lear personifies the wind as he asks the elements to destroy him, â€Å"his little world of man† as he sees no importance of man or nature after his death. This shows how the word â€Å"man† is the centre of importance and how the power of the storm is imagined to be originating from Lear, a male character. The â€Å"fretful elements† are metaphors for Goneril and Regan where Lear is contending with his family. Kent being disguised gives the knight â€Å"a ring† for Cordelia, being symbolic as the shape of a circle is seen with the â€Å"one bearing a coronet†. This could also be seen with Edmund using a dramatic device, holding a â€Å"letter†. This follows a theme of a cyclical story with the letter being passed around as well as the circular shape from the theme of fate and destiny. Likewise Hardy uses the Ring in â€Å"The Mayor of Casterbridge† to be a Roman amphitheatre, where he invites Susan to meet. Hardy uses this setting as there were ghosts of the past rumoured to be a wife and her husband, where a woman â€Å"murdered her husband was half-strangled and then burnt †¦ of ten thousand spectators.† The ghosts of the past were metaphors for Susan and Henchard, who both have the past haunting them. This shows how although the woman was seen to be powerful to be able to murder her own husband, men are still seen to be stronger as she was â€Å"half-strangled† and â€Å"burnt† for what she had done. In contrast â€Å"Tess of the D’Urbervilles† Hardy uses the past and compares it to the present â€Å"Phases of her childhood lurked in her aspect still.†, one could argue Hardy uses the past and the present similarly to Shakespeare and â€Å"Mayor of Casterbridge† as the circular shape is used not visually but literally. Hardy describes Tess as an image of femininity â€Å"As she walked along to-day, for all her bouncing handsome womanliness, you could sometimes see her twelfth year in her cheeks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Similar to Lear with Cordelia’s looks being â€Å"opulent†, Hardy presents his female characters to be feminine and attractive. Hardy uses Tess’s appearance to be the only powerful aspect of her, similar to Cordelia in â€Å"King Lear†. The power which is usually seen in male characters could be seen as â€Å"defeated†, as in â€Å"King Lear†, Shakespeare uses hyperbole to make the event seem larger than it is as Lear tragically says to the storm â€Å"I stand your slave† where we see Lear as a â€Å"weak† and â€Å"poor† â€Å"old man†. Ironically Lear says â€Å"I will say nothing† which could suggest Lear thinking of Cordelia as well as continuing this theme of â€Å"nothing†. One could say Lear’s power has been destroyed from himself â€Å"sinning† and becoming â€Å"nothing†. Lear’s daughters had more power than Lear from Act 1 however it is seen clearer in Act 3. Similarly the idea of being a â€Å"slave† continues in â€Å"The Mayor or Casterbridge† where â€Å"His old feeling of supercilious pity for womankind in general was intensified†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Henchard is seen to be a tall and strong, male figure, as he tends to feel more dominant and controlling over women. Since women are physically weaker, he feels a â€Å"pity† for â€Å"womankind† because of their weakness. This could possibly be argued how women were portrayed as â€Å"slaves† as men have the physical and stereotypical power to rule against them. In contrast Tess in â€Å"Tess of the D’Urbervilles† could be seen as a â€Å"slave† to her own family, as she goes to work in the D’Urberville household to collect money for her family at home, â€Å"she ought to make her way with en, if she plays her trump card aright. And if he dont marry her afore he will after.. Tess’ mother sends Tess away for work, however she realises Alec’s love for Tess and hopes for marriage. One could suggest her mother wants her to be married to Alec for the money which could present Tess to be a â€Å"slave† in another meaning. However she includes â€Å"if she plays her trump card aright.†, which is ironic for Tess as it seems as if she has no â€Å"trump† card in her pack. In â€Å"King Lear†, Shakespeare relates grown men to compare with â€Å"babes† â€Å"†¦to shake all cares and business from our age; conferring them on younger strengths, while we unburthen’d crawl toward death†. It seems as if Lear is ready to retire, as he adopts the â€Å"royal we† making the event seem important. Shakespeare has displayed Lear as a â€Å"weak†, â€Å"old man†, however he gives another mental image of Lear â€Å"crawling toward death† like a baby. One could argue old age is similar to being a baby as it leaves you â€Å"weak† and powerless. Goneril and Regan’s distaste to Lear humiliates him as they say â€Å"O, sir, you are old†¦Ã¢â‚¬  showing how they as female characters have greater power and order over Lear. The image of a baby in seen in â€Å"Tess of the D’Urbervilles†, however it is used in another sense. Tess’ baby could be seen as a symbolic feature for Tess’ bad luck which Tess could not control. The baby could symbolise innocence like Tess as she has done nothing wrong however she is still punished by society, for an act she could not control. This is ironic as a baby could suggest new beginning, purity and usually visualised with a mother figure. In comparison a baby is presented in â€Å"The Mayor of Casterbridge†, where Elizabeth-Jane is the step daughter of Henchard, as the previous baby died, â€Å"the little one too – the more the merrier!† The baby could symbolise the past and change, as when she died another baby was born – Elizabeth- Jane which could suggest a new beginning. Hardy used Elizabeth-Jane’s hair colour to foreshadow the future how she was not Henchard’s legitimate daughter. As Hardy’s novels were in the form of serialisation the theme of â€Å"foreshadowing† became present in most of his novels. Differently in â€Å"King Lear† there is no mother figure for Lear’s daughters. Goneril and Regan are seen to be violent female characters in the play; it raises the question would they be more feminine and caring if they had a mother to look out for them? Women are seen to be able to nurture and care for their children whereas one could say Lear caused his own downfall by failing to provide a mother figure. As Lear says â€Å"Come on, my boy. How dost my boy? Art cold?† this is the first time Lear is aware of the suffering of others, and acts like a â€Å"mother figure† to the fool, however it is the wrong time. Similarly the absent role of a mother figure is seen in â€Å"The Mayor of Casterbridge†, as Susan dies Elizabeth- Jane is left with Henchard. Elizabeth –Jane begins to like Farfrae as she believes he seemed to feel exactly as she felt about life, presenting how although she has no mother figure to look out for her, her strong insight helps her to continue her life. As Susan left Henchard a letter explaining how Elizabeth-Jane was not his daughter, it seems as if he â€Å"disowned† her by making her leave his house. The mother figure was seen to have a responsibility which Henchard as a male could not adapt to although Elizabeth-Jane was seen to be a step daughter to him. Differently Hardy uses the mother figure in â€Å"Tess of the D’Urbervilles† however she is not present too often. We see her control Tess unlike in â€Å"King Lear† and â€Å"The Mayor of Casterbridge† where there is a father figure with no sense of control. Tess is made to go to the D’Urberville’s house by her mother, where one could say Tess’ misfortunes began. She could represent time as although she is seen to be uneducated she still believes in â€Å"old superstitions†, â€Å"Between the mother, with her fast- perishing lumber of superstitions, folk-lore†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mrs Durbeyfield could also represent pre-industrial England with the â€Å"folk-lore† at that time. Both writers discuss the theme of women, however they are portrayed differently. â€Å"King Lear† focuses on women gaining power and having control over the male characters. The female characters in â€Å"The Mayor of Casterbridge† again have different roles, although this is mainly because the novel is set in the Victorian period where women’s roles were to take care of their husbands and children. Lastly â€Å"Tess of the D’Urbervilles† displays how male characters have a strong control over women, and how this affects their overall lives.

The Corporate Entrepreneurship

The Corporate Entrepreneurship In todays rapidly changing and hyper competitive business environment where opportunities and threats are present, innovation and continued growth remains as a main concern for companies. Scholars have voiced importance of corporate entrepreneurship behavior to cope with the environmental challenges and managing innovation and sustainable growth. Corporate entrepreneurship is an interesting arena among scholars and no universal definition has been agreed. Corporate entrepreneurship is generally defined as the process by which teams within an established company conceive, foster launch and manage new businesses that is distinct from the parent company but make use of parent companys resources, market position, capabilities and other resources (Ferreira, 2002). Implementation of corporate entrepreneur behavior within firm is a challenging process, which involves individuals roles and most importantly firm level antecedents that promotes corporate entrepreneurial activities (Marina G. B iniari, 2010). This paper explains factors (individual characteristics and firm level antecedents) affecting corporate entrepreneurship and how beneficial this strategy is to firms. Individual Characteristics and Corporate Entrepreneurship To cultivate and build successful corporate entrepreneurship in organizations, individuals working at the organization should inherit or possess certain characteristics and traits. These skills and competencies enable them to achieve the outcomes of a successful entrepreneurship and to involve effectively in corporate entrepreneurship activities (Christensen, 2004). As similar to definition of corporate entrepreneurship, researchers have explained various characteristics of individuals in different occasions and no agreement have been reached over key characteristics. Various researches have been conducted on this area analysis of such studies are explained here. Findings of a study done by Lumpkin and Des in Dess in 1996 explained corporate entrepreneurship in terms of entrepreneurial orientation and they determined main characteristics as innovativeness, proactiveness, risk taking, autonomy and competitive aggressiveness (J.P.J de Jong, 2001). In contrast to this study Zahra (1993, 1995) suggested three main characteristics, which are venturing, innovation and self-renewal (Scheepers, 2008). Brockhaus and Horwitz (1982) also suggested some other set of characteristics supporting corporate entrepreneurship, which are locus of control, risk taking propensity, and achievement motivation (Burgers, 2011). In addition to these characteristics, other important characteristics determined by other researchers include; energy level, conformity, need for autonomy, dominance, personal control and desire to build something of ones own (Sanchez, 2011). Since there is no universal set of characteristics, certain set of characteristics are explained in det ail in this section and these characteristics are found as common characteristics highlighted by most of the researchers. Innovativeness Arguably innovation is the most crucial element of the corporate entrepreneurship and all most all researchers have talked about the importance of innovation towards corporate entrepreneurship. Researchers have stressed on importance innovativeness characteristic of individuals in product and service innovation within organizations and Antoncid and Hisrich (2001) suggested that if employees of firma are innovative, it would drive firm towards corporate entrepreneurship. According to James C. Hayton (2006), innovativeness in corporate entrepreneurship is defined as a predisposition to engage in creativity and experimentation through the introduction of new products. Pinchot (1985) suggested that, at that time the important factor missing in corporate innovation was intrapreneurs or corporate entrepreneurs. He defined intrapreneurs as those who take hands-on responsibility for creating innovation of any kind within an organization; they may be the creator or inventors but are always the dreamers who figure out how to turn an idea into a profitable reality (Zhang, 2010). One of the key roles of intrapreneurs is to finding creative methods or ways to improve the speed and cost-effectiveness of technology transfer from internal RD to the marketplace. To achieve this they are need to be innovative to come up with new ideas on how to sustain competitive advantage in a highly dynamic business environment. This may include individuals ability to deliver creative ideas about new product/service development and also process related innovations to improve companys efficiency and enhance productivity (Antoncic, 2009). Proactiveness According to Bateman and Crant (1993), proactive personality trait refers to individuals capability to influence ones environmental and bring about change. Moreover proactiveness of an individual would make him strong to face challenges and motivates plays a vital role in implementing effective environmental changes (Devarajan, 2005). Furthermore Bateman and Jauhari (2008) stated that people are not always passive recipients of environmental constraints on their behavior; rather, they can intentionally and directly change their current circumstances. Researchers have positively related proactive personality with individual innovation, taking charge, problem prevention, voice and issue selling credibility. Since these are crucial elements of corporate entrepreneurial behavior, it is clearly evident that there is a positive relationship between proactiveness of individuals and corporate entrepreneurial behavior. Need for achievement and internal locus of control The need for achievement is one of the important characteristics of a corporate entrepreneur which makes him distinguished from other non corporate entrepreneurs. Individuals hunger to achieve high goals and hard working in achieving firms mission effectively develops the firms ability to develop wealth creation and finally it encourages creating new businesses and ventures within existing organizations (Ferreira, 2002). In addition to need for achievement, internal locus of control is another important characteristic of corporate entrepreneurs. Individuals who have strong belief on that they have the control on over their destiny, vitally affects their performance positively. Such confidence self motivates individuals to take beneficial decisions that would achieve goals of corporate entrepreneurship and this belief motivates them to tackle any hurdles they may face in the process of corporate entrepreneurship (Lassen, 2007). Risk taking Individuals willingness to take risks and ability tolerate in the times of failure is considered as one of the fundamental characteristics to be a corporate entrepreneur. Individuals who bear the risk of profit or loss are ready to take brave actions by venturing into new businesses and investing significantly heavy resources in unknown environments (A. Zahra, 2000). All entrepreneurial activities such as venturing, innovation and strategic renewal involves certain degree of risk as any of such activity would require effort, time and most importantly financial investments. According to Lin and Colleagues (2008), risk taking style managers enriches the corporate entrepreneurship behavior within firms. Furthermore, in a corporate entrepreneurial environment, individuals work on converting intelligent ideas to innovative products even without permission or approval from top management. Other individual characteristics In addition to above discussed individual characteristics, scholars have also stressed on some other fundamental individual characteristics that qualifies them to engage with corporate entrepreneurial activities. Self renewal is one of the important characteristic, which refers to individuals interest or ability to renew or redefine the usual methods of business process and transforming to more innovative methods that enhances ability to gain competitive advantage (Rutherford, 2007). Other important characteristics include feedback seeking and effective communication skills, which are highly useful when it comes to work as groups and interact with each other (Srivastava, 2010). Such personal traits would help to convince team and top management about the individuals innovative ideas and to attain support at organizational level. Furthermore, knowledge, experience and flexibility to adjust changes in environment and managerial structure are also considered as crucial individual charac teristics. Firm-Level Antecedents and Corporate Entrepreneurship According to findings of various researches done on corporate entrepreneurship, it indicates the existence and importance of firm level antecedents that impact on corporate entrepreneurship. Exploratory study done by Kuratko (1990) suggested five distinct internal factors that support corporate entrepreneurship, which are reward and resource availability, organizational structure and boundaries, risk taking and time availability (Burgers, 2011). In addition to Kuratkos findings, study conducted by Fortune 500 CEOs observed tangible and intangible factors within organization that foster corporate entrepreneurship. Their study found that factors such as communication, scanning, integration, and differentiation and control influences firms ability to foster corporate entrepreneurship (Scheepers, 2008). Rewarding System Usage of appropriate rewards within firms is highly acknowledged by several researchers such as Scanlan (1981), Souder (1981), Kanter (1985), Sathe (1985), Fry (1987), Block and Ornati (1987), Sykes (1992), Barringer and Milkvoich (1998). They suggested that when implementing an effective reward system, organization should consider certain factors, which includes; consider goals, feedback from employees, stress individual responsibility and result based incentives (Monsen, 2007). To support the idea suggested by the above researchers, Fry (1993) stated even though monetary rewards may not be especially important to entrepreneurial individual, some mechanism of rewarding innovation must be evident if innovation is to continue. By implementing an effective reward system that value achievements of employees would promote motivation among employees to take risks associated with activities of corporate entrepreneurship. According to expectancy theory individuals maximum effort requires that the individual should believe that by accomplishing goals it would lead to a reward (Devarajan, 2005). Therefore organizations should provide rewards in an appropriate way to show employees that creative works and high level performances are recognized and appreciated by management. Rewards could be presented as options from where deserving employees could choose desired rewards. Management Support Management support means the willingness of top management to facilitate required resources and support to promote corporate entrepreneurial activities within organization. Many researchers have stressed on the importance of management support and they have suggested that management involvement, commitment, championing innovative ideas, providing necessary resources, rewarding venture activities and institutionalizing entrepreneurial activities within firm are important for corporate entrepreneurship (Christensen, 2004). Furthermore Steven Jarillo (1990) stated that by providing necessary training to individuals and trusting those within the firm in detecting opportunities would have a positive impact on firms corporate entrepreneurial behaviour. According to Guth Ginsberg (1990), organizational values are also important in promoting corporate entrepreneurship within firms. They suggested that the corporate entrepreneurial behaviour within a firm critically depends on the values/beliefs and organizational vision (Kollman, 2008). Leadership of the firm should support innovative behaviour of individuals when they propose promising innovative ideas that could venture new business opportunities within the existing organization. This idea was supported by findings of study done by Pearce et al (1997) and they found that leaders who act entrepreneurially had a positive influence on their subordinates and such leaders encourage corporate entrepreneurship behavior within the firm. Resources Resources of the organization and their availability when required play a vital role in promoting corporate entrepreneurial behaviour within organization. According to Pinchot (1985), in order to behave corporate entrepreneurial ways, individuals should be allowed access companys resources to be utilized in various corporate entrepreneurial activities. Furthermore he stated that individuals should have enough time to work on innovative ideas to make them reality and employees should be assigned with reasonable workload so that they could work on other activities to solve important problems (A. Zahra, 2000). Moreover, employees should be provided with necessary resources to conduct experiments on new findings and this includes any required equipments/devices and satisfactory environmental settings. The resource-based view (RBV) suggests that availability of resources in a company is a crucial factor in determining competitive advantage (Kuratko, 2007). Companies should manage their re sources to build unique capabilities to be exceeding competitors capability to provide better solutions to customers. Supportive organizational structure Supportive organizational structure is an important antecedent highlighted by many authors (Souder, 1981; Sathe, 1985; Hisrich and Peters, 1986; Sykes, 1986; Sykes and Block, 1989; Burgelman and Sayles, 1986; Schuler, 1986; Bird, 1988; Guth and Ginsberg, 1990; Covin and Slevin,1991; Zahra, 1991, 1993; Brazeal, 1993; Hornsby et al., 1993) in their literatures. Authors have suggested that organizational structure should provide appropriate administrative mechanisms for idea evaluation, choosing, and implementing productive ideas. Moreover they argued that the bureaucratic nature of organizational structure would gradually build boundaries that hinder individuals ability to convert their innovative ideas to innovative products/services (Kenney, 2010). Therefore organizational structure should be implemented in a way that avoids having standard operating procedures for all major job related activities and rigid performance standards should be avoided as much as possible. Other firm level antecedents In addition to above discussed antecedents there are other important antecedents that affect corporate entrepreneurial behavior. One of them is empowered, autonomous employees, which refers to extent to which employees are give power to make decisions on working on their own works in a manner they believe to be most effective (A. Zahra, 2000). Strategic leadership and their support for corporate entrepreneurship also play a vital role in fostering this strategy within firms. This involves managers willingness to facilitate necessary resources to corporate entrepreneurial activities and to encourage subordinates to participate in such activities. Last but not least, risk taking is also considered as a key element. Risk taking involves firms willingness to spend resources in exploiting opportunities and launching projects with uncertain outcomes (Ferreira, 2002). Word Count: 2574 (Excluding References) Contributions of Corporate Entrepreneurship Corporate entrepreneurship plays a vital role in enhancing companys ability to sustain competitive advantage. Zahra Kuratko (1990) stressed on the importance of corporate entrepreneurship by stating that it improves competitive positioning and transform corporations and strengthen their markets by fostering creativeness within firms. A key benefit organizations could gain via corporate entrepreneurship is to drive firm with diverse strategies with unique combinations. And also corporate entrepreneurship could improve the overall performance of the firm, growth and profitability (Fitzsimmons, 2004). Furthermore it increases the companys proactiveness and willingness to take risks by investing on new product development and integrating innovative technologies in various processes of business. A study done by Zahra and Covin in 1995 showed that there is a strong relationship between corporate entrepreneurship and financial performance. Based on the findings of their study they suggeste d that companies should focus on ways to encourage potential individuals who show corporate entrepreneurial qualities (Kollman, 2008). According to general definition of corporate entrepreneurship, it refers to activities that enhance new product and service development and especially development of new business models and business ventures. Companies, who encourage corporate entrepreneurship behaviour within their firms, enjoy improved internal efficiencies, higher employee morale which all leads to improvements in financial performance (Monsen, 2007). In corporate entrepreneurial companies, managers tend to implement new management trends to overtake old methodologies which are found to be boring and frustrating. Such changes in management bring them success and effective changes in structure and systems will show significant results over longer time period. All researches done on the arena of corporate entrepreneurship have suggested that firms should encourage corporate entrepreneurship to attain positive results in a long run. Most of the studies are focused on examining the impact of corporate entrepreneurship on financial performance of the firm and how it motivates individuals to work on sustaining financial improvements. However financial improvements are not only the benefits contributed by corporate entrepreneurship but it involves certain non-financial benefits too. Lumpkin and Dess (2005) argued that in addition to financial performances (market share growth, sales growth, financial profitability etc), outcomes of corporate entrepreneurship also includes valuable non financial benefits that assist firm to sustain financial improvements. According to Lumpkin and Dess (2005), satisfaction and commitment of organizational members in achieving companys vision are crucial non financial benefits to organization from corporate entrepreneurship. Dover (2002) defined job satisfaction as a pleasurable or favorable emotional state derived from an evaluation of ones job or job experiences. In contrast to this, affective commitment is defined as degree of employees emotional attachment to his or her organization. Both the job satisfaction and commitment have a positive influence on motivation and leads to greater organizational effectiveness. Most importantly researchers, Hindle and Cutting (2002) have positively related both to corporate entrepreneurship.

Holocaust vs. Native American Genocide Essay -- nazis, weapon, european

The term genocide brings awful things to mind. For most, it probably directs their attention towards the Holocaust; this was definitely a gruesome and obvious example of genocide, but there are many others with great similarities that are not very well known. One of these is the decimation of the Native American population by the European settlers and the atrocious things that were done to them such as the trail of tears following the Indian Removal Act of 1830 during the settling of North America. The Holocaust might be the most well known but there have been many other incidents in history just as abhorrent. The Holocaust and Native American Genocide are different in weapons used and the motives for killing but similar in intent, effects and selection of the persecuted. The weapons used by the Nazis and European Settlers were very different. The Nazis directly stated the outcome they thought necessary, which was what they called the â€Å"final solution† (â€Å"Holocaust†). This was the termination of all of the races they believed inferior to themselves. This â€Å"final solution† was administered through concentration camps, extermination camps and â€Å"Einsatzgruppen† which were military units sent to mass exterminate groups of people persecuted under the Nazi Regime (â€Å"Holocaust†). The soldiers of these camps and extermination groups used firearms and other weaponry to do their jobs, while European settlers were usually more indirect in the way they killed Native Americans. The largest contribution to the deaths of the natives is known as a â€Å"virgin soil epidemic†, where a disease spreads especially quickly the first time it is introduced to an area (Lewy). One of the diseases that clai med the most lives was small pox, which was distri... ...locaust." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 10 June 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. . "Victims of the Nazi Era: Nazi Racial Ideology." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 10 June 2013. Web. 05 May 2014. Lewy, Guenter. "Were American Indians the Victims of Genocide?" History News Network. History News Network, Sept. 2004. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. . Stanton, Gregory H. "Genocides and Conflicts." World Without Genocide. World Without Genocide, 7 May 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. . "Settlement." Settlement. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.

Struggles for Equality under the AIAW/NCAA Merger :: Women Athelets Sports

Struggles for Equality under the AIAW/NCAA Merger In any movement by a marginalized social group to gain equal rights and recognition, there are always several factions with differing opinions of the best way to achieve the common goal. There are those who choose to work within the rules of the system as is it is already structured by the dominant social group, and there are those who choose to create their own branch, rewriting the rules to represent their own philosophies. Historically, women's athletics have been led by the second camp; by women who demanded a philosophy of sport with a vision unique from that of men?s athletics. Women's athletics remained, much like women as a social group, in its own separate sphere, leading its own organizational structure. But as the women's sphere was de-mystified (Spears, 1978) in the mid twentieth century, autonomous organizational structures were absorbed under the umbrella of formerly exclusively male athletics. This is the case as illustrated by the merger of the AIAW and the NCAA. On the surface, it may appear that full official inclusion of women's athletics into the structure of the patriarchy would bring primarily positive results such as increased funding and greater access to facilities. However, the present, past, and future ramifications of the merger are tangled in a web of political and social significance that is not so simple to label as all positive or all negative for the advancement of women's athletics and Feminism at large. I will briefly trace the history that led to the creation of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) as described by Joan Hult in 'The Story of Women's Athletics: Manipulating a Dream 1890-1985,' and then examine some of the pros and cons of the AIAW's 1981 merger with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Hult explains that in the era between 1890-1920, women physical educators were a tightly knit, dedicated group committed to a tradition of restricted competition, self-governance, and a feminine approach to individual and team sports. They believed that all girls and women should have the opportunity to participate and enjoy sport, not only the talented elite as in the competition-driven male philosophical structure (87). Play-days and sport-days with emphasis on team building games were a means of perpetuating an image of an ideal American female athlete: feminine, beautiful, strong, yet always 'aware of her delicate reproductive system' (89). Seventy-five years later, though much had changed, the AIAW still adhered to a more fundamental interpretation of the original philosophy of women's athletics. Struggles for Equality under the AIAW/NCAA Merger :: Women Athelets Sports Struggles for Equality under the AIAW/NCAA Merger In any movement by a marginalized social group to gain equal rights and recognition, there are always several factions with differing opinions of the best way to achieve the common goal. There are those who choose to work within the rules of the system as is it is already structured by the dominant social group, and there are those who choose to create their own branch, rewriting the rules to represent their own philosophies. Historically, women's athletics have been led by the second camp; by women who demanded a philosophy of sport with a vision unique from that of men?s athletics. Women's athletics remained, much like women as a social group, in its own separate sphere, leading its own organizational structure. But as the women's sphere was de-mystified (Spears, 1978) in the mid twentieth century, autonomous organizational structures were absorbed under the umbrella of formerly exclusively male athletics. This is the case as illustrated by the merger of the AIAW and the NCAA. On the surface, it may appear that full official inclusion of women's athletics into the structure of the patriarchy would bring primarily positive results such as increased funding and greater access to facilities. However, the present, past, and future ramifications of the merger are tangled in a web of political and social significance that is not so simple to label as all positive or all negative for the advancement of women's athletics and Feminism at large. I will briefly trace the history that led to the creation of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) as described by Joan Hult in 'The Story of Women's Athletics: Manipulating a Dream 1890-1985,' and then examine some of the pros and cons of the AIAW's 1981 merger with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Hult explains that in the era between 1890-1920, women physical educators were a tightly knit, dedicated group committed to a tradition of restricted competition, self-governance, and a feminine approach to individual and team sports. They believed that all girls and women should have the opportunity to participate and enjoy sport, not only the talented elite as in the competition-driven male philosophical structure (87). Play-days and sport-days with emphasis on team building games were a means of perpetuating an image of an ideal American female athlete: feminine, beautiful, strong, yet always 'aware of her delicate reproductive system' (89). Seventy-five years later, though much had changed, the AIAW still adhered to a more fundamental interpretation of the original philosophy of women's athletics.

Government :: essays research papers

Conservatives, liberals, and radicals have different perspectives in important areas such as attitudes toward change, views of human nature, individual behavior, family, the social system, and the government and the economic system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conservatives tend to resist change. They think change is more negative than positive. Social welfare programs generally represent nontraditional means of dealing with problems. So conservatives are very suspicious of almost all social welfare programs, because they strongly emphasize tradition saying that problems should be handled in time-tested ways to the greatest extent. When it comes to human nature conservatives take a pessimistic view. People are seen as being corrupt, self-centered, lazy, incapable of true charity and need to be controlled. Conservatives say that each person is responsible for his or her own current behavior. They also say that people possess free will and can choose to engage in hard work to get ahead.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conservatives revere the â€Å"traditional† family and try to preserve it. They feel it is a source of strength. They also oppose abortion, public funding of day-care centers, rights for homosexuals, sex education in school and counseling for minors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The conservatives perspective sees the social system as inherently fair. If some groups are poorer than others and have less power and low status it is because this situation is necessary for being for the well-being of society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The view conservatives take on the government and economic system is that they think the less governments govern, the better. They think that most government activities constitute threats to individual liberty and to the functioning of the free market.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liberals attitude toward change is a different one than conservatives. Liberals are generally in favor of change. They believe that the world can be changed for the better. They also think that continuing change will bring continuing progress. Liberals take an optimistic view of human nature. People do not have to be controlled, they need be protected from corrupting influences and given the freedom to follow their natural inclinations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although liberals and radicals do not completely deny free will and motivation, they put more emphasis on the environment as a factor in individual behavior. Family, to liberals is an evolving institution, and they can be more flexible and pragmatic in the ways in which they support it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liberals, like conservatives tend to view society as an orgasmic system, but they have less faith that the system will regulate itself without intervention.

Intel Case

Intel makes the microprocessors that are found in 80 percent of the world’s personal computers. In the early days, Intel microprocessors were known simply by their engineering numbers, such as â€Å"80386† or â€Å"80486. † Intel positioned its chips as the most advanced. The trouble was, as Intel soon learned, numbers can’t be trademarked. Competitors came out with their own â€Å"486† chips, and Intel had no way to distinguish itself from the competition. Worse, Intel’s products were hidden from consumers, buried deep inside PCs. With a hidden, ntrademarked product, Intel had a hard time convincing consumers to pay more for its high-performance products. Intel’s response was a marketing campaign that created history. The company chose a trademarkable name (Pentium) and launched a marketing campaign to build awareness of the Intel brand. The â€Å"Intel Inside† campaign was Intel’s effort to get its name outside of the PC and into the minds of consumers. Intel used an innovative cooperative scheme to extend the reach of its campaign. It would help computer makers who used Intel processors to advertise heir PCs if the makers also included the Intel logo in their ads. Intel also gave computer manufacturers a rebate on Intel processors if they agreed to place an â€Å"Intel Inside† sticker on the outside of their PCs and laptops. Simultaneously with the cooperative ads, Intel began its own ad program to familiarize consumers with the Intel name. The â€Å"Intel Inside† campaign changed Intel’s image from a microprocessor maker to a quality standard-bearer. The ads that included the Intel Inside logo were designed to create confidence in the onsumer’s mind that purchasing a personal computer with an Intel microprocessor was both a safe and technologically sound choice. Between 1990 and 1993, Intel invested over $500 million in advertising and promotional programs designed to build its brand equity. By 1993, Financial World estimated the Intel brand to be worth $17. 8 billion. Intel continues its integrated campaigns to this day. For example, when launching its Centrino mobile platform, Intel began with TV ads that aired in the United States and 11 other countries. These ads include the animated logo and ow familiar five-note brand signature melody. Print, online, and outdoor advertising followed shortly thereafter. Print ads ran in magazines and featured ads that targeted that magazine. For instance, an ad appearing in a sports magazine showed the logo in the center of a tennis racquet with the tagline â€Å"High performance laptop. No strings attached. † Simultaneously, Intel held a â€Å"One Unwired Day† event that took place in major cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle. In addition to allowing free trial Wi-Fi access, each city held festival events that included live music, roduct demonstrations, and prize giveaways. The company also set up free access demonstration sites (with wireless Centrino-powered laptops) in areas frequented by road warriors, such as San Francisco’s airport. To boost interest in mobile computing, the company partnered with Zagat Survey to produce a mini-guide inserted into The New Yorker that identified more than 50 â€Å"Wi-Fi Hotspots†Ã¢â‚¬â€mainly restaurants and hotels—in the â€Å"One Unwired Day† cities. Finally, Intel ran online ads on such Web sites as CNET. om and Weather. com. Yahoo! created a Wi-Fi Center Web ite co-sponsored by Intel and featuring Centrino advertising. The â€Å"Unwired† campaign was another Intel success in marketing integration. The $300 million total media effort for the Centrino mobile platform helped generate $2 billion in revenue for Intel during the first nine months of the campaign. Among marketers, Intel won the Innovation award in the Business Superbrands Awards 2003. Going forward, Intel CEO Craig Barrett said the company will aggressively target opportunities outside of its traditional revenue stream in PCs. The company ill be moving beyond â€Å"Intel Inside† to â€Å"Intel Everywhere†Ã¢â‚¬â€Intel chips in every type of digital device possible, from cellphones to flat-panel TVs to portable video players and wireless home networks, even medical diagnostic gear. The company is targeting 10 new product areas for its chips. If the new markets take off, they’ll increase demand for PCs and services, bringing new revenues for Intel’s core products even if its own new products do not succeed in these markets. In 2005, former marketer Paul Otellini will succeed Craig Barrett as CEO and take the helm of this $34 billion company.