Qualitative Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Qualitative Analysis - Assignment Example Considering the at the beginning of the first transcript on the basis of single handed lady FLICKA(Trish), staged in home port Columbia, the transcript is a conversation between Carolin who is an interviewee and Trish who is an interviewer. According to this first script, an issue of age is raised and this shows that an interviewee who is Carolin is more concerned with getting a clue of Trish’s personal details and the way of life she is living. As questions are articulated we administer an essence of misappropriate between the two people since the question raised by Carolin about the age has been channelized into Trisha’s life history. Meanwhile, Trish is so open to analyze all that she administered in Guinea specifically in the year 1979 showing that the interviewee is concerned to know what she encountered while delivering her best on the basis of sailing women school (Trish, 2005). The interviewee uses a motivational theme especially when she asked Carolin if she encountered and acquired skills that has helped her to develop personal traits on her daily time boating to cruising. However, the interviewee uses her ability to express her concern about Trish. She went forward by telling Trisha that she is not supposed to worry what somebody did and that the best thing is to be there, to justify that you are a good sailor. From this script, it becomes vice versa as Carolin becomes an interviewee as well as Trish becoming an interviewer. The aspect of concerned is raised here with an essence of getting out more on what Trish have on about the marine environment. In her response she articulates that she is a conservationist as she is engaged in doing things naturally. There is a connection between sailing boat as ascertained by Carolin from the first script and what Trish is engaging in as she term herself as a conservationist. Getting problems that cruising communities goes through was also

Multinational Corporation Now and Then Research Paper

Multinational Corporation Now and Then - Research Paper Example A virtual team is therefore hard to manage because it sorts out things on its own. In fact, what is deemed as pivotal here is to have a better know-how of the headquarters which is leading the virtual team in the first place. The results have to be drawn up in such a way that there is a win-win relationship for both these parties. From an economic stance, it means that the funds are being allocated in the right direction as far as understanding the team progress realms are concerned. This is an important consideration because the economic implications suggest a great deal, and more so within the aegis of the MNCs today and in the times to come (Patnaik, 2011). Within the political sphere, this would mean that the team progress is being supervised by the most appropriate people possible. It will make sure that the concerned authorities would know beforehand how to get the job done and then measure and monitor the progress accordingly. This is something that decides the basis of the MN Cs in the present day and age and it will get more competitive in the times to follow. Monitoring the team progress by making use of technology is conducive for the Multinational Corporation (MNC) today and even tomorrow. This is because it allows the team to be consistently kept a check upon from a political, economic and technological stance. It has helped shape up the different dimensions of the business of a MNC by making use of varied pointers which assist in understanding the strengths and opportunities that lie within the team and which shall solve the quandaries of the organization in the long run (Briggs, 2011). This has been the case within most of the renowned businesses and MNCs of today and it will continue to be like this in the coming times as well. Monitoring the team progress is always a Herculean task but then again it has to start off from somewhere in entirety. When team progress is monitored using technology, this means that many a tasks are being handled proper ly. This also implies that the team progress knows where it is being headed, i.e. in the right direction. What is even more interesting to note is that the people responsible for making sure that the team progress remains supreme are the ones who remain answerable for all these tasks in the first place. The environment within the MNCs of today is such that there is a lot of competition for giving in the best possible efforts and hence the reason that team progress remains a much desired proposition. Also what is most significant under such domains is how well the team progress has been measured (Martins, 2011). If this team progress is understood to be the best possible yardstick for finding out future possibilities, then it would mean that the organization is doing something worthwhile and indeed the monitoring is being carried out in the most apt manner possible. Seldom are a few issues cropping up which destroy the basis of finding out the team progress and these need to be check ed upon time and again. There is a dire need to understand the basics behind evaluating and monitoring the team progress because it is the force upon which the sanity of the organizations rest upon. In essence, monitoring the team progress is fundamental towards understanding the dynamics of the MNCs.

Equality and Difference amongst indigenous Australians

Equality and Difference amongst indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians have poorer education rates compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. The ABS reveals that 39% of Indigenous Australian students stayed on to year 12 at high school, compared with 75% for the non-Indigenous population. Less than half of indigenous adults (22%) had a vocational or higher education qualification, compared with 48% for the non-Indigenous Australian population. Although the situation is improving slightly, (with significant gains between 1994 and 2002) these results illustrate inequality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Unemployment rates are also a problem in Australia, more so for Indigenous Australians. As of 2002, the average household income for Indigenous Australian adults was 60% that of the non-Indigenous average. The 2006 census showed a large gap regarding unemployment rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, with Indigenous people being 3 times more likely to be unemployed compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. Data from the 2002 NATSISS also indicated that Indigenous Australians were twice as likely as their non-Indigenous peers to be a victim of violent aggression, with 24% of Indigenous Australians reported being a victim of violence in 2001. In 2004, Indigenous Australians were 11 times more likely to be in prison with 1/5 ( 21%) prisoners in Australia being Indigenous-Australian. A study by the ABS in 2009 revealed the estimated life expectancy at 67.2 years for Indigenous men (11.5 years less than for non-Indigenous) and 72.9 years for Indigenous women (9.7 years less than for non-Indigenous). It shows a difference of about 5 years to the previous figures but at the same time, points to another issue of inequality. Studies in the 1960s reveals, among Indigenous Australians, a high rate of infant mortality of around 100 infant deaths per 1000 live births. In following years, there was a steady decline to around 26 per 1000 by 1981, with much of it due to improvements in post-neonatal mortality. While this can be seen as slightly promoting equality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, the latest statistics reveal that Indigenous infant mortality rates are consistently around two and a half times the Australian average, an obvious example of inequality in this area. The key to improving indigenous lives is education. Photo: Terry Irwin The major difference between equality and inequality is very simple education. Family circumstances and genetics play their part, but the be all and end all to eradicating inequality is a good education. It is the one essential ingredient above all others that would raise the indigenous communities of northern Australia out of poverty and Third World conditions to an equal place with white Australia equal health, equal wealth and equal status. As indigenous leader Noel Pearson said recently, indigenous education is a shameful failure. There is no colour divide in maths, physics, world history, geography or languages. Nor to the guaranteed opportunities education brings. The only barrier is the ability to deliver it quickly enough, in enough quantity and quality to make the transformation. And it does need to be done quickly we are already 200 years behind time. Pearson calls for two new methods of delivery: a change in the governance of indigenous schools; and a departure from centralised public education delivery in favour of independent publicly funded schools like those known in the United States as charter schools. This is no easy solution. Cultural barriers, poverty, misunderstandings and a chronic lack of infrastructure are real problems, but they are all within our capacity to solve. If for no other reason, our pride as a nation should drive us. We are justly proud of our athletes and sportsmen, our business men and women, our actors, painters and scholars. But while we parade our successes on the world stage, just a few words bring us crashing down: You allow your indigenous people to live in poverty and ignorance. On that matter you are by world standards a huge failure. We are extraordinarily accomplished and generous in bringing many different cultures from around the world to live peacefully and successfully in this country, yet we cannot accommodate our own indigenous culture. The delivery of well-educated, indigenous VCE students to universities and TAFEs can be achieved on two levels. Our top schools, both public and private, receive a fortune in government funding and commonly see about 90 per cent of their students enrol in university. They should take on the task of educating the brightest indigenous children. I once chaired a lunch meeting at which principals made clear their embarrassment that our schools are educating students from cultures all around the globe, but not educating significant numbers of our own indigenous children. Tired of waiting for government policy, many top schools have embarked on their own scholarship schemes in an ad hoc manner. It is estimated that by working with indigenous communities and with government, these schools could deliver 1000 indigenous university entrants each year without causing a ripple in their daily routines. The problems of culture shock and family support for students at such schools can be solved with the help of local communities. The second level involves enticing children in the outback to school and providing them with quality teaching. Interactive technology means that teachers throughout the outback can work with the best virtual teachers in city schools. School attendance might be a condition for joining the local football team, going to swim, or for mum and dad to collect their welfare cheque. If there is transport, a reason to turn up and a pay-off, children will attend. Initiatives in Cape York showing between 70 and 96 per cent attendance rates put paid to arguments by sceptics that high indigenous attendance in far north and outback Australia are unachievable. Fresh thinking is called for in the delivery of education in outback Australia and it may be we will never get that from government bureaucrats. Is it time for private enterprise the bastions of initiative and lateral thinking to bring some of their energy and relentless determination to the table? The initiative presently being considered in Queensland of an independent indigenous academy will have its critics, but it is the sort of bold move that is needed. It should attract private money from the many Australian companies and benefactors who support and sponsor important community causes. And what more important cause in this country could there be? Private not-for-profit schools should collectively take up this challenge as well. With access to private foundations and innovative teaching techniques, and being experienced in providing accommodation and cultural leadership, they are well placed to deliver such focused education institutions. I am damned if I know why Australias determination, sense of fairness and ingenuity have not enabled us to overcome this major national failure even if for no other reason than sheer embarrassment. (b) The article highlights the importance of education in reducing inequality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. It reveals that education guarantees opportunities thus the improvement of education for Indigenous Australians will promote equality of opportunity and equality of outcomes for Indigenous peoples, by raising indigenous communities of northern Australia out of poverty and Third World conditions and establishing equal health, equal wealth and equal status.The author also hints at Australia pride in its cultural diversity and our success in ensuring different cultures live peacefully and advantageously yet we cant even ensure the same level of equality for Australias Indigenous population. A number of ideas also surface regarding the ways education can be improved for Indigenous Australians to help promote equality in the long term. A change from centralised public education in favour of independent publicly funded schools is suggested, similar to charter sch ools in the US. Other ideas also include incentive for Indigenous students to attend school and the use of technology for communication between teachers in the outback and those in the city, enabling them to work together. Equality and difference for Indigenous Australians has experienced some change overtime. Significant changes include the earlier laws of the mid-late 20th century which focused on the rights of Indigenous Australians. The policy of Assimilation, introduced in 1937 saw Indigenous Australian on a different level to white Australians, with Aboriginal Australians having little or no rights; Aboriginal people of mixed descent are to be assimilated into white society by force and, those not living tribally are to be educated, with all others having to stay on reserves. Segregationist practices were also put in place and continue until the 1960s including separate sections in theatres for Aboriginal Australians, separate wards in hospitals and schools able to refuse enrolment to Aboriginal children. The policy of integration of was introduced in 1965, supposedly to give Aboriginal people more control over their lives and society. This is an example of a change over time, which allowed Indigenous Australians to make more decisions, however it is still a poor improvement in relation to equal rights for non-Indigenous Australians at the time. The Commonwealth 1967 Referendum is another event of significance as it recognised that Indigenous Australians were a part of the nation to be included in the census, a significant step in identifying Aborigines as equal and to the rest of Australian society. The abolishment of the White Australia Policy and the subsequent introduction of the Self-determination (self-management) policy is arguably one of the largest steps in establishing that Indigenous Australians are no different to the rest of Australian society. The change meant that Aboriginal Australians would have the right to preserve their culture and language and to manage the natural resources on Aboriginal land. These rights were already available to non-Indigenous Australians, revealing a delay in equality for Aboriginal Australians, obviously as a result of discrimination. Despite these milestones in policies to improve equality, the issue of poor health among Indigenous Australians is still a major issue. The overall life expectancy and health issues that occur among Indigenous Australians are proven to be more severe than for non-Indigenous Australians with poor education, socio-economic status and employment rates to blame. The infant mortality rate is an example though, that illustrates a decline in the number of infant deaths since the 1960s and proves that future trends may continue to decline, possibly along with other health issues regarding Indigenous Australians. Individuals, groups and governments can help achieve desirable outcomes for all people in the future by contributing and ensuring equality of opportunity, if not for outcomes for every Australian, in particular, disadvantaged groups such as Indigenous Australians. Individuals need to recognise the level of inequality that can be found in society, especially inequality in many aspects of Indigenous Australian life including, large numbers of unemployment rates, many of which are issues that can be solved, although it may take some time to improve dramatically. Groups can play a large role in improving equality in society, particularly for the state of Indigenous Australians and the issues they face. Dick Estens Aboriginal Employment Service is an example where action has been taken by a community to improve equality in employment for Indigenous Australians. Establishments like Estens can also be extended to other services, by the government, such as Indigenous health care; ensuring all Indigenous Australians have access to proper health care. The recent ban of alcohol for areas in the Northern Territory seems a poor way to reduce rates of violence relating to alcohol consumption. The consequences of alcohol for many Indigenous Australians is evidently a problem with high rates of abuse and violence but Perhaps this government initiative should have been altered to the formation of rehabilitation centres instead. This may also have followed with incentives to attract and consequently help Indigenous Australians overcome excessive alcohol consumption or provide them with better knowledge of its consequences rather than intrude on their rights by not allowing the consumption of alcohol. For issues regarding Indigenous Australian education; private, non-for-profit schools like SMH author Robert Dean suggested should possibly be put in place to promote better education for Aboriginal Australian students in society, the results of which would most likely achieve a greater equality for Indigenous Australians to have better opportunities and outcomes in life than in previous years. Hopefully, these opportunities and outcomes will one day, equal that of non-Indigenous Australians. Helen Pham, 11.2SOC

Characterization in Oedipus the King and Homers Odyssey Essay

Characterization in Oedipus the King and Homer's Odyssey The characters in a novel or play are attributed certain characteristics by the author. The opinions one might form of a character are based on these; therefore, the characteristics suggested by an author are intrinsic to the reader having a complete and subjective understanding of a work.   Characteristics are often displayed through a character s actions, in what is said about them, and what they themselves say, which shall be the focus of this essay.   Both Oedipus, in Sophocles'   King Oedipus   and Odysseus, in The Odyssey of Homer, oftenare spoken of by others, but their own words are telling, as certain emotions and traits can be seen.   Traits of a character can often be masked or distorted by favorable or unfavorable descriptions by others, but their own speech, however calculated or controlled, often clearly shows character flaws and attributes that one might not come across otherwise.   Strict narration often polarizes a character, casting them as black or whit e, good or evil.   However, in most writings, and certainly in The Odyssey and King Oedipus, the speech of a characterallows us to see the various shades of grey, thus portraying the character more fairly.   One might see Oedipus and Odysseus as being in some ways quite similar, but their speech and the characteristics revealed therein is what sets them apart. Oedipus and Odysseus were both powerful men, each lording over their own small kingdoms.   It would seem they should share certain characteristics and one would not be incorrect to say they did.   Both showed themselves to be respectful of their duties toward their people.   Oedipus, when faced with the people s petition (specifically, the Priest, act... ...portray them as such, but their speech remains one of the strongest methods of characterization.   Through speech, the characters became multi-dimensional, and the evolution of the character was apparent, as was the case with the desperation and demise of Oedipus.   Certainly, the words of Oedipus and Odysseus shaped the image a reader might construct of either one, even if this image was not what Sophocles or Homer had intended.   Whatever this image may be, the speech of the principal characters of King Oedipus and The Odyssey proved both Oedipus and Odysseus tobe complete, multi-faceted characters, neither good or evil, black or white. Works Cited: Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Books, 1962. Sophocles. â€Å"Oedipus the King.† The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002.

Leadership Interview and Analysis Essay

I interviewed the owner of a mid-sized engineering firm from this point forward referred to as Jack. Jack has been in the engineering field over 30 years starting as a project engineer and has worked his way to owning his own company. He has no formal training or degree in management or leadership and is speaking from experience. For Jack the definition of leadership is to guide and direct. He compares a manager in business to a platoon leader who can lead a group of people in a productive manor to achieve a desired outcome. When guiding these employees or soldiers the use of direct consequence or praise is the best way to guide your followers to the desired goal. Jack believes that most employees need close watch and a tight leash as to not fall off task. When Jack was asked what characterizes a good leader he continued to refer to the military example, even though he has never served. He believes there are two main components of a strong leader, wisdom and people skills. With wisdo m you will have a strong knowledge of the tasks or products offered and are able to assist in problem solving. Along with wisdom Jack believes that you will be able to make informed decisions and stay ahead of the market. People skills are the second part of Jacks components for a strong leader. When a leader has strong people skills he can relay his wisdom in an effective manner to employees so they can complete the desired task. He also believes that strong problem solving skills come along with people skills; you should be able to mediate an issue between employees or a client in a way as to not effect production or lose a client. Jack believes that situation plays a role in leadership. This is what separates strong leaders from the average. A strong leader can be placed in most any situation and be successful. If a mediocre leader is put into a simple or familiar situation they could be interpreted as a strong leader but will fail when tested. He also states that there are a few situations where even the strongest most experienced leaders will fail. The example of a pilot, seconds from destruction, could direct and organize his crew to the best of anyone’s ability and yet still fatally crash. This relates to business during market downturns and changes in technology. If you have too much expense and debt during a downturn or your only product has just been rendered obsolete by a new technology, there is not much you can do. When asked about the followers he prefers to refer to them as â€Å"the team† and they need to work together if they are going to be lead well. Although when asked if a strong leader can take â€Å"bad† followers and still accomplish a common goal, he believes it can be done. Jack still refers back to the military, when grunts come in general infantry they are generally â€Å"bad† followers but a strong leader can bring them together, have them work as a group and agree to go to war together. In Jack’s career he has encountered good and bad followers, some needing a lot of structure and others which could be trusted to complete the work with minimal supervision. Jack has a very â€Å"laid back† style of leadership and with some employees this became an issue because they took advantage of the freedom. In Jacks experience leaders can be trained but there is a small group that will never be a good leader. In society he believes there is a very large â€Å"middle ground† of people who can be trained to accomplish anything they set their mind to. He thinks that some great leaders are born that way and it comes much more effortlessly than for others. That being said, if one of the â€Å"middle ground† individuals had the desire and training they too can rise to be a great leader and accomplish great things. In general Jack believes that great leaders can either be born or trained to achieve the highest level of leadership and that there is a small g roup of individuals that un-salvageable. After this interview I think Jack has a understanding of what makes a leader but still has leaning to do. First and foremost leadership is a process and not just a single tactic to achieve a single goal. It is the development of relationships between the leader and the followers along with the relationships between the followers themselves. Through these emotional connections a leader can work with a group of followers and accomplish great things even when situation may be very difficult. I found it very interesting when talking about the characteristics of a strong leader Jack’s first response is wisdom, which I believe he relates to intelligence. Intelligence is a very large factor in being a strong leader but being inspiring is just as important. Being a â€Å"people person† does not make you a good leader. An individual can be very kind and a good listener but unless they can inspire a group of people to work together for a common goal they will not be effective. Jack believes that leaders can be trained to accomplish a high level of success much like the ones that are natural leaders. This is idea is in line with academics that leadership can be classically trained and not only gained by experience. Another issue with Jacks interpretation of leadership is how a strong leader can improve an already good situation. He sees that strong leaders can handle most situations and accomplish necessary tasks but fails to acknowledge that the entire dynamic is related. His views seem negative towards a leader with a good group of followers and a positive situation, that with a strong or marginal leader you will have the same result. I disagree with this idea and believe with a strong leader you can have increased productivity and quality of product. It also seems that Jack thinks all managers are leaders which is not the case. Managers and leaders have many of the same characteristics but hold different roles within a company. Managers are there to provide guidance and accomplish a short term goal or task whereas a leader is there to inspire and create a challenging vision for the long term success of a company. True leaders will be introspective as they learn from experience. This is known as the action-observation-reflection model in which a leader will take an experience and give it additional attention to learn as much as possible. First you must review the action that caused the experience, then review the outcome of that action and finally determine how you feel about the outcome. When using this method reviewing a situation one can gain a great deal of knowledge to apply in the future. Jack also seems to have fundamental attribution error when reflecting on why he considers an employee to be bad. He has a bias that when an employee is not functioning at their full capacity it is only due to them taking advantage of him and his method of management. He fails to see if there could be any outside factors causing these behaviors; for example, if an employee is also a student who in enrolled in a very difficult course may appear to be leaving early and â€Å"taking advantage† when in fact they just have a class to attend. This could be easily remedied by offering a flexible schedule where the employee could begin their work day a little earlier. This also relates to the self serving bias where this employee could hold Jack responsible for not performing in class instead of realizing they didn’t dedicate enough time out of class for study. Jack also believes that to be a good leader you must be very proficient in the task at hand. The academics disagree with this idea and note that the higher level of management the less technical knowledge you must have. This is where vision and inspiration become extremely important to guide your followers to success. In conclusion Jack has learned well from his years of experience but there is still room for growth in his knowledge of leadership and management, especially the difference between the two. Something that would greatly help improve the quality of management and leadership within the company would be using some assessment the leaders. This could be accomplished by having a questionnaire rating the leader by the superiors and subordinates. This method would help understand the performance of the leader as assessed by the superior and the effectiveness as provided by the subordinate’s questionnaire.

Art and Irony Essay

Dreams are the paints of a great artist, and the world is their canvas. Artists are able to produce beautiful art pieces using their ideas and imaginations. Through art, we are able to communicate stories of tragedy, peace, hardship, and ease. In many ways, visual art and written stories can be compared to one another. Like a frame to a picture, the techniques in a short story help keep the story together. As for the elements they can be seen as the painting itself, providing both story and beauty. Both techniques and elements play crucial roles together. In both short stories â€Å"The Blues Merchant† and â€Å"Rich For One Day†, the influence of the ironic technique towards characterization and theme can be noticeably seen. The use of irony greatly affects the overall theme of the Blues Merchant, like a border to a beautiful painting. We see the theme shift when we see the guard nodding to the rhythm of the Blues Merchant. When confronted by the guard sergeant, he receives the message which is â€Å" You are not supposed to enjoy the blues. You get paid to watch, not to be human† (Washington 284). After this particular even takes place, we see how the Blues Merchant is able to shift the freedom of the guards, and the entrapment of the prisoners. Through the Blues Merchants’ music, the guards are becoming trapped and confined while the prisoners are being able to taste freedom. The ironic technique can be seen when this occurs. The same technique can be seen when the narrator is describing the concert. In the last sentence of the story, the narrator states, â€Å"The guards remain trapped behind the prison walls while, if only for a short time, we are free† (Washington 284). Irony is at play in this sentence because the full transformation of the prisoners and guards is showcased. The theme of the story is reflected through irony, and the irony is shown in this quote. The theme of the story is that music can set you free, and the technique used plays a part by freeing the prisoners. The best paintings are the ones that that tell us stories. The Blues Merchant is able to paint a beautiful story of freedom for the struggling man. The Blues Merchant paints a powerful picture. Not only can an ironic technique affect the theme of a story, but it can also effect the development of characters. We see this take place in â€Å"Rich For One Day†. Aline is girl who seems to be down in fortune, but seems to think otherwise. Aline misjudges her wealth when she remembers that she â€Å" [is] rich today. She [has] eight dollars, a fortune.† (Suzanne 257). The fact that this economically unstable woman finds herself rich with eight dollars is ironic. She tries to convince herself that her own life is a life of luxury and comfort, although in reality, this is not the case. Aline tries to hide and stay away from the harsh truth when we see her â€Å" Not quite awake and that she felt too rich today to give an answer† (Suzanne 257) to the designer calling her about a possible job offer. Considering that Aline is not doing well for herself, she should see to take this job, but instead she refuses to give an answer to the designer. The irony is seen when she says that she is deemed too rich to give an appropriate answer. If she were actually rich, then this statement would not be ironic, but considering she only has eight dollars in her bank account, then her saying that really tells the reader what kind of person Aline really is. Characters in a story are fundamental to a stories success. If an ironic technique is used effectively, the development of such characters can be very fruitful and promising. Authors use many different techniques to transform the core aspects of a story. Artists can use different types of paint, or different bristles to create a desired affect on their work. Both authors and artists alike have been adapting these different ways of expressing their works for the sole purpose of communicating with their audience. Irony has proven to be a useful tool in terms of enhancing a theme of a story, or the development of a character. Imagine what stories and art would be without real purpose. What a story would be without effective technique. A painting without a story, A picture without a frame.