Multicultural Team Effectiveness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Multicultural Team Effectiveness - Essay Example ghting the different developmental stages of a multicultural organization, the Impact of multicultural environment on team effectiveness, impact of the language factor (native, foreign peeking) on team effectiveness, the Impact of voice level in team discussions on team member relationships, the essence of developing an organizational culture context that each team member in a multicultural organization has to adapt to, building trust between multicultural team members as well as the impact of culture in response to the fear factor, evaluating whether team members would be open to discussions or whether they would close up. The dynamics of multicultural organizations can be understood through evaluating the progression from single culture to  multicultural  association. This progression has been found to work in various levels which comprise a number of stages. The organization begins as a monoculture association. The first stage is the relationship whereby some members are excluded from the mainstream. The excluded groups are regarded as inferior while some of the members are superior by virtue of their belonging to the dominant group that upholds its mission to dominate the other members. The organizational structure comprises of the dominant group and the organization is conservative in its way of operation. It is difficult to change the structure due to the fact that any changes would be against the organization’s mission (Mariann and Jeanne, 2005). Dissatisfaction is usually experienced by the minority group and they feel disrespected and sidelined in the group’s activities. On t he other hand, the dominant group derives satisfaction from its actions especially when the minorities are completely un-represented in the organization. The next stage is the â€Å"white male club† that is characterized by stereotyping the minorities even though they actively participate in the organization’s activities. The group remains stable as long as the minorities

Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

Romeo and Juliet Essay The story of Romeo and Juliet has been well known for many centuries. It has been interpreted and adapted by many people, including Shakespeare himself! Two of the most famous versions are the 1968 film by Franco Zeffirelli and the 1996 film by Baz Luhrmann. Each director has adapted the story for his own purposes. I am going to study how these two films have interpreted Shakespeares play in a modern style for a modern audience. I feel that each version will appeal to a different audience compared to the other. Language for example, should be closely reviewed as it has to be appropriate for the humour of the particular time in each film. This is because puns were very popular in Shakespearean times so throughout the play there is a great deal used. In the first scene Capulets servants, Sampson and Gregory, joke together by using puns. Here are two examples of the way they use them: I strike quickly, being moved But thou art not quickly moved to strike. And I will be civil with the maids; I will cut off their heads. The heads of the maids? Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads, take it in what sense thou wilt. A modern audience however, would not find this humorous so the directors would have had to accommodate to this and adapt to it. The use of common, everyday language has also changed dramatically since the 16th Century so people today would not necessarily understand the plot if they went to watch Romeo and Juliet in its original theatre form. Zeffirelli and Luhrmann both kept Shakespeares language in their films, which was a great risk to take if they were to be box-office successes. I think Zeffirelli did this because the film was based in medieval times so the language reflected this. Luhrmann however, thought that language was very important to the story and he did not want to lose the Shakespearean idea and effect of the play. In the prologue Shakespeare conveys the outline of the story and makes it clear that fate has doomed the two lovers. Again, each film version has been adapted in very different ways to fit their audience. The first scene establishes the quarrel between the two families and introduces Benvolio and Tybalt who are contrasting characters- Tybalt being very aggressive and violent and Benvolio being a peacemaker. Each filmmaker created their own idea of the two characters with Zeffirellis remaining more in-keeping with the original play and Luhrmann interpreting the two characters as modern-day American gangsters especially Tybalt. The prologue of Zeffirellis version is very calm and peaceful; it begins with an aerial view of the city and pans around it as the voice-over reads the famous passage that begins Two households, both alike in dignity in a dull and unemotional tone. The scenery is very romantic and the camera uses soft lens to show this. The citys architecture is shown to be medieval and visually beautiful. The music too is very renaissance and one of the musical themes is established. The title Romeo and Juliet that appears on the screen is written in old, medieval and rather gothic lettering in keeping with the setting. Overall, the prologue is dull and dreary and I do not feel that it would appeal to a wide audience. However, it is very much the same as Shakespeares as Zeffirelli has not made any extreme changes. Baz Luhrmanns prologue however, is the complete contrast; it begins with a shot of a 1950s T. V broadcast showing that it is a modern adaptation of the play. The news reader then announces the plays prologue like a 60 second segment as part of the local news. It then moves onto a confusion of images one after another as the pace increases dramatically. The music builds to a crescendo, which increases the tension and excitement, in tone the music is slightly religious. The characters are introduced in freeze-frames, which seems like a typical American modern programme. There are many violent images portrayed to establish, like Shakespeare does, a long running feud between the two families, many of which are religious symbols (e.g. Christ, Virgin Mary and the Capulet and Montague buildings with Christ statue in between). Newspaper headlines also reinforce images. Through the blur and rush it shows a lot of destruction and fire and a violent society is shown through images for example, magazine covers. Baz Luhrmanns prologue sets the scene of the play by illustrating the violence occurring between the two wealthy families, the Montagues and the Capulets. Overall, Luhrmanns is fast-paced and very exciting, thus keeping the viewer intrigued and wanting to watch more. Zeffirellis first scene is very different from the prologue; it moves from being calm and sadistic to a loud, lively and bustling market place. It is an authentic mise-en-scene, which seems very medieval. There is a lot of laughter that appears more ironic than genuine. The characters are introduced from their feet upward including Tybalt later on in the scene. The Capulets begin the scene and are wearing bright, light and rather clownish clothes; their main use of colour is orange. The Montagues clothes however, are dark and sombre with colours such as navy/dark blue. The sexual humour in Shakespeare is not present in the Zeffirelli version as a modern audience would not understand and would not find it humourous. As the puns are omitted, humour is introduced through images and action, for example a modern audience may find the costumes funny because they are authentic and medieval (this makes it seem more realistic). The fight scene is made more exciting by involving the audience through the use of a hand-held camera and some shots are out of focus to add to the atmosphere and tension as if the audience is part of the crowd. During the fight it is extremely noisy; there are bells ringing, rallying cries and lots of shouting and ambient sound makes it seem realistic. The Prince then arrives on a horse and the camera shot is looking up to make him seem powerful. Zeffirelli succeeds in accomplishing the interpretation of Shakespeares play as it appears very realistic and he has kept to the storyline. Luhrmanns next scene opens with the Montague Boys behaving loud and aggressive and very much in the mood to enjoy themselves. They arrive at a gas station which is a perfect, modern location to incorporate Shakespeares original text that says Verona: A public place. The camera zooms in on the numberplate of the car which reads MON 105 with Verona Beach underneath. This clearly illustrates what gang they belong to. The Montagues are wearing colourful beachwear and they have pink hair and tattoos, their car is orange/yellow with an open-top. I think that their clothes reflect their personality. As the Montagues gas up their car whilst being loud, vulgar and riotous some Capulets pull in to the gas station. The Capulets are in a blue car with heavily tinted windows to make them appear sinister. The camera shows a close-up of their number plate too which shows that the enemy has arrived. They are mainly wearing black and have metal on their heels along with religious symbols on their T-shirts. One Capulet even has sin written on his teeth. Luhrmann has clearly changed the sequence of characters because in his version the Montague boys begin the first scene, however, in Zeffirellis and Shakespeares it is the Capulets beginning the scene by joking around etc. When the two gangs notice each other it then turns into a Spaghetti Western like film with each side representing their families and are ready to fight. Mexican music then begins to also represent this and highlight the effect. At the beginning there is a great deal of laughter, which is largely similar to Zeffirellis version. When the Capulets arrive they are laughing and joking which is what both families do in Zeffirellis. The characters do not say anything that is humourous, however, the actions and noises that some of them make may be humourous to the audience. This implies for Zeffirellis too. For example, In Luhrmanns the sound effects are exaggerated when a passenger in one of the cars is shown hitting one of the Montagues over the head repeatedly. This adds humour to the atmosphere. Luhrmann also omits the puns for the same reason as Zeffirelli. When the Capulets are chasing the Montagues there is screeching of tyres to add excitement and tension to the atmosphere. As the challenge to fight is being issued the music stops and the only sound the audience can hear is screaming in the background. Tybalt is then introduced in the same way as he is in Zeffirellis- from the feet upwards to make him seem very important. He is portrayed as aggressive and violent which is how Shakespeare shows him in the original play too. The atmosphere becomes increasingly tense as he slowly lights a match and drops it while the background is blurred to highlight the act; this is to increase the drama of the scene. Tybalt then grinds the match with his metal heel and the sound is exaggerated to make it seem more dramatic. The camera goes into a close-up of the two gangs guns and gun emblems bearing words like 9mm Sword. Luhrmann has used Shakespeares use of knives and swords and adapted the significance in the use of the makes of their guns instead. This is a way of explaining why gangsters say things like Put up your swords. I think that this is a very inventive interpretation of the original text to a modern-day story. Benvolio is then introduced using a close-up shot and freeze frame. He is portrayed as a peacemaker even by the first words he says which are Part fools you know not what you do! Again, Luhrmann is adapting from the original text by creating him the way Shakespeare does as non-aggressive. The music then stops and all the audience can hear are the flames of the fire (this is called ambient sound). The camera then focuses on the car notice that says Add more fuel to your fire. This is ironic because the sign is reflecting real life as the fuel in the gas station actually is ablaze. During the gun fire exchange the music and sound effects come together to make the quick changing camera shots seem rapid. There is dramatic Mexican/Spaghetti Western music rising in volume in the background and lots of gunshots and screams are heard. Background noises of horns of cars in traffic jams can also be heard in the din. It then returns to the chanting music of the opening titles, which dramatically increases tension as the gas station explodes in flames. The camera then focuses on the Capulet and Montague buildings and goes into an aerial view as though in the helicopter by looking down at the chaos on the ground. The music reaches its climax as Benvolio and Tybalt drop their guns to the floor. This is done in slow motion to emphasise what is happening. At this point, everything is extremely tense as the audience watch the two guns slowely drop to the ground in unison. Although Luhrmann has adapted this play and changed many things about it he has kept the original idea and characters of the play. In other words, this is no West Side Story, loosely interpreting a Shakespearean play for its own ends. Rather, it IS Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, uprooted into a new setting for a new generation and I feel that Luhrmann has achieved this very well. This is because Shakespeares plays were designed to adapt to any audience and with this in mind, Baz Luhrmann has created a film that applies to the modern audience through this updating. I also watched a part of West Side Story, however, this takes a very free view of its source material as it uses Shakespeares tragedy for its plot value more than anything else. This is unlike Zeffirellis or Luhrmanns as they have produced an interpretation of the film and included most of Shakespeares text. It is difficult to compare West Side Story to the other two versions as it departs so much from the story Romeo and Juliet that it is hardly recognizable as an adaptation. However, it does keep to the idea of the two rival gangs.

Growth and Development in Venezuela

Growth and Development in Venezuela Growth and Development are terms that are often used synonymously to indicate progress or movement in the forward direction. However, the nuances of these two terms differ. While growth is a more short-term, spurt-like movement, development encompasses a whole array of progressive moves in different aspects of life. Economic growth is indicated by an increase in a countrys  gross domestic product, or  GDP which is an economic model that reflects the value of a countrys output. In other words, a countrys GDP is the total monetary value of the goods and services produced by that country over a specific period of time. Economic development is usually indicated by an increase in citizens quality of life. Quality of life is often measured using the  Human Development Index, which is an economic model that considers intrinsic personal factors not considered in economic growth, such as literacy rates, life expectancy and poverty rates. Economic growth adopts a quantitative approach and takes place at a revolutionary speed. It is interested in quick/immediate gains, in the market period. As against this, economic development prefers to take a qualitative approach, emphasizing on the quality of the production and equitable distribution rather than its quantity. It is more evolutionary, and follows a sequential pattern of outcome. It has immediate as well as futuristic gains i.e. it is more sustainable. Economic growth is a necessary but not sufficient condition of economic development.There is no single definition that encompasses all the aspects of economic development. The most comprehensive definition perhaps of economic development is the one given by Todaro:‘Development is not purely an economic phenomenon but rather a multi – dimensional process involving reorganization and re orientation of the entire economic and social system.’Amartya Sen defines economic development in terms of personal freedom, freedom to choose from a range of options. While economic growth may lead to an increase in the purchasing power of people, if the country has a repressed economy, there is lack of choice and hence personal freedom in restricted. Hence once again growth has taken place without any development. While economic growth may result in an improvement in the standard of living of a relatively small proportion of the population whilst the majority of the population rema ins poor. It is how the economic growth is distributed amongst the population that determines the level of development. This shows us how important growth is for development to take place, but also how growth in itself is not enough; It should instead be a necessary ‘pre-condition’ to ‘takeoff’ for a country to leap forward. (Rostow’s stages of growth) In the country of Venezuela, let us see whether there is consistent growth, and if there is, then whether there is an effective turnaround from growth into development. Country Profile: Venezuela is officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and is part of the latin American countries. It lies on the northern coast of South America. It has a dense population of 29,100,000 approx, in the country area of 916,445 sq.km. It was first colonized by Spain in 1522, and later in 1811 got its independence and was one of the first Spanish-American colonies to be free. Later in 1830, it gained complete independence as a sovereign nation. The main interest in colonial Venezuela for Spain was geographic: its geographical position was a very strategic one and gave protection against enemies. Also, later in the 1620s, Venezuela became well known for its cocoa production and export. The sizable profits earned from this industry were carried away by the Spanish. Oil, as a commodity was virtually ignored until the 1900s. In Venezuela, the benchmark or watershed year can be counted as 1989. In this year, there was the launch of an ambiguous liberalization policy called â€Å"the Great Turnaround†. This entailed huge exchange rate devaluation, liberalization, privatization of trade, financial deregulation including free interest rates, no restrictions on foreign investment and new tax reforms. Post the economic boom in 1974, the economy was dragged into a downswing and GDP declined by 15%; this led to political pressure on the country by private companies. Liberalization was brought in to help the economy to revive itself. The final push to implement the liberal policy in 1989 was given by a balance of payments crisis in 1988. During 1970-2012  consumption expenditure per capita  in Venezuela increased by 8344 US dollars (in 12.3 times) to 9084.1 US dollars. The average annual growth of Consumption expenditure per capita in Venezuela was 198.7 US dollars or 26.8%. GDP per capita USD= 6401.91 PCCE/PCI= 9084.1/6401.91=1.4189 Gross Savings (% of GDP) = 26% (in 2012) The main economic driver of the Venezuelan economy is the production and export of crude oil. Venezuela is endowed with rich natural resources and has the largest oil reserves in Latin America and the Caribbean. It was also the world’s third largest exporter and ninth largest producer of oil. Its national petroleum company- Venezuelan Petroleum Corporation (PDVSA) is the third largest international conglomerate of oil. In 1990, Venezuela was also deemed to become an international leader in the export of its abundant mineral wealth namely- coal, iron, steel, aluminum. The production and export of crude oil forms the heart of the Venezuelan economy. The period of the oil industry in Venezuela can be roughly traced over four periods, namely: 1912-1943: the discovery and the initial production of oil. 1943-1974: Affirmation of Venezuela’s control over the oil industry. 1974-1998: The boom in oil production and prices, and also the nationalization of the oil industry. 1999-2003: Government’s attempt to regain control over the industry to curb its growing independence. (Refer Appendix, [1] for period from 1980-2000) In 1912, the petro-state of Venezuela was born and from then on, it took its baby steps to becoming the world’s second largest oil producer following U.S in 1929.In a short span of 15 years from 1920-1935, Venezuela’s oil share of exports exponentially shot up from 1.9% to 91.2%. This had an immediate and direct impact on the economy called as â€Å"the Dutch disease† [2] by many economists. This implied massive declines in agricultural production and also in industrialization. In 1943, Venezuela aimed at strengthening the industry and hence passed the Hydrocarbon Act. This tied the state income more closely and tightly to oil revenues. The law affirmed that foreign companies could not make more profits from oil than they paid to the Venezuelan state. This led to a growing reliance on the state. {This can be compared to the MRTP act initiated by the Indira Gandhi government in India} However, in the 1950s, the world oil industry felt the effects of the oversupply of oil (especially from the middle east) and hence oil prices drastically and chronically reduced. To confront this problem of oversupply, in 1960, the OPEC was formed as a cartel. Venezuela also created the Venezuela Oil Corporation, which formed the basis for oil nationalization. Post the formation of the OPEC, in 1973, oil prices and Venezuelan revenues from it increased four-fold, from 1972-1974. This lump sum increase made development a nearer goal to achieve. President Perez called his project â€Å"La Gran Venezuela† or â€Å"sow the oil† which encompassed fighting poverty through price controls and also the diversification through import-substitution techniques. This was also accompanied by the nationalization of the Oil company namely, PDVSA. The windfall gain from the oil boom ushered in an era of positives for Venezuela, but it also brought chronic inflation and massive indebtedness. This can be shown by the business cycle in appendix [3]. After the periods of boom, the economy got dragged into a slowdown due large scale inflation. Later in 1998 when oil prices lowered (because of oil members breaking their quotas) the economy of Venezuela took a hit and the per capita income steadily decreased. This is again shown in the business cycle in appendix [3] with the depression phase. The election of President Chavez in 1998 strengthened OPEC countries to maintain oil prices at a high rate. He persuaded all the head of states of the OPEC nations to stick to their quotas and to not oversupply oil. His efforts had immediate results and the price of oil rose for the firm time since 1985, to more than $27 per barrel. Thus, we see how oil revenue and government income in Venezuela are indivisible. President Perez indirectly wished to adopt the ‘unbalanced version’ of the ‘Big Push Model’. He claimed ‘sow the oil’ which in other words meant increasing revenues from the oil sector would fuel development in other sectors such as agriculture and industry. But this failed to happen since with a four-fold increase in oil revenues, government expenditure also increased and even surpassed the newfound revenues. When the oil prices took a hit, the government spending could not decrease as easily it was first increased. This gave rise to deeper debt. In between 1970 and 1994, public debt rose from 9% to 53% of GNP. Also, due to growing importance given to the oil industry, agriculture was neglected and contributed merely to one tenth of the economy in 1950s when it was one third of the GDP in 1920s. Presently, agriculture comprises of only 6% of the GDP. Thus, the Big Push to just one sector did not help in the case of Venezuela as other sectors did not benefit as much. Politics and Oil The oil economy of Venezuela left an imprint on its politics. The ‘clientelistic’ [4] nature of the state led to being increasingly bureaucratic. Maximum people working in the formal economy (approx 50% of the working population), about 45% of them are employed in the government, or rather in the government –run oil industry. Yet another consequence of Venezuela’ss oil wealth, is what political scientist Terry Lynn Karl calls â€Å"a pacted democracy.†This entails democracy which is held together through an agreement amongst elite groups, usually opposing, and powerful interest groups. It is a kind of truce among them which is struck to maintain their personal interests and privileges. Differently put, even when a single party won the elections, the revenues from oil had to obligatorily be shared among members of other parties, more or less among the voting results. This guaranteed the different interest groups access to jobs, contracts and ministries and even the power of the union federation, CTV was similarly divided. Thus, this level of bureaucratization in Venezuela, the clientelistic trends, and the ‘pacted’ nature of its democracy made Venezuela resemble a one-party socialist regime. In Venezuela, during the rule of President Hugo Chavez, his manifesto drew heavily on the Marxist ideology. Marx fought for the proletariat or the ‘have-nots’ of society, claiming that they were the ones who did the real labor (manual labor) as against the bourgeois or the ‘haves’ who only indulged in intellectual labor, took advantage of the labor class, usurped their profits and exploited them. Chavez, in 1992, attempted a coup because he believed that the president was corrupt. When later he was elected as president, he vouched to end poverty and exploitation and redistribute the profits earned by wealthy businessmen. Owing to a leftist and socialist ideology, he aimed at attaining and asserting control over privately owned property. Thus, eventually, he gained control over all the factors of production- land and its resources (oil), capital, labor. He did as he told he would do, and his governance was labeled as â€Å"petroleum socialism†. Oil was used as a measure of control in terms of the domestic economy as well as the international political affairs. PDVSA is the Venezuelan state-owned petrol company. In 20002, Chavez claimed that 10% of its revenues must be invested in social programs. The kind of domination control over oil that a corrupt or unstable government claims is detrimental to the country’s economic development. Chavez implemented many social programs to combat poverty and reduce inequality. These programs were supported by the PDVSA and were fabricated to meet the basic needs of the people. Some of them are: Health: Mission ‘Barrio Adentro’ or â€Å"inside the neighborhood† has set up clinics and made doctors available in areas previously lacking these facilities. Mission ‘Alimentacion’ or Mission Food, a food plan funded by the government in order to supply products through grocery stores (Mercal and PDVAL) without the aid of intermediaries. Also to set up community kitchens to provide three free meals per day. This mission has benefited about 15 million people. Mission Sonrisa or Mission Smile which addresses to the oral health of the people by the setting up of many new dentistry clinics. Mission Christ Child and the inauguration of a neonatal intensive care unit and enhance the quality and access to facilities for pregnant women. Education: Mission Robinson was created with an aim to eliminate illiteracy. This mission taught approx 1.8 million people to read and write. Mission Rivas aimed at integration of Venezuelan people into the elementary and secondary education and proved beneficial for more than a million. Mission Sucre had been set up to help improve the access to higher education. About 700,000 people profited from it and successfully completed their graduation. Housing: Mission Habitat, in 2004, helps the people secure housing through credit facilities and also helps in creating integrated communities. Employment: The Great mission Knowledge and Work hopes to integrate 1 million jobless people into the labor market, which will also help reduce unemployment. All these missions did a great deal in alleviating poverty and reducing inflation and unemployment in Venezuela. Hugo Chavez concentrated on an expansionary fiscal policy through social spending. Social expenditure from 1911-2011 accounts for more than 60% of revenues- this is nearly double of the expenditures made in previous periods. The number of households living under the poverty line in 2003 was 55% which by 2011 fell to 26%., and those families living in extreme poverty has fallen to 7% from 25%. In 2003, there was again a spike in poverty, inflation and unemployment due to a coup to overhaul Chavez’s government. There are other factors which show an impact of the missions of the overall welfare of the country. For example, infant mortality rates and malnutrition victims have fallen; while school enrolment and graduation rates have risen. The Gini coefficient of Venezuela, which measures inequality on a scale of 0-1, is 0.394. Thus, these missions were effective instruments for alleviating poverty, by tackling urgent needs of education, food, health, housing etc. They began in 2003, and 36% of state revenue went into funding them between 1986 and 1998, while 60% of revenue was spent between 1999 and 2011. Politicization of the missions: But, there are claims that Chavez’s social missions served two very different purposes: they were subject to political manipulation (i.e. to buy votes) and also allowed for a direct distribution of oil rents to the low income population. The government used these funds clientelistically and also distributed them to the very poor. It is seen that Chavez distributed these oil revenues to primarily those poor section which were sure vote banks for him. Thus, the missions helped to buy votes. Chavez’s government also laid emphasis on providing all citizens with identification cards. These cards would be required by them at the time of gaining access to cash transfers. At the time of election, this card got automatically transformed into an election card and was required by the National electoral Council for voting purposes. (Mission Identidad) These missions have been dispatched to the masses and seem to be catering at a mass scale. Therefore, they are more quantitatively-aimed than quality-oriented. The infrastructure is not well maintained, the teachers are paid a pittance and schools seem to be largely used as a site for ideological indoctrination. Wrt health-Some of Venezuelas public hospitals are closing. Others are ridden with crime. Many physicians are quitting medicine starting new careers in Venezuela or emigrating, upset at being paid a pittance or not at all. Medical supplies are in short supply. Wrt job and employment conditions- Investors are running away from here since the government is taking over many companies. There is an outward movement of the educated class of engineers, doctors and other professionals to other countries where the pay is better. There is an influx of migrants, mainly for blue-collar jobs.

The Memoirs of Abbot Guibert of Nogent Essays -- Abbot Guibert Nogent

The Memoirs of Abbot Guibert of Nogent When thinking about a medieval monastery the first thing that comes to mind is the origin of the word monastery which comes from the Greek monos, meaning alone. Monasticism in itself is a way of life that is devoted to God in seclusion. A large part of monasticism is isolation, not only from the neighbors but from family. When taking the vows to be a monk one not only completely devotes ones life to God but all friends, family and earthly possessions are left behind. Taking the vows of monasticism takes brutal dedication and severe strength. What pushed Guibert of Nogent into monasticism is that his mother withdrew from the world after his father’s death. During that time he was left alone and became very rebellious. He also was drawn to the medieval reform of monasticism which gave it a more community aspect. Thirdly, literature and history became a large part of the monastery during the middle ages and Guibert wanted to be a successful writer and historian. When Guibert join ed the monastery he joined a strict religious order that had come along way form the time of hermits and the reforms where relevant to him, for the most part. Guibert of Nogent became a monk because he was suited for monastic existence and to give himself the restraints and success he wanted from life. He was at a young age and was left without guidance and became boisterous. On his adolescence, he says, â€Å"I emulated older boys in their juvenile rowdiness, and I was completely bereft of responsibility and discretion.† When he was left on his own Guibert became very unsettled and this lead to issues with himself and other around him. He wanted the structure and dedication that life in a monastery provides. His mother wanted him to go beyond the church and was very against him going into the monastery. Taking that into consideration it gives Guibert a very difficult choice but he chose the one he wanted due to the guidance of the abbot. In addition, he states how upset his mother was with him becoming a monk: â€Å"†¦Invested me with it while my mother watched in tears from afar†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This shows how he is willing to disappoint his mother to please himself and that proves his dedication. When thinking about the sacrifices Guibert gave up in order to live the m onastic life. It’s what he truly wanted to be, a person cannot just join a monastery you have to... ... monk and that’s because of his dedication, community and his educational values. He felt that the times when monks liked in isolation where over and he was able to match to this because of his relationship with his mother. He knew she was his guidance and he needed that assistance and comfort she provided for him. He enjoyed the community aspect by showing his authority by being an active member of society. That was fueled by his need to be a critic on ever aspect of his abbacy and religious order. He was also very dedicated to reading and writing which gave him a niche within the education aspect of the medieval monastery. Guibert of Nogent became a monk because he was suited for monastic existence and to give himself the restraints and success he wanted from life. Works Cited Guibert of Nogent. Self and Society In Medieval France: The Memoirs of Abbot Guibert   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  of Nogent. Edited and Translated By John F. Benton. Toronto: University of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Toronto Press, 1984. Benton, John F. ed â€Å"Introduction† Self and Society In Medieval France: The Memoirs of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Abbot Guibert of Nogent. Edited and Translated By John F. Benton. Toronto:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  University of Toronto Press, 1984.

Convolutional Neural Network

Convolutional Neural Network: A boon for deep facial recognition in Biometrics.Vishalakshi Rituraj1, Research Scholar-phD (CS), Magadh University, Bodhgaya.Email id: [email  protected]comShyam Krishna Singh2, Associate Prof., Mathematics Dept., A. N. College Patna.Abstract:-Today Biometric recognition systems are gaining much acceptance and lots of popularity due to its wide application area. They are considered to be more secure compared to the traditional password based methods. Research is being done to improve the biometric security to tackle the risk and challenges from surroundings. Artificial Intelligence has played a significant role in biometric security. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) belongs to AI family, has been designed to work a little like human brain but not exactly, handles the complexity and variations in facial images very effectively. This paper is going to focus on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and how a CNN carries out facial detection.Keywords:- Biometrics, Neural network, Learning, convolution, neurons, Pattern Recognition.  1) Introduction:-The increasing demand of technology in each and every field of our lives has raised the risk of data security in parallel. From the very ancient time, man is putting his best effort to get his things secured. But today in this digital world, we are facing more problems due to impostors and other types of security hacks. Besides these, the curious human nature has always been trying to do something new and to cross the predefined boundaries. Intelligence is a by birth human quality but now a days, technology has made machines to think and behave like us to some extent. This concept of manmade intelligence created by rigorous use of complex mathematical operations and searching algorithms is known as Artificial Intelligence (AI). When we saw the AI used in Hollywood movie TERMINATOR, we didn't even imagine the concept of such a smart machine that could handle different situations. But now, it seems impossible is going to be possible due to AI as it has opened the door of a completely new world of opportunities. Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science aiming to make a computer, robot, or a software think intelligently, in the same manner the intelligent humans think and it has been proved very useful where traditional algorithmic solutions don't work well. We are using AI based applications everywhere in our day to day life, such as- spam filters in gmail account, plagiarism checker, Google's intelligent prediction in web searching, suggestions on Facebook and Youtube and many more. The main purpose of designing AI system is to include the following areas:-PlanningLearningProblem SolvingPattern RecognitionSpeech/Facial RecognitionNatural language processingCreativity, and many more. Neural networks and deep learning, a branch of AI currently provide the best methods to solve many problems associated with the Biometric authentication. Biometrics is a noble technique for personal authentication either on the basis of physical attribute (fingerprint, iris, face, palm, hand, DNA etc.) or behavioral (Speech, signature, keystroke etc.). As we all know, our face is one of the wonderful creations of God and the unique diversities among all faces help us to differentiate one another. Facial recognition is the fastest growing field because a large no. of applications is adopting it. Recently, Apple launched its face recognition system equipped iPhone X on 12 Sept 2017 and it is claimed that it can identify the face in dark or even when owner has different hairstyle or look as well. Apple says that the facial recognition cannot be spoofed by using a photograph or even a mask [1].(2) Application areas of Facial Recognition- Facial biometric recognition is being popular due to its wide range of applications and it can easily be deployed and integrated anywhere if there is modern high definition camera. Some of the trending applications are-Many electronic devices are integrated with face biometric to eliminate the need of passwords and thus providing enhanced security and accessing method. Facebook's automatic facial detection feature recognizes our friends' faces with pretty good accuracy and starts suggestion based on it.Criminal identification has become simpler by better recognition of facial image through CCTV surveillance. It may minimize traffic rule breaking and road accidents.Some universities use facial recognition system as a tool to monitor the attendance of the students so that the management cannot be fooled by letting students to sign in behalf of others. ESG Management School in Paris  is using  facial recognition  software in its online classes to make sure students aren't slacking off. Using a software called Nestor, the webcam on a student's computer will analyze eye movements and facial expressions to find out if he or she is paying attention during video lectures.[2] In our paper, we will focus on the need of facial recognition and how deep learning and neural networks have been a backbone for this technology. 2) Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL):- Machine learning is considered as subset of AI which uses statistical techniques and algorithms which make a machine capable of making decision or prediction by learning from the given data and adapt through experience. The process of learning begins with observations or data, such as examples, direct experience, or instruction, in order to look for patterns in data and make better decisions in the future based on the examples that we provide. The primary aim is to allow the computers learn automatically without human intervention or assistance and adjust actions accordingly [3]. Deep learning is a subset of Machine learning where a machine has a higher level of recognition accuracy and aims to solve real world problems like image recognition, sound recognition, space exploration, weather forecasting and so many other automated applications. Here, the word ‘deep' refers to the no. of layers in the network to accomplish a task. Deep learning methods use neural network architectures, very much like neurons in human brain, introducing a concept of Artificial Neural Network (ANN). 3) Concept of Artificial Neural Network in problem solving:- Today, automated systems have made our lives too easy and have replaced man in some places. But when we talk about ‘intelligence', man will always be superior to machines because of their god gifted nervous system which is composed of billions of neurons. These neurons are interconnected together and pass signals to one another which make the entire system to identify, classify and analyze things. Getting inspiration from biological neural network, the concept of ANN came into existence. The inventor of the first neurocomputer, Dr. Robert Hecht-Nielsen, defines a neural network as – â€Å"†¦a computing system made up of a number of simple, highly interconnected processing elements, which process information by their dynamic state response to external inputs.† [4] Figure1: A simple ANN structure. [5] 3.1) Types of ANN: – (A) On the basis of topological arrangement, there are two types of ANN-a) A Feed-Forward Network :- In this type of ANN, data flow takes place in only one direction through different layers and none of the layers is fed with signal from background direction. This network does not have feedback loops as output of one layer becomes the input for other layers. Practically, in a Feed forward network, any prediction does not have to be affected with the previous predictions.Figure 2: A Feed-Forward Network [6]b) Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN):- This type of neural network allows feedback loop by transmitting signals not only in one direction, instead data flow is carried out from backward direction too, sometimes also known as FeedBack ANN. In RNN, each neuron has its connection with others and how the flow of data is maintained, will be governed by its internal memory. The decision taken by RNN gets affected by the decision made by the network at previous. It means, the current output of a RNN depends on both the previous output as well as the current input. Figure 3: Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) [7](B) On the basis of layering, there are two types of ANN-(a) Single Layer Network- In this type of network, neurons on input layers are connected with the neurons present at the output layer and there is no layer in between these two layers.(b) Multi Layer Network- This type of ANN consists of more than one layer in between input and output layer which are called hidden layers. These hidden layers carry out computation by passing data from one layer to another. In this scheme, output from one layer becomes input for next layer and so on; finally output is obtained from output layer.(4) Convolutional Neural Network (CNN):- A convolutional neural network (CNN) is a subset of deep learning and belongs to the category of multilayer, feed-forward artificial neural networks. One of the most promising areas where this technology is rapidly growing, is security. It has been very helpful in monitoring suspicious banking transactions, as well as in video surveillance systems or CCTV.Figure 4: A typical CNN architecture [8]Besides input and output layers, CNN has many hidden layers in between which may be classified as-Convolutional Layer:- This layer performs the core operations of training and forms the basis of CNN. Each layer has a single set of weights for all neurons and each neuron is responsible for processing a small part of the input space. Thus, the convolutional layer is just an image  convolution  of the previous layer, where the weights specify the convolution filter [9].Pooling Layer:- This layer also known as downsampling layer, is placed after the convolutional layer. Pooling layer is responsible for reducing the spatial size (Width x Height) of the Input Volume which will be passed to the next convolutional Layer. Fully Connected Layer:- This layer connects each neuron on previous layer with all the neurons present on the next layer.(5) Facial detection/Recognition using CNN:- A human brain sees multiple images in a day and is able to distinguish each one accurately without realizing how the processing is done. But, there is a different case with machines because they have to recognize an image on the basis of learning. Facial detection is a method to identify a person or object based on their unique features and this process involves the detection and extraction of the face from the original image or video. After this, the face recognition takes place where different complex computer algorithms are used to recognize a face. Here, we will understand the entire process of face detection and recognition. A face detection system involves two phases:-(I) Enrollment Phase- Face Detection- In this phase, several pictures of the same person is captured to whom the system should recognize as â€Å"known† with different facial expressions and head positions. Feature Extraction- In this step, different feature measures are applied which can better describe a human face. There are different algorithms such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Haar Features, Local Binary Pattern (LBP) etc. available for the facial measurement. On the basis of these measurements, CNN is trained for learning in future. Storing in Database- All the extracted features are stored in a database so that they can be used further in identification process. Face DetectionPre-processingFeature ExtractionFace RecognitionImageVerification/Identification(II) Recognition Phase-Figure 5: Architecture of Face Recognition System [10]Face Detection- When an image is admitted for identification, It is checked that whether it matches with the captured and stored images from the database by using face detection algorithms. Pre-processing- Pre-processing is necessary to make an easier and smooth training phase. The collected face images or video frames need to be passed through Pre-processing phase to eliminate the noise, blur, shadows, lighting and other unwanted factors. The final smooth image obtained so, will be passed to the next feature extraction phase.Feature Extraction- After Pre-processing phase, feature extraction is carried out by the CNN which was trained during Enrollment phase. Recognition- This is the last step where a suitable classifier such as Nearest Neighbor, Bayesian classifier, Euclidean Distance classifier etc., can be chosen. This classifier compares the feature vector stored in the database with the query feature vector and finally the best matched face image comes as a recognition output. 6) Conclusion:Biometric verification/authentication is going to be deployed everywhere from government to private organizations in coming days. In this paper, we studied the relation among AI, ML, DL, ANN and CNN. We have also demonstrated the way CNN carries facial detection with improved accuracy. The field of AI has a wide spectrum and open for researchers. So, it aims to provide better result in biometric security in future.Referencesâ€Å"You can stymie the iPhone X Face ID – but it takes some work†, Anick Jesdanun, https://phys.org/news/2017-10-stymie-iphone-id-.htmlâ€Å"Entrepreneur India†, https://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/280493#2â€Å"What is Machine Learning? A definition† Luca Scagliarini, Marco Varone, http://www.expertsystem.com/machine-learning-definition/.â€Å"Artificial Intelligence-Neural Networks†, https://www.tutorialspoint.com/artificial_intelligence/artificial_intelligence_neural_networks.htm.â€Å"Artificial neural network†, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network.â€Å"Artificial Intelligence-Neural Networks†, https://www.tutorialspoint.com/artificial_intelligence/artificial_intelligence_neural_networks.htm.â€Å"Artificial Intelligence-Neural Networks†, https://www.tutorialspo int.com/artificial_intelligence/artificial_intelligence_neural_networks.htm.â€Å"Convolutional neural network†, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convolutional_neural_network.â€Å"Convolutional Neural Networks†, http://andrew.gibiansky.com/blog/machine-learning/convolutional-neural-networks/.â€Å"Face Recognition Using Neural Network: A Review†, Manisha M. Kasar, Debnath Bhattacharyya and Tai-hoon Kim, International Journal of Security and Its Applications, Vol. 10, No. 3 (2016), pp.81-100.

Where strategic management used

1. IntroductionStrategic direction is normally used big transnational corporations and SMEs. The popularity of strategic direction points out that it is likely to hold value. However, the existent advantage is non ever clear in strategic direction. Business proprietor, directors and direction forces should understand the advantages of scheme direction and that can do company go more and more competitory ( Robinson, 2005 ) . Each of these schemes is a cardinal constituent to deriving a competitory advantage in a peculiar industry. This assignment is to discourse and analysis the critical reappraisal of the subject chosen and offer sentiment on its pertinence. First, I will summary the article of my chosen, and so discourse the critical reappraisal, after that I will finish the personal rating.2. Summary of the articleStrategic direction is composed of assorted concern schemes, it can be combined to use and accomplish net incomes and advantages, standing in the concern universe ‘s acme eventually. The article points out that competitory advantage include four major constituents, following by quality, client reactivity, invention, and efficiency. High quality is including design, dependability, lastingness and image. Every clients think about whether bargain a merchandise, they ever think in these conditions. There are three international schemes to see: market, entry of manner and expand/location schemes. Market determinations are based on the strategians ‘ positions of chief foreign markets about merchandise, monetary value, distribution and publicity. In sing international market moves, direction and selling forces must see to the types of versions that will necessitate to be made in order to vie successfully in that peculiar civilization. Each of these schemes can play of import function in the success of a company. Choose a scheme that is non congruous with the ideals and values of the company possibly lead to fiscal and catastrophe of direction. The director must see carefully taking what facets of their company merit the most attending.3. Critical reappraisals* Jules ( 2009 ) states that â€Å"Competitive advantage includes four major constituents, following by quality, client reactivity, invention, and efficiency. High quality is including design, dependability, lastingness and image. When people think of a merchandise or services, they think in these terms.† As a client, I wholly agree this point. For illustration, in China, when we want to purchase an car in the market, many of us would wish to take a Toyota or Nissan over a auto from local industry. Because Toyota or other foreign car typically have a repute of a high quality, up-to-data design, they ever run on the route, so that they must be high quality, better warrant in people ‘s feeling. High quality is a strategic manner to acquire success.Jules ( 2009 ) point that â€Å"Superior efficiency refers to the cost to the market via stuffs, production, logistics, and operating expense. Superior client reactivity is the importance of expecting and run intoing client needs.†An organisation demand to set clients foremost. We ever heard that â€Å"The client comes first† , â€Å"The client is king† , and â€Å"we are all about the customer† . But a batch of companies did non really do it. Now yearss, Many companies enterprises for bettering client reactiv ity can change greatly, harmonizing to Apple computing machine, it is a really good illustration of client reactivity. When you order a merchandise from Apple, you can take to any types of their phones you like through their web site. Order procedure is really easy, merely a few proceedingss. Fast bringing, accurate, and there is 800 figure that can name to acquire aid after gross revenues or, they can besides utilize the Internet to happen a solution. Their gross revenues representative and selling representatives visit clients on a regular basis assess the demands of the market. By understanding their clients what they want, need to work expeditiously and efficaciously, Apple can creatively innovation. The company is continually making new merchandises, such as ipad, iphone, iPod series.Jules ( 2009 ) states that â€Å"Creating an environment that encourages creativeness, new and advanced thought is a hard but necessary undertaking that directors must encompass. By promoting a le arning organisation, companies can avoid the same, repeated rhythms that limit the ability of that organisation ‘s success.†Employees are the most valuable plus to your company. They can do many positive parts to your company. Making an environment that encourages creativeness, trust, regard and squad thought will guarantee these types of parts, which will finally profit the company. Whenever possible offer that preparation and calling development chances to employees. Promote them to develop their strengths and endowments. By making so they can go on to turn and progress in the company. Whenever possible give your staff assignments that challenge and stimulate them. This will assist them to go on to be productive and efficient in their work. When a error or mistake is made by a staff member, do n't merely indicate it out, assist them to happen ways of rectifying the job so it does non go on once more ( Businessknowledgesource.com, 2011 ) .Jules ( 2009 ) states that â₠¬Å"Core competences are cardinal elements in developing an effectual corporate scheme and are defined by Prahalad and Hamel as the â€Å" corporate acquisition in the organisation particularly how to organize diverse production accomplishments and incorporate multiple watercourses of engineerings. †Core competences are those capablenesss that are critical to a concern accomplishing competitory advantage. The get downing point for analysing nucleus competences is acknowledging that competition between concerns is every bit much a race for competency command as it is for market place and market power. Senior direction can non concentrate on all activities of a concern and the competences required set abouting them. So the end is for direction to concentrate attending on competences that truly affect competitory advantage.4. Personal rating ( suggestion/recommendation )Quality merchandises and services give the company a immaculate repute in the industry. This repute allows the company to derive new clients and sell extra merchandises and services to bing clients. A choice direction plan besides removes inefficient procedures within the system. By taking unneeded procedures, employee productiveness additions. The employee is passing less clip on activities that do non lend to the merchandise ‘s quality. As a consequence, the employee is bring forthing more work in less clip while the company has non increased the wage. Quality direction plans help to recapture lost monies due to inefficiencies ( Taylor, 2010 ) . Quality direction ensures client satisfaction. Conduct client satisfaction studies to understand the qualities of the merchandise of import to the client. Besides conduct studies with those who are non the company ‘s clients. This will besides supply penetration into why these concerns use the services of the rival. Use client studies to aim those characteristics of a merchandise or service that need betterment. The choice direction plan provides a methodological analysis to utilize to make the type of merchandise the client desires ( Taylor, 2010 ) . The intent of client reactivity is to develop client trueness penchant of clients for an organisation ‘s merchandises and services so that they continue utilizing them. When an organisation is successful at making client trueness it can bear down a premium monetary value that the clients are willing to pay for that something extra they get and that they do non acquire elsewhere ( maxizip.com, 2010 ) . Organizations that provide superior client reactivity wage attending to several facets such as client response clip, superior design, superior service, and superior after gross revenues support. Customer response clip is the clip it takes for the merchandise to be delivered to the client. An organisation that takes less clip to react to its clients reaches them earlier than its rivals. In this mode, that organisation additions on clip crushing its rivals and deriving competitory advantage. Superior design and service backed by superior after gross revenues support is another manner organisations try to function their clients better than their rivals do. For illustration, nomadic phones have evolved from being simple communicating device to going sophisticated, multiple characteristic appliances, reacting to clients ‘ demands as clip went by. Those nomadic phone companies that have succeeded in offering better nomadic phones with more characteristics have systematically outrival ed their rivals. As they did so, they were able to bear down a premium monetary value that their clients are happy to pay ( maxizip.com, 2010 ) .1. Culture of Fun!Make it a policy for your office environment to be a fun topographic point to work with. The construct of merriment at work promotes creativeness, lowers stress degree and extremely likely to increase productiveness because your employees, your co-workers enjoys working at that place. Set understandings on no judgements, that we are all here to bask each other ‘s illustriousness and merriment while working. Agreements on balance of playing and earnestness of work, a balance of merriment and presenting consequences. For some, merriment can besides be stated as a nucleus values. Which I know for certain several of my squads and companies that I work with bashs have that as our nucleus values ( Chang, 2010 ) .2. Making the Environment!Post up merriment images, happy images and most significantly colourful image. Vibrant and colorful ocular reminders create a sense of animation in the environment. Some of the possible images that you can post up are mascot that represents each nucleus values separately. For illustration, one of the company ‘s nucleus values is trueness, what animate being would come into your head when you think of trueness? The image that comes to mind possibly Canis familiariss and so you can post images of a sketch Canis familiaris by the side of your nucleus value. Print your nucleus values out large along with the images! This will besides move as your reminder for all your nucleus values along with the associations. Peoples tend to retrieve better with images and associations ( Chang, 2010 ) .3. Toys Zone!Put some squeeze-able playthings like squidgy balls around for you to squash on every now and so. Squash it when you are believing or when you feel bored. Bring it in meetings. It will assist excite your senses that may be really utile to assist you remain awake and pr esent. Have some other playthings that you can happen in toy stores, perchance toys that can be played with several people. Something like low powered plaything guns with soft slugs around. Take it out and play with your co-workers or household every clip the crust seeps out. This would assist to de-stress as playing most of the clip lead to laughter which after about 10 proceedingss would bring forth happy endocrines. Some playthings that makes amusing sounds helps excessively. Particularly in a overtly quiet state of affairs, a sudden daze of a amusing sound extremely like to turn into a explosion of laughter ( Chang, 2010 ) . Harmonizing to ( Bain.com, 2011 ) , to develop Core Competencies a company must:Isolate its cardinal abilities and hone them into organisation broad strengths ;Compare itself with other companies with the same accomplishments, to guarantee that it is developing alone capablenesss ;Develop an apprehension of what capabilities its clients genuinely value, and invest consequently to develop and prolong valued strengths ;Create an organisational route map that sets ends for competency edifice ;Pursue confederations, acquisitions and licencing agreements that will farther construct the organisation ‘s strengths in nucleus countries ;Promote communicating and engagement in nucleus capableness development across the organisation ;Preserve nucleus strengths even as direction expands and redefines the concern ;Outsource or divest noncore capablenesss to liberate up resources that can be used to intensify nucleus capablenesss.5. DecisionIn decision, through treatments of this chosen subj ect, I analysis that these points about strategic direction. Each of these schemes can play an of import function in the success of a company. Choosing a scheme that is non congruous with the ideals and values of the house can take to fiscal and managerial catastrophe. Directors must take careful consideration when taking what countries of their company merit the most attending. Companies will go dead without uninterrupted evolvement and acquisition, taking to fiscal hurt and, perchance, the extinction of the company. As directors, it is our occupation to guarantee that our company survives among the remainder.