Saturday, November 16, 2019
Dance - Girl Essay Example for Free
Dance Girl Essay Dance, Girl, Dance is a film from the Classical Hollywood period that presents a complicated reading when viewed through a feminist lens. The 1940 film was directed by Dorothy Arzner, one of the most notable female directors and the only prominent woman in Hollywood at that time. Arzner presents her audience with an array of female characters, the main characters being Judy Oââ¬â¢brien and Bubbles/Tiger Lily White. Judy is a dedicated dancer, honing her talents as a ballerina. Bubbles, on the other hand, uses her looks and sexuality to land jobs as a burlesque dancer. Dance, Girl, Dance reveals these charactersââ¬â¢ experience in a dance troupe with several other girls. When the troupe disbands, Bubbles comes to offer Judy a humiliating job as her stooge. As tensions rise, the two eventually come to blows, quite literally, when both fall for the same man, Jimmy Harris. Through their relationship with each other and with men, a dynamic is defined that gives insight into the power of the male gaze and sexual politics, not only in the film but also in society at large in the context of 1930s America. This can be seen in the analysis of a particular scene near the beginning of the film. Judy and one of her roommates, Sally, are preparing for bed after their performance at the nightclub in the opening scene. Bubbles, their third roommate, arrives at home after a disappointing outing with Jimmy. This scene specifically highlights the contrast between the personalities of Judy and Bubbles, and speaks to the many ways female characters are coded based on their sexuality and appearance. The analysis of the scene begins at the moment Bubbles enters the room. She comes into the frame through the doorway in a medium shot. It is important to note her costume, as it speaks to her character. She is wearing makeup, jewelry, a fox fur stole around her shoulders and a feathered hat. One may get the impression that she is trying to look as glamorous or ostentatious as possible on her limited budget. At this point, Bubbles has already been partly established as a brash woman who does not shy away from her ability to attract men. This can be contrasted with Judyââ¬â¢s costume during this scene, modest button-up pajamas. The scene continues as Bubbles enters the tiny apartment. She turns on the light, when Judy whispers that Sally is asleep from off camera. Bubbles leaves the light on, looks down at Sally in the bed, and proceeds to loudly close the door while muttering ââ¬Å"So, what? â⬠As she delivers her dialogue, the camera follows her as she walks to her bed, panning over to include Judy in a two shot. One key element in this simple interaction is the difference of attitude toward female solidarity between Bubbles and Judy. Judy obviously cares to not disturb Sally, while Bubbles seems disappointed and only concerned with her own problems at this point. Then, the camera cuts to a close shot of Sally lying in bed, smiling and clearly awake. She then closes her eyes and continues to try and sleep, rendering her unimportant to the rest of the scene. The next cut brings us back to a long, two shot of Bubbles and Judy as they discuss what happened to Bubbles that evening. Bubbles is explaining how she had gone out with Jimmy, but he suddenly left her at the bar after giving her a little stuffed bull. In this shot, Bubbles is in the foreground, a little closer to the camera than Judy, making her appear slightly larger. This could be interpreted as signifying her social dominance over Judy, and the fact that she ââ¬Å"stoleâ⬠Jimmy from Judy earlier that evening. Bubbles dismissively tosses the bull onto a chair in front of Judy. Judy picks it up, stating ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s cute. â⬠Bubbles tells her that she can have it. The audience is clearly meant to get the impression that the token of the night has no significance to Bubbles, and she is merely disappointed that she could not add Jimmy to her list of men to dote on her occasionally. The camera stays stationary as Bubble walks to the background of the shot and sits on her bed. Judy gently places the bull back on the chair, already showing signs of her eventual fetishization of the bull and Jimmy. Then, she continues to bend and stretch her legs, as Bubbles pouts behind her. It is interesting to point out that as Judy resumes her exercises, she has gained the ââ¬Å"high groundâ⬠of the shot. The reminder of her status as a dancer, a more artful and talented dancer than Bubbles, means she is the larger, more significant character in the frame now. The focus has moved from Bubbles proficiency as a female spectacle, completely at home under the male gaze, to Judyââ¬â¢s proficiency as a ballerina, with no real concern for superficial male attention. Then, this is reinforced when there is a cut to a medium shot of Bubbles, looking at Judy. The camera follows Bubbles line of sight and there is a quick cut to a medium shot of Judy, then it reverses back to the shot of Bubbles on her bed, shaking her head. She says, ââ¬Å"Iââ¬â¢ll say one thing for you, Pavlova. Youââ¬â¢ve certainly got ambition, even if itââ¬â¢s dumb. â⬠As she says this, Judyââ¬â¢s foot briefly enters from the side of the frame as she kicks her leg. Once again, Bubbles is coded as having no passion for her craft as a dancer, seeing it as a means to an end of attracting men and/or making money, while Judy genuinely loves to dance. One way of reading the film is through the suggestion that Judyââ¬â¢s ballet is high art, while Bubblesââ¬â¢ burlesque is low art. In the world of the Dance, Girl, Dance, women utilizing their sexuality for physical and financial gratification given by men is deemed less valuable than artistic expression. What follows is a short series of counter shots between the two, as Bubbles ponders how she will get back to New York, going through her list of male suitors to find a solution to her dilemma. On a surface level, this shows that Bubbles needs men to get where she is going, whether it is for a trip to New York or a trip to stardom as they buy tickets to her shows later in the film. The scene comes to a close as Bubbles decides on Sam, the traveling salesman that is ââ¬Å"sweet on her. â⬠As this line is delivered, there is a quick cut to Judy whipping her head around to look back at Bubbles. Judy has an expression on her face that is hard to describe, but it gets across the fact that her reality is very different from that of Bubblesââ¬â¢. Judy goes on to ask if there will be room for Sally, as the camera tracks Bubbles while she walks to the bathroom. As the camera stops tracking, it stops in a medium shot of Bubbles as she eventually replies, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ All right, she can go, but donââ¬â¢t blame me. That guyââ¬â¢s got more arms than an octopus. â⬠There is a cut to a close shot of Sally in bed with a wide-eyed, nervous expression as she quickly lifts up her head and plops back down. Like Judy, her reality is very different from the reality of the dynamic Bubbles, and the possibility of encountering a man from that reality seems to frighten her. After the last cut of the scene, it ends on a medium shot of Judy picking up the stuffed bull once again and smiling at it fondly. This emphasizes the fact Judy is not asexual and clearly is developing feelings for Jimmy. Although, Judy seems to have a more deep, emotional connection to Jimmy than Bubbles has for her various men. Judy only became interested in Jimmy after he helped the girls at the nightclub and talked with her earlier in the film. Her interest is not based solely on what he can provide to her. The differences in costume, behavior and motivation between Bubbles and Judy are relevant to a larger scope of the film involving sex and gender politics. For all of the above reasons found in the formal elements of the filmââ¬â¢s visual and narrative composition, Bubbles is coded as superficial, purely physical and vapid. On the other hand, Judy is given much more value and depth. While Bubbles goes on to find success by exploiting her good looks, Judy is the winner in the end, when she lands her position in the ballet company and achieves her dreams. In this way, the film is sending a message that female self-worth is not derived from male approval or reaffirming of beauty, but from accomplishment of what are considered to be more substantial goals.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Leonardos Laptop :: essays research papers
Ben Shneiderman, in Leonardoââ¬â¢s Laptop, introduces the idea of new education, which uses technology for active learning and collaborative teaching methods. In this new education, a part of the new computing, Shneiderman envisions an educational online web tool, which he calls LEON. This method of e-learning would provide a student oriented view of what is on the web. Students could gather information and acquire resources. It would allow students to recognize truth and useful information. LEON would allow for students to work in collaborative teams. Students and teachers will be able to work together and post the outcomes of the collaborations. It would allow for student participation, whether one on one or groups. E-learning would produce results that are meaningful to someone outside the classroom. An archive would be provided for students and teachers everywhere. These explain the ideaââ¬â¢s for Shneidermanââ¬â¢s LEON in the new education, a part of the new computing. à à à à à I agree with all parts of LEON. It would be an interest catching educational tool; Shneiderman proposes graphics and sound to captivate the student. As a creative outlet it would be ideal for students to explore everything technology has to offer while learning. A tool to gather information and acquire resources, I believe I agree that it would be useful for students to learn how to use the web to gather useful information. At the same time they would learn to avoid dangers and false information. I think that it would be great as a tool to work in collaborative groups. Here students would be able to share ideas and allow large amounts of people to work together. I agree that LEON would help to develop ambitious projects by students. By using LEON students know that others will be seeing their work, and this makes them polish them to perfection. Other students would be able to put their input in as well.
Monday, November 11, 2019
ââ¬ÅAnti-hierarchyââ¬Â environment in an organization Essay
Do you think itââ¬â¢s possible for an organization to deliberately create an ââ¬Å"anti-hierarchyâ⬠to encourage employees to engage in acts of creative deviance? What steps might a company take to encourage creative deviance? I think is it very hard to deliberately create an ââ¬Å"anti-hierarchyâ⬠environment in an organization, but it is not impossible. The first step is to ensure that the organizationââ¬â¢s culture supports and encourages creative deviance. This, in and of itself, is a challenge. Every organization leadership understands that unity of command and chain of command is highly important to achieve set performance goals. This dilemma creates a fine line between the phenomenon of ââ¬Å"creative devianceâ⬠and simple disregard to ââ¬Å"acceptance theory of authorityâ⬠. The lines get blurred and confusion sets in different organizational units without proper management and direction of any creative thinking. Another way to encourage creative deviance is create a contemporary organizational design that inspires it. Team structure, boundaryless structure, matrix-project structure, and learning structure can promote the idea of ââ¬Å"thinking outside the boxâ⬠and innovate where innovation is not really expected. Such environments are highly flexible and responsive and strive best in less mechanistic and more organic organizations. It is that sharing of the knowledge throughout the organization that creates sustainable source of competitive advantage. What are the drawbacks of an approach that encourages creative deviance? Creative deviance is great when it ââ¬Å"strikes goldâ⬠and brings the company much needed competitive advantage and high revenues. 3M is the great example of that with all of its innovative products. But what if those ââ¬Å"starsâ⬠and ââ¬Å"question marksâ⬠from BCG Matrix never become more than just that Then the employees have wasted valuable company resources deviating into something completely not profitable. Creative deviance is also very hard to manage or police. Once one employee starts going is own way doing something he/she believes is beneficial for the company, who is to say that another employee is not allowed to do the same? Lack of control and communication difficulties will quickly bring down the hierarchy and order in any organization. Why do you think a company like Apple is able to be creative with a strongly hierarchical structure, while other companies find hierarchy limiting? I believe Apple with its creativity in a strong hierarchical structure is more of an exception than the rule. Steve Jobs did an outstanding job leading theà company into creating the most ground breaking technologies of the time while holding Apple in iron-grip control. He had an amazing ability to balance creativity and innovation with complete control. Very few organizations can boast the same. Once again, the proof is in the managementââ¬â¢s vision of the degree in which ââ¬Å"self-governingâ⬠works or does not. The secret sauce is in the ability of the leader of the company being able to set the vision and the direction of the organization in such a way that hierarchy is stimulating innovation. Apple definitel y represents the omnipotent view of a manager. Apple understands that innovation sustains its competitive edge. They dedicate resources within a highly structured environment that focus just on groundbreaking technologies. These engineers are not being pulled different directions because management understands the stake of these creative minds being focused on tasks at hand. Other companies find hierarchy limiting because they are trying more organic approach that they believe will foster creativity when, in fact, it just blurs the lines and creates more complexity in assigning people to projects. Additionally, democracy is important to an extent, even in a highly structured environment. Creative people should have a say so in the direction of the projects even if it affects timelines. But when it comes to managing and synchronizing work of many employees across different time zones while keeping up with ever changing landscape in competitive outside market environment, most companies sink low faced with such challenge. ââ¬Å"Democraticâ⬠innovation is messy, time consuming, and difficul t to manage. For this reason, many companies like Apple have created controlled environments in which innovation can occur (2). Sources: 1. Robbins, Stephen P., and Mary K. Coulter. Management. 12th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. Print. 2. Sam Ladner. When Can Innovation and Hierarchy Co-Exist? January 6, 2010. Michael Lopp, senior engineering manager at Apple, described design process in place. He admits that all initial mockups of ââ¬Å"crazyâ⬠creative ideas take a huge amount of time upfront to develop. But management understand that it is worth it because it removed all ambiguity in the beginning without costing enormous amount of resources to correct mistakes at the end of the process. Apple also religiously used ââ¬Å"10 to 3 to 1â⬠rule. 10 completely different mockups are designed independently for any new feature of the product, not 7 ââ¬Å"fluffyâ⬠ones to make the other 3 ââ¬Å"realâ⬠ones look better as it is done in some other companies. 10 strong ideas get narrowed down to 3 following with months of additional work to finally arrive at 1 best design. All design meetings are done in two pairs. Every week, the teams get together for the first meeting to ââ¬Å"brainstormâ⬠with no boundaries and to design ââ¬Å"freelyâ⬠. Then, they hold a production meeting with entirely different purpose of bringing designers and engineers together to nail down all the ââ¬Å"crazyâ⬠ideas to how it might actually work in production. From the few above examples, we clearly see that Appleââ¬â¢s has ââ¬Å"logicâ⬠in all of its ââ¬Å"madnessâ⬠. This is what separates it from some many other IT companies that are a long gone history. The above hierarchical process-driven examples show that Apple reserves the option for creative thought even at the very la test stage of the game which proves that creativity can strive in highly structured environment. It is up to the genius of the management to apply the same concept to their organization.
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Building and Managing Systems Essay
JetBlue and WestJet: A Tale of Two IS Projects The time had come for both JetBlue and WestJet to upgrade their reservation systems. Each carrier had started out using a system designed for smaller start-up airlines, and both needed more processing power to deal with a far greater volume of customers. They also needed features like the ability to link prices and seat inventories to other airlines with whom they cooperated. Both JetBlue and WestJet contracted with Sabre Holdings, one of the most widely used airline IT providers, to upgrade their airline reservation systems, The difference between WestJet and JetBlueââ¬â¢s implementation of Sabreââ¬â¢s SabreSonic CSS reservation system illustrates the dangers inherent in any large-scale IT overhaul. It also serves as yet another reminder of how successfully planning for and implementing new technology is just as valuable as the technology itself. Sabreââ¬â¢s newest system, SabreSonic CSS, performs a broad array of services for any airline. It sells seats, collects payments, allows customers to shop for flights on the airlineââ¬â¢s Web site, and provides an interface for communication with reservation agents. Customers canà use it to access airport kiosks, select specific seats, check their bags, board, rebook, and receive refunds for flight cancellations. All of the data generated by these transactions are stored centrally within the system. JetBlue selected SabreSonic CSS over its legacy system developed by Sabre rival Navitaire, and WestJet was upgrading from an older Sabre reservation sy stem of its own. The first of the two airlines to implement SabreSonic CSS was WestJet. When WestJet went live with the new system in October 2009, customers struggled to place reservations, and the WestJet Web site crashed repeatedly. WestJetââ¬â¢s call centers were also overwhelmed, and customers experienced slowdowns at airports. For a company that built its business on the strength of good customer service, this was a nightmare. How did WestJet allow this to happen? The critical issue was the transfer of WestJetââ¬â¢s 840,000 files containing data on transactions for past WestJet customers who had already purchased flights, from WestJetââ¬â¢s old reservation system servers in Calgary to Sabre servers in Oklahoma. The migration required WestJet agents to go through complex steps to process the data. WestJet had not anticipated the transfer timeà required to move the files and failed to reduce its passenger loads on flights operating immediately after the changeover. Hundreds of thousands of bookings for future flights that were made before the changeover were Essentials of Management Information Systems, Tenth Edition, by Kenneth C. Laudon and Jane P. Laudon. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright à © 2013 by Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN 1-269-41688-X In recent years, the airline industry has seen several low-cost, high-efficiency carriers rise to prominence using a recipe of extremely competitive fares and outstanding customer service. Two examples of this business model in action are JetBlue and WestJet. Both companies were founded within the past two decades and have quickly grown into industry powerhouses. But when these companies need to make sweeping IT upgrades, their relationships with customers and their brands can be tarnished if things go awry. In 2009, both airlines upgraded their airline reservation systems, and one of the two learned this lesson the hard way. JetBlue was incorporated in 1998 and founded in 1999 by David Neeleman. The company is headquartered in Queens, New York and flies to 63 destinations in 21à states and eleven countries in the Caribbean, South America and Latin America. JetBlueââ¬â¢s goal has been to provide low-cost travel along with unique amenities like TV in every seat, and its heavy reliance on information technology throughout the business was a critical factor in achieving that goal. JetBlue met with early success and continued to grow at a rapid pace, consistently rank ing at the top of customer satisfaction surveys for U. S. airlines. Headquartered in Calgary, Canada, WestJet was founded by a group of airline industry veterans in 1996, including Neeleman, who left to start JetBlue shortly thereafter. The company began with approximately 40 employees and three aircraft. Today, the company has 7,800 employees and operates 420 flights per day to 71 destinations in Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Earlier in this decade, WestJet underwent rapid expansion spurred by its early success and began adding more Canadian destinations and then U. S. cities for its flights. By 2010, WestJet held nearly 40 percent of the Canadian airline market, with Air Canada dropping to 55 percent. JetBlue is slightly bigger, with 167 aircraft in use compared to WestJetââ¬â¢s 88, but both have used the sameà low-cost, good-service formula that brought profitability in the notoriously treacherous airline marketplace. The rapid growth of each airline rendered their existing information systems obsolete, including their airline reservation systems. Upgrading reservations systems carries special risks. From a customer perspective, only one of two things can happen: Either th e airline successfully completes its overhaul and the customer notices no difference in the ability to book flights, or the implementation is botched, angering customers and damaging the airlineââ¬â¢s brand. Chapter 11: Building Information Systems and Managing Projects handle these problems. JetBlue ended up using its backup site several times. JetBlue had the advantage of seeing WestJet begin its implementation months before, so it was able to avoid many of the pitfalls that WestJet endured. But JetBlue had also experienced similar customer service debacles in the past. In February 2007, JetBlue tried to operate flights during a blizzard when all other major airlines had already canceled their flights. This turned out to be a poor decision, as the weather conditions prevented theà flights from taking off and passengers were stranded for as long as ten hours. JetBlue had to continue canceling flights for days afterwards, reaching a total of 1,100 flights canceled and a loss of $30 million. JetBlue management realized in the wake of the crisis that the airlineââ¬â¢s IT infrastructure, although sufficient to deal with normal day-to-day conditions, was not robust enough to handle a cr isis of this magnitude. This experience, coupled with the observation of WestJetââ¬â¢s struggles when implementing its new system, motivated JetBlueââ¬â¢s cautious approach to its own IT implementation. Sabre had to adjust the flights using the new system. This delay provoked a deluge of customer dissatisfaction, a rarity for WestJet. In addition to the increase in customer complaint calls, customers also took to the Internet to express their displeasure. Angry flyers expressed outrage on Facebook and flooded WestJetââ¬â¢s site, causing the repeated crashes. WestJet quickly offered an apology to customers on its site once it came back up, explaining why the errors had occurred. WestJet employees had trained with the new system for acombined 150,000 hours prior to the upgrade, but WestJet spokesman Robert Palmer explained that the company ââ¬Å"encounter(ed) some problems in the live environment that simply did not appear in the test environment,â⬠foremost among them the issues surrounding the massive file transfer. WestJetââ¬â¢s latest earnings reports show that the company weathered the storm successfully, remained profitable, and ranks just below JetBlue and Southwest in airline customer satisfaction. Neverthless, the incident forced the airline to slow down its rollout of a frequent flyer program, as well as code-sharing planswith other airlines, such as American Airlines and Cathay Pacific. These plans allow one airline to sell flights under its own name on aircraft operated by other airlines. In contrast, JetBlue learned from WestJetââ¬â¢s mistakes, and built a backup Web site to prepare for the worst case scenario. The company also hired 500 temporary call center workers to manage potential spikes in customer service calls. WestJet also ended up hiring temporary offshore call center workers, but only after the problem had gotten out of hand. JetBlue made sure to switch its files over to Sabreââ¬â¢s servers on a Friday night, because Saturday flight traffic is typically very low. JetBlue also sold smaller numbers of seats on the flights that did take off that day. JetBlue experienced a few glitchesââ¬âcall wait times increased and not all airport kiosks and ticket printers came online right away. In addition, JetBlue needs to add some booking functions. But compared to what WestJet endured, the company was extremely well prepared to 403 Essentials of Management Information Systems, Tenth Edition, by Kenneth C. Laudon and Jane P. Laudon. Published by Prentice Hall. Copyright à © 2013 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
For Free and Other Pleonastic Expressions
For Free and Other Pleonastic Expressions For Free and Other Pleonastic Expressions For Free and Other Pleonastic Expressions By Maeve Maddox pleonasm: The use of more words in a sentence or clause than are necessary to express the meaning Pleonastic expressions are common in conversation. We all use turns of phrase in which we repeat ourselves: ââ¬Å"the books were few in number,â⬠ââ¬Å"We made advance dinner reservations,â⬠ââ¬Å"I know with positive certainty.â⬠few: adjective. amounting to a small number. reservation: noun. an act of engaging a seat, room, place, ticket, vehicle, etc., in advance; positive: adjective. expressed without qualification; certain. In casual conversation, speakers may be forgiven these verbal tics, but advertisers and journalists can be expected to aim to minimize redundancy in their copy. Here are some examples from the web: Twenty-One Cool Products And Services You Can Get For Free ââ¬Å"An unexpected surpriseâ⬠(very popular headline for hotel reviews) The Borden twist is that Borden and Fallon are a pair of identical twins who take turns as each persona. Las Vegas has its share of annoying pests. Future prospects remain bright for agricultural graduates Do you want to give your child everything he needs to succeed as a baseball player? Good! Teach them the basic fundamentals when they are small. What is the current consensus of opinion concerning the relationship of REM sleep to emotional stability? Poorer soils are usually paler brown in color the green color shows a few raindrops, but the red color indicates very intense rain. County Schools Report Card Scores Show Good Improvement for free: If something is ââ¬Å"free,â⬠it is ââ¬Å"given out of generosity and not in return for something else.â⬠The formation ââ¬Å"for freeâ⬠has probably developed by analogy with ââ¬Å"for nothing,â⬠One can get ââ¬Å"something for nothing,â⬠A ââ¬Å"free giftâ⬠is also pleonastic; the most common meaning of gift is ââ¬Å"something given without charge,â⬠i.e., ââ¬Å"free.â⬠It is enough for advertisers to announce that something is available free: ââ¬Å"Buy a computer and get a printer free.â⬠unexpected surprise: a surprise is an unexpected occurrence or event. pair of identical twins: Two children or young brought forth at one birth are twins. A pair is ââ¬Å"a couple; a set of two.â⬠Itââ¬â¢s enough to say that the men are ââ¬Å"identical twins.â⬠annoying pests: In the figurative sense, a pest is ââ¬Å"an annoying person or thing.â⬠future prospects: The word prospects in this context refers to future occasions or events. basic fundamental: Fundamental means ââ¬Å"serving as the foundation or base on which something is built.â⬠The adjective basic means ââ¬Å"Of, pertaining to, or forming a base; fundamental.â⬠consensus of opinion: The word consensus is enough. It means ââ¬Å"Agreement in opinion.â⬠brown in color, green color, red color: A color is a hue or tint. Brown, green, and red are colors. It is rarely necessary to say so when describing a weather map or other depiction in color. Itââ¬â¢s enough to say, ââ¬Å"The red indicates intense rain.â⬠good improvement: The word improvement includes the idea of ââ¬Å"good.â⬠Thereââ¬â¢s no such thing as ââ¬Å"bad improvement.â⬠The word can be modified in terms of degree. For example, ââ¬Å"slight improvement,â⬠and ââ¬Å"minor improvement.â⬠Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire YouUsing the Active Voice to Strengthen Your WritingMood vs. Tense
Monday, November 4, 2019
Passage to Modernity Dupre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Passage to Modernity Dupre - Essay Example At the early stages of modernity, artists still viewed themselves as creating in unison with nature; ââ¬Å"mind and nature relate harmoniously to one anotherâ⬠(p. 49). Moreover, natureââ¬â¢s perception began to change. Galileo expressed the idea of natural form in mathematical terms, ââ¬Å"loosening the union between physical essence and artistic idealâ⬠(p.51). He found a systematic study of nature, rather than depending on direct observation. This notion of rational knowledge of the world become central to the transformation from medieval age to modernity. In the emergence of modernity, chemistry played an important role towards the scientific revolution. Alchemy is frequently forgotten when we talk about the breakthroughs of science that changed our perception of the world. Alchemists believed in the harmony between the individual and the cosmos. ââ¬Å"at the basis of the alchemical enterprise is the concept of a microcosmos perfectly tuned to the macrocosmos of natureâ⬠. The notion that we are should interfere with natural processes in order to achieve harmony transforms the perception of nature. ââ¬Å"rather than serving as natureââ¬â¢s assistant, the person now becomes its controller.â⬠(p.54). There was a thorough rejection to the idea that the stars controlled man, that we were passively submitting to matter. Nevertheless, the interest in astrology was not completely eliminated; but as it happened with alchemy, they became less appealing at the face of new physical theories that rationally explained the universe.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Frederick Taylors Scientific Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Frederick Taylors Scientific Management - Essay Example Because of this work, Taylor gains the reputation of being the father of scientific management. Scientific management methods, as put forward by Taylor, "called for optimizing the way tasks were performed and simplifying the jobs enough so that workers could be trained to perform their specialized sequenced of motions in one best way" (Frederick Taylor and Scientific Management 1). The formulation of scientific management is Taylor's response to the working conditions during his time. It should be noted that prior to scientific management, the various works in the factory are solely performed by skilled craftsmen who have acquired their knowledge and skills through long and tedious apprenticeships. Having no particular specifications from the management on how jobs should be performed, workers during the period are given much autonomy, giving them the sole discretion on how their jobs should be performed. Thinking that their apprenticeship has been adequate in shaping and preparing for the jobs required, management are often left with other decision making tasks. However, scientific management changed this situation in the workplace by "taking away much of this autonomy and converting skilled crafts into a series of simplified jobs that could be performed by unskilled workers who easily could be trained for the tasks" (Frederick Taylor and Scientific Managemen t 2). Taylor, through his time and motion studies formulated the most scientifically efficient in doing performing a single task which do not only lessen the workload for each employee but also shorten the time that the task is performed. The main contribution of Taylor in the field of management can be delineated within the bounds of management service practice and organisational management. The main premise of Taylor in the concepts which he put forward is the utilisation of scientific principles in every situation including the solution of problems in business organisations (Frederick Winslow Taylor 2). Through his exposure on steel workers, Taylor has observed what he calls soldiering which he explains as "underworking, that is, deliberately working slowly so as to avoid a full day's work" (Taylor 6). He observes that the current situation facilitates this inefficiency of workers. According to him, there are three primary reasons which causes soldiering: first, the universal belief that if workers become productive, less workers will be needed causing elimination or termination; second, the non-incentive wage system which encourage workers to work at a slow pace considering that they will be paid the same wage regardless of the amount of work that they finish; and third, the reliance on rule of the thumb measures and the absence of optimal work methods in order to enhance efficiency (Frederick Taylor and Scientific Management 4). With this, Taylor lays down the four principles which become the foundations of scientific management. Scientific management calls for the replacement of the rule of the thumb work methods with systems derived from scientific studies (Frederick Taylor
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