Short reaction on Casablanca 1942 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short reaction on Casablanca 1942 - Essay Example me even more popular over the years, lies in the fact that since 1957 many cinemas began to show the movie during summer exams, first in Harvard, and then and in other universities. Twenty years later it was revealed that Casablanca is shown on TV in the USA more often than any other movie in order to attract the new audience (Ebert, 1996). The movie is sensitive, kind, magically romantic and very fascinating, though it is neither thriller, nor the detective story. It is a real American movie, which is loved by all Americans and very informative for foreigners, because it shows the life and history of real Americans. The movie Casablanca will not touch your heart as military drama, but, as the romantic melodrama performed in curious style and played by magnificent actors of the era, it represents a perfect creation. A little outdated, but the one, which did not loose its appeal through

An Effect of an Acidic Fluid on Enzymatic Activity Lab Report

An Effect of an Acidic Fluid on Enzymatic Activity - Lab Report Example The researcher tells that enzymes are made up of protein molecules. They catalyze biochemical reactions. The enzyme catalyzes the reaction where the reactants are an enzyme and the substrate. Substrates combine at an active site. One enzyme is capable of catalyzing one reaction only. Proteins are highly sensitive molecules and they get denatured if their temperature is altered. Proteins are also sensitive to the pH conditions of the medium in which they are present; pH directly influences the molecular structure, it also affects the structure of the amino acids. Amino acids are the basic units of protein molecules and are amphoteric in nature, suggesting that they maintain the molecular equilibrium. Any alteration in the pH will either enable the amino acid to lose electron or proton. One extra electron alters the structure of amino acids. This directly influences the structure or alters the function of the enzyme. The pH ranges from 1 to 14 on the pH scale. The presence of H+ in sol ution generates acidic condition causes acidity. More the number of H+ ions more acidic the condition will be and hence the PH will be lower. The pH value of 7 is considered as the neutral pH while pH value of more than 7 and up to 14 is considered as the basic pH. The basic pH has more OH- ions Acidic pH influences the structure of the enzyme and also its activity.  

Performance related pay

Performance related pay Performance Related Pay The aim of this essay is to identify if performance related pay (PRP) actually work. In this paper analysis of PRP will be discussed. This is going to be accomplished by looking at some researches that was conducted by different authors. An introduction of performance related pay by Inland Revenue will be discussed, whether it really helped the management to accomplish their goals or not. In early days 1990s employer from both the private and the public sectors put a greater emphasis on paying for performance and attempting to incentivise remuneration in order to improve individual and organisational performance based culture. According to Armstrong the schemes base pay on an assessment of individuals job performance. Although such schemes are not identical, they provide individual with financial rewards in the form of increase to basic pay or cash bonuses which are linked to the assessment of performance, usually in relations to agreed objectives. He suggested that pay is linked to performance measured by a number of specific objectives (for example sales targets or customer satisfaction). This reflects a move towards rewarding output rather than input, using qualitative rather than quantitative judgement (Fowler 1998). Performance related pay turn out to be extensively used in the public sector (for example, local government, the NHS and teachers), for which a government of both complexions have supported the idea. There are number of benefits of performance related pay that was identified by Armstrong (1999). He noted that performance related pay can be used to motivate individuals and consequently develop them and the organisational performance. It can persuade managers to examine the progression of objectives settings as part of their advance to supervising the department or branch. It helps the organisation to attract and retain people through financial rewards and competitive pay and reduces ‘golden handcuff effects or poor performer staying with an employer and also meets a basic human need to be rewarded for achievement. Marchington and Wilkinson stated that, it is hard to find ultimate proof to determine the success of performance related pay; even though it has been broadly supported, and practitioners in particular give the impression to retain huge loyalty in its qualities. In recent years there has been an additional vigilant assessment of the ideas behind performance related pay. They are many studies that suggest that performance related pay can strengthen and contribute to the organisational and individual performance than those suggesting it cannot. Lewis (1998, p74) noted that, â€Å"If employers are generally in agreement with both the principle and practise of performance related pay, they will be motivated to better the job performance and beneficial organisational outcomes will follow. On the other hand, if they are not in agreement with either principle or practice of performance related pay then they will not be motivated to perform more effectively in their jobs and such organisatio nal outcomes will not follow†. He argued for more concentration to the softer side of the performance related pay procedure, for instance greater involvement in agreeing objectives, response in a developmental manner, although he observes that in the financial service organisation he examined, managers have a tendency to impose objectives to workers. Marsden and Richardson (1994) analysed the introduction of performance related pay at the Inland Revenue on the grounds that it should act as a motivator. They query over 2000 workers in relation to the impact of PRP on their own behaviour as well on other judgement pertaining to performance was made in the course of staff appraisals. On the research they conducted they found that the majority of Inland Revenue workers were in favour of performance related pay other than minority who felt antagonistic to it. They also discovered that any optimistic motivational effects of performance related pay have been, at most, very modest among workers. To make it worse, there was a comprehensible evidence of some demotivation between workers. The distribution of performance related pay was seen by a lot of workers as to be unjust. Awards were given only to those who had received good ratings, but many respondents felt that the appraisal scheme had been contaminated. The observable demotivation between employees was warring for proponents of performance related pay, 55 percent believed that it had contributed to demoralize workers self-confidence, and 62 percent assumed it had sourced jealousy between them. A number of employees felt that the sum of money involved was not huge enough to give good reason for a change in performance. Lawler (1999) noted that anything less than 10 percent of salary is too little for performance related pay. Many staff felt that they were not capable to improve. Therefore the introduction of performance related pay did not work for Inland Revenue management the reason being most of the workers did not support it. There are many other criticisms directed at performance related pay. The complexity of appraisal, the complexity of planning objectives, the risk of prejudice or perceived bias, the high expenditure of management, the predicament connected with a focus on the individual and the complicatedness of organising and distributing the essential degree of administrative commitment (Torrington et al 2002 p 604-5). In addition performance related pay inspires elevated expectations individuals respond to it because there is a hope of more money and the hope has to be considerably if it is to be attractive. Management therefore frequently introduces the system by indicating how much individual can look forward to. A theme echoed broadly in the performance related pay literature is that people consider it as a good practice in principle, and certainly it is hard to object to the view that hardworking and effective employees should be paid more than those who do the opposite.

Invisible Man Essay: Search for True Identity :: Invisible Man Essays

Search for True Identity in Invisible Man      Ã‚   "Who the hell am I?" (Ellison 386) This question puzzled the invisible man, the unidentified, anonymous narrator of Ralph Ellison's acclaimed novel Invisible Man. Throughout the story, the narrator embarks on a mental and physical journey to seek what the narrator believes is "true identity," a belief quite mistaken, for he, although unaware of it, had already been inhabiting true identities all along.    The narrator's life is filled with constant eruptions of mental traumas. The biggest psychological burden he has is his identity, or rather his misidentity. He feels "wearing on the nerves" (Ellison 3) for people to see him as what they like to believe he is and not see him as what he really is. Throughout his life, he takes on several different identities and none, he thinks, adequately represents his true self, until his final one, as an invisible man.    The narrator thinks the many identities he possesses does not reflect himself, but he fails to recognize that identity is simply a mirror that reflects the surrounding and the person who looks into it. It is only in this reflection of the immediate surrounding can the viewers relate the narrator's identity to. The viewers see only the part of the narrator that is apparently connected to the viewer's own world. The part obscured is unknown and therefore insignificant. Lucius Brockway, an old operator of the paint factory, saw the narrator only as an existence threatening his job, despite that the narrator is sent there to merely assist him. Brockway repeatedly question the narrator of his purpose there and his mechanical credentials but never even bother to inquire his name. Because to the old fellow, who the narrator is as a person is uninterested. What he is as an object, and what that object's relationship is to Lucius Brockway's engine room is important. The narrator's identity is derived from this relationship, and this relationship suggests to Brockway that his identity is a "threat". However the viewer decides to see someone is the identity they assign to that person. The Closing of The American Mind, by Allan Bloom, explains this identity phenomenon by comparing two "ships of states" (Bloom 113). If one ship "is to be forever at sea, [and]  ¡K another is to reach port and the passengers go their separate ways, they think about one another and their relationships on the ship very differently in the two cases" (Bloom 113).

Marxist Theory of Crime

Using the material from item A and elsewhere assess the usefulness of Marxist approaches to an understanding of crime and deviance. (21 marks) Marxist approaches can be useful to help us understand crime and deviance. Marxists theory adopts the belief that the ruling class is responsible for societies. They think crime is systematically generated by the structure of capitalist society. Marxists believe that society is divided into two classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.The bourgeoisie promote values such as individualism and competition, and some may argue that it is these values that promote crime amongst the typical offenders, the proletariat. Traditional Marxism attempts to explain the relationship between the two aforementioned classes, with writers such as William Chambliss concluding that the best way to understand crime and deviance is to analyse the process by which the ruling class exploit their subordinates , through means such as the media , ideology and false-cl ass consciousness, to name a few mediums.An example of this, again the result of a study conducted by Chambliss. Marxist say that the rich and powerful decide what is considered deviant and criminal in society to suit their own needs and interests. This supports item A as it states ‘a set of rules laid down by the state in the interest of the ruling class'. This is reflected in crime statistics; the most common offenders are young, black males between the ages of 15-21. A counter argument to this is the idea of Strain Theory developed by Robert Merton.Traditional Marxism argues that it is increased aggression and individualistic nature of the capitalist society that inspires individuals to commit crime, however Merton comments that it is Strain between goals and the legitimate means to achieve these goals that cause an individual to commit crime. It is also noted that the Traditional Marxist theory only looks at the cause of crime, and not the effect that the crime has on the society. Another sociological theory that attempts to provide an explanation for crime and deviance is the Marxist subcultural theory.This Marxist theory of crime goes on to explain it is the emergence of youth subculture that result in crime. It is argued that only the groups on the margins of society are the few that are not bound by the ideology and economic importance of the ruling class, and due to this ‘immunity’, they are able to somewhat resist the influence of the capitalist society. The largest group which display this resistance are typically the working class youth.According to Brake, amongst other writers, the resistance which is provided by the working class youth is expressed through youth subcultures. A subculture is defined as a group within a society who adopt alternative norms and values to mainstream society. The youth part of these subcultures will wear different, or rather radical clothing compared to mainstream society, and their language, among o ther attitudes and formalities, will show a contempt for the capitalist system of which they are on the fringes of.It is also said by Brake, that this resistance is ‘magical’, magical in the sense that this resistance does nothing to solve the problems that are experienced by the youth subcultures, but it still continues, because each generation, it is said that the capitalist society produces vast wealth inequalities and opportunities, said by Althusser. Stan Cohen, on the other noted that this analysis of working class youth subcultures are based on analysis, and as such, are biased, due to these writers looking to prove that subcultures are a direct attack on the capitalist society.A criticism that Cohen provided is that there are many ways in which an individual can interpret the actions of a subculture, the Marxist view on this just so happens to be one of the many views in circulation. Blackman also notes that the concentration on youth subcultures and resistance ignores the fact that many subcultures are formed with an emphasis on, gender, sexuality, and also ‘intelligence’.Youth subcultures exist everywhere, in also institutions, for example in education. There are some who specifically desire to adhere to the rules of the education, and follow direction as they are given, and there are those who wish to resist because they find schoolwork autonomous, (the ‘earoles’ and the ‘lads’ – ), which is taken from the interpretivist view of education.

Papa John’s

Papa John’s Analysis Alex Quiquia 3/19/13 MGMT 4800 Strategic Analysis of Papa John’s Introduction–We already know that Papa John's is a major player in the Pizza industry but what does the future hold for them. One of the business-level strategies that Papa John’s implemented was product differentiation through the use of fresh dough and superior-quality ingredients. John Schnatter believed that other pizza restaurants used inferior ingredients and that he could do it better. This strategy was implemented from the very beginning in the United States.Another successful business-level strategy that focused on product diversification employed by Papa John’s was the use of technology to order pizza. In 2001 they became the first pizza company to offer online ordering. The most significant corporate-level strategy used early on by Papa John’s was mergers and acquisitions. In the late 90s, the company acquired 205 â€Å"Perfect Pizza† resta urants in the UK. They continued aggressively acquiring international restaurants until the early 2000s when they began to focus their acquisition efforts domestically.In just under 30 years since opening its first store, Papa John’s has added over 4,000 stores (papajohns. com). That’s an average of over 140 new stores every year since inception, an incredible pace. They also decided to use the franchisee model. Although this model has its critics, it can be a very useful way to generate revenue without adding to store overhead, etc. The franchisee model has been successful for Papa John’s. Papa John’s was enjoying a 5+ percent average revenue growth rate for the previous five years. The company also boasted one of the highest returns on invested capital in the restaurant category of the markets.Total assets grew steadily from 2003 to 2007 as well. This growth was financed mostly by debt, but debt/equity ratios remained healthy. Apparently Papa Johnâ€⠄¢s holds a competitive advantage in its fresher, higher-quality ingredients. When a customer is looking for a restaurant-quality pizza with ease of delivery, they turn to Papa John’s. External Analysis– During this study, the pizza industry was extremely competitive. Barriers to entry were few and competitors could drive prices for pizza ingredients extremely low, enabling them to easily undercut other competitors’ prices.Food commodity prices also took a 20 percent jump in 2007, which didn’t make the industry any more attractive. One of the attractive features of the industry is that because pizza ingredients are commodities, supplier power is very low. Suppliers cannot dictate prices to buyers, because they can go somewhere else. Buyer power, however, is very high. If someone doesn’t wish to buy a $12. 00 pizza at Papa John’s, they can go across the street to Little Caesar’s for a $5. 00 pizza that tastes almost the same. The two m ajor competitors of Papa John’s are Dominos and Pizza Hut. Both of these companies enjoy a larger market share than Papa John’s.These companies are focused more on price savings than Papa John’s, who is focused on quality pizza. Just like any other sub-section of the food industry, thousands of pizza restaurants are opened each year, which continues to make profits more difficult to obtain. Internal Analysis–The commissary system is an important part of what gives Papa John’s an edge over its competitors. Every Papa John’s restaurant belongs to a subdivided region, and each region has what is known as a commissary. These commissaries send fresh ingredients and cleaning supplies twice per week to all the Papa John’s restaurants within their region.This ensures fresh ingredients and all the supplies needed to clean the restaurants. This also maintains consistency from restaurant to restaurant as all of the commissaries are controlled at the corporate level. By servicing several units from one commissary, labor costs are also driven down. Papa John’s international growth is also an advantage it has over many of its competitors. By taking advantage of all different markets around the world, Papa John’s ensures that business is most likely thriving somewhere at all times. All of these factors create a competitive advantage for Papa John’s.Recommendations Based on this analysis of Papa John’s, the following recommendations are made to help the company continue its profitability. 1. Expand internationally as much as possible. With several stores in diverse locations throughout the world, Papa John’s will be well diversified and able to absorb losses in one area better. 2. Continue to move more toward the franchisee model even more so than they are currently doing. By furthering this model, overhead and administrative costs at the corporate level are drastically reduced. Papa John’s Papa John’s Analysis Alex Quiquia 3/19/13 MGMT 4800 Strategic Analysis of Papa John’s Introduction–We already know that Papa John's is a major player in the Pizza industry but what does the future hold for them. One of the business-level strategies that Papa John’s implemented was product differentiation through the use of fresh dough and superior-quality ingredients. John Schnatter believed that other pizza restaurants used inferior ingredients and that he could do it better. This strategy was implemented from the very beginning in the United States.Another successful business-level strategy that focused on product diversification employed by Papa John’s was the use of technology to order pizza. In 2001 they became the first pizza company to offer online ordering. The most significant corporate-level strategy used early on by Papa John’s was mergers and acquisitions. In the late 90s, the company acquired 205 â€Å"Perfect Pizza† resta urants in the UK. They continued aggressively acquiring international restaurants until the early 2000s when they began to focus their acquisition efforts domestically.In just under 30 years since opening its first store, Papa John’s has added over 4,000 stores (papajohns. com). That’s an average of over 140 new stores every year since inception, an incredible pace. They also decided to use the franchisee model. Although this model has its critics, it can be a very useful way to generate revenue without adding to store overhead, etc. The franchisee model has been successful for Papa John’s. Papa John’s was enjoying a 5+ percent average revenue growth rate for the previous five years. The company also boasted one of the highest returns on invested capital in the restaurant category of the markets.Total assets grew steadily from 2003 to 2007 as well. This growth was financed mostly by debt, but debt/equity ratios remained healthy. Apparently Papa Johnâ€⠄¢s holds a competitive advantage in its fresher, higher-quality ingredients. When a customer is looking for a restaurant-quality pizza with ease of delivery, they turn to Papa John’s. External Analysis– During this study, the pizza industry was extremely competitive. Barriers to entry were few and competitors could drive prices for pizza ingredients extremely low, enabling them to easily undercut other competitors’ prices.Food commodity prices also took a 20 percent jump in 2007, which didn’t make the industry any more attractive. One of the attractive features of the industry is that because pizza ingredients are commodities, supplier power is very low. Suppliers cannot dictate prices to buyers, because they can go somewhere else. Buyer power, however, is very high. If someone doesn’t wish to buy a $12. 00 pizza at Papa John’s, they can go across the street to Little Caesar’s for a $5. 00 pizza that tastes almost the same. The two m ajor competitors of Papa John’s are Dominos and Pizza Hut. Both of these companies enjoy a larger market share than Papa John’s.These companies are focused more on price savings than Papa John’s, who is focused on quality pizza. Just like any other sub-section of the food industry, thousands of pizza restaurants are opened each year, which continues to make profits more difficult to obtain. Internal Analysis–The commissary system is an important part of what gives Papa John’s an edge over its competitors. Every Papa John’s restaurant belongs to a subdivided region, and each region has what is known as a commissary. These commissaries send fresh ingredients and cleaning supplies twice per week to all the Papa John’s restaurants within their region.This ensures fresh ingredients and all the supplies needed to clean the restaurants. This also maintains consistency from restaurant to restaurant as all of the commissaries are controlled at the corporate level. By servicing several units from one commissary, labor costs are also driven down. Papa John’s international growth is also an advantage it has over many of its competitors. By taking advantage of all different markets around the world, Papa John’s ensures that business is most likely thriving somewhere at all times. All of these factors create a competitive advantage for Papa John’s.Recommendations Based on this analysis of Papa John’s, the following recommendations are made to help the company continue its profitability. 1. Expand internationally as much as possible. With several stores in diverse locations throughout the world, Papa John’s will be well diversified and able to absorb losses in one area better. 2. Continue to move more toward the franchisee model even more so than they are currently doing. By furthering this model, overhead and administrative costs at the corporate level are drastically reduced.