Business in focus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business in focus - Essay Example However, this key environmental trend is causing many regional and international companies to rethink their existing business strategies in order to satisfy consumer demand for eco-friendly products through marketing and in areas of facilities management. This report identifies differing viewpoints on environmental consciousness along with an assessment of how this both positively and negatively impacts retail business operations and finance. Piell (2009) offers that certain regulatory entities, in international retail selling environments, are adding considerable pressure to companies to comply with energy usage reductions, which is especially noticeable in the consumer sales environment. The United States Environmental Protection Agency created its Energy Star labeling system which was a regulatory effort for appliance manufacturers to clearly list the energy-efficiency rating of their products, such as dishwashers, refrigerators and microwaves (Piell). Additionally, Verizon, one of the largest international mobile communications technology companies, proudly promotes the Energy Star labeling system in over 30 of its international retail stores that are at least 5,000 square feet in order to comply with these regulations and also show interested consumers that the business takes energy consumption at its stores quite seriously (Piell). This regulatory pressure forces many appliance retailers (and other energy-consuming product manufacturers) to change the internal energy mechanisms of their products in an effort to reduce a product’s carbon footprint, the volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by the devices. From a manufacturing perspective, this key trend in regulatory activities related to the environment can be a costly business operation as it often involves devoting more financial resources to research and development in order to meet new standards of energy consumption. Energy

Comparing Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale and Michael Radfords F

Margaret Atwood’s depiction of the future in The Handmaid's Tale is extremely bleak and forlorn; this oppressive atmosphere has been created by the development of an independent nation - Gilead - inside the U.S, which is governed by a totalitarian fundamentalist Christian sect. This dystopian text is the brainchild of a series of experimental social ideas which have given birth to a science-fiction novel, which satirises mainly the folly of human characteristics rather than the misuse of technology. Another related text is 1984 the film which was directed by Michael Radford who also envisioned the future as being extremely dark and oppressive; as it depicted in his film adaptation of 1984 the novel, by George Orwell. Several language and film techniques were employed by Margaret Atwood and Radford, such as metaphorical imagery, satire and irony, so that it was possible for the audience to delve deep into the protagonist's mind and understand the world they live in from their perspective. The atmosphere of oppression in The Handmaid's Tale effectively shapes the society of Gilead, as Offred metaphorically describes the life of each individual as being similar to "a rat in a maze †¦ free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze", the maze representing the laws and boundaries of Gilead. Language is used to convey individual opinions and express emotions and feelings; because of this the government of Gilead have attempted to eradicate it, so no revolutionary literature may arouse the mind and create any doubt concerning the integrity of the Gilead and its laws. "Words like free" are "considered too dangerous" because these words encourage thoughts of freedom and individuality which are prohibited since Gilead reli... ...aphorically represent the hope of freedom. We are shown through the metaphorical imagery of the shattering of the pink coral, that this hope is impossible. Ultimately both â€Å"1984† and â€Å"The Handmaids Tale† fulfil the purpose of ominious prophetic texts that have portrayed a dystopian future, a future filled with oppression, corruption and misogyny in the case of The Handmaid's Tale. The governments of Gilead and Oceania have succeeded in brainwashing their citizens by isolating them and attempting to abolish language which would make it impossible for any outcry to be heard or even expressed. Both Atwood and Radford created these texts during times of peril, with the intention of having them serve as ominous reminders of what would become of society if any doctrine was to be enforced by a totalitarian body which withheld all authority without being challenged.

Interview With Sports Organisation Leader Essay

Part I: Interview Questionnaire 1. Briefly describe your current position and its duties and responsibilities. I am the treasurer to the Mid-Crest Panthers. My responsibilities include ensuring safe custody of all the organization funds and assets as well as handling all financial matters in the organization. I am also a member of the board in which most decisions of the organization are made. 2. How long have you held this position? 3. What is the leadership structure like in your organization? This organization has a board which is the main decision making body. The board is made of the president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, athletic director, cheer coordinator, football director, parent coordinator, and fundraising coordinator. The organization also has team coaches which head various teams. However, all these leaders work in union as far as coordination of the club is concerned. 4. Who are some of the primary stakeholders of this organization? The primary stakeholders include customers and fans, management, coaches, staff, youth and parents. 5. How do you strive to meet the needs of the stakeholders? All stakeholders are represented in board meetings where they give their opinions of what whom they represented would like to see happens in the organization.   I also note this down and ensure that their needs are met as much as possible while still considering all decisions made by the board. 6. How would you describe your leadership style? My leadership style is including others views in carrying out duties entrusted to me. It is democratic leadership. Coming up with ideas and then letting other opinion into these ideas. 7. How important is leadership to the success of your organization? Leadership is very important. It gives the guideline of what activities to be carried out, how and when they will be carried out. It also comes up with strategies of financing these activities. It unites all stakeholders of the organization. It also gives solution to various problems that faces the organization as far as daily activities are concerned. The leadership monitors the organizations activities and gives direction for the necessary actions. 8. What do you feel is the most important aspect of leadership? Most aspect of leadership is to understand people you are leading and their needs- what they need, and then come up with appropriate way of solving these problems. 9. What are some of the significant changes your organization has undergone? The size of this organization has greatly increased over the past years. The organization has also increased its network with other organization in its effort to ensure reliable club funding and participating stakeholders. 10.   What role did leadership play in these changes? The leadership comes up with policies that will enhance this and then present them to the stakeholders as they seek support of the same. 11.   What methods do you use to resolve conflict or resistance to change? Method of solving conflict depends on what kind of conflict is at hand. There are some conflicts which are solved by the team leader, the board or both. Opinions from different members are also given priority so as to avoid conflicts. Dialogue is employed so as to solve many conflicts and rule of majority is also employed. 12. What advice would you give someone entering a leadership position for the first time? One should be ready to work extra hard than the people he/she is leading, understand their needs, including their weaknesses and strengths and be ready to listen to their opinions. Part II: Interview Summary According to this interview, it is clear that a leader is not a person who makes decisions and imposes them those he/she is leading. Success of a leader greatly depends on the relationship he/she has created with those he/she is leading. It is not enough to make decision on how to lead an organization, it also calls for great effort to sell these ideas to all stakeholders so as these decisions may be well implemented. This interview has also changed my view about this organization. I have come to understand that it is a big family where cooperation of all stakeholders is emphasized. All stakeholders are well informed of all activities going on in the organization. It is not a place where stakeholders receive policies from the top management; it is a place where all of them are involved in decision making e.g. in this organization, board members consist of representatives from all stakeholders. As the main decision making body, it is certain that decisions made will involve opinions from all stakeholders. This interview also enriched my knowledge about leadership. As a leader I should have ideas about how to handle a certain situation, but I should also make sure this is supported by the majority and also enrich these ideas from opinions of all stakeholders. In case I was in leadership position, I will consider others opinions very important for my success as a leader. I will equally respect all staff to this organization and support decisions made by the board.

Conjugating the French Verb Soutenir (to Support)

Soutenir  (to support, to give support to, to defend, to maintain) is a  common French verb that belongs to one of the groups within  irregular  -ir  verbs  that display some conjugation patterns: a first group  of verbs that are conjugated like partir; a second group conjugated like verbs ending in  -llir,  -frir,   or -vrir;  almost all of which are conjugated like regular -er verbs; and a third group ending in -enir, such as  tenir (to hold)  and venir  (to come), which follow a shared conjugation pattern in the present tense. The verb soutenir belongs to the third group of irregular -ir verbs ending in -enir that are conjugated like tenir and venir.  Note that the conjugations in the table at the bottom of the page are only those for simple tenses; compound conjugations of soutenir, which include a form of the auxiliary verb  avoir  and the past participle  soutenu, are not included. Theres one major difference in the compound tenses of tenir, venir, and their derivatives: Tenir and its derivatives use avoir as their auxiliary verb, while venir and most of its derivatives use  Ãƒ ªtre. There are many verbs conjugated like these two major French verbs. Other FRENCH VERBS ENDING IN -TENIR Verbs that end in  -tenir  are all conjugated the same way.  They all  take  avoir  as their auxiliary verb. sabstenir  Ã‚  to refrain, abstain fromappartenir  Ã‚  to belong tocontenir  Ã‚  to containdà ©tenir  Ã‚  to detainentretenir  Ã‚  to look after, support, foster, keep alivemaintenir  Ã‚  to maintainobtenir   to obtainretenir  Ã‚  to retaintenir  Ã‚  to hold, keep FRENCH VERBS ENDING IN -VENIR Most verbs that end in  -venir  use  Ãƒ ªtre  as their auxiliary verb. A few, such as  circonvenir, prà ©venir, and  se souvenir  (see  below) use  avoir. advenir  Ã‚  to happencirconvenir  Ã‚  to circumvent, get aroundcontrevenir  Ã‚  to contraveneconvenir  Ã‚  to suit, be suitabledevenir  Ã‚  to becomeintervenir  Ã‚  to interveneparvenir  Ã‚  to reach, achieveprà ©venir  Ã‚  to warnprovenir  Ã‚  to come from, be due torevenir  Ã‚  to come backse souvenir de  Ã‚  to remembersubvenir  Ã‚  to provide forsurvenir  Ã‚  to occur, take placevenir to come Expressions and Examples With Soutenir Sa prà ©sence ma beaucoup soutenue dans cette à ©preuve. His presence was a great comfort to me in this ordealTu  soutiens toujours ta fille contre moi  !   You always side with your daughter against me !soutenir une à ©quipe   to be a fan of  / to support a sports teamJe pense que nous sommes libres mais elle soutient le contraire.  Ã‚  I think that were free but she claims (that) the opposite is true.Il soutient que tu mens.   He keeps saying that youre a liar.soutenir la comparaison avec  Ã‚  to stand  / to bear comparison withsoutenir un sià ¨ge  militaire   to withstand a siegesoutenir sa thà ¨se  Ã‚  to defend ones thesisse soutenir (reciprocal pronominal)   to stand by each other,  to stick togetherse soutenir (intransitive pronominal) to hold oneself up,  to support oneselfLe vieillard narrivait plus à   se soutenir sur ses jambes. The old mans legs could no longer support  /  carry him.Elle se soutenait avec peine.   She could har dly stay upright. HOW TO MEMORIZE FRENCH VERB CONJUGATIONS Tip:  Concentrate on the most useful tenses (prà ©sent, imparfait, passà © composà ©) and get used to  using them in context. Once youve mastered them, move on to the rest. Training with an audio source may also be helpful. There are many liaisons, elisions, and modern glidings used with French verbs, and the written form may mislead you such that you end up using the wrong pronunciation. Simple Conjugations of the Irregular French -ir Verb Soutenir Present Future Imperfect Present participle je soutiens soutiendrai soutenais soutenant tu soutiens soutiendras soutenais il soutient soutiendra soutenait nous soutenons soutiendrons soutenions vous soutenez soutiendrez souteniez ils soutiennent soutiendront soutenaient Pass compos Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle soutenu Subjunctive Conditional Pass simple Imperfect subjunctive je soutienne soutiendrais soutins soutinsse tu soutiennes soutiendrais soutins soutinsses il soutienne soutiendrait soutint soutnt nous soutenions soutiendrions soutnmes soutinssions vous souteniez soutiendriez soutntes soutinssiez ils soutiennent soutiendraient soutinrent soutinssent Imperative tu soutiens nous soutenons vous soutenez