The help movie analysis essay: December 2019

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Contemporary Developments in Business and Management - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 12 Words: 3504 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Contemporary Developments in Business and Management: Case of GlaxoSmithKline Summary: GlaxoSmithKlineÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s major strength is its huge resource base and capital as the worldÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s largest pharmaceutical company. Whilst the company remains a success in a market that is constantly growing, the company is threatened by the reduction in patent lengths which have traditionally been the basis for increased sales. Some steps have been taken in order to change research practices and improve creativity in order to create new drugs and product lines, and success in many areas has been achieved. DonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Contemporary Developments in Business and Management" essay for you Create order However, more focus on biotechnology fields and less reliance on acquisitions is needed to push the company forward and reduce the pressure of shorter product life spans. If this can be achieved then the future of GSK looks extremely bright. Introduction Contemporary developments in business and management are now crucial to the success of many companies, in particular those larger organisations who rely on a complex chain of command and processes in order to function at maximum efficiency. With such a range of factors involved in business and management strategy, it is important to analyse these factors in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a business. This report focuses on these issues with regards to the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. With such a large company as GlaxoSmithKline, the focus will remain on the medical division of the company rather than any other part, in order to avoid crossover between unrelated industries. The first section of the r eport will contain both a SWOT and PESTEL analysis of the factors affecting the company. The second part will look at the nature of corporate learning and creativity with regards to GlaxoSmithKline, and how their policies on Research and Development (RD) affect their business and management decisions. The aim is to find understand the factors affecting the company, and to recommend changes that could help to improve the efficiency of the business in certain areas. Main Body Part 1: PESTEL and SWOT analysis of GlaxoSmithKline In order to understand the full range of factors affecting a company like GlaxoSmithKline, we need to divide the factors up into internal and external factors. The internal factors of GlaxoSmithKline can be analysed using a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis. The external factors will be looked at by means of a PEST (political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal) analysis. SWOT analysis GlaxoSmithKl ineÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s strengths clearly lie in its size as a company, being the largest pharmaceutical company in the entire world since the merger between Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham in 2000. With such a massive resource base as this, GSK has the advantage over its competitors. Perhaps the biggest strength they have in this respect is the advantage of patents. Huge amounts of money are needed to overcome the regulations required to approve drug patents, and being the company with the most resources means GSK are poised to get the rights for many drugs. These patents have helped GSK to increase its revenues, with examples over the last few years including the asthma drug Advair and the diabetes drug Avandia. GSK have the patents to both of these drugs, and this has seen sales skyrocket over the past few years. Indeed, Advair came from nowhere in 2000 to become the US market leader a few years later, with sales of Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ £1.6 billion in 2002 (Maynard, 2004). Other patente d drugs such as Wellbutin and Combivir are also examples of the strengths of patent protection that GSK enjoys. Although patents generally only last for a certain amount of time for drugs, with their large capital resources GSK are also primed to develop new products in their RD labs. In 2004 GSK held an RD day where it was reported they were working on 147 new pharmaceutical projects, 82 of which were completely new compounds (www.gsk.com). Although many of these will not work out, the sheer scale with which GSK can conduct research using some of the leading experts in the field means they are the most likely to develop the leading drugs of the future. In terms of weaknesses, GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s main internal weaknesses are to do with management control and circle of competence issues. One of the main criticisms levelled at GSK is their image as a Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"fat-catÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ management company. GSK boss Jean-Pierre Garnier saw his wage rise to nearly 25% to Ãƒ â€šÃ‚ £967,000 in 2002, and many were worried about the amount of control and accountability of such bosses (Maynard, 2004). However, GSK has gone some way to reduce these weaknesses by reducing contract notice periods and changing remuneration packages of some executive staff. Another weakness of GSK concerns its circle of competence. Whilst it is clear that GSK is doing extremely well and overall is in a very healthy position, it is hard to understand details within the firm. Analysis of the various patents and research projects of GSK is extremely difficult, as is keeping an eye on all the major rivals and drugs of other companies. GSK is not in a particularly good position to change quickly with the market, particularly as it is hard to predict if and when certain projects and patents will fail. Other issues include the prevalence of corporate activity within GSK. Although mergers have helped keep growth high, these mergers always carry a risk and cost-cutting can only hel p to a certain extent. Although new acquisitions at this point look less likely, if the research labs fail to help boost sales then other corporate activity could ensue. The main opportunities for GSK lie in the sustainability of current patents through development of new product lines, and the creation of new drugs to stay ahead of the field. Also, the move into new and emerging markets in Asia such as China. However, new Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"blockbusterÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ drugs and sustainability of current patents remains the key. The main areas of growth are in markets such as cancer and diabetes drugs, where drugs such as Cervarix (a drug against cancer-causing HPVÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s) are potential winners in 2007 and beyond (Bio Portfolio, 2007). Both of these markets are growing because of the increase in prevalence of the diseases, particularly in terms of diabetes. GSK had no real program regarding diabetes 10 years ago, but now has a fully fledged research program dedicated to Type 2 diabetes drugs (Heffner, 2004). Equally, the internal threats to GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s success are the ability to develop new drugs as well as sustaining current patents. Once patents are lost and other companies can release generic versions of a drug, sales can dramatically fall away. For instance, in 2002 GSK lost the patent for an antibiotic called Augmentin, and sales dropped from Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ £403 million in 2001 to Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ £218 in 2003 with the release of generic substitutes as competition (Maynard, 2004). Many of GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s other patents are under threat, including drugs such as Wellbutin and Seroxat. If Glaxo loses such patents then it will need to develop new product lines or other completely new drugs to stay ahead. For example, after the removal of the Augmentin patent, GSK released new ES and XR varieties of the drug which accounted for 35% of new prescriptions. However, the development of new drugs and the ability to stay ahead of the game wi th new product lines is never certain. GSK has put a lot of faith in their ability to develop these new products and keep the patents. If they cannot do this then patent and research issues will become a major threat to success for GSK. PEST EL analysis Now that the internal factors affecting GSK have been looked at, the external factors will be analysed using a PESTEL analysis. In terms of political issues, GSK has the same problem as most other pharmaceutical companies, namely the issue of governmental intervention. However, as such a large company GSK probably has to deal with this issue more than any, due to its potential threats to competition through market dominance. The intervention of governments reduces the price that can be charged for certain products and also puts caps on supply and demand. Another factor to consider in political terms is the governmental systems themselves. In countries such as the UK, healthcare spending is determined by tax and government sp ending. This means even if GSK develops an excellent product, it is not always possible to sell the product effectively in all countries where it is needed. The biggest economic factor is the amount of money available for health care in any given place. The nine most profitable markets that spend large amounts of pharmaceuticals are dictating 80% of industry growth. Whilst emerging markets such as South America and Asia have the funding in place to spend large amounts of high price drugs, poorer areas like Africa limit the growth of global pharmaceuticals, which affects companies like GSK. Social factors are now playing a more important part in the industry, with consumers now more interested than ever in their healthcare treatments. There is now more choice in over-the-counter drugs and certain niche areas are developing Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" items such as slimming drugs for instance. This has caused a shift in marketing from targeting the doctors and healthcare professionals to more direct consumer marketing. Branding of drugs is becoming more important, and so GSK must make sure its focus shifts to consumer marketing. Also, as the population ages the demand for drugs associated with conditions more prevalent in old-age will increase. This will generally increase the overall demand for drugs, as the older age market segments consume higher levels of pharmaceuticals than other segments. Technology is reducing the power of manufacturers whilst increasing the power of buyers and consumers. The Internet and other resources allow society to find out more information on lower-priced treatments, thereby reducing the power of manufacturers to charge high prices for their products. Technology is also affecting the products and direction of research within companies such as GSK. Biotechnology is becoming more important, and may become a critical factor in the future success of GSK. These new processes and the way in which companies embrace the technology will be the keys to success or failure for many large pharmaceutical companies. As societal awareness increases of environmental issues, it makes the regulations for pharmaceutical companies stricter. Issues of human and animal testing are now critical, as is the disposal of laboratory waste. GSK will need to ensure that environmental issues are at the forefront of management decisions so that the company does not face the wrath of both regulatory bodies and the consumers. Environmental legislation is not the only issue to worry about in legal terms. Regulatory bodies are putting measures in place worldwide that are starting to increase drug development times considerably. With the number of product trials increasing, development costs are going up and patent protections are now running out very early into the life cycle of a product. Companies are now focusing on High Compression Marketing in order to make the most profit at launch to combat the problem of short life cycles. Also , with patents being challenged more regularly, the pressure on GSK to develop new drugs and product lines more quickly is increasing all the time. Part 2: How research and development and creativity influence policy decisions within GlaxoSmithKline Now that the internal and external factors affecting GSK have been analysed, it is time to look in more detail at how issues of corporate learning, research and creativity affect decision making processes within GlaxoSmithKline. Critically evaluate the effectiveness of the organisationÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s response Demonstrate some areas for improvement in the response of the organisation As previously mentioned, with patents on pharmaceutical products now running out faster than ever, one of the critical factors for the future success of GSK and other pharmaceutical companies is the ability to develop new drugs and product lines. With this in mind, creativity and research now have a huge influence on the policies and managements decisions within GlaxoSmithKline. In response to the change in the market, GSK have implemented a number of research decisions in order to boost future success. GSK were originally a company who used their wide array of patents to generate large amounts of profit, and the need for new drugs was less of a concern. However, as patents are now fading away, GSK has become a far more research-based pharmaceutical company, and has literally hundreds of research projects currently in development. With the average cost and time for a new medicine running at around Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ £500 million and 12-15 years, GSK are spending vast sums of money in order to remain ahead of the competition. With the development of new technology, GSK have restructured their RD facilities to move along the lines of a Biotech company rather than a traditional pharmaceuticals company. Now with 6 different autonomous and accountable research divisions, GSK has made the decision that the creativity of new products is the most crucial factor for future success. This move towards biotechnology is designed to increase the productivity of the research departments and further fuel creativity within the company (Dorey, 2001). The idea behind the biotechnology principle is that peopleÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s rewards are far more tied to the level of work they put in; such is the entrepreneurial spirit behind such companies. The idea is that each of the research divisions acts as a small company, thereby increasing the inventiveness and hunger of staff and researchers seems to be the right way forward for GSK. Increasing the size of RD functions may work in the ory in terms of economies of scale, but you can lose much of the creativity with this method. Therefore, splitting up the research into smaller companies with entrepreneurial drive is a far more effective way of producing new products successfully. The research units were created around 5-6 years ago, and are labelled as Centres of Excellence for Drug Discovery. All the units compete for funding and will develop drugs up until the clinical development stage, at which point they will be handed back to the main arm of GSK. This allows the crucial factors of high throughput level and combinatorial chemistry to be supplied at the corporate level, thereby improving efficiency and booting creativity. The bureaucracy is left to the main arm of GSK, thereby allowing the researchers to get on with what they do best Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" creating new products for the market (Dorey, 2001). However, it is not clear whether GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s success over the last few years is down to thi s new research platform or more down to its ability to seek out and buy the best new drugs research around. Whilst some important drugs are coming out of the GSK labs, such as the new cancer drug Cervarix, many of the companyÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s recent successes have come through the acquisition of other companies. For instance, in 2005 GSK purchased Corixa, a company which had the rights to a crucial component of the Cervarix formula. Purchase of the company also helped massively increase GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s vaccine research platform. The purchase of Domantis has also been crucial, adding an anti-body research unit to GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s centres of excellence. Although these can all be classed as research successes for GSK and excellent management decisions, it is not clear whether the creation of the biotechnology research units has really increased creativity and helped to improve the companyÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s sales (Pharma Projects, 2007). Despite this, it is still extreme ly likely that with all the projects in the pipeline, some blockbuster drugs will emerge from the GSK labs over the next few years. However, with such high levels of research spending and short product life cycles before patents run out, is all the spending on research and the push for creativity really necessary? In many ways, the answer is no. Whilst biotechnology is going to be absolutely crucial for the future success of the pharmaceutical industry, it is not clear that GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s change in research policy is really the main reason for its success. Many see these labs as not much more than Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"window dressingÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ and that the actual core of the research policy remains the same. The centres were created in response to a disastrous few years for RD within the company, and probably harbour a genuine desire to improve creativity. However, it seems that much of this is simply PR, and the research methods and practices remain the same: simply bolstered by GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s large capital resources and acquisitions of important companies and drugs. Although GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s policy of acquisitions is creating success, and that some of the drugs that have come out of the research laboratories have been a success, GSK needs to do a fair amount more in order to improve its decisions regarding creativity and research. More of a focus on biotechnology and an increase in the accuracy and efficacy of internal monitoring and research is needed to allow GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s research and development department to function more effectively. GSK is still relying too heavily on mergers and acquisitions that are both costly and have potential risks attached to them. This needs to be combated with a larger focus on developing new product lines to keep patents running for longer. With product life cycles short, it can be less costly to develop a new line of the same drug than to develop a new drug completely. Less trial s and tests are needed for such product lines, and they can help maintain profitability on product lines even when patents are reduced. As previously mentioned, the removal of the Augmentin patent in 2002 did have a significant effect on sales, but the newer XR and ES varieties helped combat the problem by being responsible for 35% of all new prescriptions for the drug (Maynard, 2004). In addition, GSK needs to switch its focus from relying on the purchase of drugs and companies to creating these products within their own labs. Now that they have acquired a huge research platform, they should look at refining the processes within the company itself and helping to boost creativity further. Purchasing new companies and adding resources will help in the short-term, but if those companies are not looked after and policies not in place to continue their creativity then the costs will be wasted. GSK needs to push further towards a biotechnology-style of research development, and giv e each department even more flexibility to create new products. With other biotech companies crowding the market, GSK needs to focus even more on this area in order to triumph. Indeed, many of the companyÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s biggest successes have come through the biotechnology field in recent years. As well as Cervarix, the biotech research at GSK has helped to improve the risk benefit ratio of the drug Ziagen and helped to create the Rota virus drug Rotarix (Kalyanasundaram, S. 2005). Overall, a move towards move biotechnology research will help to increase the success of GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s research department. Conclusions and Recommendations In conclusion, the biggest problems facing GSK at this time are the expiration of patents and the pressure to create new drugs and product lines in order to keep sales high and profits increasing. With GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s large capital resource base they are in an excellent position to remain leaders in the market, but there ar e a number of challenges to be faced. Whilst management decisions in recent years have helped to improve productivity and creativity within the research departments, the company still relies too heavily on the acquisitions of other companies for drug innovation. With the increase in biotechnology companies competing with GSK, it is important for them to focus more on the biotechnology research in fields such as cancer research. These areas are primed for growth and with the right setup GSK can take advantage of the market. It is recommended that GSK put in place further measures to move towards a biotechnology research company style, in order to give researchers more freedom and spawn further creativity. Acquisitions should be kept to a minimum due to their cost and potential risk, and lack of obvious long-term advantages. New product lines in existing drugs should also be looked at as an area for growth, as this will help keep the pressure off new drugs being produced and wil l increase product life spans for relatively lower costs. Bibliography Bio Portfolio, 2007, GSKÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Cervarix a future blockbuster of 2007, viewed 25th June 2007, https://www.bioportfolio.com/cgi-bin/acatalog/GSK_s_Cervarix_a_future_blockbuster_of_2007.html#a749 Dorey, Emma, 2001, GlaxoSmithKline presents a biotech faÃƒÆ'Ã‚ §ade, Nature Biotechnology 19, 294 295 (2001). GlaxoSmithKline, 2007, global site, viewed 25th June 2007, https://www.gsk.com Heffner, Steven, 2007, BioMarket Trends: Diabetes Market Opportunities Soaring, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, Jun 1 2007 (Vol. 27, No. 11), available at https://www.genengnews.com/articles/chitem.aspx?aid=2117chid=0 Kalyanasundaram, S. 2005, Biotechnology in India holds a great promise in the future, Monday June 13th 2005, Biospectrum, Available at https://www.biospectrumindia.com/content/GuestColumn/10506133.asp Paton, Maynard, 2004, QUALIPORT: Glaxos Great Accounts, January 22nd 2004, available at https://www.fool.co.uk/qualiport/2004/qualiport040122.htm Pettinger, Richard, 2004, Contemporary Strategic Management, Palgrave Macmillan. Pharma Projects, 2007, Company Analysis: GlaoxSmithKline, viewed 25th June 2007, https://www.pharmaprojects.com/company_analysis/glaxosmithkline-mergers-and-acquisitions.htm

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - 877 Words

The novel, Wuthering Heights, written by Emily BrÃƒ ¶nte, follows the stories of Catherine and Heathcliff Earnshaw. Both lived in Wuthering Heights, until Catherine went away to Thrushcross Grange and came back a changed person. The settings of Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights, throughout the novel help to display the emotions of the story, and shape the image of the people who live within them. The setting helps to describe aspects of the novel in greater depth. One of the first scenes of Wuthering Heights was described as being chaotic. The calamity was felt through the appearance of the dogs, Ã¢â‚¬Å"half-a-dozen four-footed fiends, of various sizes and ages,Ã¢â‚¬ and HeathcliffÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s yells, as well as the harsh attitude of the people in the house. These events emphasized the seemingly rudimentary character of the estate. Wuthering Heights has an appearance of openness to the world as if its owner does not wish to hide the unsightly parts of the house. Ã¢â‚¬Å"its entire anatomy lay bare to an inquiring eye, except where a frame of wood laden with oatcakes, and clusters of legs of beef, mutton and ham, concealed it.Ã¢â‚¬ This suggests that the owner, in this case Heathcliff, may think that these parts of the house add to its character and to cover them up would be to falsely present the house. Heathcliff, himself, does not hide his unrefined nature and his home refl ects this aspect of his personality. This honesty in presentation exemplifies the image of Wuthering Heights as a rustic manorShow MoreRelatedWuthering Heights By Emily Bronte1555 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 7 Pages2015 Wuthering Heights (1847) by Emily BrontÃƒ « Introduction The novel Wuthering Heights was written in 1847 by Emily BrontÃƒ «. The plot unravels with Lockwood visiting his landlord at Wuthering Heights; as Lockwood stays the night, he starts to discover items within the home and later a fatal vision appears, which causes him great curiosity. Lockwood returns back to his residence at Thrushcross Granges and listens to the history of his landlord, Heathcliff; told by an old servant at Wuthering HeightsRead MoreWuthering Heights By Emily Bronte1521 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 7 PagesÃ‚ Wuthering Heights is Emily BrontÃƒ « s only novel. Written between October 1845 and June 1846, Wuthering Heights was published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell; BrontÃƒ « died the following year, aged 30. Wuthering Heights and Anne BrontÃƒ « s Agnes Grey were accepted by publisher Thomas Newby before the success of their sister Charlotte s novel, Jane Eyre. After Emily s death, Charlotte edited the manuscript of Wuthering Heights, and arranged for the edited version to be published as a posthumousRead MoreWuthering Heights by Emily Bronte1290 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 5 Pagesusually by retaliating in kind or degreeÃ¢â‚¬ (Ã¢â‚¬Å"revengeÃ¢â‚¬ ) however to Heathcliff it meant more than just to avenge himself he wanted to have everything he felt he rightfully deserved and more. Social class and revenge, are primary themes in the novel Wuthering Heights. Social class plays a considerable part in the lives and loves of the charters in the novel. Revenge is key element in the book, this twisted theme creates the whole plot line. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Children develop a strong interest in the world around them by theRead MoreWuthering Heights, by Emily BrontÃƒ «1865 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 8 Pagesdevilish, preternatural passion that tamer beings can scarcely recognize as love.Ã¢â‚¬ (Duclaux) Wuthering Heights by Emily BrontÃƒ « is considered a masterpiece today, however when it was first published, it received negative criticism for its passionate nature. Critics have studied the novel from every analytical angle, yet it remains one of the most haunting love stories of all time. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Wuthering Heights is not a comfortable book; it invites admiration rather than love,Ã¢â‚¬ (Stoneman 1). The novel containsRead MoreWuthering Heights By Emily Bronte1936 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 8 PagesWuthering Heights, a novel by Emily Bronte is one of the most admired and favorable written works in English literature. When the novel was published in the year 1847, it sold very poorly and only received a minimum amount of reviews. Although the novel does not contain any sexual relations or bloodshed, it is considered to be inappropriate due to its portrayal of an unconstrained love and cruelty. Wuthering Heights is formed on the Gothic tradition in the late 18th century, which consists of supern aturalRead MoreWuthering Heights by Emily Bronte553 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 2 PagesWuthering Heights: Good vs. Evil Emily BronteÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s classical literary masterpiece, Wuthering Heights, can more or less be viewed as a struggle between conventional, civilized human behavior, as well as the wild, anarchistic side that each of us humans possess, although subtly. BronteÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s piece can be summed up by the Ã¢â‚¬Å"good vs. evilÃ¢â‚¬ elements that include Wuthering Heights as opposed to Thrushcross Grange, Heathcliff vs. Edgar, and much more. These elemental set points lead to the conclusion that WutheringRead MoreWuthering Heights by Emily Bronte885 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 4 PagesIn Ã¢â‚¬Å"Wuthering HeightsÃ¢â‚¬ Emily Bronte vividly present the main character, Heathcliff, as misanthropist after he suffers abuse, degradation, and loses his beloved Catherine. Heathcliff, a black, orphan gipsy child, is brought to live in upper-class society by Mr. EarnshawÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s generosity. Heathcliff is an outcast in his new society. Thus, HeathcliffÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s temperament is depicted in Ã¢â‚¬Å"Wuthering HeightsÃ¢â ‚¬ as cruel, abusive, and vindictive against those who humiliated and not accepted him in society. HeathcliffRead MoreWuthering Heights By Emily Bronte1149 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 5 PagesDuring it release in 1842, Ã¢â‚¬ËœWuthering HeightsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ by Emily Bronte was considered to be a novel of obscenity and monstrosity. The novel has the ability to adapt to a range of themes and transcend the forms of content and cultural context within the ideas of love, oppression, power and harmony. Critical readings of the text have challenged and enriched readers in a diverse array of interpretations of language and structure; forming personal meanings that have developed throughout history. England, inRead MoreWuthering Heights By Emily Bronte1208 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 5 Pagesrepair, and spark one of the most largest human motivations: vengeance. If left unnoticed, the feeling will grow inside us and consume our every thought and ruin our lives. Therefore, leaving no remorse or peace for ourselves and others. Emily BronteÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Wuthering Heights is a book about love that turns into vengeance and hatred that goes for generations. This story revolves around Heathcliff, an unmerciful vengeful man. His desire to pay back those who have done him wrong is so extreme that he finds himselfRead MoreWuthering Heights By Emily Bronte1766 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 8 PagesKaitlynn Keegan Ms. Causey AP Literature, Period 2 11 December 2015 Wuthering Heights Introduction In the haunting book Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, love, rejection, and revenge are the main topic points of this composition. Rejection is a very large factor in this book: Catherine rejects Heathcliff because he is poor, to marry Edgar for money, and she ends up rejecting him as well. But all that is on HeathcliffÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s mind is CatherineÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s rejection of him and the revenge he wants to get on Edgar

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Description of the Macro Environment Elements. free essay sample

Macro Environment Forces An organizationÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s macro environment consists of nonspecific aspects in the organization surrounding that have the potential to affect the organizationÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s strategies. When compared to a firmÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s task environment, the impact of macro environment variables is less direct and the organization has a more limited impact on these elements of the environment. Macro environmental variable include socio-cultural, technological, political Ã¢â‚¬â€œ legal, and economic.A firm considers there variable as part of its environment scanning to better understand the threats and opportunities created by the variable and how strategic plans need to be adjusted so the firm can obtain competitive advantage. Socio Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Cultural Factors The socio-cultural dimensions of the environment consist of lifestyles, and values that characterize the society in which the firm operates. Socio Ã¢â‚¬â€œ cultural components of the environment influence the ability of the firm to obtain resources, make its goods and services, and function within the society. We will write a custom essay sample on Description of the Macro Environment Elements. or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Socio Ã¢â‚¬â€œ cultural factors include anything within the context of society that has the potential to affect an organization. Population demographics, rising educational levels, norms and values, and attitude toward social responsibility are examples socio Ã¢â‚¬â€œ cultural variables. Technological Factors. Technology is another aspect of the environment a firm should consider in developing strategic plans.Changing technology may affect the demand for a firms products and services, its production processes, and raw materials. Technological changes may create new opportunities for the firm, or threaten the survival of a product, firm, or industry. Technological innovation continues to move at an increasingly rapid rate. Political And Legal Factors. The political-legal dimension of the general environment also affects business activity. The philosophy of the political parties in power influences business practices.The legal environment serves to define what organizations can and cannot do at a particular point in time. Economic Factors. Economic factors refer to the character and direction of the economic system within which the firm operates. Economic factors include the balance of payments, the state of the business cycle, the distribution of income within the population, and governmental monetary and fiscal policies. The impact of economic factors may also differ between industries.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Virtual Reality in Soccer Training

Recently, there has been an increased demand for the development of sports science. This area is recognized as an academic discipline and as a valid are of professional practice. The use of the technologies allows players to evaluate their performance by looking at the situation from a perspective of a viewer. Specifically virtual reality technologies have gained major recognition in the area of sports games, especially soccer.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Virtual Reality in Soccer Training specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A variety of new applications and programs are being created for training and educating soccer players to make adequate decisions during the course of the real game. The following work will focus on the analysis of the use of Virtual Reality in the training of soccer players with the evaluation of the practices adopted by particular soccer teams. Science and Soccer In order to evaluate th e most significant sports performance parameters, scientists have come up with a variety of methods and systems. Such systems were developed to evaluate the performance in the areas of physiology, behavioral neuroscience, and biomechanics. The physiological analysis can help in understanding the human movements and their energetic costs; the behavioural neuroscience can evaluate the strategic choices players make during the game while biomechanics can offer dynamic and kinematic data for the optimization of particular movements of the players (Bideau et al. 64). Despite the fact that there has been very little empirical literature that explored the use of virtual reality technologies in field sports, a team of computer scientists from the University of Michigan have created an innovative system for training American football players using such technology. Virtual reality can offer practitioners a variety of exciting opportunities for developing realistic training stimuli in the futu re, but at present there are some technical difficulties, mainly linked to the reduction of the image quality, and practical barriers that are based on the financial aspect that ensure that video remains a preferred method of capturing the performance of players. The main bulk of research has attempted to improve the ability of players to understand the visual cues and a small amount of research have focused on trying to improve other perceptual-cognitive skills such as the ability to recognize patterns of play and to properly predict the probability of likely events.Advertising Looking for proposal on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When it comes to soccer, Williams has made an attempt to improve the abilities of players with the use of situational probabilities when predicting the destination of a pass in a soccer game. Although the process of the performance review is rather informal, relying mainly on the observation of edited match footage access, there is a scope to include more quantitative information regarding the probabilities associated with the moves and actions typically performed by forthcoming opponents. For instance, an analysis may reveal that the opposition is usually playing in a particular pattern or that the attackers are predictable in the pattern of their movement. Being aware of such points significantly improves the ability of the players to make accurate predictions when it comes to the actions of their opponents. This information can be built ob the basis of training with the use of particular practices and drills (Carling, Reilly and Williams 64). Another question to pose for scientists and practitioners is how should the effectiveness of this type of training be evaluated. The smartest solution to the issue is probably best achieved through the collaborative work of scientists and practitioners. The opinions of coaches could be gleaned before and after train ing by developing behavioral assessment scales whereas a panel of expert coaches could be used to assess anticipation and decision-making skills over a number of matches to improve objectivity and reliability, respectively. The validity of the assessment scales could be substantiated by identifying behavioral indicators of anticipation and decision-making along with quantitative and qualitative video analysis. Moreover, many sports keep seasonal records on various aspects of performance such as the proportion of penalty kicks saved, a number of pass interceptions per match or successful pass completion rates. Although it may be very difficult to apportion improvements directly to the intervention employed, data obtained using these types of records may help substantiate the validity of the training protocol. It may prove much easier to assess training improvements in more Ã¢â‚¬Ëœclosed skillÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ situations such as the penalty kick in soccer. In the latter situations, quantitativ e data on success rates usually exist, and components of performance may be examined by using modern measurement technology such as high-speed film analysis (Carling, Reilly and Williams 65). Virtual Reality Advantages Due to the fact that there are technological limitations in software and hardware, the video playback method has been the most successful and simple method in exploring playersÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ behavior in a sports game, especially soccer. However, the video playback method is only limited to the viewpoint of the camera during the actual recording which results in the lack of interactivity. Virtual reality (VR) is the method of overcoming the limitations the video playback method has by offering a virtual environment with the numerical simulations (Bideau et al. 64). The concept of Virtual Reality designates a system of techniques and principles used in the design and creation of software that will change the way a person perceives the surrounding reality (Lacrama and Fera 137 ).Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on Virtual Reality in Soccer Training specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More An important advantage of the Virtual Environment analysis is its interaction with objects in real time. Furthermore, there are devices that capture the body of the player in motion. An example of such a VR environment is the MASCARET platform designed to help soccer players practice and learn the tactics decisions during the situations close to the environment of the game. To mimic the decision-making process of professional soccer players in a real game situation, the developers of the platform created avatars. The avatars then were used for training the beginner soccer players to make practical tactical decisions by the means of presenting the tactical problems. However, the limitation of the platform was in the fact that it required a soccer player to imitate an action rather than demonstrate a particula r skill or movement required in a soccer game. According to Pasco, Ã¢â‚¬Å"Using VR technology in physical activity setting is new and is considered having great potential. One advantage of using VR is to eliminate the risk of injuries in physical training. Another advantage is to provide learners with the information that is not readily visible or available when learning in the real world, but that can play an important role in learningÃ¢â‚¬ (434). The VR Process Sherman and Craig defined Virtual Reality as Ã¢â‚¬Å"a medium composed of interactive computer simulation that senses the participantÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s position and actions and replaces or augments the feedback to one or more senses, giving the feeling of being mentally immersed or present in the simulation (a virtual world)Ã¢â‚¬ (qtd. in Krieger 1). The analysis of the playerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s performance in soccer (or other sports game) with the use of VR can be divided into three steps. The first step in this analysis is connected with the action of capturing the movements of the player in a soccer game. These actions not only create a basis for the animation of virtual players but also offer a way to compare the actions of the player in created and real situations. The second step is connected with the creation of the animations and their assimilation to particular constraints in case some modifications will be required. Lastly, the third step in the VR analysis is linked to the actual presentation of the virtual environment (Bideau et al. 64). AZ Alkmaar Experience Nowadays soccer is taking a major role in the exploration of the playerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Virtual Reality training and the analysis of their potential. An example for this is the fact that the Dutch Eredivise team AZ Alkmaar has signed a contract with a company that specializes in the reconstruction of matches in the virtual reality environment. Furthermore, Beyond Sports has also offered an option of creating a training program on the basis of the simulated matches with the use of the Oculus Rift technology (Barker par. 2).Advertising Looking for proposal on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The team now is planning to put a focus on the Beyond SportsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ technology for the further development of their youth program. The technology will allow analyzing soccer matches on a completely innovative level. Soccer players are able to view the games from an individual perspective as well as gain new knowledge on the level that will not be possible without the technology. Thus, players will learn to criticize themselves which is an important skill in soccer (Barker par. 3). The Beyond Sports technology will create custom training scenarios side by side with the team coaches. Such interactive training scenarios will be used to educate players in accordance with the tactical ideas of their coaches (Ã¢â‚¬Å"Beyond SportsÃ¢â‚¬ par. 4). Every soccer coach will say that even if the player has the most outstanding physical abilities, bad decision-making can crack the successful soccer career aspirations. With the use of the new VR technologies, the participants of the youth progra m will not only be technically savvy but also will be trained in the decision-making process and offer young players a more versatile set of skills. Conclusion The Virtual Reality technologies offer a variety of training option in a motivational and purposeful contexts (Birrer 1). Computer technologies have made a great impact on the majority of aspects of human life. Furthermore, their influence is evident in the organization of major soccer tournaments. Such technologies have also influenced the commercial component of the game. The further technological developments should benefit for soccer coaching, coach education and entertainment at home (Reilly and Williams 282). There is no soccer coach that will argue with the fact that the decision-making aspect of the game is as important as the physical one. And while the advances in technologies that offer the option of Virtual Reality will never replace the hard work on a soccer pitch, if used in balance with each other, the results will be incredible (Rappaport par. 13). Works Cited Barker, Matt. Dutch Soccer Team to Generate Virtual Reality Game Simulations Based on Actual Game Data. 2016. Web. Beyond Sports. n.d. Web. Bideau, Benoit, Richard Kulpa, Nicolas Vignais, Sebastien Brault, and Frank Multon. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Using Virtual Reality to Analyze Sports Performance.Ã¢â‚¬ IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications 16.1 (2010): 64-71. Print. Birrer, Karin, Tabea Schuler, Alexander Koenig, Lucas Zimmerli, Susan Merillat, and Lars Lunenburger. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Research Influence of Virtual Reality Soccer Game on Walking Performance in Robotic Assisted Gait Training for Children.Ã¢â‚¬ Journal of Neuro-Engineering and Rehabilitation 7.15 (2010): 1-9. Print. Carling, Christopher, Thomas Reilly, and Mark Williams. Performance Assessment for Field Sports. New York, NY: Routeledge, 2007. Print. Krieger, Aaron. The Potential of Using Virtual Reality Technology in Physical Activity Settings. 2015. Web. Lacrama, Dan, and Dorina Fera. Ã¢ â‚¬Å"Virtual Reality.Ã¢â‚¬ Computer Science Series 5.1 (2007): 137-144. Print. Pasco, Denis. Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Potential of Using Virtual Reality Technology in Physical Activity Settings.Ã¢â‚¬ Quest 65.4 (2013): 429-441. Print. Rappaport, Max. How Virtual Reality Is Changing the Way Teams Prepare for Games. 2016. Web. Reilly, Thomas, and Mark Williams. Science and Soccer 2nd ed. 2005. New York, NY: Routeledge. Print. This proposal on Virtual Reality in Soccer Training was written and submitted by user Kellen A. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.