Cosi – Louis Nowra

Cosi by Louis Nowra conveys significant ideas about human nature. Through the play Cosi, the audience witnesses the lives of mentally ill people unfold before them. Central characters Lewis, Doug and Julie each show and express a different view upon the world and work towards their own idea of reality. They each express their individual ideas of the norm and work together to escape reality. Many themes such as love and infidelity as well as change are conveyed throughout the play. Cosi is a comic play written by Australian playwright, Louis Nowra. An interesting feature of the play is the use of the ‘play within a play' device, which gives the play a distinctive quality. This allows the issues and concerns of the play to be reflected and commented upon in he other play as both plays are juxtaposed. The themes of â€Å"Cosi Fan Tutte† deal with love, sex and fidelity are illustrated and commented upon in the modern context as seen through Henry's emotive language â€Å"Free love, women are not to be trusted† His opinion is generated through various experiences and general knowledge. The theme of love and fidelity causes controversy as the characters have different opinions which differ from each other. One of the main themes in Cosi, is the central idea of personal growth. All characters experience growth, however, Lewis' personal growth is the most significant as his simple dialogue states â€Å"no one can sing† exemplifying his negatively towards the patients. This is juxtaposed to his dialogue. â€Å"This comes first† when Lewis begins to see the play as his top prority. His transformation is outlined through Lucy's dialogue â€Å"Working with these people has changed you. showing Lucy's thoughts concering Lewis. Lewis' inner journey has provided him with a new understanding of not only himself but the world around him. Lewis is the protagonist of the play. To begin with, Lewis lacks confidence; the stage directions describe him as â€Å"not knowing what to say,† and talking â€Å"hesitantly† and â€Å"uncertainly. † Puttin g on the play for Lewis is motivated by his need for some quick cash. ‘What if someone forgets to take their medicine and-‘Is one of the many quotes that Lewis says that expresses his uncertainty. The play opens to a dark stage. This darkness is symbolic of many things. Firstly, it represents Lewis entering into a new world- very different from his own. The juxtaposition of light and dark represents his understanding of each world. The second idea represented is the loneliness of the patients within the institution. Like a child pulling the bed covers over his head, afraid of what he can't see and therefore could be lurking in the dark, society feared and misunderstood these people, keeping them locked away. Out of sight and therefore, seemingly out of mind. The final idea is that this opening symbolises Lewis entering into this world and shinning a light into their darkness. That is, coming into a world that he did not understand and therefore feared and offering the patients improvement in their lives and the potential for belonging, understanding and friendship. Doug is a pyromaniac – a firelighter – both in reality and symbolically. His actions threaten to get the show cancelled in its early stages when he sets fire to a toilet. Doug is the most sexually frank character asking questions like: â€Å"Was Lucy a virgin when you first had her? † and â€Å"How many did Lucy have before you? † He comes across as a crass character but his questions serve an important purpose. Like fires, his frank questions tend to spark actions or reactions. They are catalysts for thought. It’s Doug who reveals to Lucy that Julie has â€Å"gone for† Lewis, which leads to the final confrontation between Lucy and Lewis. Julie’s character is significant in a number of ways. Firstly, her views about love seem to be in direct opposition to Lucy’s (Lewis’ girlfriend). Julie has, â€Å"always thought that love was being foolish and stupid. It’s about being on the edge and I like being on the edge. † Whereas Lucy sees love as well down the list of priorities in life: â€Å"After bread, a shelter, equality, health, procreation, money comes maybe love. † However, interestingly, their characters are also similar. Julie says about men and fidelity: â€Å"I don’t like men’s double standards, I guess. Men want women to deceive them because it’ll prove their worst thoughts about women†¦Ã¢â‚¬  While Lucy says that men want women to â€Å"pretend they’re true and faithful† because â€Å"that’s how they want us to be, even if they’re not true and faithful themselves. † Julie, in a way, is an altered version of Lucy in the world of the mental institution. She is the character who completely brings Lewis into this new, strange world. Her kiss with him in the dark marks the full transition of Lewis. † I like the dark,† Julie says; because it’s in the dark that you can be who you really want to be.

Free Education Essay

Performance of students is a product of socio-economic, psychological and environmental factors. Education plays a significant role in political, economic and social realms of development. Secondary school placement, and to some extent admission, depend on the achievement in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination in standard eight. This study aimed at finding out factors that contribute to poor performance in Kenya Certificate of Primary Education examination in public day primary schools in Mwimbi Division, Maara District, Kenya. Descriptive survey design was used and a sample of 6 head teachers, 51 teachers and 146 standard eight pupils participated in the study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data obtained. The study realized the following as factors contributing to poor performance in primary national examination; inadequate learning resources, inadequate monitoring by head teachers, understaffing, high teacher turnover rate, inadequate prior preparation, lack of motivation for teachers, large workload, absenteeism by both teachers and pupils, pupils lateness, lack of support from parents. The following recommendations were made; more teachers to be employed to reduce workload, Ministry of Education to organize induction courses for head teachers to equip them with managerial skills, parents to be educated on the importance of basic education for their children, mode of rewarding teachers to be established. The study is expected to give insight reference to policy makers, scholars and researchers in order to improve the weak areas. Key terms: Examination, Factors, Performance, Primary Schools 1. Introduction The development of the education sector has been a long standing objective of the Government of Kenya since independence in 1963. Education is considered by various stakeholders and players as a basic need and a basic right. Performance ranks high on the national agenda, with educators and policymakers focusing on testing, accountability, curriculum reform, and teacher quality, school choice and related concerns. Conspicuously absent has been an examination of how school conditions affect teaching and  learning, even though extensive literature exists that links school facilities to the quality of education and to teacher morale and teacher productivity (Mark, 2003). This study documents factors in school and in the community that affects teaching and learning negatively to an extent of poor performance in KCPE in Mwimbi Division of Maara District.  © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www. ijhssnet. com. The introduction of Free Primary Education (FPE) in January 2003, following the passing of the Children’s Act in 2001, has led to vital educational achievements. Enrolments in public schools increased significantly from 5.9 million in 2002 to 6. 9 million in 2003- a 17% increase; representing a Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) of 99% (102% girls and 97% boys). The Government provides funds, through both the School Instructional Management Book Account (SIMBA) and the General Purpose Account (GPA) to procure need based materials and improve on some infrastructure, thereby raising the quality of education. The Kenya’s education system is dominated by examination-oriented teaching, where passing examinations is the only benchmark for performance because there is no internal system of monitoring learning achievements at other levels within an education cycle. It is generally agreed that the most important manifestations of quality education have to do with literacy, cognitive abilities, performance and progression to higher levels of learning. There is reliance on scores and transition rates as core measures of achievement. In Kenya, examinations are generally acceptable as valid measures of achievement (Maiyo, 2009). Secondary school placement, and to some extent admission, depend on performance of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examination in standard eight (Michael, Miguel & Rebecca, 2004). Although the government has channeled funds into basic education, performance at KCPE shows that most of the students making transition to top schools are from private schools; this creates inequality to access of opportunities to national and top performing provincial schools (Ngugi, 2007). In 2009 KCPE results out of 1374 candidates who sat for the examination in public day primary schools, none gained admission to the well endowed national schools in the country. The KCPE examination is marked out of a maximum mark of 500. Information on Table 1 shows the mean score for some schools from 2005 to 2009 in Mwimbi Division. Table 1: KCPE Mean Grades from 2005 to 2009Public Primary School 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Mutindwa 213. 24 210. 44 214. 11 200. 67 178. 75Wiru 222. 08 203. 79 219. 47 212. 04 198. 08 Ndunguri 195. 54 223. 94 213. 69 208. 41 199. 57Kirumi 228. 04 217. 17 187. 30 193. 74 200. 91 Source: DEO Maara District (2011)Results on Table1 indicate that KCPE performance in the public day primary schools is poor. Pupils may not be admitted to national schools or provincial schools with this kind of performance as it is too low. Therefore, these trends needs reversing and improve performance in national examinations by day public primary schools. 2. Statement of the Problem Performance in national examinations by day primary schools has been poor. Therefore, this study sought to establish factors that contribute to thier poor performance in KCPE in Mwimbi Division, Maara District, Kenya. 3. Objectives of the Study The objectives of the study on factors that contribute to poor performance in KCPE in Mwimbi Division were to:- i. Investigate the school based factors ii. Find out teacher based factors iii. Determine the community based factors iv. Establish the pupil based factors 4. Methodology. Descriptive survey design was used in conducting the study. The participants were six head teachers, 51 teachers and 146 standard eight pupils. Questionnaires for the head teachers, teachers and pupils were used to provide the needed data. Data obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistics. 5. Results The following results were obtained from the study; 5. 1 School-Based Factors that Contribute to Poor Performance in KCPE Various school based factors were identified as contributing to poor performance in KCPE examinations. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 5; March 2012 129 a) Commencement of Learning The time allocated for teaching and learning is a factor influencing pupils’ academic performance. There are three school terms every year with holidays in between in the months of April, August and December. The study therefore sought to find out when learning begins after a holiday. Results obtained indicate that majority of pupils (55. 5%) start learning in the second week after school opens and 43. 8% indicated that they start learning after the first week of the school term. This indicates that there is a lot of time wastage before learning begins. Eshiwani (1983) noted that most schools loose many teaching/ learning hours at the beginning of the term, this wastage leads to less work being covered and syllabi not being completed on time hence, contributing to poor performance in KCPE examinations. b) Adequacy of Learning Resources The adequacy and use of teaching and learning materials affects the effectiveness of a teacher’s lesson. Teaching and learning resources enhances understanding of abstract ideas and improves performance. The study sought adequacy of learning resources like text books, library books, wall maps and the exercise books. Data on Table 2 shows that text books provided in class and exercise books are adequate to but library books and wall maps are not adequate. Table 2: Adequacy of Learning Resources Learning Resource Adequate F % Inadequate F % Text Books Provided in the Class 80 54. 8 66 45. 2 Library Books 14 9. 6 132 90. 4 Wall Maps 11 7. 5 135 92. 5 Exercise Books 121 82. 9 25 17. 1 This makes learning of subjects like Social Studies very abstract to the pupils and could be a factor contributing to poor performance in national examinations. Schneider (2003) found out that school facilities have a direct effect on teaching and learning. Text books enable the pupils to follow the teacher’s sequence of presentation and aids in understanding of lessons (Ubogu, 2004). c) School Administration The quality of school administration plays a vital role in academic performance as it is concerned with pupils, teachers, rules, regulations and policies that govern the school system. In analyzing the efficiency of school administration, the following aspects were looked into: Frequency of staff meetings, frequency of checking teachers’ schemes of work and lesson plans, adequacy of teachers’ prior preparation, frequency of class observation by the head teacher.i. Frequency of Staff Meetings in a Term Data obtained shows that majority of the respondents (64. 7%) indicated that staff meetings are held twice a term, 19. 6% indicated once only in a term and 15. 7% indicated that they hold staff meetings more than twice in a term. Few staff meetings may lead to less co-ordination of curriculum implementation. Findings by Kathuri (1986) asserted that the first aspect of administration is staff meetings as they facilitate co-ordination of various activities in the school. This implies that there was less monitoring and reporting of the progress of the schools activities to the teachers and this could be a factor contributing to poor performance in national examinations. ii. Frequency of Checking Teachers’ Schemes of work The responsibility of checking the professional documents like teachers’ schemes of work and lesson plans lies in the hands of the head teacher. This may be done in person or he may delegate to the deputy head teacher or the senior teacher. Preparation and use of schemes of work by the teachers enhances sequential teaching and results to improved achievement. The frequency of checking teachers’ schemes of work was therefore looked into and allhead teachers (100%) indicated that they randomly check the teachers’ schemes of work only once a term. This reflects that head teachers do not do any follow up on curriculum implementation during the course of the term. Checking of teachers schemes of work should be done frequently to allow the head teacher monitor curriculum implementation. Lack of this close monitoring could be a factor contributing to poor performance in national examinations.  © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www. ijhssnet. com iii. Frequency of Checking the Teachers’ Lessons Plans Teachers’ lesson plan is a professional document prepared by teachers for the purpose of presentation of a lesson. The teacher indicates whether the lesson has been taught and objectives achieved; if the lesson is not taught, then the teacher indicates the reason why and when he intends to cover it; if the lesson objectives are not achieved, the teacher plans for remedial lesson in order to make the concept understood by the pupils. Table 3: Frequency of Checking Teachers’ Lesson Plans Number of Times Percent Once a month 83. 3 Once a term 16. 7 Total 100. 0. Information on Table 3 shows that majority of the head teachers (83. 3%) check teachers lesson plans once a month and 16. 7% indicated that they are checked once a term. Head teachers should monitor lesson plan preparation frequently; otherwise it may lead to poor performance by in national examinations. iv. Adequacy of Teachers’ Prior Preparation Adequate prior preparation before a teacher goes to class leads to good performance by the pupils. This promotes sequential presentation of concepts by the teacher to the learners. Information on Table 4, head teachers indicate that teachers’ prior preparation is fair (66.7%). Table 4: The Adequacy of Teachers’ Prior Preparation This is an indication that head teachers are not satisfied with the teachers’ prior preparation. Always, prior preparation by the teachers leads to systematic delivery of concepts to pupils and enhances performance. Therefore, teachers prior preparation was not sufficient and could be a factor leading to poor performance by the pupils. v. Observation of Classes by Head teachers One of the roles of the head teacher is to carry out internal supervision of curriculum implementation in his/her school. This involves physical observation of teachers’ lessons in progress. Results on Table 5 shows the frequency at which the head teachers observed classes conducted by the teachers. Table 5: Observation of Classes by the Head-teachers Number of Times Percent More than twice 33. 3 Not at all 66. 7 Total 100. 0 Majority of the head teachers (66. 7%) do not at all observe classes conducted by the teachers in a given term. One of the head teachers’ roles is regular class supervision in order to promote curriculum goals. Failure to do so may lead to poor performance in national examinations. d) Teacher-Based Factors. These are the factors within the teachers that could hinder or promote academic performance of pupils in their schools. The study sought to analyze the following aspects of teacher based factors: teacher commitment, teachers’ frequency of absenteeism, teachers’ motivation and teachers’ work load. i. Teacher Commitment Level Good performance is as a result of high commitment levels by the teachers. All head teachers (100%) indicated teachers’ commitment as moderate. Rating Percent Good 33. 3 Fair 66. 7 Total 100. 0International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 5; March 2012 131. No teacher was rated as having high commitment to their work. Ubogu (2004) asserts that teachers who lack enthusiasm are unable to teach effectively, making pupils not to learn well. This could be a contributing factor to poor performance by the pupils in national examinations. ii. Frequency of Absenteeism among Teachers Teachers’ rate of absenteeism was looked into and majority of the head teachers (66. 7%) rated them as moderate, while 33. 3% indicated their rate of absenteeism as low. When teachers absent themselves from school frequently, pupils go unattended and do not do well in examinations. Absenteeism by teachers reduces the amount of instructional time and this result in the syllabi not being completed. This in return results to lower output of work by the pupils (Ubogu, 2004). iii. Teachers’ Motivation Majority of the head teachers (66. 7%) said that teachers were not motivated, while 33. 3% indicated they are. World Bank Report (1986) acknowledges that teacher satisfaction is generally related to achievement†¦ satisfied teachers would concentrate hence enhancing academic performance of their pupils. iv. Teacher Turn-over Rate The teacher turnover rate in the last one year was also looked into. Results obtained indicate that 50% of teachers were transferred once, 33. 3% twice and 16. 7% were transferred five times in a year. This is a factor that contributes to poor performance in examinations. According to Schneider (2003) high teacher turn over forces schools to devote attention, time and financial resources attracting replacement of teachers. v. Teachers’ Workload The number of lessons teachers take per week out of possible 40 lessons was looked into and majority of the teachers (80. 32%) had a work load of between 36 and 40 lessons, 19. 68% had lessons between 31 and 35 lessons out of a possible 40 lessons. This implies that teachers are not overloaded hence; their output in terms of national examinations performance should be good. 5. 2 Pupil-Based Factors These are the factors within the pupils that could enhance or hinder their academic performance. In the pupil based factors; the following aspects were looked into: pupils’ language use, pupils’ rate of absenteeism and pupils’ lateness to school. a) Pupils’ Language Use Data on language used by pupils in class among themselves is indicated on Table 6. Table 6: Pupils’ Language Use. Language Used F % Mother Tongue 18 35. 3 English 5 9. 8 Kiswahili 26 51. 0 English and Kiswahili 2 3. 9 Total 51 100. 0 Majority of the pupils (51%) used Kiswahili to communicate among themselves, 35. 3% use their mother tongue, 9. 8% use English, and 3. 9% use both Kiswahili and English. Pupils who interact using English language tend to understand it better and do well in examinations as all examinations are written in English language; pupils who use mother tongue for interaction are disadvantaged as they end performing poorly in examinations which are written in English. Ubogu (2004) asserts that the prevalence of the use of local language means that pupils would lack a lot of vocabularies in English, which would be needed to understand teachers’ lessons and the textbooks they read. b) Pupils’ Frequency of Absenteeism The aspect of how frequent pupils absented themselves from school was looked into and 41% indicated they moderately miss school, 29. 4% indicated their rate of absenteeism is high and 29. 4% indicated low. When pupils absent themselves from school, they tend to lose many concepts and definitely may not do well in exams.  © Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www.ijhssnet. com 132 The effect of absenteeism and irregular school attendance is that materials taught is difficult to understand when studied on one’s own. Continued loss of classes results to loss of content and knowledge. Assignments and exercises would not be properly and correctly done leading to poor performance (Ubogu, 2004). From the analysis above, quite a number of pupils absent themselves from school and therefore this could be a factor contributing to poor performance. c) Pupils’ Lateness Information on Table 7 shows majority of teachers indicated pupils’ rate of lateness as frequent. This would definitely lead to poor performance in examinations. Table 7: Frequency of Lateness among Pupils Frequency Percent Very Frequent 31 60. 8 Not Frequent 20 39. 2 Total 51 100. 0 5. 3 Community-Based Factors Community based factors are factors within the community that impede or enhance pupils’ academic performance. In analyzing the community based factors, the following aspects were looked into; a) Parents’ Consultation with Teachers Good performance is realized when parents work in consultation with the teachers in order to understand their children better. The study therefore sought to find out how often parents consult the teachers on matters pertaining their children’s education. Data obtained indicate that majority of parents (62%) rarely consult teachers on education matters of their children, 20% indicated they sometimes consult and 8% do often consult but 10% never consulted teachers. This is an indication that most parents were not so much concerned about education of the children. Ubogu (2004) indicated that parents’ interaction with teachers enables them to know what their children are encountering in school and what could be done to deal with the problems. It would also put pupils on alert and study in school as they would know that their parents would inquire about their performance. Parents may not be able to provide much guidance and help their children’s performance improve when they are ignorant of what happens in school. b) Parental Response to Provision of Learning Materials Results on Table 8 shows, parents’ poor response to provision of learning materials. Table 8: Parental Response to Provision of Learning Materials Rating F % Good 5 10. 0 Satisfactory 17 34. 0 Poor 28 56. 0 Total 50 100. 0 Ubogu (2004) asserts that lack of basic school needs like learning materials  could not provide a stable mind and conducive environment for the pupils to study. Lack of learning materials contribute to poor performance in national examinations. c) Parents’ Willingness to Participate in School Development Results on Table 9 indicate Parents are not willingness to participate in the general school development. Schools where parents are actively involved in school development do well in exams as pupils are encouraged by both the teachers and the parents. Table 9: Parents Willingness to Participate in School Development F % Willing 2 33. 3 Not willing 4 66. 7 Total 6 100. 0International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 5; March 2012 133 d) Assistance Pupils get at Home Majority of the pupils (69. 2%) did not get assistance to do homework at home, but 30. 8% does. Those students who do not receive assistance at home to do homework end up performing poorly in national examinations. References Eshiwani, G. S. (1983). Factors Influencing Performance among Primary and Secondary School Pupils in Western Kenya Province. A policy study. Bureau of Educational Research, Kenyatta University. Kathuri, M. J. (1986). Factors that Influence the Performance of Pupils in CPE. KERA Research Report. Nairobi: Kenyatta University, Bureau of Educational Research. Maiyo. J. A. & Ashioya, L. A. (2009). Poverty Alleviation: The Educational Planning Perspective. Department of Educational Planning and Management, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. Michael, K. Miguel, E. & Rebecca, T. (2004). Incentives to Learn, BREAD working paper Number 086, Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development, U. S. A. Ngugi, P. (4th January, 2007). â€Å"400,000 Assured of Places †¦Ã¢â‚¬ . In the Daily Nation. Nairobi: Nation Media Group Ltd. Schneider, M. (2003). Do School Facilities Affect Academic Outcomes? Washington, D. C. :National Clearing house for Educational Facilities Strategic Public Relations and Research LTD, (2005). Review of the Status of Provision of Education to all Children in Kenya. ANPPCAN. Ubogu, R. E, (2004). The Causes of Absenteeism and Dropout among Secondary School Students in Delta Central Senatorial Districtof Delta State. Unpublished Ph. D Thesis, Delta State University, Nigeria: Abraka. World Bank. (1986). A Report on School Quality and Achievement. Washington DC: World Bank.

How have certain specific societies or cultures tended to view the Essay

How have certain specific societies or cultures tended to view the individual person, his or her relationship to government, and the concept of individual freedom - Essay Example We can analyze these legacies and identify the most probable reasons why they have gone extinct through the ages. One strain of individual/state relation that has since left us is the truly God-centric view of the state and its justification. The Enlightenment, with its secularization of society, attempted to move the reasoning behind state power away from the dictates of an all-powerful creator, and move it to the realm of man. What is not so clear in our present age is how the individual related to the state in a time when God was indeed the central philosophic focus of all government and social power, when priests and religious men made all decisions under the watchful eye of God. One such society was that of Judah and Israel with the Hebrews upon their Exodus from the sands of Egypt. How was the individual seen then as opposed to now? In the Israelite society, government was seen as the intermediary between man and God, enforcing God’s will. Any governing force not acting on God’s will was portrayed as malicious and evil. Individuals, of course, serve the state as they serve God, for the state is a surrogate for divine power. 1 Maccabees, the deuterocanonical Jewish book, begins after Alexander the Great has conquered Judea and his empire has been split on his death. The entirety of the book encompasses the events after the suppression of Jewish rites in Judea, ordered by the Greek Seleucid Antiochus IV. Antiochus imposes his will on Jerusalem, extracting objects from the Jewish temple, slaughtering worshippers, and enforcing a tax and building a fortress in the city. To make matters worse, Antiochus smothers the observance of Jewish laws, desecrates the temple and forbids the practice of circumcision. Antiochus establishes an idol in place of the Jewish god, forcing members of the community to make sacrifices to it. This all comes in an attempt to reestablish the Hellenistic culture and, in some respects, the Greek polis in

Business Strategy in Extractive Industries Essay

Business Strategy in Extractive Industries - Essay Example The company must improve on its reserve replacement rate. Although, the company has a good price earnings ratio, still they need to work on their return on equity values. This is significant from the investors’ point of view. Overall the company has a ‘stable’ financial state. At the same time it has enough strength to strengthen its performance in the next years. Statoil is a leading European company engaged in natural oil and gas production. It is Norway based company and has expanded in most of the major oil and gas markets of the world. It has been operating in this industry since the last 28 years and has acquired a lion’s share in the market. It is the biggest oil and gas company in Norway. The industrial structure of Norway is very competitive with high degree of governmental interference. Most of the oil and gas reserves in Norway are controlled by the government. Statoil has been no exception to it and Government holds nearly 70% of its total stake. However, now the government is looking forward to open the economy by liberalizing the market. If the government is successful in its attempts, the competition in the energy industry will be intensified further. Statoil has become one of the major players in the energy industry as it has successfully acquired the competitive advantage over its competitors. In order to develop the competitive advantage, Statoil has maintained its resources and capabilities quite efficiently. Major resources of Statoil include its vast oil & gas reserves and its up-to-date technology & innovation. Apart from these, it has also acquired sufficient skilled manpower and financial resources. These resources have enabled the company to gain an upper hand by adding value to its brand image. Overall financial position of Statoil is satisfactorily stable. The P/E and liquidity ratio and low-debt preference indicate the stabile condition of the company. However, according to

How do symphony orchestras manage their members before a song Essay

How do symphony orchestras manage their members before a song successfully performed in front of the audience - Essay Example The implication here is that the musicians/organisational members, must subsume themselves into the whole and, rather than perceive of themselves as individuals, see themselves as integral parts of the unit, complimenting and completing the whole. While there tends to be a dearth in the literature on symphony orchestra management, the few sources which were located for this research unanimously attested to the complexity of managing a symphony orchestra and held the conductor as an exemplification of the total quality manager (Morgan, 1980; Chong, 2000; Rentschler, 2002). Not only is he entirely responsible for the management of orchestra members, musicians, towards the execution of a perfectly timed and completely harmonious and faultless musical performance but his responsibilities include organisational visioning, strategic direction, audience development and fundraising. To be effective, the musical leader/conductor of the orchestra must possess a combination of skills, the most significant of which appear to be artistic and musical skills, organisational skills, and charismatic leadership (Morgan, 1980). Proceeding from the above stated, and as may have been deduced from the foregoing, this research will establish the extent to which effective leadership and efficient management are integral to success, looking at the case of symphony orchestras. 2 Symphony Orchestra as Organisation The operations and performances of the symphony orchestra have always been expensive. In earlier decades, when orchestras presented their unpaid bills at the end of a season, wealthy patrons wrote personal checks to cover the costs. As generations progressed, patronage was no longer a reliable source of financial security, and local corporations stepped up to help with the burden (Holland, 2003). Organisational power was placed into the hands of a Board of Directors culled from the elite patrons (Couch, 2005). As a cultural institution, the symphony orchestra is a collective organisation of diverse groups committed to preserving a vital part of cultural heritage. Through the collaboration and commitment of musicians, administrators, volunteers and patrons, the orchestral organisation protects the viability and strength of symphonic music. Nearly every role in the orchestral organisation demands a combination of high-level skills in music as well as the logistics of production and management. Behaviour in modem orchestras is deeply institutionalised, growing out of practices and traditions that began more than a century ago. With large infrastructures to support, little room for financial errors, and ambiguous leadership structures, orchestras

E-Commerce Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

E-Commerce Education - Essay Example In the same way, a large number of businesses that were operating traditionally have decided to move their business to the internet. Hence, the quick developments in information technology, particularly the use of internet in the form e-commerce (electronic commerce) and e-business (electronic business) in current years has influenced a large number of business organizations. In fact, e-commerce is believed to the most important and attractive internet supported ideas appeared in the recent times. In this scenario, electronic commerce engages carrying out business over the web with the help of computers that are connected to each other in order to form a network. In simple words, ecommerce deals with selling and buying products and services and transferring funds by making use of digital communications (EcommerceEducation, 2007; Hendershot, 2013). In addition, both the trends e-commerce and e-business are used interchangeably. However, e-business is about the development of businesse s which can be run on the Internet, or using Internet systems and technologies to enhance the profitability or productivity of a company. In other words, this term can be employed to explain some structure of electronic business: that is to say, a business that makes use of a computer. This practice is somewhat out-of-date, though, and in most of the cases e-business refers completely to an Internet based business. In addition, both the trends e-commerce and e-business are used interchangeably.  ... a business which offers and sells products and services online, an e-business allows a firm to get access to a huge customer base than some customary brick-and-mortar store could ever expect for. Additionally, e-commerce is believed to be a significant component of e-business. Moreover, e-business can as well make use of the Internet to obtain wholesale products or supplies intended for in-house manufacturing. This side of e-business is occasionally recognized as online or e-procurement, as well as provides the businesses an excellent opportunity to reduce their costs radically. However, the majority of e-businesses that work without an electronic business platform at the present utilize e-procurement as a key mechanism to effectively track and run their purchasing (McGuigan, 2013). This report presents an analysis of e-business in the context of Galaxy Electronic Inc. business, which is a main supplier of power management solutions and mobile electronic devices (for example PDAs, mo bile phones, digital cameras, etc.). In light of the benefits offered by the internet to business organizations the management of Galaxy Electronic Inc. has decided to establish a web based business and information portal. The basic purpose of this e-business implementation is to improve the business capabilities and take competitive edge in the market. This report presents a detailed analysis of this implementation process. This report outlines the ways this e-business platform will bring benefits and opportunities of the business. 2- Business Background Galaxy Electronic Inc. is a well-known business in electronic industry. It presents a wide range of modern electronic devices. As well, visual and audio products developed by Galaxy Electronic Inc. offer customers excellent alternatives

Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Analysis - Essay Example Also, rewards rupture relationships at the workplace because employees because it creates a competitive and hostile environment, which leads to poor connections between employees. Another explanation can be that rewards ignore reasons behind the success of the company. Maybe increase in company’s profitability, or growth in sales is not necessarily related the incentive program for employees. Also, rewards cause a risk-aversion because employees would try to do only what they are required and would not look to improve their work or to find new solutions to problem that appear. Finally, rewards undermine interest which means that people who want to work will do that without any incentive. The article overviewed the relationship between incentives and performance, and the reasons for which payments does not lead to a better work. I agree with this final conclusion, because incentives for managers (e.g. stock options) have lead in some cases to a lower long-term performance for companies because they were interested only on the short performance in order to exercise the options, and not on the long perspective of the value of the company. Successful implementation of management’s innovations must follow some principles. The first one is related to organizational culture, which means that the values and customs of the specific company could lead to a better or lower implementation due to the reaction to changes. The second principle connects innovations with corporate, divisional and plant strategies. Another principle pays attention to the current state of the company; if a company is suffering structural changes, innovations may not be appropriate. Also, it is considered that a link between human and technical side of change is necessary. Moreover, it is vital to train and educate the employees in order to face the changes of the organization. The final principle relates to indicators of performance. When implementing innovation,

Critical Studies Of Management And Organizational Theory Essay

Critical Studies Of Management And Organizational Theory - Essay Example Today’s organizations and work places are a melting pot of ethnic and multi-culturally diverse set of individuals. More foreigners are employed in western businesses than ever before; young and old work together. People form a diverse backgrounds and skill sets now coordinate their work in order to arrive at the best solution for complicated problems. The merger of companies, threat of downsizing, and rapidly changing work environments have tended to create a sense of unease about job security. Even then, employees demand more from the organization they’re employed in, high expectations in terms of workplace treatment, greater respect for their individuality irrespective of their ethic, gender, racial or family background or sexual orientation. The challenge then for companies is to develop more inclusive policies and procedures to embrace a wide variety of people while respecting their individuality. This model has largely been ignored by organizations which use their employees mechanically, expecting them to only produce.

A Reflection on Children Full of Life Movie Review

A Reflection on Children Full of Life - Movie Review Example On my part, the message of this short video virtually demolishes certain ideas regarding the aims and methods of teaching primary education level students. For a long time, I have always held on to the belief that teachers are supposed to project an impression of infallibility when it comes to teaching subjects to students. Aside from this, I have also thought that teachers should be strict disciplinarians, unwavering in their commitment to impose rules on the students and even, unbending, when it comes to meting disciplinary actions. However, I could not believe it when the teacher, Mr. Kanamori, actually allows his students to express their opposition to his views and, ultimately, changing his previous stance of punishing Yuto. There are actually two things that struck me while watching the clip; first is the students’ compassion towards their classmate, and second is the teacher’s teaching style and appreciation of the students’ independent and opposing views. I think that the two are actually related to each other. In the first place, a very rigid atmosphere in the classroom established by the teacher would make it impossible for children at such young age and to learn how to assert their ideas even if these are not in concurrence to those of the teacher.