Mergers Don't Always Lead to Culture Clashes Paper Essay

Mergers Don't Always Lead to Culture Clashes Paper - Essay Example People thought the two cultures would clash but it was successful. Q1. What ways were the cultures of BANK of America and NMBA incompatible? In the year 2005, Bank of America acquired MBA at a cost of 35 billion dollar (More, 2006). MBNA’s employers had accustomed their employees to high salaries packages. Their headquarters were an example of luxury at its best. They had private jets and yachts, and enjoyed a company golf course. They had adopted a formal mode of dressing and it was strictly suit and tie. Bank of America on the other hand, paid its employees’ salaries that were in line with the market figures. They had a casual approach towards their mode of dressing. They also preferred simplicity of premises in terms of the architecture. The differences between the cultures of the two companies were based on the social interactions. MBNA accuses its counterparts of being bureaucratic and BOA terms the MBNA directors as being arrogant. The companies approach to the co rporate image is the bottom line of the differences. Q2. Why do you think their cultures seem to mesh and rather than clash? The two companies were quite compatible. Their different approaches were put together and each adopted the other company’s culture. They both compromised on their stands. The two corporate cultures meshed due to the fact that their differences were only prevalent on the corporate image. The differences lay on issues that could be dealt with easily. The adjustment of the two companies to the new corporate culture did not need time or negative financial complications for the company. For example, the issue of salaries was handled by adopting the market figures; thus, the MBNA staff had to suffer from pay cuts. The golf course and private jets were disposed, but one private jet was retained. The issue of dressing was handled with adopting MBNA official setting for the public relation department. BOA’s casual approach was adopted for the other depart ments. Each company policies were evaluated and the best solution was used. Q3. Do you think culture is important to the success of a merger/acquisition? According to Deal and Kennedy (2008), dealing with the corporate culture when merging two companies is very important. It is essential due to the fact that it will determine the success of the new company. The corporate culture of a company contributes to the profitability of accompany to some extent. It is therefore, important to ensure that you incorporate both cultures and blend them in a way that the profit attributed to the two companies corporate culture will be retained. The accomplishment of the acquisition will depend on the way the two companies deal with the different corporate cultures. The other reason as to why it is important to ensure the success of merging is to achieve the best value of the new company. The deal value should not be eroded with the new merger. It is crucial that the new company’s corporate c ulture is not undermined or lacks consideration. The new employees should feel comfortable in the new working environment for the best results to be achieved. The new corporate culture should be accepted by the employees freely. Q4. How much of the smooth transition if any, do you think comes from both companies glossing over real differences in an effort to make the merger work? Both companies’ ability to compromise was the factor that contributed to the smooth acquisition of the two compan

National Hockey Leagues Advertising Campaign Assignment - 1

National Hockey Leagues Advertising Campaign - Assignment Example Beginning with the hegemonic masculinity, the paper further refers to Conell’s definition of hegemonic masculinity, as a dominance of ruling class, depicted by its control over the sports institutions and media. However, the author of this paper has defined the masculine hegemony, in the context of gender participation in hockey. Accordingly, the campaign is about the dominance of men in sports, projecting women in a subordinated role. Exploring the creation and development of â€Å"inside the Warrior’ theme, the author refers to the NHL’s 2004-2005 lockout season, which resulted in the re-launch of new professional entertainment product, ice hockey. The marketing techniques involved the use of Chinese philosophy and inclusion of female voice. The lockout season was the result of the hockey being transformed from a small game to big business that involved inflated payouts to the players. The resulting declines in the revenues of NHL prompted the league to formalize salary cap and finally the re-branding exercise. In the second part of the paper, the author refers to promotional strategies adopted by the theme conductors. According to the President of Conductor, Tom Cotton, the campaign had a mix of eastern and western strategies, with proverbial reference from China. Tom refers to the campaign as the product of one script, which was part of the content that could be developed into a multi-channel media plan. The first thing that strikes the mind is the use of the word, ’masculinity’ in the advertising campaign, which is being discussed in this article. There is every indication that the campaign has a gender bias, as it depicts the male superiority in the field of hockey. The author does not provide any research material, which could support the presentation of such bias. Even the fans and other participating personalities in the campaign belong to the male species only.

Nursing Advocacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nursing Advocacy - Essay Example As such, when nurses spend more time with their patients, as part of the advocacy role, they would risk jeopardizing the undertaking of other responsibilities needed in their respective units. The patient advocacy role has always been regarded to be imbibed in the nursing profession (Wood, 2010). The benefits associated with being patient advocate include promotion of the core values of preserving human dignity, respecting patient equality, and recognizing the need for patients to free them from pain and suffering (Jacksonville University, 2014). In addition, assuming a patient advocate role would assist in gaining the trust of patients so that more accurate assessment of the patients’ conditions from their own perspectives are relayed in the most accurate manner. The honest and accurate disclosure of the patients’ feelings and conditions from their points of views would assist in providing the appropriate interventions to facilitate treatment, as required. Negarandeh, R., Oskouie, F., Ahmadi, F., Nikravesh, M., & Hallberg, I. (2006, March 1). Patient advocacy: barriers and facilitators. Retrieved from BMC Nursing:

Schindler's List Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Schindler's List - Movie Review Example Schindler, a business man in the film, becomes depicted as a person who is profit oriented and self-centered in character (Thomas 3). The film majorly centers on the life of this character as he does around with his life. Apart from Schindler, the film also had Itzhak Stern, an accountant for Schindler. Itzhak in the story becomes depicted as a worker and a lover of his own people. The essay therefore, will analyze the relationship between the two characters in detail and assess some of the way the film managed to use communication concepts (Thomas 4). At the start of the film, Schindler manages to meet and talk with his accountant, Stern concerning his motif to buy the Jewish enamelware factory. Schindler in the film becomes depicted as self-centered and had profit making character. Since Stern had the brains and the zeal to run some of the businesses Schindler had, Schindler trusted Stern. The factory had earlier on been closed by the Nazi’s, but Schindler saw a way of makin g money through it (Zaillian & Keneally 33). Without thinking about the repercussions of buying the company, Schindler insisted he wanted to buy it. Stern did not approve of Schindler’s intentions as he acted as if he did not respect the Jewish community. Schindler in the early scenes could be viewed as a traitor of his own people. ... In terms of non-verbal communication, in the film, Stern shows some gestures of not approving and disliking Schindler’s opinion of wanting to buy the factory, simply by not accepting to have a drink with him. In addition, Stern got some facial expressions suggestive of disliking the idea (Loshitzky 23). Stern in the film becomes depicted as a clever person that does most of the brain thinking for Schindler. Stern ensures that the enamel factory which Schindler wanted become bought, though used bribery. Deeper in the film, Stern saves the lives of his fellow Jews through coming up with ideas that helped in closure of the Plaszow labor camp (Loshitzky 76). In addition, it is Stern that runs the factory that ended up helping thousands of Jews by employing them and not making them ‘non-essential.’ Stern cared a lot for his people right from the very start of the film and did whatsoever possible to ensure they were safe. Stern becomes depicted as the total opposite of Schindler, though the two remain related. In the beginning of the film, the relationship between Stern and Schindler was more of the business type. Schindler in the film depicts characteristics opposite from Stern. As Stern cared for his Jew people from the very first, Schindler had been insensitive to the problems the Jewish people underwent. The film hence brings Stern to represent the elements Schindler lacked (Loshitzky 26). As the film progresses, Schindler starts experiencing a gradual change in character and heart concerning his Jewish people. In one of the scenes, Schindler witnesses the evacuation of the Krakow ghetto by the Nazi people (Keneally 65). He majorly got touched after seeing the girl with the red coat tortured by the Nazi’s.

Response to the Summary Article entitled Nurturing Giftedness in Young Assignment

Response to the Summary Article entitled Nurturing Giftedness in Young Children and Preschoolers Too Young for Gifted Programs - Assignment Example Yes, I agree that developments among children are varied and different. Yes, I also agree that other children are fast learners while others are not. I could quote every line in Roedell’s article and say, â€Å"Yes, I agree with all of my heart.† It seems to me that Roedell merely states the facts but fails to offer any critical analysis. If Roedell made a critical analysis concerning what it means, or what are the ways, to treat a child as an individual, then Roedell could begin from there in offering a fresh perspective. Response to the Summary Article entitled â€Å"Are Preschoolers Too Young for Gifted Programs?† I agree that all G/T programs offered in schools for gifted children should be promoted and fostered. However, I think that the child’s age before enrolling him or her into a G/T program should be a special concern for parents and the academe. An age of three, I believe, is not a good measure for allowing, or worst forcing, gifted children to study in a G/T program. That’s a very young age for a young child, gifted or not, to go to school. A gifted child needs more than just intellectual stuff. He or she needs, among others, a social, physically-active, and emotional life. It also interests me why few schools offer G/T program to affluent urban families. It implies, at least to my understanding, that G/T program is a money-making business for the learning institution. Moreover, it fascinates me why parents enroll their children in G/T program. It sounds like they are doing it for the sake of prestige – namely, that their child is a â€Å"smart† kid. My Answer to Question Number One. I think that tiered instruction is better than the traditional way of teaching. Tiered instruction is premised on the idea that individuals have different levels of learning ability and therefore requires diverse teaching strategies. Different students are taught differently.

Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story Essay

Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story - Essay Example In order to bring out the theme of a story clearly, the author uses the characters, action, setting and various elements of literature (Guerin, 2005). The Necklace applies irony to express the theme of poverty and social class in society. Mathilde is born in a family of employees, and the author describes her as a person with no choice of what she wanted. The author describes her as a person with no means of being known, loved, understood, or getting married to a rich man. The theme is enhanced by the fact that she was forced to get married to a little clerk working in the Education Ministry. The title of the story, â€Å"The Necklace† creates a desire for the reader to know why the title was used. The necklace she borrowed, as the story continues, becomes the source of conflict in the story. The literary element of irony in the story has contributed greatly to the buildup of the theme in the story. There are various instances in the story where irony is evident. Mathilde thou ght of herself living in delicacy and luxury, but throughout the story, she has been depicted as a poor woman and wife. Mathilde and her husband have been in debt for a period of ten years. This is after she lost her friend’s diamond necklace, which she had to pay. She came to learn later the necklace was not original diamond and she could have rather said the truth than buying a new one. She lived her life thinking of all the best things in life, which she admired, but did not have. She had a long-time rich friend whom she did not want to go and see anymore. This literary element of irony has enhanced the theme of poverty and social classes. Mathilde could no longer visit her rich friend because of their differences in social class. Her friend was a rich person whereas she was extremely poor and always in distress. The author to depict the socially classified society of Parisian in the 1880s may have used this literary element of irony. When her husband comes home one day ex pecting to make his wife happy, Mathilde is angry. He comes with a card inviting them to a party at the ministry’s palace. However, Mathilde is not happy because she does not have a nice dress to wear. She ends up compelling her husband to buy her a dress with the money he wanted to buy a gun. Mathilde is not satisfied with her status, but wants to look like the rest of the women. This instant of irony indicates how social class influences people in poverty. Use of characterization in the story has enhanced the portrayal of the theme of poverty and social class. The character of Mathilde is portrayed as a person who is not contented with what she has. She is always dreaming of having a nice and luxurious apartment, with rooms decorated with oriental tapestries and lightened by bronze lamps on the floor. Her unsatisfactory character finally lands her in trouble after borrowing a diamond necklace from Forester. Mathilde is totally unsatisfied and unhappy with all she has and sh e is looking for material things throughout her life. Her character of always dreaming and desiring things she cannot afford made her to appear arrogant and stuck-up when she refuses to attend the party because she does not have a dress and the right jewelry. All this is set in Parisian, which creates the atmosphere of the story. The setting enhances the theme of poverty and social class, which was rampant in the area of setting in the 1880s. Looking at the efforts of Loisel to please his

He Desire to Change the Subservient Role Essay Example for Free

He Desire to Change the Subservient Role Essay The Desire to Change the Subservient Role of Women in Old Chinese Society Chinese women stayed in an unequal status with men in old Chinese Society. Shen Congwen’s â€Å"Xiao Xiao† and Ding ling’s â€Å"When I Was in Xia Village† are two stories about village women’s lives during modern time in China. The stories in both of these works present an important traditional Chinese belief that it is profitable to raise geese than to raise daughter. In â€Å"Xiao Xiao†, she is a twelve-year-old girl who is married with a two-year-old husband, Chunguan, and as his caretaker in her youth. While â€Å"When I was in Xia Village† is a period when narrator spends his/her time in Xia village and make friends with a village girl Zhenzhen. She is sent to Japan to spy Japanese government after she is raped by Japanese soldiers. When she goes back village due to her disease, people look down upon her and laugh at her. Finally she runs away from Xiao Dabao’s propose and seeks for a fresh life in city. Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen have something in common that they are both independent-minded woman; also they are from village and ever desired to live in city to find new life and to have education; they live under the tradition of gender discrimination in old China. While their experiences are different, and, at the end, Zhenzhen is seeking for her new life in another place, yet we see Xiaoxiao and her husband’s family is still within traditions in their small village. In men’s world, women are like a tool which they can use to make their life good, but we see some of women have desire to change their subservient role to become independent in Chinese society. Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen are independent-minded women compared to other women at that time in Chinese society. They are not afraid of break down the present life and live in their owns. When Xiaoxiao’s grandpa and other relatives make joke on her about figuring out her should become a coed when she grows up. Then she has thinking that how coeds’ life is, â€Å"†¦she felt vague stirrings of unrest, and took to imagining herself as a ‘coed’. Would she behave like the ‘coed’ Grandfather talked about? In any case, there was nothing frightful about these ‘coeds’ and so these notions began to occupy this smile girl’s thoughts for the first time† (Shen 86). Although the author does not mention Xiaoxiao’s desire to become a coed directly in the story, I feel that Xiaoxiao wants to have a different life from her present life as a caretaker in village. She is young and hopes her life to be colorful and meaningful. After her stomach gets bigger, she wants to have a new life in city, â€Å"After a while, Xiaoxiao would finger her snakelike black braid, and, thinking of life in the city, she said: ‘Brother Motley, why don’t we go where we can be free in the city and find work there? What do you say? ’† (Shen 91). She knows if she keeps living with her husband’s family, she would go to dead. No more clearly than herself that she knows her situation is worse. If she elopes with Brother Motley, she could be same as those coeds in the school and live her own life with a normal marriage. Obviously, Xiaoxiao has her idea what her life she wants. In â€Å"When I was in Xia Village†, Zhenzhen is an independent-mind woman as well. Even though she has been raped and treated unrespectable. Zhenzhen does not care about surrounding people’s misunderstandings. For others’ sneer, she thinks she need to find another life but not surrender to marry Xiao Dabao, so she said to narrator â€Å"I feel that living among strangers and keeping busy would be better than living at home where people know me†¦ It’s better for each of us to go our own separate ways than it is to have everyone stay together in one place. I’m doing this for myself, but I’m doing it for the others â€Å" (Ding 146). Just like Xiaoxiao, Zhenzhen wants a new life in city and to start over. She hopes in a new place where not many people know her, so she could start over, â€Å"A person’s life is not just for one’s father and mother, or even for oneself. Some have called me young, inexperienced, and bad-tempered. I don’t dispute it. There are some things that I just have to keep to myself† (Ding 146). From these two stories, Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen are two women who have their own thought instead of under control of traditions. Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen have the same desire which moving from village to city. On one hand, Xiaoxiao wants to escape from her offence, on the other hand, she has desire to have sex with a real man, she cannot wait her little husband to grow up when she is twenty years old. So she cheats on her little husband â€Å"involuntarily† on surface. In addition, her husband’s families take her in but she never drops the idea to be like a coed, â€Å"One day, word spread that the coeds were back again. When Xiaoxiaoheard this, she eyes stared out unseeing, as if in a daze, her gaze fixed on the eastern horizon for some time† (Shen 93). She bent on joining the coeds on their way to the big city in search of freedom, unfortunately she is discovered. I guess Xiaoxiao does not have any ideas about having education in the city; she just has to get away from village. However, from her grandpa’s description on coed, she is interested in coed’s life and she thinks if she becomes a member of coed, she has holidays and does not need to do farm works. Zhenzhen is different. Although she is from village too, she has live in Japan many years. So she knows she goes to city because she wants a bright future and escape the sad village then to be educated in order to get a job with other communists, â€Å"What I do feel is that after I go to [Yan’an], I’ll be in a new situation. I will be in a new situation. I will be able to start life fresh† (Ding 146). Their movements illustrate that new Chinese women are changing people’s views and have sense of education is more and more important. Life in city is realistic and bright for them. Gender roles is very similar between â€Å"Xiaoxiao† and â€Å"When I Was in Xia Village†, they both present that women stand subservient role in society. Starting from Xiaoxiao’s marriage, her marriage is arranged by her uncle when she is only twelve. People at that time set this tradition because they think girl is useless because daughters will be others’ sooner or later, so it is better to send her earlier to save family’s food. To the bride’s family, accept a girl into their family is not only a way to take care of children, but also add a worker to help farming as a free labor. That’s why to be contrast with other female students in town, Xiaoxiao is adulterer. To punish Xiaoxiao’s cheating on her husband and families, Xiaoxiao is arranged to wait for her second marriage but no one come. Nevertheless, Xiaoxiao is lucky that her child turns out is a boy; she does not have to be married off after all. This tradition does not change after Xiaoxiao, then her son who is ten-year-old and have his wedding ceremony. Women in tradition could not hold any position of power. In the other story, people in Xia village are uneducated, so when Zhenzhen came back from Japan, they laughed at her and think she is dirty. Women have physical disadvantage than man, therefore, chastity becomes extremely crucial especially at that time. People in the village can not understand her grievance, this is one of the reason why Zhenzhen wants to go to [Xi’an] where most people are educated, at least not so care about her background. No matter from which aspect, Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen seems like a tool in men ruled the world. Xiaoxiao is portrayed as â€Å"object† sold from a place to another. She could not have her own happiness because she belongs to her husband’s family. Zhenzhen looks like more freedom than Xiaoxiao physically, but in fact, she is slaved by internal. Something she cannot shake off is her hatred and interiority, â€Å"†¦in a very calm voice, she said, ‘I can’t say that I hate him. I just feel now that I’m someone who’s diseased. It’s a fact that I was abused by a large number of Jap devils. I don’t remember that exact number. In any case, I’m unclean, and with such a black mark I don’t expect any good fortune to come my way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ding 146). Zhenzhen is used to her reputation and body to help Chinese government but at the end, she could not get any sympathy. These things always happened to women, but not men. In conclusion, Xiaoxiao and Zhenzhen are two uneducated women living in old Chinese society where unbalanced gender roles and old traditions exist. They both from village and dream to move to city meanwhile they have â€Å"sins† could not be excused. Through their different experience, they have similarities that they both independent-minded to change their lives to take education in big city. The ending of stories are different that Zhenzhen’s regardless of objection enable her goes to city as she wants, but Xiaoxiao still stays in village and keeps her original life. In old Chinese society, woman is absolutely not profitable than men. So people use women like a functional object to help working or take care of family. I think women are living a hard life and very powerless in society. Even thought they want to take education to change their lives, reality makes them difficult. However, women play many different roles which cannot be ignored. The authors express their thought and show the current situation through these good works.