Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Case Study Of A Spa ARISE- MyAssignmentHelp

Question: Discuss about the Case Study of a Spafor ARISE. Answer: Increasing the Cost of the Services: ARISE was a new spa in the market compared to its main competitors. They were the established spas like Canyon Ranch located in expensive hotels. ARISE kept the charges for its services low to compete with its competitors using a low pricing strategy (Beer and St. Clair 2017). The spa incorporated the tipping system which compensated the deficiency in the charges. The tipping was a part of the compensation given to the personal wellness coaches (PWC). The management expected high tips which would motivate the PWCs but it fell flat. The high profile customers were least sensitive about the cost and were more concerned about the quality of service, thus contributed to the revenue of the spa. These customers were accustomed to the no tipping policies prevalent in the high end spas and followed the same at ARISE. This affected the income of the PWCs and impacted their motivation negatively. The management should increase the price of the services equably with the hotel spas which will co mpensate the low earnings from tips. This will increase the revenues and push the compensation of the PWCs up. This will result in increase in motivation of the PWCs and better their productivity (Peri?, Gai? and Ivanovi? 2015). Engaging ContractorModels: The big hotel based spas used independent contractor models who were paid as per their working hours. This system helped the saps to get a good client base and keep their costs low. It can be recommended after noting this cost cutting trend that ARISE should engage independent models to serve the customers. These models having specialised training can give better spa treatment to the customers. They can help the spa to create its own base of customers which can yield steady revenue. The spa can reduce the amount of fixed costs comprising of the salaries of the PWCs. The contractors have their own clientele and can contribute in increasing the clientele of the spa. This strategy can help the spa to improve its market position by following the trend of its competitors (Frsn et al. 2016). The HRM system at ARISE needs a radical overhaul in order to rid the spa off the high employee turnover. The three radical changes that the management needs to bring within the human resource system practices are: Changing the Compensation Pattern: As pointed out the previous part, the compensation of the PWCs were dependent on the tips from consumers to a considerable extent. It can also be pointed out that the premium customers who yielded most of the revenue were against paying such unofficial voluntary expenditure. This behaviour of the customers affected the salaries drawn by the PWCs that hampered their motivation. The management in order to compensate the loss of tips in the salary should increase the fixed part of the PWCs salary. This will reduce the employee turnover in the spa and increase client satisfaction due to continued services provided by a dedicated group of PWCs (Osibanjo et al. 2014). Behavioural Change in the PWCs: The next radical HRM change that the management needs to bring about in ARISE is the changes in the behaviour of the PWCs. The PWCs worked in a way that led them to scatter the articles and stocks used to provide services to the customers. Then they spent a lot of time in cleaning the service which delayed reception of the next customers. This prolonged waiting time caused customer dissatisfaction and negative image of the spa. The management should concentrate on streamlining service and cleaning in order to reduce customer waiting time. The management should enforce coordination between the PWCs and the cleaning staffs. There exists an acute lack of cooperation between the departments which delayed the process of service provision. The lack of cooperation resulted in less number of customers served in a day which reduced the revenue. Thus, the management is required to bring about radical changes in the behaviour of the PWCs. It should also enforce coordination among the PWC departments and among the PWCs and the cleaning staffs. Reduction of Conflict and Promotion of Professionalism: The lack of coordination among the PWCs led to conflict and loss of business production. This resulted in customer dissatisfaction and loss of revenue. The management should streamline the jobs of the PWCs if a customer avails one service after another. This will reduce conflict among the PWCs and encourage productivity (Hodari, Waldthausen and Sturman 2014). The management should also increase coordination between the PWCs and the cleaning staffs. The management from the exit interviews learnt that the high employee turnover was mostly due to personal reasons. The management must concentrate on promoting professionalism among its staffs to ensure a reduction in the employee turnover and reduce the cost of recruiting staffs frequently. Offer Professional Training: The management must train the PWCs with the most advanced techniques under the training programmes by reputed institutes and the government (Fauzi and Hashim 2015). This will improve the efficiency of the PWCs and reduce employee turnover. The business model is not so fundamentally flawed that the spa should withdraw from the market. Its turnover is lower that the industry limits which shows that the management is not totally faulty. As indicated in the previous parts, the firm needs to change its human resource management radically and continue doing business in the spa industry. The following advices can be given along with their implications on the stakeholders: Radical human ResourceManagement Restructuring: ARISE as indicated needs to restructure the human resource management and the methods of operations of its PWCs. This will increase in the productivity and yield more revenue for the company. This implies that the increase in revenue will allow the management to increase the compensation of the PWCs. This also implies that the PWCs will continue to give their services at ARISE for longer periods. This would lead to increase in customer satisfaction and increase in revenue. Collaborate with hotels: The spas and hotels enter into joint venture which allows them to take advantage of each others resources and customer base. This implies that ARISE should enter into joint venture with a hotel group which will provide it with customers. This will result in increase in revenue which will allow the spa to provide better compensation to its staffs. This will motivate and create job satisfaction among staff which will reduce turnover. The customers of the hotel can avail the services of the spa and vice versa. This will result in a large market share and generate huge profits for the management (Joppe 2015). References: Beer, M. and St. Clair, L. 2017. Arise: A destination-for-a-Day Spa. 1st ed. Harvard Business School. Fauzi, N.F.S.N. and Hashim, R.A., 2015. Factors Affecting Retention Intention Among Spa Therapists In Malaysia.OUM International Journal of Business and Management,1(2). Frsn, J., Luoma, J., Jaakkola, M., Tikkanen, H. and Aspara, J., 2016. What counts versus what can be counted: The complex interplay of market orientation and marketing performance measurement.Journal of Marketing,80(3), pp.60-78. Hodari, D., Waldthausen, V. and Sturman, M., 2014. Outsourcing and role stress: An empirical study of hotel spa managers.International Journal of Hospitality Management,37, pp.190-199. Joppe, M., 2015. Appendix 5.11. Osoyoos First Nations: Partnerships for Economic Development.Innovative Best Practices to Foster Sustainable Tourism in Ontarios Rural Communities, p.155. Osibanjo, A.O., Salau, O.P. and Falola, H.O., 2014. Modeling the Relationship between Motivating Factors; EmployeeRetention; and Job Satisfaction in the Nigerian Banking Industry.Journal of Management Policies and Practices,2(2), pp.63-83. Peri?, G., Gai?, M. and Ivanovi?, V., 2015. Research of employee motivation in the spa tourist centers in Serbia.Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Isto?nom Sarajevu, (10), pp.65-76.

Monday, December 2, 2019

William Shakespeares Play, The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar, Is Essays

William Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, is mainly based on the assassination of Julius Caesar. The character who was in charge of the assassination was, ironically, Marcus Brutus, a servant and close friend to Julius Caesar. But what would cause a person to kill a close friend? After examining Brutus' relationship to Caesar, his involvement in the conspiracy, and his importance to the plot, the truth can be revealed. Marcus Brutus, a servant and close friend to Caesar, has a strong relationship with Caesar but a stronger relationship with Rome and its people. Brutus is very close to Caesar. In Roman times, the only way for someone to get close to a person of high rank is if he/she is close to him/her. In many points of the play, Brutus was talking and next to Caesar. Brutus also loves Caesar but fears his power. In the early acts of the play, Brutus says to Cassius, What means this shouting? I do fear the people do choose Caesar for their king...yet I love him well. as he is speaking to Cassius. Brutus loves Caesar, but would not allow him to climber-upward...He then unto the ladder turns his back.... As the quote says, Brutus would not allow Caesar to rise to power and then turn his back onto the people of Rome. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Brutus talks to Antony about Caesar's death. Our hearts you see not; they are pitiful; and pity to the general wrong of Rome.... Brutus says that Antony cannot see their (members of the conspiracy) hearts, which are full of pity. Again, this shows how Brutus loved Caesar but cared for the life of Rome and its people more. This is the only reason Brutus would conspire against Caesar. For Brutus says to himself, I know no personal cause to spurn at him...How that might change his nature... Caesar's relationship with Brutus is also strong. Just allowing Brutus to speak to Caesar shows his respect for Brutus. Caesar feels that Brutus is noble to him and does the right thing regardless of personal danger. On the Ides of March, as Caesar was assassinated, Caesar's last line is: Et tu, Brute?--Then fall, Caesar.. This shows that Caesar would not die without Brutus' stab. Caesar realizes that there must be a noble reason for this assassination if Brutus was in it. This again shows how much Caesar respects Brutus. Brutus and Caesar both respect each other, but in different ways. Marcus Brutus had a very important role in the conspiracy against Caesar. He was the back-bone of the plan. According to Cassius, Brutus' main purpose in the conspiracy is for an insurance policy. The people will think, since Brutus is noble to Caesar, that there is a good reason for Caesar's assassination. Brutus will also be the leader of the conspiracy for another insurance policy for the assassination. Cassius is the one who declares this, Brutus shall lead the way, and we will grace his heels with the most boldest and best hearts of Rome. . Again, if Brutus leads the way, the people will think that the death of Julius Caesar wasn't such a bad thing. Brutus also declares to himself that his role in the conspiracy is to save Rome. He says to the people that, If then that friend demand why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.. If Brutus was not in the plot of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the conspiracy would probably not have worked. Since Brutus ...loved Rome more., he decided to be a part of the conspiracy. If he hadn't loved Rome more than Caesar, he would not have joined in the assassination of Julius Caesar. Cassius and the rest of the conspirators would probably not have continued on without Brutus because they would have no insurance afterwards. The people would think that there was no reason for Caesar's death and most likely beheaded all the conspirators. Also, if Brutus was not in the play, the whole end of the play would not ever occur. Brutus would not be there to have an army or kill himself, and Cassius will already be beheaded. If Brutus was not in the play, the title would have absolutely no meaning. Marcus Brutus was a good friend to Julius Caesar, but not good enough. He had moral values dealing with Rome and its people. Brutus' values then made him join a conspiracy against Caesar put together by Cassius. Brutus joined this mainly because he didn't

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Jenkins, David. From Unwritten to Written Transformation in the British Common

Jenkins, David. From Unwritten to Written Transformation in the British Common The written constitution has government principles found in legal documents which have been enacted as laws. The clauses in the written constitution are well planned; clearly stated and standard. Unwritten constitution is the opposite of written one; the government principles are not found in legal documents and the enactment of laws does not exist. The clauses do not follow a certain pattern, plan or standard. Written constitution is more compatible with the liberal democratic tradition.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Jenkins, David. From Unwritten to Written: Transformation in the British Common-Law specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Written constitution has principles that limit or restrain parliament through a judicial review. This means that, the parliament has the authority to enact laws of the land but they must be reviewed by the judiciary of a nation. Such control of parliament’s limitless power ensure s that there is no misuse of power. In addition, a balance between legislature and judiciary is created therefore reducing excess political influence on a nation. Written constitution ensures duly enacted laws serve the public welfare. As a result, the parliament is responsible towards the citizens. Moreover, the principles of the natural law are bound by morality and ethics of humanity. Hence, all laws governing the land are determined by the public good. Written constitution ensures the parliament delivers ultimate obedience to its subjects. Despite its supremacy in the land, parliament remains morally answerable to the welfare of its citizens. Written law is not easily manipulated to suit an individual’s interests. For example, if a medical practitioner runs a business without permit from the government or license, he or she can easily manipulate the unwritten law to fit his circumstance. Written constitution is precise and statements written are not controversial. In addi tion, all laws regarding practice and professional ethics governing different professions are enacted. Incase such scenarios arise it is efficient to quote the written law. Written constitution ensures an effective implementation of the rule of law in parliament and other government bodies. Rule of law includes judicial aspects, where the courts are charged with responsibility of protecting the interests of the public from unlawful acts. Such acts may originate from parliament and court has the responsibility of interpreting the law appropriately to ensure public good. The balance between legislature and judiciary helps in implementation of respect of law. A written constitution has important sections especially ‘Bills of Rights’. In developed nations, unwritten constitution protects its citizens. Incase of minority harassment, no justice can be found. Written constitution provides clauses on human rights, which cover all citizens regardless of race or tribe. Written co nstitution acts as a reference point for all citizens in a given nation, hence the protection of public good is enhanced. Written constitution offers a document for reference where the main bodies of government are listed together with their responsibilities. Without a written constitution, there exists a vacuum for a legal doctrine. Cabinet, judiciary and parliament are the major government bodies and their roles need to be clearly listed. A written constitution would provide that legal document for future references. A written constitution provides a clear distinction between constitutional and ordinary laws.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The article is relevant to this thesis because it provides the reasons which led to the adoption of a written constitution in Britain. The journal supports the thesis; written constitution supports liberal democracy and growth. This journal provides the gaps which existed in unwritten constitution of Britain. In addition, it addresses the need to include clauses on human rights in the constitution. Moreover, it addresses the need for public welfare in governance as well as the need to implement rule of law.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Character Development How to Write Great Characters [Worksheet]

Character Development How to Write Great Characters [Worksheet] Character Development: How to Write Great Characters [Worksheet] The character development in your story is vital for its selling.After all, people love and rave about books not always because of the story itselfBut because of the characters they fell in love with.In fact, it’s specifically because someone fell in love with the characters and care so much about them and their journey that theyre willing to follow them through the entirety of it.That is why you need to put an emphasis on the character development in the book you’re writing- or preparing to write.Here is your 12 step guide for good character development:Create a background for your characterGive your character strengths and weaknessesCreate nervous ticks for your characterAvoid making a perfect characterGive your character realistic motivesGive them a unique featureDevelop a wide variety of character personalitiesCreate an impact of your characters pastMake secondary characters foil typesGive each character a unique voiceCreate a diverse character castAvoid character s tereotypesStick with us through this post and you’ll learn exactly how to accomplish character development in a way that will make readers think about your characters as if they were real people.Once you nail all of these, you’ll be writing strong characters in no time.Get Your Character Development SheetSometimes its worth it to have a character development sheet to keep track of your characters. Not only will you be able to keep track, but you can zoom out and better see if youre creating two character archetypes who are too much alike.Are you ready to get started right now? Download your free character development sheet to keep track of each character you write. Download your FREE character development worksheet!Talk to an Expert to Discuss Your Character DevelopmentDid you know we have our experts on hand to help you with your books- for free!It’s true.Just book a call for a FREE 20-minute coaching call and our experts can help you gain clarity on what youre struggling with and how you can work through it to finish your book!BOOK A FREE COACHING CALL!Talk with one of our experts by clicking the button below and scheduling your free coaching call.Click Here to Book a CallWhat is Character Development?Character development is the process and execution of creating a fully rounded, complex, and lifelike character within your fictional writing with the purpose of making readers invested in them and their life or journey.Think of character development like the paper of your book. Without it, you simply dont have a book at all- you just have a mess of ink smeared between two cover.But before we get into the extensive details, I’m go ing to cover what constitutes a well-developed character as well as the different types of character development you may consider.What is a Well Developed Character?A well-developed character needs a full backstory, personality traits reflective of it, realistic actions and emotions, along with being highly relatable to the average reader and as complex as a real person.If you cant imagine your characters as a real-life person, theyre not quite complex enough to be well developed. The key with character development is crafting your characters to feel as if theyre people you know who just live far away.Get comfortable with thinking of them as real and you almost always will have a well-developed character.Types of Character DevelopmentWhen it comes to learning how to write characters and write them well you have to understand which type of character youre dealing with.These are the different types of characters to write:ProtagonistAntagonistSecondaryStaticFoilStockDynamic/RoundDonà ¢â‚¬â„¢t be alarmed if you think this is a lot of different types of characters. After all, we all have people in our real lives who would fill these character â€Å"types† and that’s why it’s important for your book to include them.Without them, you can’t go through with character development and expect a captivating cast.But let’s help you understand what each type of character brings to the story.With this information, you can better understand which character development to focus on with each of the fictional people you create.12 Actionable Character Development TipsNow that you know which type of character you’re focusing on here when writing your book, let’s dive deeper into the character development methods you can use and exercises to help you get it right. #1 Create a background for each characterOur realities are shaped by where we’ve been, where we are, and where we want to go.That being said, the one with the most influence on our lives is where we’ve been our past.The same is likely true for your character. Based on what their life was like prior to the start of your novel, they’ll have different interests, quirks, fears, and more.Your job is to fill out what their life has looked like up until the beginning of your book. Character Development ExerciseFill out a character development sheet so you can understand your characters as full-fleshed people instead of just two-dimensional beings you created. Cover these main ideas when crafting your character’s background: Their childhood (good, bad, poverty-stricken, spoiled, etc.) Their parents (divorced, never married, one missing, both missing) Their friendships Their hobbies and interests as a kid versus now Their motivations for feeling the way they do about any given situation Their personality type and how it affects their actions These are some basic elements you should understand about your character in order to shape their personality, opinions, and actions that appropriately fit their background.#2 Know your characters’ strengths and weaknessesOne of the biggest means of influence over your characters will be their strengths or weaknesses.We, as humans, constantly face our strengths and weaknesses on a daily basis, even in the smallest of forms.What your characters are good at and what they’re not great at will affect how they perceive different events, what actions they choose to take, and can affect their overall character arc (which we’ll touch on later).If your character’s strength is talking to strangers and gaining their trust, this might be an asset for them throughout their journey. However, if that is your character’s weakness and they’re forced to do so, it can cause conflict for them.These strengths and weaknesses will shape your character arc and the plot as a whole, so know them well before writing. Character Development ExerciseCre ate a list of 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses for your characters. Make sure these play into the plot in order to cause conflict and gain sympathy from readers who can relate.#3 Create nervous ticks or habitsIf you’ve paid attention to humans for long enough, you’re aware that we all have certain habits we don’t even realize we’re doing when we’re nervous.Me? I pick at the skin around my nails. It’s a pain (literally) and I never notice I’m doing it until later.This can be a key characteristic that will make your characters feel more real and help make them more relatable to your readers, which will make them want to give you those 5-star reviews. Character Development ExerciseMake a small list for each of your characters. Write down 2 odd habits for each of them and decide which is their go-to (the one they do without even thinking about it) and which is made worse through nerves or anxiety.#4 No character can be perfectIt can be real ly hard to write your favorite fictional person as having flaws. After all, we want people to love them, right?But a â€Å"perfect† character is not lovable they’re hateable because it’s not realistic.The more you try to make your character â€Å"flawless,† the less readers can relate and therefore, they’ll like them less. You have to build flaws into your character just like we all have drawbacks in real like. Character Development ExerciseList 3 major flaws your character has that can actually become problems within your plot. Think about any bad habits they have, situations they dislike, or even personality traits that aren’t seen as â€Å"good† in order to craft these flaws in a realistic fashion.#5 All characters need realistic motivesNo matter which character they or what they want in your story, they need to have a real and valid reason for feeling this way.Take He Who Shall Not Be Named from Harry Potter for example.Voldemor t (woops!) wants to kill Harry. That much we should all know even if you’ve never read or seen the movies. But if he was just trying to kill Harry Potter for the sake of murdering a child, it wouldnt’ make sense.Yes, he’s evil, but he also has a valid reason for wanting him dead, right?He has to kill Harry Potter because he’s the only person who was able to defeat him before and because the prophecy says so.If your characters no matter how minor they are don’t have a motive that makes sense, readers will be pulled out of the story and end up questioning what’s happening, and not in a good way.This is largely how plot holes arise so in order to avoid them, stick to this character development method. Character Development ExerciseWhen coming up with your antagonist’s motives, list at least 2 ways in which they’re valid. For Voldemort, it would be the fact that Harry can kill him and that he wants to rule the wizarding world. Your bad character has to have at least 2 strong reasons for opposing your protagonist and they should make sense given their history.#6 Give each character a unique featureThis is particularly for those of you writing Game of Thrones-esque novels with a large number of characters, but it’s important for others as well.When writing a book, you want your readers to easily visualize and differentiate the cast. You want each character to stand out as individuals.A perfect way to do this is to give each person an identifiable feature.For example, let’s use Harry Potter again because you probably know what the main characters look like.Harry has glasses. Hermione has buck teeth (up until she has them shortened a bit too much and this is only in the books for those of you about to argue), and Ron has flaming red hair.These are very distinct features that can help you picture them as wildly different characters.Now, you don’t have to give each and every character som e crazy hair color or style, but try not to have your entire cast look the same.If you have a main character with brown wavy hair, have the next with blonde curly hair, etc.Keep in mind that siblings can certainly look similar! Character Development ExerciseCreate a spreadsheet or other document that lists all your characters and document their features. If you have two characters who spend a lot of time together in your book and you see they look similar, alter their appearance until they’re differentiable.Take my own spreadsheet for my work in progress below as an example.#7 Develop a wide variety of personality typesMeaning, don’t create all of your characters to be the â€Å"dark and sarcastic† type or the â€Å"tough guy† type.You have to have a wide variety of personalities just like in the real world.You can even back up their personality with real-life psychology. As an example, I have two characters who both have a tragic background.However, th ey don’t process that trauma in the same way. One character takes on a very withdrawn approach while the other hides his pain with humor. This gives them very different personalities despite having similar histories. Character Development ExerciseReference your character’s backstories and do a little research into possible coping mechanisms and how that can affect their personality. Develop it from there in order to have realistic personalities that differ.#8 Match your character’s history with the effects of itThis is when some research will come into play, which should be required anyway. Looking into some psychological effects of trauma can help you accurately and realistically dive into character development.Now, not all characters go through trauma, but there are other big life events that can shape how they behave.If you have a character whose parents were very strict growing up, they may be a bit of a rebel and lack the decision making abilities others h ave mostly because they never learned how since their parents made those choices for them. Character Development ExerciseSince you know your character’s backstory, do a little research into how those specific struggles or realities can shape a person’s psyche in order to accurately and realistically craft their behavior.#9 Make secondary characters foil typesThis is largely to help with personality contract within your novel. Most of the time, this will happen naturally if you’re giving each character a unique personality but it’s great to keep in mind anyway.If you have secondary characters (characters who get a decent amount of page time but are not main characters), craft their personality types to show the opposite of the main characters’.Why? Because you want to firstly create more diversity and secondly, create some non-plot-specific conflict. Character Development ExercisePinpoint your secondary characters and development them in a way tha t makes them clash or oppose your main characters in certain ways. Think about what could annoy your main character the most and give your secondary characters some of those habits or personality traits.#10 Give each character a distinct voiceWe all speak differently and that means your characters should too. Depending on where they’re from, they could have different accents, slang, and even phrases they tend to use regularly.Think of a friend of yours for a minute. What are some specific phrases they use a lot?It’s likely you were able to think of something in just a few seconds because it’s so unique to them and something they say a lot.Your characters should be developed in the same way.If you write two characters from very different areas of the world and they have the same style of speaking, your audience will be pulled out of the story because it’s not realistic. Their voices have to be consistent and not the same. Character Development ExerciseThe se tips can ensure your characters speak differently: Choose a slang word each character likes to use Use different wording for the same meaning like â€Å"apologies† versus â€Å"I’m sorry† or â€Å"my bad† Use unique sentence structures to give each character a unique speaking rhythm Make sure your more educated characters speak like it and your less educated use simpler words and phrases Create phrases similar to â€Å"knee-high to a grasshopper† with unique meanings for your characters’ specific regions Read their dialogue out loud in the voice you image they have and make changes if necessary The point of giving your characters unique voices is to ensure your readers imagine them as real people instead of two-dimensional beings living in paper.#11 Create a diverse cast in every wayI’ll be honest, there is a very real problem in literature when it comes to diversity.You can debate this all you want, but coming from someone who reads many books, it’s a very real issue that only you and other writers going forward can correct.Your book should be just as diverse as the real world.If you don’t have characters with varying skin, hair, or eye colors along with varying body types, disabilities, and even mental illnesses, your characters are not diverse enough.You do not have to write a book about these things in order for you to include them in your novel.For example, one of my main characters has high levels of anxiety. His storyline does not revolve around this mental illness, but it is there, seen, and can affect his plot. Character Development ExerciseLook through your characters and their appearances as well as their personalities. If there isn’t clear diversity amongst them, create it. You want to make sure you are allowing diverse readers to feel included, heard, and represented.#12 Avoid stereotypes This is really a â€Å"do not do† tip versus a â€Å"must do† tip . The reason for this is because so many writers feel as though they need a â€Å"side character† (or even a main character) but is too lazy to do the real work.Which means they create a stereotype of a specific type of person that can oftentimes be harmful without the author even knowing.A great way to ensure you never have offensive stereotyped characters is to use a sensitivity reader or make sure you have a diverse group of beta readers who can speak on behalf of the characters you’ve developed. What is a Character Arc?A character arc is used to describe the inner and even outer journey, which can be physical, mental, emotional, or otherwise that a character experiences throughout the duration of the story or plot.You thought you were done learning about character development, didn’t you?You’re not! In addition to crafting well-rounded characters, you also have to think about including arcs for them.How to Create a Character ArcAt the very least, your protagonist, or main character, requires an arc for their storyline and journey to be captivating and satisfying for readers.As an example, I’m going to use Harry Potter from that series simply because it’s widely known and his character arc even within the first novel is distinct.Harry Potter starts the novel as an 11-year-old kid suffering from emotionally abusive relatives who care for him due to his parents passing away.But by the end of the movie, Harry has discovered he’s a wizard, learned of his prominence in the wizarding world, and even taken on Voldemort himself (well, sort of).This character arc is distinct in that his mental and emotional journey from start to finish is wildly different. Harry Potter is not the same at the end as he was in the beginning and this remains true throughout each book in the series.When your character comes out at the end of the book as a transformed person in certain senses, it’s a character arc.Above is an examp le of what a character arc looks like on paper and how you can utilize plot elements in order to further your character’s development.Character development questionsIf youre looking for a way to further develop your characters in order to create lifelike and realistic personalities, we have a way to help.Here are 50 character development questions to ask:What is their full name?Why did their parents choose that name?What are their parents like?Do they have siblings?What are their siblings like?Were they bullied by their siblings?What order are they in their family (first born, middle, etc.)?What do they look like (full appearance)?Do they have any quirks or nervous habits?What do they do when they get mad?What do they do when theyre happy?Do they have close friends?What are their friends like?Whats their worst habit?Whats their best habit?Whats their biggest weakness?Whats their biggest strength?What is something they want to improve upon?Whats something they excel in?Did the y go to school or an equivalent?What were they like in school?Do they like to learn?Are they a rebel?Are they an obliger (people-pleaser)?Are they internally motivated?Do they look to others for help in times of stress?What is their stress response?Do they think logically or emotionally to make decisions?Are they able to make decisions clearly when emotional?What are their beliefs on religion?Do they have a strong moral compass?What do they value most in life (money, happiness, etc.?)What is something that would trigger irrational behavior?Are they introverted or extroverted?Are they a troublemaker or do they play by the rules?Whats something that fulfills them?Do they know their lifes purpose?Whos someone causing emotional struggles in their life?Who do they go to when theyre upset?What type of weather do they enjoy most?What are their sleeping habits like?What are their eating habits like?Whats something they could change about their world if they could?Are they someone who speaks up for themselves?Are they a passive person?What are they like at their very worst?What are they like at their very best?What do they envision their life to be 10 years from now?What do they want for their life when theyre old and gray?What does the perfect life look like in their eyes?Your Next Steps But Only if You’re a Serious WriterIt’s time to get serious about your book. If you’re here, it means you want to learn how to write your book to the best of your ability.That’s exactly what we can help with.We put together this FREE training for you to understand what it takes to write and publish a book.Make sure to watch this because you can create incredible characters all you want, but they’ll never see the light of day without publishing.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Argentinas Foreign Debt Restructuring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Argentinas Foreign Debt Restructuring - Essay Example Conversely, the "legal" definition of foreign debt is debt issued according to foreign (New York, UK, et cetera) law, regardless of whether it is in local or foreign currency and regardless of who, foreign or domestic resident, is holding these claims." Debt Renegotiation - a Background: Argentina bogged down by its mounting external debts decided to settle all the foreign currency public debt by replacing the debts with new securities calculating at the rate of 35 cents per every dollar of debt. The government also decided to repudiate all the past interest due on those debts. The government also announced that those bondholders who do accept the government's proposal by the deadline will not be paid anything. Though the announcement of the settlement of the debts in this way is criticized vehemently by the bondholders the government announced that by the deadline more than 75 percent of the country's creditors accepted the proposal. However the Institute of International Finance observed that such an aggressive conduct by the government of Argentina was sure to affect its long term economic growth and stability. The Institute also commented on the lack of progress on the implementation of the structural reforms to boost the economic development. Debt Management of the Governments: It so happens in most of the countries the government becomes the largest single borrower of the country. The effectiveness of the debt management largely influences the development of the domestic capital market. The debt management also reflects on the fiscal policies of the country and the spread of the respective countries government bonds in the US and other treasuries world over by affecting the market prices and tradability of the bonds. The... The government also announced that those bondholders who do accept the government’s proposal by the deadline will not be paid anything. Though the announcement of the settlement of the debts in this way is criticized vehemently by the bondholders the government announced that by the deadline more than 75 percent of the country’s creditors accepted the proposal. However the Institute of International Finance observed that such an aggressive conduct by the government of Argentina was sure to affect its long term economic growth and stability. The Institute also commented on the lack of progress on the implementation of the structural reforms to boost the economic development. Debt Management of the Governments: It so happens in most of the countries the government becomes the largest single borrower of the country. The effectiveness of the debt management largely influences the development of the domestic capital market. The debt management also reflects on the fiscal policies of the country and the spread of the respective countries government bonds in the US and other treasuries world over by affecting the market prices and tradability of the bonds. The debt management policies of the government will have a strategic implication on the growth and development of the economy as a whole. A good debt management of any country should reflect in the reduction of the borrowing costs, greater access to the capital markets of international standing.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Intervention plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Intervention plan - Essay Example Apparently, her painful memories of such a traumatic experience were triggered when she and her workmates visited a friend’s farm in the country. While in the farm, she had flashes of her painful childhood memories which she thought she has forgotten over the years. However, the sights, smells, sounds, etc. of the farm only made the flashbacks more vivid. Sherry was only four years old when her grandfather began sexually molesting her in his barn. He did this to her until she was nine years old when she and her family had to move to another city due to her father’s employment. Sherry used to adore her grandfather because he brought her on trips around the country side and had ready treats for her every time she and her parents came to visit him and her grandmother. It is in the barn when he would sexually abuse her in the guise of pretend play. Sherry did not enjoy that kind of play at all and felt uncomfortable with her grandfather’s touch. Even if she was already toilet trained, she would sometimes soil her underwear in the hope that her grandfather will not rape her. Although he told her that it was their secret and she was not supposed to tell anyone, she tried to tell her mother when she was five years old, and in response, she was spanked, in the belief that she was lying. She never told anyone again. Bowlby’s Attachment Theory (1969) is one theory that explains the development of attachment of children to their significant others. It posits that a person’s real relationships in the earliest stages of life shape his or her survival functions as he or she grows and develops throughout the life span. To Sherry, her attachment relationships to both her grandfather and mother may have been shattered by her disappointment in them. Ringel (2012) contends that children like Sherry develop disorganized attachments alternating between ambivalent and avoidant behaviors as well as dissociative behaviors like

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Outline and Analyze the Challenges Facing Mellon Investor Services Essay Example for Free

Outline and Analyze the Challenges Facing Mellon Investor Services Essay Assignment Task Outline and analyze the challenges facing Mellon Investor Services in their organizational redesign and assess how well the company have dealt with those challenges in how they are approaching and managing the change. Delong, T. and Vijayaraghavan, V. (2002) Mellon Investor Services (ECCH case reference 9-402-036, Harvard Business School) Introduction Mellon Investor Services (â€Å"MIS†) is an investment management and investment services company, focused to help clients manage and move their financial assets and succeed in the rapidly changing global marketplace. Between 2000 and 2001 MIS underwent a substantial organizational redesign, which will be critically considered in this essay. Wittington and Mayer (2002) suggest that organizational performance is driven by the company’s ability to redesign structures frequently, however the change requires participation of people leading the change i.e. agents, organizational structure that welcomes the change and appropriate managements styles. The Chief Financial Officer of MIS, Jim Aramanda led the company for few very successful years, during which MIS was providing new offerings for transfer agent services including issue services, employee plans and direct services, broker / dealer services. The company had five years of successful growth and MIS was meeting and exceeding its financial goals. In Autumn of 2002 Aramanda’s became concerned for the successful future of the company and he recognised few areas that required closer attention: †¢different business units were not consolidating their offerings and taking advantage of various products, which resulted in two Requests For Proposal coming from one client whereby both RFPs were replied to separately, as opposed to a combined and unified response, †¢current successful offering of core products did not guarantee that MIS would grow in future, †¢MIS staff were not building long-term relationship with the clients therefore business opportunities may not be spotted in good time, †¢requirement for new measures of performance and progress, †¢lack of focus on hiring and rewarding talented people, †¢lack of focus on product development, which was manifested in product being offered by the sales department without confirmation that the product may actually be delivered to the clients, †¢Some of the groups, such as technology, were too achievement oriented without being focused. In order to address the above concerns and mould the company to his new vision, Aramanda hired a number of experienced consultants to support his structural redesign of MIS. Aramanda realised that the change would also involve a dramatic shift of vision and attitudes to introduce new systems and subsystems, with the likely result of clash of wills. Buchanan Badham (2008) argue that such a change can be successful if it involves one person influencing the organization according to their values, and Aramanda had the clear vision and skills to gather a team of knowledgeable people to fundamentally amend and adjust MIS future capabilities. The change that MIS underwent could be classified as ‘strategic’ or ‘transformational’ (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2010) and it aimed to redefine the boundaries, methods of problem-solving and doing business in the company. Aramanda acted on his vision in a very organized manner, as he instantly hired experienced, independent and talented consultants, Mary Davis and Jeanne DiFrancesco, and empowered them to accurately assess how the change should be conducted whilst keeping disruption of the day-to-day business activities to the minimum, design a four-phase project that was consistent with Aramanda’s aggressive deadlines, and work alongside all business units to manage the organizational change smoothly and efficiently. Although the organizational change instigated by Aramanda and facilitated by the consultants proved a great success, there were certain areas that should have been dealt with differently. The main challenges I have chosen as a topic of this assignment included overall communication, dealing with resistance to change and managing relationships. 1. Communication Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) note that many managers do not pay attention to communication when implementing change, which may increase employee absenteeism, turnover and low productivity. Furthermore, some of the reasons for employees’ increased expectation during the change process are availability of information through the internet as well as employees’ anticipation to contribute ideas and be kept informed. If these expectations are met, employees feel valued and therefore are more likely to be committed to the company and perform better at their work. Aramanda wanted to be supportive of a certain degree of open communication culture, which was manifested by a requirement for the employees to nominate their colleagues for newly created job posts. This approach was also constructed to represent Aramanda’s interests and to manipulate employee attitudes and behaviours. The nomination process aimed to take advantage of knowledge in the network or informal skills that perhaps could have been difficult to be evaluated by an outsider. The outcome however proved to be different than anticipated, as it created a negative feeling amongst the employees. Furthermore, one of the reasons for hiring consultants in the first place was to take advantage of their impartiality and independence from office politics. Insufficient communication was also evident in Phase One of the organizational change, during which key services, products and activities of the business were analysed. The result was anxiousness amongst the employees, who being afraid of job cuts, would feel that they were disregarded and forgotten, which in return lowered their productivity until the process was complete. As outlined by Buchanan and Huczynski (2010), many companies operate within a range of open and closed communication climate. Open and honest communication leads to employees having realistic expectations, and closed and defensive communication creates an atmosphere of distrust and secrecy. Although Aramanda’s relationship with his superiors was commendable, as he had a very open working relationship with the consultants and his direct reports, the communication with his employees was not as successful. One of the reasons for this situation was a lack of Head of Corporate Communications, whose post was vacant until June 2001, therefore all information during the process of a change was not communicated to the staff. Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) confirm that communication of ideas assists employees see the logic and need for change. The implication for MIS was that employees did not understand what was happening, therefore they were more unlikely to follow management decisions. Issues of communication also affected existing relationships with clients. One of the objectives of the organizational change was to evaluate every job function and employee in line with the new business strategy. This resulted in creation of new key groups, including new ‘business development’ team focused on growth and return on investment in new clients and ‘client management’ team whose assignment was growth and return on investment in existing clients. The new groups comprised of employees that had to move away from the relationships they took time and effort to establish with their clients. Before the change these relationships lead to more sales and generated more business through word of mouth. Furthermore, strong relationships improved the internal organization, morale, increased engagement and lead to greater satisfaction at work. By creation of new groups the above relationships were damaged or broken, which could have lead to a possible revenue loss caused by the impact that the organizational change had on the client satisfaction. 2. Resistance to change Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) confirm that change implies a positive experiment and creation of something new as well as a negative confrontation with the unknown through the deconstruction of familiar arrangements. Some of the MIS employees demonstrated unwillingness to accept the proposed changes, as they perceived them as threatening to the individual. The main causes of resistance to change were as follows: †¢Lack of facilitation and support Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) outline facilitation and support as most helpful, where fear and anxiety lie at the heart of resistance. At MIS some of the managers were not supporting their employees in new roles, as people were expected to continue to take care of their old responsibilities, therefore the new responsibilities had to take second priority. They employees were not given sufficient time to adjust to new jobs or recover after demanding period. †¢Low tolerance for change Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) stress that that people differ in their ability to cope with change and uncertainty, which may lead them to oppose even potentially beneficial changes. Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) agree that if the change is significant and the employee’s tolerance for change is low, he might begin to actively oppose the change for reasons he does not consciously understand. †¢Misunderstanding and lack of trust Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) argue that employees are more likely to resist the change if they don’t understand the reasons behind it. As outlined in the section above regarding lack of communication, it becomes transparent that MIS employees were not told what are the positive implications of change, therefore they believed the change might cost them much more than they would gain. This could be characterised by having a low level of trust between employees and managers and result in misunderstandings and increased perception of threat when change was introduced. 3. Networks and relationships Another challenge facing the organizational change of MIS was managing existing relationships and creating new networks. One of aims for the reorganization once MIS services and products and market needs were analysed, was to break down capabilities into building blocks and then to recompose the blocks to fit within the new strategy. In practice this meant changing the divisional structure of the organization from service-based to customer-based. The change from ‘squares’ to ‘squares and triangles’ caused a large power shift and a felling of unrest and injustice to many employees. In the new organization chart the ‘triangles’ comprised of market-facing professionals and were perceived as the ‘winners’. The triangles included new business development, client management, product management development and business management analytics units. A triangle holds its place as a symbol in the mathematics of ideal proportions and in the MIS reorganizational design employees chosen to become a part of new teams were deemed as ‘drivers’ having a superior status. This formal status was closely related to the leadership, generally accepted by the others with a power to influence and control other groups. On the other hand, the ‘squares’ represented all other employees in the company and were perceived as the ‘losers’ and ‘followers’ and deemed to have an inferior status. Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) note that lower status groups have less power and tend to be less influential, therefore employees actively seeking status in order to fulfil their self-esteem may experience personal dissatisfaction. Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) note that this method of implementing organizational change can cause confusion and increase employees’ level of stress. The MIS consultants hoped that by dismantling of social networks, new networks would grow very quickly. The presumption was made that the existing social networks used to compensate for the inefficiencies in the old system, so now they should accelerate the efficiencies of the new system. Some employees viewed this as a positive move, as it allowed transitioning some people to other teams to build communication and continuity based on their prior experiences in other business areas. This however had a more political aspect as many managers when switching roles from ‘triangles’ to ‘squares’ in their self-interest wanted to take the good people with them. In practice, whereby poor communication was also a contributing factor, the new social networks were not created as rapidly as anticipated and had a negative influence on employee engagement and work performance. Another reason for changing the divisional structure of the organization was MIS’ lack of integration. Child (2004) stresses that integration is a vital product of good organization, whereby different activities collectively create value. One of identified reasons for change at MIS was to consolidate their product offering to create more value for the customers. Although it is relatively easy to state the requirement for integration, it is not so straightforward to achieve it. The problem of integration presents itself most noticeably in the relations between functions that are responsible for producing services according to predetermined parameters established within the company, and functions that have to continuously adapt to the external environment. The organization cannot remained viable without this integration. Teams are one of the most commonly used means for achieving integration, however during the implementation of change at MIS these were taken apart under conditions of uncertainty and pressure. One of the signs that the integration needs were not sufficiently met by the new teams was conflict between departments, mainly between ‘triangles’ and ‘squares’. This situation would require ongoing monitoring to ensure that the conflict does not become persistent and threat overall teams’ performance. Summary As outlined above, the main challenges of the organizational change instigated by Aramanda included overall communication, dealing with resistance to change and managing relationships. The organizational change was possible due to a great contribution from the consultants, who appreciated that an organizational change is a complex process to dramatically adjust organization vision, structure and culture in a continuous effort to improve the performance. Reference list 1.Buchanan D., Badham R. (2008) ‘Power, politics and organizational change: Winning the turf game’, p. 9. 2.Buchanan D., Huczynski A.A. (2010) ‘Organizational behaviour’, pp. 329-330, 562-564, 570-573. 3.Child J. (2004) ‘Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice; Chaper 4: Achieving Integration’, p. 81-82. 4.Kotter J. P., Schlesinger L.A. (1979) ‘Choosing strategies for change’ Harvard Business Review, March – April pp. 108-109. 5.http://www.bnymellon.com/about/index.html, accessed on 18 June 2012.