Linguistics and Structuralism Essay

Structuralism is a mode of thinking and a method of analysis practiced in 20th-century social sciences and humanities; it focuses on recurring patterns of thought and behaviour ? it seeks to analyse social relationships in terms of highly abstract relational structures. Structuralism is distinctly different from that applied to Radcliffe-Brown? it involves more the bio and psychological aspect of human studies rather than social structures. Claude Levi-Strauss was the one to pioneer structuralism; he suggested that cultural phenomena such as myths, art, kinship systems and language display certain ordered patterns or structures. With these, he believed that the structure of the human mind could be revealed. He reasoned that behind the surface of individual cultures there must exist natural properties common to us all: innate structures universal to all man. Levi-Strauss focused his attention on the patterns or structures existing beneath the customs and beliefs of all cultures. Methodologically, Strauss drew his models from structural linguistics, analysing forms of social activity as though they were languages. In other words, the things a society does, the way people in this society act, is compared to language; behaviour is acted out unconsciously as is grammar in the case of language. Therefore, societies differ just as grammar differs between one culture and another, but what Levi-Strauss sought was the universal/common structure behind it. He believed that while the surface phenomenon may vary, the underlying ordering principles are the same. Levi-Strauss believed that basic thinking occurs as sets of contrasts. All cultures think in to terms of opposites so as to classify-meaning we must be able to distinguish between things. For example, life, death; spirit, body; black, white; red, green (stop and go) ? these words alone do not carry much significance; they have a meaning and that’s it ? basic facts. We take the words as they are by use of external references from what society acknowledges to it to be. A pen is not an eraser because society has accepted it to be a pen. Levi-Strauss argued that culture is to be understood as a surface phenomenon which reveals the universal human tendency to order and classify experiences and dynamics. He compared people’s language to the?  rules’ that govern society, in that the governed are largely unconscious of what they know. He compared speech – the use of sounds and rules, mainly in the form of sentences to the ideas and behaviour that result from the application of largely unconscious social rules. Members of a society are much more likely to be conscious of their actual ideas and behaviours than they are of the deeply structured rules that make these ideas and behaviours possible, but the ideas and behaviours of a given group of people, according to Strauss, can only be understood once the â€Å"deep† structures in their minds can be discovered. He says that human responses are largely dissimilar, and that the surface structure is what will consequently show different cultural behaviour. In T. O. K. , we are currently discussing language, mind and meaning ? we covered the same man, Noam Chomsky, the same man mentioned in the book. He pursued the same line of inquiry in linguistics as Strauss. Chomsky believes that the human brain contains a language system base before birth, but ? goes to seed’ if not stimulated after birth. All babies are programmed to all phonetic systems but are channelled into particular language groups on socialization. In other words, a child who has Danish parents will eventually end up speaking Danish unless brought up elsewhere. Structuralism is often criticized for not being able to prove something through hypothesis testing and validation. Strauss makes unprovable assumptions about humans, and some people find it hard to believe the concept of universal structures. Structuralism also tends to ahistorical, thus not accounting for the way history effects the present.

Business - Society & Planet for Sustainability and Stakeholder

Sustainability has been an important objective of the businesses in the past decade and the core principle of the organisations is to achieve the sustainability in the long run of the business. In this reflective essay, the concepts of sustainable business including the issues, approaches and challenges have been discussed. Sustainable business can be defined as the organisation that creates a minimum negative impact on the local or global environment and the sustainable businesses are progressive in human rights and environmental aspects.   John Elkington during the time of the 1990s created a new framework to monitor the performance of the organisation regarding sustainability in America. This measure went beyond the traditional framework of the organisation and it just did not measure the profit, shareholders' values and return on investment; it also included the social and environmental dimensions. As stated by Elkington (2013), the triple bottom line is the idea that fetches to broaden the aim on the financial bottom line by the organisations to include the environmental and social responsibilities. Therefore, the triple bottom line of the organisation measures the economic value, social responsibility and environmental impact of the organisations. I did not have an idea about triple bottom line; I only knew the organisation's bottom line was only the i e statement or the net i e. Today's organisations do not run only for financial profit but the betterment of people's lives and to help the environment. The responsi bilities of the organisations e pass not only to profit; but also people and planet to make them sustainable (Caroll & Buchholtz, 2014). I was reading the framework published in the International Reporting Council, where the article focused on the capital needs of the organisations. Financial capital is about understanding the implication of the regulatory changes that provide the traditional strengths of finance (Williard, 2012). Manufactured capital is about the decision-making of the financial analysis as the manufactured capital can lead to the success of the organisation. I believe that manufactured assets are the physical distribution of the services, networks and distribution networks. These goods and services should be delivered to the customers on time to utilise the manufactured capital. Intellectual capitals are the intangible assets like patents, trademarks and brand equity of the organisation (De Visscher, 2016). Human capital is the human resources that do the intellectual work of the organisation along with the technologies. I personally think that the organisations spend on training, on-boarding and re duce the employee turnover so that the human capital can be used to increase the efficiency of the intellectual capital. In addition, social and relational capitals are the social networking media like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter that help the organisation to make relations with the customers and the external stakeholders. Finally, natural capital of the organisation is the raw materials that are used by the organisation like oil and gas, mining and other assets of the organisations. According to me, the organisations need to use these six capitals in order to improve the munity and to go towards sustainability. According to Dunphy, Griffiths & Benn (2006), there are six phases in the sustainability. The first phase is about rejection and it involves with the attitude on the part of the managers that the resources of the organisation like munity, employees and environment all should be used for the immediate economic gain of the organisations. The second phase is about non-responsiveness and it es from the lack of awareness of the organisation rather than to the active opposition of the corporate ethics (Benn, Edwards & Williams, 2014). In this phase, the organisations can ignore the sustainability and continue the business as usual form. In addition, pliance mainly focuses on the reducing the risks for failing to achieve the minimum standards of the producer or the employer. The organisations might change it to the growing legal requirements. In this stage, I think, the organisation's strategies might relate to the human sustainability that aims to legal pliance. The organisation can expect the employees' loyalty in terms of pliance. Moreover, efficiency reflects an increasing awareness of the managers and the organisations regarding the corporate social responsibilities gained through the proactively maintaining the sustainability practices. In this stage, the organisation can try to reduce the costs of the operational efficiency. The next phase is the strategic proactivity and it develops when the sustainable practices can seize the opportunities. An example of the strategic proactive can be the positioning of an organisation as the leader. In this regard, I can take the name of BP (British Petroleum) as they named it as a global leader in sustainability while they are doing the business in non-renewable resource-based products. Therefore, BP has adopted the strategic approach of sustainable practices of the business. Lastly, sustaining corporation concept reflects the internationalisation of the sustainability and the organisations can promote the developing the so ciety that would support the planet as well as the people. As stated by (Beattie & Smith, 2013), the organisations can contribute the democratic and equitable social practices.      Fuji Xerox is a joint venture pany and it moved from selling to leasing the office equipment. This organisation takes the used goods; they process their ponent and rebuild the machines. Therefore, most of the parts are recycled and zero waste. This feature of the business provides us with the example of doing the business that rebuilds the products with enhanced quality and reliability. In addition, I can provide another example of the eco-friendly supply chain of Ford Motor pany that has been using the fewer vehicles that pollute the atmosphere and it has been trying to make vehicles those would take less non-renewable fuels. Therefore, the panies are trying to be more focused on the environment to provide less carbon footprint. Movement of the organisations towards sustainability mainly depends on the organisational culture to gain the sustainability. My future aim is to a leader of a multinational organisation, I would try to bring the major transformation of organisation assumption and practices related to the sustainability. I believe science and technologies both are vital for the successful planning of the business and the organisation can implement the technologies that will depend mostly on people. Beattie, V., & Smith, S. J. (2013). Value creation and business models: refocusing the intellectual capital debate.  The British Accounting Review,  45(4), 243-254. Benn, S., Edwards, M., & Williams, T. (2014).  Organizational change for corporate sustainability. Abingdon: Routledge. Carroll, A. & Buchholtz, A., (2014).  Business and Society: Ethics, sustainability, and stakeholder management . London: Nelson Education. De Visscher, F. M. (2016).  Financing Transitions: Managing capital and liquidity in the family business. Berlin: Springer. Dunphy, D., Benn, S. & Griffiths, A. (2006). Enabling change for corporate sustainability: An integrated perspective.  Australasian Journal of Environmental Management ,  13(3), 156-165. Elkington, J. (2013). Enter the triple bottom line. In  The triple bottom line  (pp. 23-38). Abingdon: Routledge. Willard, B. (2012).  The new sustainability advantage: seven business case benefits of a triple bottom line. London: New Society Publishers.

English Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

English Literature - Essay Example Sensing the immediate death, Turnus begged Aeneas either to spare him or give his body to his people. Aenneas considered for a moment to spare him, but decided to kill Turnus in order to avenge Pallas's death. The importance of Turnus in Aeneid is that he is at the same level of strength, power, influence, and ambitions like that of the hero of this epic. Through him, Virgil embodied the character of a perfect villain who is capable of upsetting the hero and give him a tough time. The character of Hrothgr is represented in the epic poem of "Beowulf". This epic is related to the Anglo-Saxon times and the main characters in this epic are Hrothgar and Beowulf. This epic narrates the heroic deeds of Beowulf when he sets forth to kill Grendel and his mother. As an aging king, Hrothgar is worried about the devastations brought by Grendel and his mother and practically beseeches Beowulf to kill the monster. Though he has lost his youth courage and might, the salient characteristics he possesses are his wisdom, high standard of Christian codes and his keen desire to save his subjects. Though, in the beginning, we feel that the king is the prey of vanity when we find him building the huge hall, Herot. However, in the later stage, we realise that the king is after all a human being and his sincerity to serve his subjects and his wisdom and justice are more important to consider than the only flaw of vanity in his character. This is the main reason that t the people of Danish land love and respect him above everything. Another positive factor in his personality is that he does not hesitate to acknowledge the strength and bravery of Beowulf without any feeling of jealousy. Thus, when Beowulf succeeds in killing Grendel, he rewards Beowulf with every worldly reward conceivable. Thus, the character of Hrothgar in the epic poem "Beowulf" is a symbol of wisdom, sanity, and sincerity. He regards the welfare of his subjects very highly and when he finds them in danger, he calls for Beowulf to kill the monster. c. Briseis The character significance of Briseis lies in the fact that she proves to be the sole reason for Achilles to desert the Greek cause when they needed his support in the war against Trojans. It is the love of Briseis that forces Achilles not to take part in the war. Thus, the absence of Achilles from the battlefield brings ruinous effects for the Greeks and ultimately they are at the verge of total defeat. Thus, we see in the epic "Iliad" that even a minor character like Briseis can significantly impact the whole setting of the stage and thousands of people would be killed. The significance of Briseis in this poem thus can be viewed from the refusal of Achilles to take part in the war against Trojans and the consequent devastation of Greeks. The love of Achilles for Briseis is one of the most significant event that changed the course of war between Trojans and Greeks. d. Dido The character of Dido is brought to the reader in Book IV of "Iliad" by Virgil. Dido is the ruler of Carthage and a widow of Sychaeus. She has a resolution not to marry again, but when Aeneas arrives

Managing Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managing Ethics - Essay Example This management behavior has resulted in reduced morale, job stress, and fatigue for the employees. Before going into the discussion regarding Ron Eden’s approach to management in 2000s, let us get a better understanding of what ethical management actually is. Management ethics include a set of defined ethics that is required for a business to remain in the market. Some of the principles that increase the effectiveness of organizations include ethical decision making based on facts, getting facts from possible perspectives, recognizing managing ethics as a process, avoiding the occurrence of ethical dilemmas, and using cross-functional teams while implementing an ethical management program in the organization. There exist many theories, which are used by the managers to control behavior and motivation of the employees. Scientific management theory focuses on how managers can improve efficiency through person-task relationships. Administrative management theory is related to the development of a highly efficient and effective organizational structure through outlining the principles of administration and bureaucracy. Behavioral management theory focuses on how managers should motivate the employees to achieve organizational goals. Theory X assumes that workers do not like to work hard whereas theory Y assumes that workers like to work hard if they are given opportunities and incentives. Management science theory believes in giving more control to the managers over the resources in order to produce desirable results. The last theory, which is organizational management theory, focuses on how managers can influence behaviors to control the organization’s relationship with the external environment. Mr. Ron Eden, the top manager of the company, possesses a controlled management approach in the company. In Electronic Banking Inc., the top manager is the

Journal ad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal ad - Essay Example o the importance of the journal, its outspoken authority among world economy contributors who use the journal to reach the world in various economic topics makes it a popular tool on the shelf, table and mailbox in different publication formats. Its editorial environment has a consistent theme that captures the business world as a rare spectacle worth a keen following. This journal has a consistent package of features in terms of its coverage which is mainly focused on business and economy. However, a number of topics presented in the journal are highly varied. To illustrate this point, the above advert contained in the Wall Street Journal aims at reaching the properties market for possible buyers of the property named therein. Property market is a discrete segment with a highly competitive environment, perhaps making the reason why the advert features in a leading journal in the US and world market. In this advert, the reader is convinced to consider buying the house with a brightened exterior, indoor pool, good floors and space at only $639,000. In the wall Street journal, there are a number of related offers worth looking at for comparison since it is a competitive platform. It is a good investment by the owners since it has captured the market in a significant way across the globe. Cheema, Sushil â€Å"House of the Day: Massachusetts Colonial Holliston, MA† Wall Street Journal, 9 July 2011. Web. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904537404576554651535585940.html?mod=WSJ_RealEstate_LEADTopNews (accessed 8 September

MKTG sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MKTG sustainability - Essay Example Placement refers to the concept of places of buying and selling. Marketing sustainability is a revolutionary idea that is essential for guiding the objectives of marketing. It introduces the social aspects of marketing. Marketing sustainability relates to the philosophy of corporate social responsibility. It comes handy in the face of globalization whereby customer attraction and retention activities are becoming intense. The philosophy entails marketing activities that goes beyond profit seeking. It links market share, profitability and good ethics (Nwankwo and Gbadamosi 369). It becomes vital to handle the market in a way that still contributes to the well being of society. Sustainability marketing adds two concepts to the four orientations of marketing. In this sense, marketing includes product and production orientation. In addition, it entails sales and market orientation. Lastly, it entails societal and social marketing orientation. It includes broad categories such as ecological and environmental marketing. It also entails ethical marketin g and elements of social responsibility. Sustainable marketing should be able to meet the requirements of the present generations without jeopardizing the lives of future generations (Nwankwo and Gbadamosi 370). It is defined as the production and creation of sustainable marketing solutions while continuing the satisfaction of consumers and stakeholders. Such marketing should satisfy three conditions. To begin with, the customers should attain their needs. Similarly, organizations should meet their needs. Thirdly, the marketing process should be compatible with ecosystems. This suggests two things. First, marketing respects the profit value of businesses. Additionally, this marketing is sensitive and it respects both the natural and social environments. Ethics refer to the values and moral principles that inform on conduct of individuals and organizations. The business is part of the society. However, its

Dissertation topic about Digital Marketing Article

Dissertation topic about Digital Marketing - Article Example Digital marketing has facilitated the retailers to target their potential customers by maintaining their online presence on the social media network, through mobile shopping, by introducing email marketing campaigns and mobile promotions and facilitating the existing customers to pay using their mobile phones (Rob Stokes, p.21). However, in this rapidly changing world of technology, it is imperative for the retailers and multinational organizations to devise new strategies that would help them to increase and maintain their competitiveness in the retail industry as well as it would also help them to target their potential customers in a more organized manner. As a result, this would make a significant impact on the profitability of the business and customer base. The dissertation will address the problem on how retailers can increase their competitiveness by integrating various digital marketing strategies in their overall business and what could be the possible shortcomings in implementing those strategies. It is imperative to understand that role of digital marketing in reshaping the world of retail industry in this modern era and how retailers can effectively reach their existing and potential customers by using and implementing the digital marketing techniques in their organizations. The purpose of this study is to explore the different digital marketing techniques introduced in the world of business and how the integration of these techniques can enhance the competitiveness of an organization by reaching to the maximum number of customers and increasing the profitability. 1- How retail business can increase their target marketing by communicating to the larger group of people through various platforms like search engine, social platforms and different similar platforms? 2- Retail businesses can integrate their offline marketing to online medium in order to cater larger group of people but how can businesses increase their business sales through this