The Big Sleep †Film Essay

The Big Sleep – Film Essay Free Online Research Papers The film script can be seen as a nexus, an intermediary point between the world of literature and the visual world of cinema (Hueso, 221). In order to negotiate these two worlds to get from a novel to a film some form of adaptation is necessary. Howard Hawks’s, 1946 version of The Big Sleep, is, in this respect, not just as a visual retelling of Raymond Chandler’s novel but also an adaptation, with its own purposes, themes and emphases. Hawks’s ‘revised, revamped and renovated’ (Abbott, 313) story has several key differences from Chandler’s original but perhaps it is in what remains that the core messages of The Big Sleep can be found. The omissions and additions that the script writers opted for have made certain critics, Abbott and Athanasourelis among them; believe that Chandler’s complex and gritty critique of society has been sanitised by the Hollywood production machine. In part this argument can be backed up by the overwhelming evidence that The Big Sleep was intended as a ‘star vehicle’ (Athanasourelis, 335) to capitalise on the success of Lauren Bacall (Vivian Regan/Rutledge) and Humphrey Bogart (Philip Marlowe). Some scenes in particular, for example Vivian’s singing, have little plot value but mimic a similar occasion in Hawks’s first Bogart and Bacall picture, To Have and Have Not. Similarly, Vivian’s character is given a much more dynamic and active role in the narrative simply to include more scenes for the two stars. The aspect which has been most criticised however, is the way Chandler’s original characters, and the antipathy between them, have been we akened to allow for a traditional romance structure and a â€Å"happy† or at least enclosed ending. The loose ends of Chandler’s final pages (where Eddie has yet to be dealt with; Vivian and Marlowe part ways with rancour and our final view of Marlowe is at a bar drinking alone) are replaced by a balanced frame showing Vivian and Marlowe, shoulder to shoulder, looking out at the approaching sirens together and then turning to face each other. This image of solidarity and harmony is symptomatic of the trajectory of the rest of the plot; where, in the novel, Marlowe is alone or with other women, as in his captivity in Art Tuck’s house; Vivian is inserted into the scene to assure a romance angle. This comfortable, because so traditional, addition to the plot may be a refusal to acknowledge the complexity and unredeemable qualities of Chandler’s characters but it is also a product of its historical context. Not only were Bogart and Bacall hot property at the time, leading to executive decisions to increase their number of scenes together, but also a happy ending was almost obligatory. Since 1927, Hollywood had instigated ‘a self-regulating mechanism, the Motion Picture Producers and Directors Association, whose strictures, commonly referred to as the Production Code†¦[were] a stringently enforced censoring mechanism that shaped narratives according to perceived mainstream moral values’ (Athanasourelis, 325). The Production Code performed ‘ideological censorship’ (Athanasourelis, 325), insisting on a â€Å"happy ending† specifically, the romantic attachment of a monogamous heterosexual couple. These industry strictures can account fo r some of the variations that occur from text to screen, for example, the romance or Regan’s transformation from husband to employee, in order to free Vivian from emotional attachment. According to Athansourelis, (332) it also explains the rather neat ending, where Marlowe confronts Eddie, who is hinted as the murderer of Regan and who, in a moment of cosmic justice, is gunned down by his own men. The Production Code Officials were challenged by Hawks to some up with a new ending and they did so, conveniently laying guilt on Eddie Mars. This may explain, or at least excuse, the rather torturous manipulations of the final confrontation, the censors ‘were concerned, not with narrative credibility or aesthetics, but solely with placing the white and black hats firmly on the appropriate heads’ (Athanasourelis, 332). By making Eddie guilty they remove the criminal threat entirely. They also allow for an opposing view of criminality to appear than that which the novel seems to express. The film supports Jerry Palmer’s idea that crime fiction ‘asserts, at root, that the world does not contain any sources of conflict: trouble comes from the people who are rotten, but whose rottenness is in no way connected with the nature of the world they infect’ (Thrillers, p 87). Such a simplistic view of the world is endorsed by the film’s ending at least, if not by the rest of the action, as it neatly places criminal behaviour within specific strata of society. This is in direct contrast to Chandler’s open-ended and unresolved ending and to the novel’s refusal to reassure readers. Rather than a comforting portrayal of criminality as abnormality more in keeping with Golden Age crime fiction the noir detective ‘discovers darkness everywhere’ (R. Palmer, 73). Chandler does not allow us, as readers, to comply with the facile judgement that ‘crime is committed only by a distinct social class’ and his unresolved and complex narrative confronts ‘his readers with the possibility that, even if they are not directly affected by crime, it is impossible not to live within its reach†™ (Athanasourelis, 327). It is not only plot additions that drastically alter Chandler’s narrative but omissions as well. The Big Sleep has often been seen as an extremely convoluted narrative, which is further complicated by the industry’s insistence that for reasons of morality the drugs, pornography and homosexual aspects of the text must be removed. That these still remain in the subtext of the film is a testament to the power of Chandler’s plot, which cannot merely be torn apart and, perhaps, to Hawks’s own subversive attitude. Of particular interest in terms of the overall tone and mood of the piece are the omissions regarding the Sternwood sisters and the character of Marlowe. Carmen is given a smaller role in the film, removing the ruthless scene where she tries to shoot Marlowe, and Vivian, whilst still manipulative, is ultimately subordinate to Marlowe as his love interest and his (though admittedly sassy) sidekick. This again, has much to do with the mood of Hollywood a nd America in the 1940’s. Having just come out of the second world war there was an increased displacement and maladjustment for men upon returning home (Maltby, 45) and an increased anxiety over masculinity. This anxiety over sexuality may account for the sister’s less powerful roles and the number of female characters who make themselves sexually available to Marlowe: the bookshop girl, the taxi driver and so on. In this climate of concern over male and female roles it was imperative that women be subdued and subordinated to men. Showing a ‘spoilt, exacting, smart and quite ruthless’ daughter and a ‘child who likes to pull wings off flies’ (Chandler, 18) may be more psychologically interesting but it is an image of threatening female power. In order to remove these menacing elements of the novel the ‘slithering twin threats’ of the Sternwood sisters are transformed into ‘a petty nuisance’- Carmen is less vicious than in the novel – and ‘a redeemed love interest’ (Abbott, 306). Likewise, the character of Marlowe undergoes some alteration. Chandler’s Marlowe is a more or less honourable man, who works for his money (quote ) a wisecracking, witty detective, much as Bogart plays him, but he is also a man who plays chess alone rather than interacting with people (Chandler, 150-151), ‘a man who can be driven to dissolution and hysteria’ (Abbott, 306). Bogarts ‘sardonic, knightly’ Marlowe ( Abbott, 305) would nev er find himself, after killing Canino, laughing ‘like a loon’ (Chandler, 194) in an inexplicable, chilling and extended manner nor would he ‘savagely’ tear his bed to pieces because the unstable Carmen has been in it (Chandler, 155). Neither of these episodes occurs in the film. Screen Marlowe is infinitely more stable, killing Canino and reacting afterwards with cool efficiency, displaying none of the vulnerability that makes the textual Marlowe so compelling. At this juncture, it is perhaps significant to note that the common film noir cinematic techniques, as set out by Schrader, are stylistically absent from The Big Sleep. Whilst he argues that the essence of film noir is in ‘more subtle qualities of tone and mood’ (53), there are a number of stylistic aspects, such as deep and shadowed images, oblique and vertical lines, jarringly unbalanced frames and a space that is ‘being continually cut into ribbons of light’ (57). Hawks’s film noir, though still given that appellation, has none of the camera and lighting effects which are common in other examples of the genre. This use of more traditional technique, despite the fact that The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Double Indemnity (1944), forerunners of the genre, had by this time appeared, signifies also a deliberate difference in mood from Chandler’s novel. The Big Sleep, as a text, is dark and shadowy, occurring in cramped spaces such as the claustroph obic greenhouse, Geiger’s fussy house and rain swept streets. The atmosphere is one of gloom, rain and night, yet the film, whilst keeping the formal elements many of the scenes are set at night and rain is almost omnipresent refuses to emphasise the darkness, the instability of the noir world that is at all times on the brink of dissolution . Even in ‘the heart of the noir world’ in the depths of depravity at Geiger’s house, all the details of the crowded orientalised room are clear (Walker, 191) rather than bathed in the devouring shadows of other noir settings. It may seem pedantic to accuse the film of not having those elements which were only recognised in hindsight and are still being argued over, but it does seem relevant that an expressive form, which existed at the time, was not used to emphasise the anxiety and corruption within the text. Perhaps this is another instance of sanitising the text; a wish to create a faà §ade of harmony and resol ution for the tattered fragments of instability that Chandler exposes. This analysis alone, however, is too simplistic a view of the film adaptation. It is necessary to complicate this facile judgement which too easily writes off the film as inferior without taking into account both the production constraints and the film in its entirety. For one thing, there is much that Hawks does not leave out, that remains very much in the text and in the film. An example of this would be the General’s stoic and realistic portrayal of his daughter’s vices and their ‘corrupt blood’. Indeed the entire scene in the hothouse, with the luscious orchids and their ‘rotten sweetness of corruption’ (General Sternwood) is an almost exact match to Chandler’s text. This scene is particularly significant because it sets out several of the main themes of the work as a whole: corruption, ambiguity, faà §ade and cover up. The lush setting and the reason for Marlowe’s arrival the General wishes to remove a blackmailer are sign s both of their wealth and position in society but also of the pervasiveness of criminality. The so-called higher class are just as full of ‘all the usual vices’ (General Sternwood) as the rest of society, implicating a grand narrative of criminality rather than confining it within a set sphere or restricting it as abnormality. This is also the only view of family life that appears in the narrative. R. Palmer states that: ‘[t]he crime melodrama characteristically images the illicit and the erotic as otherness apart from safer forms of living – in particular a family life defined by marriage and parenthood’ (71) but here the family we get are deviant, corrupt or half dead and where illicit and illegal forms of behaviour begin. The ambiguity of this situation, as with the Generals insistence that he doesn’t want to know anything about how Marlowe works which is implied in the text (Chandler, 20) and explicit in the film, are likewise symptoms of a society preoccupied with faà §ade: showing the right cover story to the public. In both text and film the media are misinformed and manipulated and in the film the DA rips up some shorthand notes which refer to aspects of Marlowe’s tale which he wishes to cover up. The theme of faà §ade is continued throughout the film and text, as we see behind Vivian’s, Geiger’s, Carmen’s and, in the text at least, behind Marlowe’s faà §ade. Thus Vivian’s comment, ‘[y]ou don’t put on much of a front’ (Chandler, 59), is a tacit acknowledgment of the way society in general does create faà §ades, which is counterintuitive to the traditional view of detectives as exposing what lies beneath. The theme of ambigui ty is kept up thematically by our ever shifting ideas of who the killer is and explicitly in the film when Marlowe tells Vivian: ‘I don’t want to ask you any more questions.’ This is striking considering the general expectation that a detective’s job is about truth and revelation. Here Marlowe’s job is to hide, to send Carmen away, to cover up for her. This is less explicit in the film despite the suggestion that Eddie is Regan’s killer and not Carmen in the way Marlowe removes Carmen from his account of Joe Brody’s murder. A detective’s role is presumably to bring to justice but Marlowe must circumvent justice. The narrative as a whole depicts the failure of the orderly legal system, Carmen is not punished or revealed as the killer, Brody, Geiger, Canino and Eddie are not punished legally, but by the divine retribution of death for their rackets and their murders. In fact, it is hinted in both film and text that Geigerâ€℠¢s ‘racket’ is known by and untouched by the police. In terms of ambiguity as well there is the ultimate ambiguity in that, neither in the film nor in the novel, do we ever definitively uncover the murderer of Owen Taylor. These explicit examples are in keeping with the ethos of Chandler’s work and his gritty, subversive view of a dissolute and disordered society. There are also, however, implicit moments within the film, at the level of subtext, that open up ideas of ambiguity and fluidity. For example, the pornographic nature of Geiger’s business is implied by Marlowe’s ‘[s]he takes a nice picture’, the drug angle is sufficiently inferred by Carmen’s dopey performance at the scene of Geiger’s murder. Similarly implicit is the homosexual aspect of Geiger and Carol’s relationship. Hawks uses parallel shots of running legs, to show Taylor running out of Geiger’s house and Carol running out of Brody’s flat (Walker, 193). This echoing of sequences implies a connection between them and their motives for killing. In addition there is Marlowe’s assumption that Carol has a key to Geiger’s house; easy shorthand for implying that they were lovers. That these elements are only in the subtext does not remove the subversive accounts of sexuality and pleasure that they expose. On a stylistic note the references to rain and water, which display ‘an almost Freudian attachment to water’ (Schrader, 57) which occur in both the text and screen versions creates a world of fluidity, of indistinct edges and blurred lines. This lack of solidity is mirrored by ‘the dram-like quality’ (Walker, 193) of the narrative itself, a constantly shifting set of crimes, victims and possible explanations, and by Marlowe and the world he inhabits. It is a morally ambiguous and fluid world, where we feel sympathy for a small time crook, Harry Jones, where ‘a pornographer, a blackmailer†¦ a killer by remote’ (Chandler, 187) is an almost attractive character and where a private detective is our hero. The detective is an intermediary figure, he inhabits the space ‘midway between lawful soci ety and the underworld, walking on the brink†¦fulfilling the requirements of his own code and of the genre as well’ (Borde and Chaumeton, 21). He also acts as a guide between the viewer and the criminal world (McCraken, 63). Marlowe, as detective, ‘facilitates a transgressive act’ (Mcraken, 63) not merely textually, in his covering up of several crimes, but metatextually, in the very act of being a detective. By negotiating our entrance, as viewers or readers, into the deviant criminal world, he acts both within and without the narrative, as aiding, rather than revealing, transgression. The film may try to sanitise and clean up Chandler’s work or as Robin Woods describes it: ‘the Chandler-Hammett atmosphere is too stifling for Hawks to breathe in happily: he lets in what fresh air he can’ (quoted in Walker, 191) and he does this by papering over the dissolution, instability and disorder of Chandler’s world with a patina of romance, happiness and resolution. Ultimately the subversive and threatening themes of Chandler’s work escape these strictures an the film cannot escape the undermining influence of a world that shows itself, whether textually or sub-textually as ambiguous, fluid and disordered. As a film, The Big Sleep may offer more traditional cinematic techniques and a more conventional resolution but it can never completely subdue the subversive elements that it was founded on and the noir themes from which it originates. Neither the fictional setting of Hollywood nor the strictures of the industry can completely efface the c orruption and ambiguity of the noir world and, as in Chandler’s novels, despite Hollywood’s sheen the ‘streets are [still] dark with something more than night’ (quoted in Haut, Pulp Culture, 73). Research Papers on The Big Sleep - Film EssayWhere Wild and West MeetHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of Self19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThree Concepts of PsychodynamicResearch Process Part OneComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Spring and AutumnStandardized Testing

5 Great SEO Tips for Copy Writers

5 Great SEO Tips for Copy Writers 5 Great SEO Tips for Copy Writers Every modern business has a website. And if you have a website, you need an SEO strategy to help customers find you online. But how exactly does this work in terms of writing website copy? In this post, we run through a few SEO tips that you can use when writing online content. 1. Picking Keywords SEO is all about keywords. These are terms that people search for online to find your website, so it is crucial to use the right keywords in the right places. And this means working out the keywords your target customers are searching for online and building online content around them. A good starting point for this is using a keyword research tool. Alternatively, you can check competitors’ websites to see which terms they use. 2. Integrating Keywords How you work keywords into your copy is also crucial. For instance, you should try to: Use the main keyword(s) in the title of the page Include the main keyword(s) in the first paragraph of the copy Use keywords in subheadings within the copy Highlight keywords with bold or italic formatting where appropriate Include variations of keywords within the copy These may be small touches, but they make a big difference to SEO results. 3. Humans Are More Important Than Computers Keywords are good, but not if they come at the expense of readability. This is because, ultimately, the best way to boost SEO is to write good content that people want to share online. In the old days, you could get away with loading a webpage with keywords and search engines would still find them. This was known as â€Å"keyword stuffing.† But now, if you use too many keywords on a single page (more than 5% of the word count), Google may reduce the ranking of your website. Consequently, you should always focus on writing good content for human readers first. This also means making sure your website is error free, so don’t skip the proofreading! 4. Writing a Good Meta Description Getting your website to rank on search engines is only part of the battle. You also need people to click through to the site when they see the search results. And this is where the meta description is key. The meta description is the text that search engines use to â€Å"preview† a page in a list of results. It should therefore provide a brief summary of what the page is about. To do this: Keep it short (ideally between 155 and 320 characters) Explain how the page will resolve the reader’s problem For example, for this page, we could write: Check out our SEO tips for copy writers to boost your page ranking. Simple solutions for increasing traffic to your website. Perfect for businesses seeking a competitive edge online. In three short statements, we’ve made sure the reader will immediately know what the page is, what following our advice will achieve, and who we’re targeting with the page. 5. Strategic Linking One of the most important SEO tips is to work hyperlinks into your copy, including both internal links to other pages on your website and external links to other sites. Internal links should direct readers towards relevant information on your site. External links, meanwhile, can make your site more authoritative and boost its reputation. And if another site sees that you have linked to them, they might do the same in return, which will boost your SEO results significantly. However, don’t link to sites that rank higher than you for the same keywords, as this will be counterproductive. Focus instead on links to sites that cover related topics. Summary: 5 SEO Tips for Copy Writers When writing website copy, you need to think about SEO. This may include: Researching keywords and picking the right ones for your site Working keywords into the page copy effectively Making sure your work is easy to read for humans as well as computers Writing a strong meta description so people click through to your site Using internal and external links in your copy Applied well, these SEO tips should help boost your website traffic.

Superstructure Work Package Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Superstructure Work Package - Essay Example The building comprises of ten storeys, with all those above the ground providing office accommodation. There is also a ground floor, as well as, a high basement with a height of 7.5m. The latter provides space for a parking lot, loading bay and plants. Vehicles gain access to the basement through two vehicle elevators. The building has a centrally placed atrium, which extends from the ground floor to the tenth level, where it is covered with a glazed roof. The Point’s perimeter or circumference light well allows natural light to get to all floors including the ground floor, in addition to providing ventilation to the plant areas in the basement level. Work Package and Innovation under Scrutiny Even though the building’s perimeter light well and facades proposed by the architect bring light to all above ground levels, they do not constitute a comprehensive cooling and ventilation system. Additionally, the lighting mechanism does not cater for the basement level, thus dep riving plant areas sufficient light for growth. For these reasons, therefore, more considerations have to be accounted for, in order to enhance sustainability, technical performance and aesthetics, as per the client’s requirements. ... The Point on the local environment as well as on the potential occupants; which will make it possible to analyze the new developments in the design, operation and construction of this tall building. The available opportunities will be the need of assuring the client continuous dynamism provided that The Point requires superlative conditions for its operations. In order to achieve this, the building’s management is supposed to make sure that the demand for office space will be met. Further, tall office buildings like the Point have become increasingly essential as a result of the proficient utilization that they make on the limited land that is available. This is not only in Paddington, but it should be implemented in London as a whole. There is urgency for more office accommodation but there are problems that are experienced in such a situation. The problem being experience is in the sustainable development which is the principal parameter of action, and noting that, The Point has not exhausted all possible sustainability strategies. The construction, design as well as the operation of The Point, representing tall building has failed in conforming to new the legislation demanding installation of understandable sustainability procedures. Performance Standards The principal design worry for numerous tall buildings is fixed on their operational effectiveness instead of the environmental impact. A new balance needs to be struck between these two factors. Inefficient energy is also another concern. Speculative developers do not have any interest in other people’s building because they only want to maximize on their revenue that enhance environmental issues which will ultimately save energy and the tenants will incur much more on energy payment. The lifecycle assessment

Political Agreements and Disagreements between Plato and Aristotle Essay

Political Agreements and Disagreements between Plato and Aristotle - Essay Example Aristotle, on the other hand, does not buy the idea of a perfect society, instead, he focuses on accomplishing betterment and completeness in the existing society. According to Aristotle, politics should be based on generally accepted laws, norms, and customs. Plato in his political philosophy divides the community into three distinct classes; the producing class; then the supplementary class; finally the elite category of Rulers or Guardians. Rulers are assumed to be the wisest ones, who are capable of understanding and performing in absolute good of the society. Along with this Plato advocates the abolishment of private property rights for the producers and supplementary class, and simultaneously conserves the idea of having a family of the Rulers and Guardians only. (Hacker, Andrew. Political Theory: Philosophy, Ideology, Science. New York: Macmillan) Aristotle, on the other hand, has also segmented society into three subsections, based on existing trends in society; firstly oliga rchy; secondly, polity; and finally democracy. When placed on a continuum Polity is a moderate ion of oligarchy and democracy, with added features of both types and claimed it to be the best way to govern a society. In polity people who hold some private property are a part of the governing body, as was in an oligarchy, but simultaneously, property qualifications were kept low enough for a majority of a population to have a share of it and be part of the government as is the gist of democracy. According to Aristotle polity was the most preferable type of government because it consisted of a majority of the middle class where people shared a similar frequency and frame of mind, which in return shall give birth to a more stable and well-administered state. (Political Agreements and Disagreements between Plato and Aristotle) Aristotle believed that a good society was one where there was rule of law and constitution was the supreme authority, set by the general public, and the relation between government and state must be of liberty and freedom and not that of a ruler and servants.     Ã‚  

The Stress On Money In The Met :: essays research papers

The Stress on Money in The Metamorphosis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, the stress of, or the importance of money seems to be one of the major themes. Kafka shows how the person who makes the money is the person who gets the respect. If you aren't contributing to the income of the family, what good are you?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The novella starts off with Gregor being transformed into a bug. As he is lying on his bed, he thinks about his job: how he hasn't missed a day since he started to work there; he only has this job because his parents are in debt; and if he didn't get up 'The boss would be sure to come with the health-insurance doctor, blame his parents for their lazy son, and cut off any excuses by quoting the health-insurance doctor';(5). Gregor fears losing his job because his parents are in debt, and even though he hates his job, it is the sense of being the leading bread maker for the family, which demands some respect. Gregor supports his family by having this job, so the family gives Gregor respect in return. However, once the family learns that Gregor has turned into a bug, they stop treating him with respect, and instead, imprison him in his room. What use do they have for him now; he no longer makes any money. His parents refuse to look at him or even to try to communicat e with him. Instead of giving Gregor the respect he deserves out of love for their son, his parents give him respect because he gives them money. Now that he doesn't earn money, they lose all respect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Molnar 2 Although in the beginning Gregor receives respect, the daughter, Grete, receives none. Grete doesn't make any money, so the parents' attention is focused on Gregor. However, when Gregor loses his job and no longer makes any money, the attention is focused on Grete. Grete starts off as the innocent girl and does what she is told, but after Gregor's change, when she starts to take some responsibility, then she, in her own way, demands respect. This is seen when her and her mother are deciding whether or not to take out the furniture in Gregor's room. 'Of course it was not only child defiance and the self-confidence she had recently acquired so unexpectedly, and at such a cost that led her to make this demand';(25).

Managing Diversity in Global Companies

When a firm starts to function internationally, an understanding of culture and its impact on behavior, particularly management behavior and practices, becomes essential. Very often, people experience difficulties when they have to work in another culture because peoples’ world views and mental programs are different in different cultures. Culture has been called â€Å"the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes one human group from another† (Hofstede, 1980). Thus, the objectives of managing diversity in organizations emphasize the appreciation of differences in creating a setting where everyone feels valued and accepted. These objectives are: 1.) To monitor an organization's success or progress in managing diversity by organizational surveys of attitudes and perceptions, among other means. 2.) To create and shape the firm’s common set of values that will strengthen ties with customers, enhance recruitment, and the like 3.) To resist the fear of change in the organization itself and resist the discomfort of differences among the individuals in the organization. Even though there may be real economic benefits to expanding the world view of executives and corporations, developing recognition of the existence and benefits of diversity in global management does not come easily to US managers, who often have less exposure to multicultural realities in their workplace compared to their European or Asian counterparts. At present, most companies remain largely indifferent to changing corporate America's predominantly white status quo. But gradually, it is reassuring to know that some 300 or so companies that are aggressively pursuing diversity initiatives. They include companies such as General Motors and Starwood Hotels that have excelled at seeking out and doing business with black suppliers, many of which are represented on the Black Enterprise Best Companies for Diversity list of the nation's largest black-owned companies. To make the BE Best Companies for Diversity list, a company must demonstrate significant representation of African Americans and other ethnic minorities in four key areas: corporate procurement, corporate boards, senior management, and the total workforce. Others, such as Xerox Corp. and FedEx Express, are among the very best at bringing talented people of color into the senior management ranks of their companies, while PG&E and Marriott International are among those that have excelled at African American board representation. And when it comes to fostering diversity, corporations such as McDonald's Corp. and Verizon are old hands (Black Enterprise, July 2005). However, when companies decide to venture in the global arena, it is significant that the manager is reminded that the first imperative for effectively managing cultural diversity is cultural sensitivity. In fact, according to Clark (1987), one of the most recognized global brands, Coca-Cola, attribute their success to the ability of their people to hold and to understand the following perspectives simultaneously: Their corporate culture. The culture of their brand. The culture of the people to whom they market the brand. When global firms, small as well as large, service as well as manufacturing, have workforces that are distributed broadly across continents, and increasingly in emerging markets of the world. They include people from many countries and cultures, speaking many languages and educated in very different systems. The challenge for diversity for them would be twice as difficult. Thus, to manage diversity, domestically or globally, Laurent (1986) recommended espousing modern human resource strategy that requires these minimal orientations: An explicit recognition by headquarters that its own way of managing reflects the home culture values and assumptions. An explicit recognition by headquarters that foreign subsidiaries may have different ways of managing people, which may be more effective. A willingness to acknowledge cultural differences, and to take steps to make them discussible and, thus, usable. A commitment to the belief that more creative and effective ways of managing people can be developed as a result of cross-cultural learning. As companies continue to expand worldwide, human resource leaders are finding that a one-size-fits-all global solution to promote diversity that does not exist. According to Kurt Fischer, Vice President Business HR. and Diversity Officer of Corning Incorporated, HR managers often find that basic HR functions–compensations. benefits, staffing – no longer support their company’s business strategy. Leaders today are faced with the challenge of rethinking and restructuring how they will deliver HR services – and on a global basis. He suggested transforming HR globally through Centre of Excellence Approach (Stopper, 2003). According to Fischer, the Centre of Excellence approach provides content experts within the HR organization who focus on meeting strategic business needs. For example, a company's HR functions may be aligned with its businesses on paper but not in practice. This disconnect can be addressed through a Centre of Excellence approach, which provides content experts within the HR organization who focus on meeting strategic business needs. These experts serve as consultants to corporate business divisions and develop customised HR products and services to support business issues. For the Centre of Excellence approach to be effective, it should map to three levels of HR transformation: strategic, operational, and foundational. On the strategic level, HR leaders must work to define key HR objectives and a new value proposition with their client business divisions–in effect, changing HR’s positioning in the organization. A non-threatening way to accomplish this task is to participate with business divisions in developing their annual business strategy, and then craft an HR strategy to help each division meet its business goals. HR leaders must transform the organization's HR foundation, addressing core â€Å"people† elements of its change. Flexible networks of HR staff should be established to work cooperatively toward shared workforce management goals. A formalized HR reporting and organizational relationship system should be developed, and key HR performance requirements, accountabilities, and competencies defined. This right mixture of diversity is said to provide a wide-array of solutions to various problems and situations. On the other hand, it is also a venue for introducing conflict and disagreement. As the intense global competition zooms in largely on knowledge, creativity, and human talent, multinational firms are finding it more important to make full use of their entire workforce, tapping the creative energy and talents of all their employees. Their task is to find ways of succeeding not in spite of a diverse workforce, but because of it. At the same time, consistency is more important than ever. The integration of activities calls for close communication and reliable interaction, whereas the presence of global customers requires a single integrated approach to product delivery.   In view of this, Beamish et al. (2003) deemed that striving for consistency and fostering diversity is a continual process. There is no final resting point where a firm attains high consistency and high diversity once and for all. When managers cannot grasp consistency and diversity in a single step; they have to continually improve both. Thus, the actual challenge for global firms lies in their thrust for consistency and then their emphasis for diversity; this is also in consideration of their commonalities and deriving the full benefits from their differences. Works Cited Beamish, Paul W., Morrison, Allen J., Inkpen, Andrew & Rosenzweig, Philip M.   International Management: Text and Cases, (5th ed.), New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2003. Black Enterprise. The 30 Best Companies for Diversity: When it Comes to Minority Representation, These Corporations Mean Business. Earl G. Graves Publishing Co., Inc. 35.12 (July 2005): 112. Clarke, Jr., Harold F. â€Å"Consumer and Corporate Values: Yet Another View on Global Marketing,† International Journal of Advertising 6, (1987): 29–42. Hofstede, Geert. Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values, Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 1980. Hunt, James G., Schermerhorn, J. R. Jr., and Osborn, R. N. Organizational Behavior, 8th edition, New York:   John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2003. Laurent, Andre. â€Å"The Cross-Cultural Puzzle of International Human Resource Management,† Human Resource Management, 25.1, (Spring 1986): 91–102. Stopper, W. G. Current Practices. Human Resource Planning, 26.2 (2003): 5.   

The Criticism Of John Crowe Ransom - 2127 Words

New Criticism critics such John Crowe Ransom believe that a literary text is meant to be treated as autonomous and independent from any extrinsic sources . They believe that everything that is needed to understand a text is located within the text itself. New Criticism Critics advocated for a close reading of the text that closely analyzed form and technique. Ransom in his article Critics Inc redefines literary criticism in accordance with the New Criticism literary theory. Although he does admit that historical studies are indispensable he claims that it is merely instrumental and cannot an end itself. Even though he recognizes the importance of historical studies he argues that historical studies should be excluded from analysis. It is true that there is a lot to gain from analyzing and paying close attention to form, literary devices and techniques that are incorporated within a poem and a certain level of knowledge of the poem can be found solely within the poem. However, limi ting oneself to analyzing only what is within the poem also limits ones understanding and interpretation of the poem. Relying on extrinsic as well as intrinsic factors relating to a poem enables the critic or the reader to gain a different interpretation from the one that would have been derived by merely looking at the intrinsic factors. A poem such as Langton Hughes The Negro Speaks of Rivers although could be understood by simply looking at the poem itself, so much is left out if oneShow MoreRelatedBells for John Whitesides Daughter by John Crowe Ransom873 Words   |  3 PagesJohn Crowe Ransom was one of the most influential writers of his time. As a poet, essayist, and teacher at Vanderbilt University and Kenyon College, Ransom was one of the prominent leaders of the Fugitive Agrarians and the founder of the New Criticism school of literary criticism and the literary journal, Kenyon Review. 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