Impact of Globalisation on the Nature of Work in Developing Countries Essay

Impact of Globalisation on the Nature of Work in Developing Countries - Essay Example negatively much more than the male counterparts in the same countries because they are less likely to be able to take up the skilled employment opportunities. Widening Income Gaps There are other disadvantages which come with globalisation. As globalisation creates employment for the skilled people and takes away the same from those who are not professionally trained, this will continue to widen the income gap and these developing countries will end up without a middle class. A country without a middle class is usually at risk of economic and political instabilities, and this is why the issue of globalisation persists.6 Globalisation will continue to expand the gap between the poor and the rich as the few people in the developed countries who have been rich enough to get an education continue to take the top jobs, either locally or even internationally, and be richer, and the majority who do not have an education continue to be jobless and without income.7 Those poor people will not be capable of educating their children, and the trend will continue. On the other hand, the few who are at the top of the socioeconomic ladder will be able to instruct their children, and this means that the few rich will continue to get richer while the majority poor will continue to be poorer. India’s labour market was one of the first to hugely benefit from globalisation as it was the preferred destination for business process outsourcing. As a result of many western camping in Indian cities looking for educated jobless individuals to do their call centre work, many young and educated men benefited and started earning salaries they could not have dreamt of, especially for a call agent. The problem with this was that not everybody in India is educated and when these opportunities came,... This report stresses that â€Å"education differences have played a big role in turning globalisation opportunities into curse for developing countries†. This is a big issue in developing countries because in these countries, few people are educated and thus cannot take advantage of these opportunities brought about by globalisation. Developing countries also have women who are generally much less educated than their male counterparts. This is unlike in the developed world where the gap between the educated males and females is closing up. This means that women in developing countries will be affected negatively much more than the male counterparts in the same countries because they are less likely to be able to take up the skilled employment opportunities. Globalisation has also helped in boosting the local employment numbers in developing countries through supporting local businesses. This paper makes a conclusion that globalisation has both positive and negative impacts. With regard to the labour market, globalisation has brought both favourable and adverse impacts. However, the negative impacts seem to be outweighing the positive ones and, if not put in check, these negative impacts may end up having a serious implication for the global economy rather than only for the developing world. As a result, it is necessary that the issue of globalisation be looked at seriously and any future problems be solved in order to avoid a negative effect on the global economy.

Effects of Advertising Essay Example for Free

Effects of Advertising Essay Advertising may have some good points, as we know, but advertising is really just a necessary evil. Advertising has its own fair share of negative effects. While some are obvious to those with a more scrutinizing eye, most of advertising’s potentially harmful facets go undetected. How do you think advertisements have affected consumers or What are the negative effect of advertising? Advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade its viewers, readers or listeners to take some action. Why should an ad be negative The main functionality of an ad is to convey the reason for existence of a brand / product and entice customers to buy. The visuals are a form of expressing the communication and making it is human as possible. How its shown or televised, printed is a subjective matter. Ideally we should be asking whether the communication is correct or not. Is it misleading the consumer Is it showcasing something and you are landed with something else Negative effects of ad would be when the communication is wrong, which seldom happens. Its really only in cases of Insurance ads, funds or generally speaking finance vertical ads. Keeping these hazards in mind even these corporates have started issuing a disclaimer immediately after the ads. Cold drink companies are using aero stunts for their ads and also staking claim that the stunts are performed by qualified experts and hence not to be done by normal unqualified people!! Ads will not really be negative, unless there may in some cases like the Red Bull ad where the content is quite derogatory where the man drinks Red Bull flies and opens his fly on top of the bird because the bird shat on him thats going too far with the tag for Red Bull. So I do not really find any negative effect of advertising per se!! Today advertising plays a dominant role for each and every product. Sometimes it becomes nuisance for the viewers, especially when watching the favourite programes in TVs and during this time the ad will not be of much effective as they will be nelected by the viewers by switching over to another channel for watching some other show. The basic objective of all ad campaign in TV channels is to reach the public immediately. Here the question is up to what extent the ads are effective and are sucessful.. we cant say 100%. o the advertisers should plan their capaign to get the milage to the greater extent. But it is true that the ad related to the children is very well watched by them and are enjoyed by the children. For every action, there is an opposite and an equievalent reaction. Hence the advertisers have to make a strategic planning on their timing and the money spent for the ad should not go waste. In other words thei ad capaign should regulated. The ad should not turn to irritate the viewers and it should not also exaggerate. It should be simple to showcase their products qualities and applications. I believe currently that advertising has become so powerful and so subtle that we accept most of it without thinking. It is our environment. We buy shirts and bags with large logos and show off most of us own a TV, the programs that exist are there only to get us to see ads. Our newspapers are covered in ads and we still call it news. My point is that advertising is in no way positive. It creates want in a society that doesnt understand the true meaning of Need. Fr. Kavanaugh was on the mark when describing the effects of advertising on society. Our moral values are being degraded by the bombardment of impropriety by the media. Adler would be quick in pointing out the reason why these messages have such a negative effect on people. There are two main tactics advertisers use to sell their product: either imply that their product will bring about the achievement of a particular (usually real) good, or make their product the object of desire, therefore making it an apparent good to people. The problem with associating products with the achievement of a good lies more in the realm of truth than in good, because it lies in whether or not the product can truly live up to its claims. The relation between a product and statements, therefore, they are directly misleading the public. The other subjective thing, it would seem to be acceptable for advertisers to qualify represent in other words, Calvin Klein products are now in and of themselves associating more importance to the product than to the good involved, like a society to advocate proper moral values in their advertising, or at least not The effects of 2 People see advertisements all around the globe that attempt to lure consumers to buy products. Advertisements are placed in newspapers, magazines, schools, and on billboards everywhere. According to marketing consultants Stan Rapp and Tom Collins, on a typical day, an average American sees over 5,000 advertisements a day (Gay, 1992). Many questions arise about these advertisements, such as â€Å"Is advertising deceptive? Does it create or perpetuate stereotypes? Does it create conformity? Does it create insecurity in order to sell goods? Does it cause people to buy things that they really don’t need? †(Alexander Hanson, 1993, p. 240). Advertisers use specific methods to target teen consumers, but these methods are not always successful or ethical. Advertising is giving the general public information about new goods and trying to increase overall sales, which increases the efficiency of the nation’s economy. It is supposed to be a significant way of getting the point across about a product and create motivation for people to buy. Advertising alone, however, does not get customers. It simply catches consumers’ attention, gets them to walk up to a shelf, and make an impulsive purchase. However, getting the customer back requires a more creative marketing approach. There are several ways to research consumers’ behaviors, likes, and dislikes. The most popular method is tests and surveys, both before and after a product is introduced. Telephone surveys are very common, but they take several thousand calls to get a substantial number of responses to work with. Along with those, written questionnaires and samples, either handed out in stores or sent by mail, are effective tests to see if consumers like a product or not. The reactions to the samples, results of questionnaires, and number of participants are all recorded as The effects of 3 a part of the researching process to come up with effective ads. All of this data collected also has other purposes, such as information on warranties and which groups to target for certain products. Companies also check whether the ads are being productive by means of comparing the money made and number of sales during periods of advertising to those during a time of no advertising. Some companies even allow average consumers to preview a commercial to get a response. As a result, companies learn what consumers want before wasting money on useless ads. A well-known advertising strategy is making consumers feel insecure and creating fears that can be overcome by buying. Advertising reveals the latest fashions and the new popular novelties on the market. It exhibits perfect individuals wearing the new styles and looking good. Consumers observe this perfection and envy it. Therefore, they go out and buy in hopes of reaching perfection. Furthermore, being an accepted member of society has become very important to most individuals. For instance, the presence of body odor on individuals makes them an outcast in society. Advertisers use this knowledge to their advantage by developing ads that show a person using deodorant and being recognized as popular. Fear also works into the whole advertising process. Due to the fear by consumers that they will not fit in, they pay close attention to the new ads for the new looks, which gives advertisers more drive to make their ads portray the ideal person. Advertisers also insure that ads are simply informational, but many disagree and believe that they are definitely persuasive. According to Douglas Kellner, a professor of philosophy, as early as the 1920s, advertising critics argue that ads began to persuade Americans, due to the new invention of the assembly lines and the concept of corporations, that buying material The effects of 4 goods was the thing to do. They tried convincing people that spending hard-earned dollars on items that could be hand-made was the new accepted behavior that would enhance their lives (Alexander Hanson, 1993). Likewise, critics of the advertising industry argue that it connects products with preferred emotions, such as happiness and popularity. For example, beer commercials often show a man after a hard day’s work enjoying an ice-cold beer to relax him. They also argue that ads give people the impression that products can give them talent. Take athletics, for example. Nike ads are accused of implying that their shoes will give a consumer athletic ability. Michael Jordan is shown in a television commercial dunking a basketball, wearing a new style of Nike shoes. Consequently, kids are going to want the same pair to be â€Å"like Mike† (Wolf, 1998, n. p. ). On the other hand, advertising agencies say that they just give the consumers up-to-date information. They show change in their ads because they know that is what consumers want and to fulfill the needs of the general public, change. Thus, persuasive strategies are considered techniques used by advertisers to get consumers to buy. Teenagers have become top consumers in today’s society, so advertisers have focused on getting their business. According to Simmons Market Research Bureau of New York City, teens bought 25% of all movie tickets and 27% of all videos, totaling $6. 6 billion. In 1998, teens spent $1. 5 billion on jeans, almost twice as much as in 1990, and $3 billion on sneakers, almost four times more than the amount spent in 1997 (Tulley, 1994). Another reason teens are being targeted is the fact that there are many more teens in America today than the past Generation X. The current number is even expected to grow in the next decade, giving advertisers more reason to target them. Winning teens over as customers, today, means possible long-term customers, The effects of 5 which equal big profits. The majority of teens also have part-time jobs or some type of income. With the possibility of the minimum wage raising once again, teens have come to possess a lot of buying power. According to the Teenage Research Unlimited, teenagers spent $140 billion in 1998, which is 14 percent more than in 1997 (Berkowitz Evangelista, 1999). Teens are able to spend their money more freely because they do not have the responsibilities of adults. They even have a greater influence on household spending, as their role in the spending of their parents’ money continues to grow. For instance, it is not unusual for a parent to send their teenager to the grocery store for them, giving them complete control of brand choice. Thus, teenagers are becoming big targets for advertisers due to their growing consumerism. Why are teenagers such big targets in the advertising industry? The answer is simple: They are different. Advertisers view them as a constant changing generation with optimistic outlooks. They want to show individuality by their clothes and possessions, yet fit in with their peers. Their optimism comes from the good rate of job placement after college, the good position of the nation’s economy, and the very low unemployment rates. Teenagers can basically strive for any career with a good chance of being successful. They like to feel good about themselves, so they buy new materials to produce that feeling. Teens are continuously purchasing new items to keeps up with the changing trends. Therefore, advertisers use their view of teens to create ads. With this in mind, advertisers devise specific ads, using a variety of tactics, to appeal to these changing teens. Although marketers each have their own unique techniques, they all use original, flashy, and funny ads to reach the teenage audience. They make posters with college age students that create a fun and happy image. Television commercials include music with The effects of 6 good beats and bizarre images because that is what gets the attention of teens. For example, the Gap’s swing dancing commercials were a big success among teens. They bought their clothes and accessories from the Gap because they could relate to it. That is one reason Gap is ranked as the number one casual clothes store among teens. Advertisers use celebrities to endorse products because teens admire and look up to them. Since teens are still trying to find themselves, advertisers try to create ads and brands that will survive past the finding years of teenagers, so they will have them as future customers. Due to the change in today’s teens, advertisers target them much more. Another controversial subject with advertising is that fact that teenage smoking is on the rise. According to TIPS (Tobacco Information and Prevention Source), at least 6,000 people try a cigarette for the first time each day, all of which are under eighteen years old. There are at least 4. 5 million smoking adolescents in the United States. From 1988 to 1996, the number of adolescents, ages twelve to seventeen, who are daily smokers, has increased by 73 percent (http://www. cdc. gov/tobacco/initfact. htm). Teenage smoking has obviously increased in the United States. As a result, tobacco advertisements are being blamed for the increase use of tobacco by teenagers. Many advertising critics argue that tobacco ads do indeed influence and contribute to the number of teenage smokers. Most teens, however, disagree and believe that their peers are the number one factor in their decision to smoke. Since image is very important to teens, they evaluate what image their smoking friends portray. If they want that image too, they may also take up the habit of smoking. A teen’s attitude towards cigarettes is a considering factor, ranking above advertising that leads to teen smoking. It is obvious that if one has a negative attitude The effects of 7 towards cigarettes, he or she will be less smoke. However, if individuals openly accept cigarettes, they may end up as a smoker. Also, those around cigarettes on a daily basis are more likely to be persuaded to smoke than individuals who are not around cigarettes. In the opinions of teens, tobacco ads do not play a big role in their decision to smoke. Advertisers use a variety of tactics to target particular groups, such as teens, to market their product. There are many views on advertising. Despite the many opinions that advertising is manipulative, a waste of money that could go towards other issues, and a bad influence on human beings, there is no true way of proving it has a bad effect on people. It is simply intended to reveal the benefits of products that consumers want. It is vital to many businesses, as some would be unable to survive without a way of making their products known. Although advertising is accused of influencing consumers to buy things they do not need, they have the choice to buy. It is up to the consumer to make wise choices and develop shopping skills that are intelligent.

Tuckmans Team Building Model Management Essay

Tuckmans Team Building Model Management Essay To achieve stated goals and objectives people in organizations work in teams. These teams go through various stages. The extent to which project leadership success or failure, relates to the stages of teams formation, in the pursuance of these goals and objectives are not clear cut as past researches have given divided opinion and bringing other factors in contention. This assignment will introduce the concept of team formation and project leadership and critically discuss the extent to which the stages of team formation relate to the success or failure of project leadership. To critically evaluate how the stages of team formation relate to the success or failure of project leadership, Tuckmans team building model which explain the five forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning stages of the team formation (please see appendix 1) and Blanchards situational leadership model which explain the four leadership styles that a leader should adopt during the team development situations will be evaluated as the team behaviour and leadership style can be clearly seen in these two models. Tuckmans model emphasis that as the team develops, the leader changes leadership style. At the forming stage a successful leader follow a directing style which is similar to telling phase described in situational leadership model, at the storming stage leader coaches their team to come out from the conflict which is similar to the selling phase of the situational leadership style model, at the norming stage the leader facilitates its team to develop standards which is s imilar to the participating phase of the situational leadership model, at the performing stage leader delegate task to the members and almost detached which is similar to the delegating stage of the situational leadership model. At this stage the team initially formed, the team members meet each other; identify the purpose of the team, terms of reference and its composition. Team members endeavor to test each other, establish their personal identity and create an impression within the group with most consideration given to structure of the team, code of conduct, objectives, individual roles and responsibilities. If the team is more diverse, it is more difficult for the team to maneuver through as this stage takes longer. Therefore, in the formation of multicultural teams it is a particularly sensitive stage as it is characterized by commonality, courtesy, caution and confusion. To take the team to the performing stage leadership is crucial. Team members will not be comfortable if there is lack of clarity. If a leader could not direct the team members effectively, team would not able to reach the next stages of the team formation; therefore this stage does impact the success or failure of the project leadership. When team members truly consider that they are the part of a team, generally this stage is complete. Table 1: Members and Leadership competencies in Forming stage of a team. Member competencies needed: Leadership competencies needed: Asking open-ended questions Maintaining equity and being fair Listening without making assumptions and judgments Helping the group to articulate its purpose and overriding goal Observing group patterns of communication Facilitating discussions Using inclusive communication patterns Intervening to include all Disclosing ones needs appropriately Stage 2 Storming: This phase of team development is typically marked by conflict between team members, criticism and tension. Conflict arises due to the competing approaches to obtain the groups goals, disagreements over responsibilities and appropriate task related behavior. Team members might disagree about who should be leading the team and how much power the team leader should have and can result in redefining of the teams overall goals and specific tasks. Team members are likely to individually decide their level of commitment to the group tasks and extent, to which they like the team tasks, therefore may resist the control imposed by the team. At storming stage the team members may begin to withdraw, therefore this stage relates to the success or failure of the project leadership. If leaders coach their teams effectively, teams can proceed to the next stage. Therefore this stage is a critical stage for the group survival and effectiveness as the conflict harms the team progress and negatively affects some interpersonal relationship. When teams control is no longer resisted by the team members and everyone in the team agree about who will lead the team, this storming stage is completed. Table 2: Members and Leadership competencies in Storming stage of a team. Member competencies needed: Leadership competencies needed: Using inclusive language and behaviors Establishing an agreed-upon work plan Managing emotional expression Using mediation skills Giving and receiving feedback appropriately Using diverse methods of feedback and conflict transformation Stage 3 Norming: At this stage norms and expectations about what different members are responsible for doing are realize and develop as the team delineates task standards, develop intra group cohesiveness and establish standards, rules and regulations. Team members really start to feel their belongings to the team and the development of close ties with other team members. Therefore this phase of team development is characterized by: commitment, collaboration, cooperation and cohesion as team members attempts to mutually agree upon objectives and goals, accept different opinion and try to open exchange of information. Feeling of belongings and friendship to team, help to work towards team goals. At the norming stage the leader facilitates and enables their team to establish the standards and reach to the performing stage. By the end of this stage, standards to guide behavior in the group are agreed by the team members. This stage is similar to the participating stage of the situational leadership model. If the leader does not participate to establish standards, the team may develop their own standards and norms which may me contrary to the project overall objectives and lead to the project leadership failure. At this stage the major decisions are normally made by the team members jointly and the minor decisions may be delegate to the individuals. Table 3: Members and Leadership competencies in Norming stage of a team. Member competencies needed: Leadership competencies needed: Demonstrating support on task and in relationships Reinforcing high standards for task Recognizing individual and cultural differences in how appreciation is shown Coaching where needed Stage 4 Performing: This is the stage at which real work is done, team members know their role and duties and performing their work according to the expectations. Team members concentrate on the achievement of common goals and objectives. Sometime it can take long to reach to the performing stage, in most cases when they are self-managed work teams. Team members make progress towards common goals and feel comfortable working within their roles. This phase is marked by consideration among members, creativity challenge and group consciousness. At this stage the team morale is high and team has a good ability to focus on the task as relationship issues have been resolved. At the performing stage the team may produce another successor leader. At this stage the team members does not need assistance and instructions, but they need delegated tasks from the leader. Therefore at this stage leader delegates, observes and almost detach, this stage is similar to the delegating stage of the situational leadership model. This is the main stage where actual work will take place; delegation of wrong tasks to wrong person may lead to project leadership failure. Table 4: Members and Leadership competencies in Performing stage of a team. Member competencies needed: Leadership competencies needed: Adapting and changing Establishing a process for incorporating change and renewal Including new members Sharing leadership Stage 5 Reforming or Adjourning: At this stage a task force teams disbands after the fulfillment of its goals or due to poor performance. But some teams are permanent (ongoing work teams), therefore may not reach to the adjourning stage and often remain to the performing stage. This final stage can be characterized by communication, closure, compromise and consensus. The adjourning phase is not the main task of developing a team, but this stage is very relevant to the team members. Table 5: Leadership Activities at Different Group Formation Stages Stage Leadership Activity Forming Direct the team and establish objectives clearly by negotiating ground rules. Storming Establish process and structure, and work to smooth conflict and build good relationships between team members. Generally provide support, especially to those team members who are less secure. Remain positive and firm in the face of challenges. Explain forming, storming, norming and performing idea for people to understand why conflicts occurring, and that things will get better in the future. Teaching assertiveness and conflict resolution skills. Norming Help the team take responsibility for progress towards the goal by arranging a social, or a team-building event. Performing Delegate as far as possible. Once the team has achieved high performance, the aim now is to have as light a touch as possible by focusing on other goals and areas of work. Adjourning When successfully achieved the objectives time should be taken to celebrate the achievements. The above table clearly depict the relation between the stages of team formation and successful project leadership, the reverse will mean failure. 4. Conclusion Teams are formed because they can achieve far more than their individual members can on their own, and while being part of a high-performing team can be fun, it can take patience and professionalism to get to that stage. Effective team leaders can accelerate that process and reduce the difficulties that team members experience by understanding what they need to do as their team moves through the stages from forming to storming, norming and, finally, performing. Successful project leadership should realize that not all teams and situations will behave in the way depicted by Tuckman. However, in using this approach, the leader should not attempt to force situations to fit it but make sure that people dont use knowledge of the storming stage as a license for boorish behavior. There are some drawback with Tuckmans team formation modal as it does not talk about the time teams do spend and should spend in different project and external environment does not take into account. 1. Abstract People in organizations work in teams in achieving stated goals and objectives. The extent to which project success relates to the management of task, the individuals and the teams formation in the pursuance of these goals and objectives are not of equal proportion and need to be well judged and balanced by the leader. This assignment will use John Adairs Action Centre Leadership model to related the dynamic between task, individuals and team; critically discussing the extent to which these three needs are related to the management of a successful project. Introduction One person cannot handle whole project, he/she need other individuals an effective team to successfully complete the project. An effective team is a team who has high commitment, is highly appreciated by upper management, is always ready (adaptive) to change open to new ideas and always achieves its goals. Bailey and Cohen (1997: 4) considers a team as a collection of individuals who are interdependent in their tasks, share responsibility for outcomes, see themselves and are seen by others as an intact social entity, embedded in one or more larger social systems and who manage their relationships across organizational boundaries. Adairs Action Centred Action (ACT) model will be used to find the dynamic between task, team and individual as relate to managing projects successfully, as this model identifies three core interrelated functions, which explain the management and leaders core management responsibility. These three core function consist task: achieving the teams goal. team: developing and building your team, so that its ever more effective. individual: helping individuals develop their full potential in the workplace. Discussion Davis (2001) identified three factors, which can determine whether the team is effective or not, such as: The people (individual) within the team: Effective team determining factor for individual aspect include personal job satisfaction, low or no conflict and power struggles, having job security, appreciation by management and mutual trust of colleagues. The organizations rules and culture: includes the people do thinks and believes of the individuals. The tasks to be completed: including appropriate leadership, team involvement in decisions, appropriately skilled team members, challenging work, goals and objectives. According to Davis (2001) it is easy to appreciate the impact of organizational rules and job tasks on each other and on people (individual), but it is much more difficult to understand the impact of individual-related factors on other factors of successful teams of a successful project. Individual related factor such as trust is a major component in forming an effective working team that achieves results. Leaders/ managers are primarily responsible for creating trust. Adair (1997) describe the best leaders is who balance the task, team maintenance, and individual needs. Balancing task, team and individual Adair found that effective leaders pay attention to three areas of need for members of the team: those relating to the task, to the team itself and to individual team members with emphasis on variation with all three interdependent variables. Teams can be more effective for making decisions effectively and quickly than the traditional hierarchical structure according to the large body of research (Thompson 2008). As group members come and go, due to turnover, promotions, hiring and other reasons; therefore resulted over time change in teams, goals, group tasks etc (George et al. 2008). Teams can be classified on the basis of size, organizational level, composition, potential contribution to organizational performance, objectives, permanent versus temporary. According to Colloquia et al., there are 5 general types of teams such as work teams, management teams, parallel teams, project teams and virtual teams. Leadership is the ability to affect human behaviour to accomplish a mission, the act of influencing people to set and achieve goals (McGraw, 2009). Great leaders are visionary people who are able to achieve results using people. They exhibits authority in themselves and exhume confidence in their team members. Some leaders are democratic, allowing team members to express their opinions. Some are dictatorial, explaining what they want from their teams to the team members to execute. All styles have opportunity and challenges and may be used in certain circumstances. Team leaders must also realise that there are different types of human traits that can be exhibited among team members. These traits rarely have advantage over others as they are complementary. It is the duty of an effective team leader to identify the trait in individual members of his or her team and know how to use the qualities to advantage. All these traits have the qualities which effective team leaders can exploit and none is better than the other. Tasks are those activities that need to done in order to achieve the desired goals and outcome. Leader can help to facilitate these tasks by planning the work, allocating the resources, checking performance and reviewing progress. Team maintenance relates to maintaining good relation and building team spirit, training the group, maintaining discipline. Individual needs can be satisfied by attending to personal problems, training the individual, giving them status and praise, meeting their needs and reconciling conflicts between group needs. To achieve the task, management should make it clear who is going to do what, proper delegation of responsibilities, everyone is clear about the objectives, is adequate authority delegating to the team, are working conditions right for the group, have the time planned affectively, who will cover the absent person, is there adequate resources to complete the tasks. In building and maintaining the team, management should make it clear is the size of the team is correct, are the right people working together, are the rules seen to be reasonable, is the team motivated to achieve the tasks, is the conflict dealt properly, does the team accept the objectives do the team knows about the expected standards of performance. In developing the individual, management should make it clear that have the targets been agreed and quantified, does the individual know about their contribution to work, overall result, does the individual got sufficient authority to achieve the task delegate to them and has adequate provisions been made for retaining and training team members. According to the Hackman (1987), there are 3 primary definitions of team success, and these relate to the task, social relations, and individuals. A successful team completes its task. While completing the task, team members develop social relations that help them work together and maintain the team. Teamwork should help to improve an individuals social and interpersonal skills. Mullins (2010:369) suggests that the action taken by the leader in any one of these area of need will affect one or both of the other areas of need with the ideal position been the complete integration towards the achievement of all three. However, building the team and satisfying individual needs are considered to be part of leadership whilst achieving the common task involves the process of management. According to Robbins (1998) Individual behavior have key variables, which make up individual difference. Every individual has their own attitudes, personality, values, talent, ability to learn, motivation factors, perceptions. Different nature of these variables (attributes) make individual different. Attitude is the judgment an individual make about events and people. This judgement can be positive or negative. Basic values influenced attitude and attitude affect the individual behaviour. Sometime attitudes can change, while values are unlikely to change. Values: Values are the general belief about what is good and bad. Values affect the individual behavior and attitude and difficult to change. Personality: Individual act and behave in a particular way, which called personality. Personality can be learned and inherited. Talent: Talent means the intelligence and ability of the individual. Level of persons talent will depend on how those people perform their job. Ability to learn: This is related to the change in behavior based on experience and getting new ideas. Motivation: Motivation means willing to do something with inspiration, not by force. Different individual have different motivating factors, such as money, name and fame etc. According to Bowditch et al the motivation of team members of joining a team, strongly influence cohesiveness of the team and the members productivity. Perception: Different people give different meaning to what they see around them; therefore people perceive things in different ways. By Knowing about individual differences leaders can understand why individual respond differently. Leaders should appreciate that it is difficult to change values, therefore they may be try to change attitude. As attitude affect behavior, which affect job performance and motivation. The key learning point from these different factors is that if leader want to get best from their team he should appreciate that individuals need to be treated differently. There is also Myer-Briggs model (1956) which effective team leaders have to contend with. This model is about personality types. Myer-Briggs identified four ways people differ from each other. These are: the way they think; the way they view; the way they feel/perceive and the way they see things. Team diversity include language difference, cultural difference, background difference, qualification difference, class, age, sex and experience also have effects in a team which the leader must manage. Mckenna and Maister draw attention on the importance of group leader establishing trust among the group by helping them understand the behaviours that build trust (Cited in Mullins, 2010). Successful project management will require the following list of common tasks for each of the three management responsibilities so that leaders will balance their resources appropriately. Task Team Individual Establish deadlines for project tasks, and explain the quality standards expected. Ensure that everyone in the team has the skills and training to accomplish the final goal Help define each individuals role within the team and agree the tasks they are responsible for. Clearly state the final goal of the team. Monitor team relationships, and resolve conflicts where necessary. Appropriately praise and reward individual team members for their contribution to the team. Ensure everyone understands the resources, people, and processes that they should be using If team will be working in smaller teams, appoint a leader for each team, and ensure that he/she is effective and properly trained. Ensure that one on one time is spent with each member: identify their strengths and weaknesses, their needs, and any special skills they can bring to the team. Create a detailed plan for how the group is going to reach their final goal. Work on keeping the team motivated with high morale. If any team members seem to be lagging behind, coach them until they are back on track. Identify the purpose of the team and communicate team members. Identify the style the team will be working in (very formal, relaxed, etc.) Ensure each team member has the skills to perform his or her role successfully. Give regular feedback on the teams performance. 4. Conclusion Leaders have many responsibilities when it comes to managing their teams. And, its easy to get so focused on one area that the others slip by the wayside, leading to an unbalanced, poorly-functioning group. ACL model states that leaders must balance the actions they take across all three key areas if they want their project to succeed. The areas are interdependent; if a leader focuses too much on one area and neglects the other two, then the group will experience problems. The leaders do not necessarily have to divide their efforts equally across these but balance according to the situation and over time. Using a tool like Action Centered Leadership can help any leader stay on top of the most important responsibilities, and keep the group working efficiently, happily, and productively. John Adairs simple Action-Centered Leadership model provides a great blueprint for leadership and the management of any team, group or organisation. Good managers and leaders should have full command of the three main areas of the ACL model, and should be able to use each of the elements according to the situation. Leaders who are able to achieve the task; building the team and develop keeping the right balance, gets results, builds morale, improves quality, develops teams and productivity, and is the mark of a success.

2001 Silverado :: essays research papers

INTRODUCING THE 2001 CHEVY SILVERADO MOTOR TREND’S 2001 TRUCK OF THE YEAR   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While shopping for a new pick up truck I discovered a real find, the 2001 Chevrolet Silverado. Ford may have been the best selling pickup in the United States, but more and more Americans are turning to Chevrolet to meet their hauling needs. While Dodge and Ford are making drastic changes to their full-size pickups’ appearance, Chevrolet has decided to stick with more traditional styling. During my research to find the best truck for the best value, I used a couple of outstanding web sites. They provided me with excellent information. The web sites used were: http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado/ index.htm and http://www.Nhtsa.dot .gov/ncap/ncap.cfm. Price Range   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 2001 Chevy Silverado Extended Cab price ranges from $22,537 to $32,778 (http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado/index.htm). There are several packages, options, trim levels, and engines to choose from. That’s why there is a more than $10,000 difference from the standard model to the loaded model. Appearance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 2001 Silverado model that caught my eye is the 1500 extended cab. The 1500 model comes in eleven appealing color schemes, from a bright Summit White to a deep Indigo Blue Metallic. The extended cab feature allows for additional passengers, which is great for my family of four. Even though the Silverado has the most rear-seat legroom of any other GM extended cab pickup, the legroom for the rear seat would be uncomfortable for adults on a long trip. The rear seat can be folded up to allow for additional storage space, a convenient option for those who go shopping on a rainy day. The extended cab comes with a term known as Fourth Door. Fourth Door pertains to the fact that there are actually four doors that can be opened. Each rear door can only be opened after the door in front of it is opened. This could be a slight inconvenience because the rear passengers are unable to exit the vehicle until the front passengers have opened their doors. Silverado Extended Cab  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Interior View http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado/index.htm Power   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 1500 model comes standard with the 4.8-liter V8 small block Vortec engine. This engine puts out an impressive 270 horsepower. However, with the horsepower comes an additional price to pay at the gas pump. The 2001 Silverado gets sixteen miles to the gallon in the city and twenty-one miles to the gallon on the open highway. To me the power is worth the price.

Dementia Awareness Unit Essay

1. Explain what the term Dementia means 2. Describe the key functions of the brain that are affected by dementia 3. Explain why depression, delirium and age related memory impairment may be mistaken for dementia 4. Outline the medical models of dementia 5. Outline the social models of dementia 6. Explain why dementia should be viewed as a disability 7. List the most common causes of dementia 8. Describe the likely signs and symptoms of the most common causes of dementia 9. Outline the risk factors for the most common causes of dementia 10. Identify prevalence rates for different types of dementia 11. Describe how different individuals may experience living with dementia depending on age, type of dementia, and level of ability and disability 12. Outline the impact that the attitudes and behaviours of others may have on an individual with dementia 1. Explain what the term Dementia means Dementia is a term used to describe the symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by specific diseases and conditions. Dementia is a syndrome do to disease of the brain, usually of a chronic progression nature in which there are multiple disturbances of higher cognitive function. Symptoms of dementia include loss of memory, confusion and problems with speech and understanding. 2. Describe the key functions of the brain that are affected by dementia The key function of the brain affected by dementia are: impairment of memory thinking, and orientation, learning abilities, language and jugement.The resulting disability depends on the interaction between the underlying disease process, the individual and the social environment. 3. Explain why depression, delirium and age related memory impairment may be mistaken for dementia. Dementia often is developing slowly and is not always obvious in the early stages. There are symptoms similar to dementia seen in other illnesses and  sometimes it can be difficult to tell apart dementia from the usual forgetfulness seen in normal ageing. Also there are many other reason why people become forgetful, depressed, anxious, mood changing. Symptoms can be related to some medicines and drugs, vitamin deficiency, thyroid problems. 4. Outline the medical models of dementia Medical model relates to clinical approach, how the changes occur within the brain, managing the condition with medication, etc Dementia as a clinical syndrome is characterised by global cognitive impairment, which represents a decline from previous level of functioning, and is associated with impairment in functional abilities and, in many cases, behavioural and psychiatric disturbances. 5. Outline the social models of dementia Social model is more about the person, how it affects individuals, seeks to understand the emotions and behaviours of the person with dementia by placing him or her within the context of his or her social circumstances and biography. Looking at a person with dementia as an individual, with his or her own history and background, care and support can be designed to be more appropriate to individual needs. 6. Explain why dementia should be viewed as a disability Dementia is not a normal part of the aging process; it is a disease of the brain that leads to disability of cognitive function, behavioural or motor deficits. People with dementia are not able to live alone, they are a risk for them and for others; they need continuing supervision, carers who are trained to meet their needs. Dementia is progressive, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse. 7. List the most common causes of dementia Dementia it is a big umbrella term used to cover different conditions that cause dementia. There are many different types of dementia, the most common are Alzheimer’s disease, Vascular Dementia, Lewy body dementia, Alcohol related dementia, Front temporal dementia. All types of dementia are characterized by abnormal neurodegeneration, which is brain cells dying daily. This leads to cognitive, behavioural or motor deficits. One of the ways to categorized dementia is by where the damage to these cells is occurring in the brain. Alzheimer’s disease cause loss of brain cells, neurons, cause by what are called plagues and tangles in the brain. Plagues comprise of protein, known as amyloid which attach themselves to cells in the brain and ultimately destroys them. Tangles are bundles of abnormal fibres which consist in protein called tau.Alzheimer disease can be seen throughout the brain but is particularly noticeable in the temporal and parietal lobes. It also changes in the brain neurotransmitter system, the chemical messages which allow communication between brain cells breaks down. Vascular Dementia usually is due to a thrombosis, a cloth forming in a vessel which then leads to areas of brain cell death. Lewy body dementia. People with this type of dementia have brain plagues like someone with Alzheimer’s but have fewer tangles and instead have Lewy bodies which are pink staining structures found in neurones brain cells. Front temporal dementia is a degeneration of frontal and temporal lobes of the brain parts there are controlling the behaviour, emotional responses ore language skills. It is a rare form of dementia affecting younger people under the age of 65. Alcohol related dementia caused by atrophy of the brain associated with alcohol consuming. 8. Describe the likely signs and symptoms of the most common causes of dementia Alzheimer’s disease: Slow onset, Memory problems, poor concentration, word finding difficulty, impaired reasoning, increasing frequency and severity of symptoms, problem initiating new ideas, failure to recognise people, places, objects. Vascular dementia: Patchy brain impairments, abrupt onset, insight present, depression common, aphasia can be more prominent, personality changes. Lewy body dementia : memory loss, low attention spam, confusion, lost sense of smell, hallucination, delusion, slowness of movement, shaking of hands and legs, shuffling, sleep disturbance, loss of facial expression. Front temporal dementia: Apathy, routines and obsessions, speech fluent intact, little insight, loos of social awareness, neglect of responsibilities, poor judgement and impaired reasoning. 9. Outline the risk factors for the most common causes of dementia The main factor is old age; over 80 years old it is more likely to develop dementia. The risk factors can be: Unhealthy diet (excess of fat, animal protein, high processed food), obesity, smoking, misuse of alcohol, high blood pressure, lack of exercise, cardio- vascular diseases, and genetic background. A healthy lifestyle may reduce the risk of developing the disease. 10. Identify prevalence rates for different types of dementia Both man and woman get dementia. Dementia affects mainly older people but it can affect younger people. In UK there are about 750.000 people with dementia and 18.500 people under age of 65. Over 17.000 people got Alzheimer; it represents 40-50% of people with dementia. About 10% of people with dementia are known as mixed dementia. Vascular dementia, the second cause after Alzheimer affects about 20% of all dementia. Lewy bodies’ dementia affects about 19% of all dementia and it is believed to increase. Fronto-temporal dementia is one of the rarer types, affecting men and women under 65. It is the second cause for dementia in younger people (under 65) and is the third most common cause for this group of age. Korsakoff syndrome is diagnosed in about one in eight people with alcoholism. Present in about 2% of general population, it is affecting mainly man between 45 and 65 Parkinson dementia represents around 2% of all causes of dementia in the UK. 11. Describe how different individuals may experience living with dementia depending on age, type of dementia, and level of ability and disability Depending of the type of dementia, age, personality, environmental, individuals can experience different challenges despite of the pattern of the disease. Dementia is classified in three stages: early dementia, moderate dementia, severe dementia. In earlier stage a person with dementia can appear more apathetic, louse inters on activities, not interested to try new things, be unable to adapted  to changes, poor judgements, blame others to steal things, became more forgetful to recent events ,be more irritable if they fail on something, have difficulty handling money. In this stage the symptoms are not so evident and can be easily related to old age or tiredness. In moderate stage the symptoms are more evident and disabling. A person became more forgetful, confuse about space and time, lost if it is an unfamiliar surroundings, forget familiar names or confuse one family member to other, wonder around on streets having disturbing nights, behave inappropriate, seeing or hearing things there are not there, become very repetitive, neglected on hygiene or eating, become angry, upset or distressed through frustration. In these cases a person is not able to live alone, will need supervision and assistance becoming a risk for him/her and others. Severe dementia, the person became severely disable and need total care and supervision. Memory is very poor, they can’t remember things even for a minute, louse the ability to understand or speech, became totally incontinent, did not recognise friends or family, need assistance in all ADL’s, being very disturbed at night, restless and aggressive, having difficulty walking, having uncontrolled movements, in time immobility will became permanent. Most people with dementia suffer some memory loss. Depend of the type of dementia, level of their disability, background, there can be some difference. For example in Alzheimer’s disease difficulty in functioning are regular, in Vascular dementia they may have patchy in what they can and cannot do or have some damage in specific areas or functioning and none in others. In Lewy Body dementia, people will have fluctuation in their cognitive state, memory functions tend to be better preserved. They can also have more prominent visual and auditory hallucinations, paranoid and depression may be common. In Front temporal dementia, in early stages the memory remains intact but the personality and behaviour will change. They can behave inappropriately, lose inhibition, language problems. Some abilities remain; even many are lost as the disease progress. The person still keeps their senses of touch and hearing and their ability to respond to emotion. A person with dementia may not be able to communicate their wishes and needs; they may not be able to tell if they are in pain; because of this they will use their behaviour to communicate. The behaviour of a person with dementia is a big challenge for carers. It will not always be clear what the person is trying to tell, it is up to the carer to try and find out what the person needs. Because a person with dementia is forgetful, confuse, became frighten not knowing where he/she is, not recognise the people, surroundings, he/she can show challenging behaviour. They can become aggressive, they can hurt themselves or others, shouting, wondering and usually trying to go out. Their personality can change and it is frustrating for family who know their beloved, a nice, calm person can become totally different. Although some symptoms are common to many people with dementia, each person’s experience with the disease will be different. Dementia it is a disability; a person with dementia will need someone to be with them all the time to meet their needs, to protect them for becoming a risk for them and others. 12. Outline the impact that the attitudes and behaviours of others may have on an individual with dementia Because behaviour, in my opinion, is the most challenging when caring for a person with dementia, carer has to be well informed about their client. Attitudes and behaviour of others may have a big impact in evolution of the disease. The behaviours shown by people with dementia happen for a reason The person with dementia’s behaviour may be related to something in their past life, a job or a role such as being mother or father. They may be trying to tell you that they are lonely and miss their family. Or they could be telling you that they want to feel useful. Provided person centred care is of the outmost importance, therefore is essential to have prior knowledge of the client’s past for example hobbies, family structure. A well structured plan of care for staff to follow is  essential, to treat the client as a human being is crucial and not as someone with dementia. Many people with dementia have a fragile sense of self-worth; it’s especially important that people continue to treat them with courtesy, however advanced their dementia. A surrounding can influence person behaviour; a person with dementia can show bad behaviour just because he is trying to tell you something about their environment. It can be a noisy room, a cold room, they does not know where they are. The client with dementia should be safeguarded and protected from the conflictual situation, noisy environment, pain or unpleasant experiences which may trigger a challenging behaviour. The attitude of the people around, the way they speak or behave may influence the mood of someone with dementia. It is best to stay calm, provide reassurance and distract the person attention to something pleasant for him. The carers and family must understand that the person’s behaviour is not something he can control, or something he means it. Understanding, tolerance, encouragement and kindness while preserving the dignity of the person is the best way to cope while carrying for a client with dementia. It’s very important that people with dementia are treated with respect, to remember that a person with dementia is a unique and valuable human being, despite their illness.

Walt Disney Parks Resorts Management Strategy Essay Example

Walt Disney Parks Resorts Management Strategy Essay Example Walt Disney Parks Resorts Management Strategy Paper Walt Disney Parks Resorts Management Strategy Paper Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Management Strategy Policy For my final paper I chose to discuss The Walt Disney Company. Since the Company is so large and made up of four primary business segments, I decided to focus on one particular segment: Parks and Resorts. This segment is composed of the theme parks, cruise-line, and vacation club resorts. The Walt Disney Company Parks and Resorts strive to be the leader in innovative and creative family entertainment in the world. The mission of The Walt Disney Company Parks and Resorts is to provide â€Å"magical† experiences to all guests that visit our Parks and Resorts. We use technology, innovation, and imagination to create a unique entertainment experience comparable to nothing else. Our core values are: -Provide world-class customer service based on the Disney Service Model -Make sure every guest that comes to our Parks and Resorts has a â€Å"magical† experience -Use our rich culture, traditions, and heritage to differentiate our products -Create new entertainment experiences using our innovative technology and storytelling -To make happiness and dreams come true The Walt Disney Company Parks and Resorts is apart the Amusement Park Industry. This industry began as early as 1600 and really started flourishing in the mid 1900’s. The big competitors in the market are Six Flags Entertainment Corp, Universal Studios, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, SeaWorld Parks Entertainment, and the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. The companies that are not in the industry are the traveling carnivals and fairs. This is because they are only in one place for a short period of time. They pose very little threat and/or competition to the amusement park industry. The demographics of the macro-environment are very broad. Since the amusement park industry is geared towards family entertainment, both genders and all ages are present. Many different races are also involved because there are parks in many different countries. Theme parks are now handicap accommodating too. The social forces vary depending on which area the theme park is in. Even in the United States, Disneyworld (Florida) and Disneyland (California) vary in there social forces. Cast Members (Disney’s term for employees) in CA are trained to be friendly and greet every guest, while in FL they are trained to only greet guests who seek them out. The political, legal, and regulatory factors again, vary from theme park to theme park. The parks in the United States have more restrictions than say those of Hong Kong, China. In the U. S, minors (age 15-17) are only allowed to work 20 hours a week. In Hong Kong, young persons (ages 15-17) are allowed to work up to 48 hours a week. Regulatory factors such as this differ in each region. The Walt Disney Company Parks and Resorts has quite an extreme variety of natural environments. The weather in Florida for example can get in the 100’s regularly whereas in California it can get as cold as the low 50’s. These weather conditions actually are a big factor in guests determining which park they want to visit. Technology seems to stay consistent between most of the theme parks. In fact, many of the theme parks have some of the same rides at their parks. The global forces actually can create threats to the company. The addition of the newest theme park to the company, Shanghai Disney, took several years to become accepted. This has been common throughout the duration of The Walt Disney Company. Many people vote against a new theme park or resort because of the crowds that it will attract and the amount of space it will occupy. General economic conditions vary in each region. The U. S. economic decrease actually ended up boosting the attendance at the theme parks. This is because families weren’t able to afford big vacations to Hawaii and Europe but they still wanted to have a vacation, so they went to a Disney park for a day or two because it was more affordable. The macro-environment plays a big role for the Parks and Resorts. Since the company is global and has parks in different countries, all of these macro-environment components vary in each country/region. This can be very difficult to manage since decisions about the company have to be based on each individual theme park. Some of these components, such as natural environment, play a huge role in park attendance. In this industry, park attendance is the key factor to success. The Walt Disney Company Parks and Resorts faces many competitive forces. The first of these is competition from rival sellers. Although Disney does offer a truly unique entertainment experience, people do enjoy going to other theme parks. Six Flags for example is known for their record breaking rollercoasters. Disney doesn’t offer a lot of roller coasters, so people who want that thrill are likely to go to Six Flags over a Disney park. Universal Studios focuses on themed rides. Although Disney’s rides are themed, it’s not to the extent that Universal does. The thing that sets Disney apart over the other competitors is not only its storytelling but its superb guest satisfaction. In the amusement park industry, there is little threat of new entrants. A theme parks initial startup costs are in the millions (roller coasters on average cost about $10-20 million alone). The entry to this market is also difficult because you have to find a significant amount of space to utilize if you plan on growing. Also, technology changes frequently and older rides are replaced with newer rides, so competing in the market is an ever-changing, ongoing process. There aren’t a whole lot of substitute products in this market; theme parks are a very unique industry. If you are looking for that rich family experience, going to a zoo or museum might give somewhat of a similar family experience. If you are looking for a thrill, sky-diving and bungee jumping are some of the alternatives. Overall though, you really can’t get the kind of experience you get from a theme park anywhere else. Suppliers of Disney’s Parks and Resorts don’t have a lot of bargaining power. For one, all of Disney’s rides, shops, and stores are designed and manufactured by Walt Disney Imagineering (owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company). They design every detail in the parks down to the type of chair to use in a particular restaurant. Suppliers of food and beverage have somewhat of a bargaining power. For example, if Coke is the only cola beverage served throughout the parks, if coke wants to charge Disney more for their product, Disney will most likely have to accept because it would be extremely costly to replace Coke with Pepsi throughout all of its parts. Buyers (guests) also have little bargaining power. Ticket prices are non-negotiable, and in the park, if guests want to eat or drink, they have to buy the in-park food since they have nowhere else to get food. If a guest has a bad experience or upset about something, Disney will usually give them some sort of compensation such as a front of the line pass. This lets the buyer feel like they have power when in reality, a front of the line pass costs nothing for Disney accept the cost of the paper, but is very beneficial to an angry guest. Out of all of the competitive forces, the one that is the biggest threat is the competition from rivals. Each different theme park competitor offers its own style of entertainment. Disney offers a unique â€Å"magical† family entertainment experience while Six Flags offers big thrilling roller coasters. I think that the market balances out because sometimes you might want a thrilling ride so you go to Six Flags but when you want that family entertainment you would go to a Disney park. There are six main competing firms in the amusement park industry. After creating a strategic group map that compared ticket price and attendance, I was able to see which firms are competing rivals. Disney Parks and Resorts is by far the leader in the industry and has no direct rivals. Universal Studios and SeaWorld Parks Entertainment are close rivals and form a strategic group. Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, Six Flags Corporation, and Herschend Family Entertainment are all in a strategic group. They attract around the same amount of visitors each year as Universal and SeaWorld, but have significantly lower ticket prices. Universal and SeaWorld earn a small increase in revenues over Cedar Fair, Six Flags, and Herschend.

Trad. Values in Chinese Societ essays

Trad. Values in Chinese Societ essays Traditional Values in Modern Chinese Society The directors in Beijing Bicycle, Not One Less, and Shower, deal with the significance and relationship of traditional values in a post-Socialist Chinese free-market economy and modern society through dramatic confrontations between rural and urban entities. Each director has his own way of manifesting this relationship through different means. In Beijing Bicycle, the collision between urban and rural worlds takes place through a bicycle. Wang Xiaoshuai uses a bicycle to illustrate a chaotic relationship between tradition and modernity when rural and urban identities collide. In Not One Less director Zhang Yimou brings traditional values to a modern setting by displacing a rural girl in an urban city. Through the collision of the rural character in the urban setting, Zhang exemplifies a modern society which exploits traditional values and rural lifestyle. Finally, the confrontation of rural and urban entities takes place through the relationship of modern and traditional chara cters in Shower. The director of Shower, Zhang Yang shows the emptiness of modernity without traditional values and the collision of father and son in this film suggests that traditional values are slowly being displaced by modern ideals. Material possessions in Beijing Bicycle create a collision between rural traditional and urban modern values. The significance of particular material possessions differ between individuals of rural and urban backgrounds. In the film the differences in the value of a bicycle for different individuals vary in accordance to necessity and accessibility. Objects seemingly mundane in urban culture prove luxurious to individuals from the countryside. The initial frames following the opening credits and introduction in Beijing Bicycle introduce jam-packed streets lined with bicycles in Beijing. These frames depict a prosperous bicycle industry where bicycles are far from scarce...