Theme of Courage in To Kill A Mocking Bird :: Harper Lee

To Kill A Mocking Bird-courage Within the novel "to kill a mocking bird" the character Atticus finch defines courage as, "Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." Atticus takes the first step by being courageous to take the Tom Robinson case, defying the towns liking of prejudice, even his own sister thinks that he is disgracing the family by taking the case he explains with concern "The only thing we've got is a black man's word against the Ewells'. The evidence boils down to you-did-I-didn't. The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells'. Scout believes at the beginning of the book that courage is all to do with physical feats like fist fighting. Scout and Jem though Atticus was courageous when he shot the mad dog, but Atticus just shrugged it off telling his children that that is not ?real courage?. The children soon see that moral courage is more valuable after Miss Dubose said "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" Chapter 11, Page 113 after they walked past her house. On the way back Atticus just walked by and told Mrs. Dubose, ?you look as pretty as a picture? Mrs. Dubose was so stunned that she could not say a word back to him. Later Jem and scout leaned how courageous Mrs. Dubose really was after Jem cut up her camellia bushes, the kids found out that she was a morphine attic brave enough to get off the drug that killed her. Atticus was incredibly courageous taking on tom Robinsons case against the prejudice of Macomb County and he shows incredible courage when he says, "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and won." He wants the people of Maycomb to hear the truth about Tom Robinson, "That boy may go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told." Chapter 15, Page 146. He was against the whole white community including his own sister practically said that he was a disgrace to his family Atticus tells scout when she asks him why he is taking the case he says "For a number of reasons. The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again.

The Strength of Gertrude in Hamlet

Murder, treason, and deceit are common themes in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. Throughout the play the women are often viewed as weak in character as the men easily dominate them and steal the spotlight through their manic actions. The time period in which Shakespeare would have written Hamlet, women would have been treated with little respect. One woman that shows her feminine power is Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark and mother to Hamlet. Through the play it seems that Gertrude has committed more bad deeds than good, but with further examination, her actions can be seen as altruistic and loving. Queen Gertrude in Hamlet reveals her true strength through her selfless actions for both Hamlet and Denmark. With the fresh death of King Hamlet, Gertrude loses her money, power and her only chance for her son to be a successor to the throne. Instinctively, Gertrude marries the man who is King in order to gain status in Denmark. During the 16th century, a woman was only as powerful as the man to whom she was married and Gertrude knows she must protect her son. By being loyal to Claudius, the next most powerful person to her late husband, she is able to secure a position for Hamlet to be next in line for King. This act of love towards Claudius might or might not be false in the beginning, which is a selfless act on its own, but then Gertrude is able to care for Claudius as well, which proves she has loving characteristics. Throughout the play Hamlet mourns the loss of his father some two months after his death, but Claudius does not support his behavior, infuriating Hamlet. Gertrude being a woman in the 16th century, is unable to comfort Hamlet without stepping on her newly wed husband’s toes: â€Å"Good Hamlet, cast thy knighted colour off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark† (1. . 68-69). Gertrude appears to be giving Hamlet the message that, in order for their success he must now adapt to his new surroundings instead of disrespecting Claudius. Even though Hamlet despises Gertrude for her blunt words he obeys when Gertrude asks: â€Å"I pray thee, stay with us; go not to Wittenberg† (1. 2. 118). It is evident that Gertrude desires the best for Hamlet, sh e has married in order to keep him in line for the thrown and even though she hurts him with words, she is lovingly sacrificing her emotions for his long-term well being. The Queen Gertrude has loving and caring qualities that are only subtly seen in Hamlet, and this is why most audiences see her slightly villainess. She loves Hamlet and underneath her shallow exterior, shows great emotion when he confronts her. Gertrude truly does not know what she has done to make Hamlet so enraged, and it is only when he tells her that she understands her actions to be wrong: â€Å"O Hamlet, speak no more: Thou turn'st my very eyes into my soul, And there I see such black and grained spots As will not leave their tinct† (III. iv. 88-91). There is no reason to believe that Gertrude is lying to appease Hamlet as she confesses that her soul is blackened. Gertrude is portrayed as loving and loyal throughout the play; she stayed loyal to Hamlet after he lashed out on her in the closet by appeasing Claudius. These loving qualities that are subtly shown in Gertrude prove that she is selfless in her actions for Hamlet and Denmark. Gertrude often lies throughout the play, and while lying is a bad characteristic that would build a certain hate from the audience, her lies are in order to protect those around her. Gertrude’s lies are not cruel and evil falsehoods; hers are white lies that she feels she must tell in order to keep those around her safe physically and emotionally. She must tell the King that Hamlet has killed Polonius, but she does what she can to help Hamlet, telling Claudius that Hamlet â€Å"weeps for what is done† (4. 1. 27) when clearly he does not. Gertrude lies in order to protect Hamlet whom has just lashed out, telling her of all her hurtful actions. She follows her instincts and as a good politician puts a buffer on the truth in order to protect people emotionally around her. All of Queen Gertrude’s actions in lying seem shallow but are necessary for those around her and are selfless on her part in order to protect Hamlet. The ghost of King Hamlet is easily misinterpreted when he reveals to Hamlet, information about his murder and details of Claudius and Gertrude. The message the Ghost tells Hamlet makes Gertrude a far more despised character: â€Å"Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast, With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts† (1. 5. 42-43). The line of â€Å"adulterous beast† insinuates that Gertrude was committing adultery and thus lying to King Hamlet making her a cheater and therefore despised by the audience. The term adulterate does not have the same meaning as adultery, by definition it means to render poorer in quality by adding another substance. In all, the Ghost is correct because Gertrude is of a â€Å"poorer quality† due to her new ties with Claudius, but that does not mean that they committed adultery before the King’s death. If Gertrude were an adulteress, she would ave been almost certainly been involved in Claudius' plot of murder, Claudius would believe her to be an accomplice and confide in her, but he does not. In addition, if it were true, it would most likely be first on Hamlet's mind, but when Hamlet confronts Gertrude in her closet and announces all her crimes; he does not once even imply that she has committed adultery. This misinterpretation could cause much hate for The Que en by the audience and much confusion as to her real motives, but with this insight it is most obvious that the Queen was respectable towards her family and Hamlet. Through all of the challenges in Gertrude’s life she has never been recognized for all her selfless actions for her son and Denmark. Gertrude is truly a hero of the play because she continuously sacrifices herself for the love of others and Denmark. She selflessly told Hamlet of the poison so he then knew for sure Claudius was corrupt: â€Å"The drink, the drink! I am poison’d! † (5. 2. 304). With this information Hamlet was able to justifiably kill Claudius for the murder of his mother Gertrude. Just before her death Gertrude is able to save the land of Denmark from the deceitful and murderous King Claudius. This action on the Queen’s part is beneficial to all the people of Denmark allowing them to have a fair chance with their newly chosen ruler young Fortinbras. Hamlet is a tragedy in which there needs to be a heroic, selfless character, and in the end this is the Queen Gertrude. Overall, through the examination of Queen of Denmark may appear as a villainess character but when examined closely her motives show a loving and strong character. Living in a time in which she had little respect, Gertrude was able to secure a spot for her son in the throne by marrying a man of power. Through all controversies she sets her emotions aside in order to deal with situations that concern her family and Denmark. Though at most times Gertrude has to keep her emotions at bay it is evident that she has subtle loving qualities for her family. After all controversy and being hated by Hamlet she still protects her son with small white lies to Claudius. Gertrude is never recognized for her strength as she saves Denmark from the tyrant that Claudius is. A heroic, strong, feminine character shows her altruistic characteristics throughout William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet.

Million Dollar Baby Film Essay

In the film ‘Million Dollar Baby’,directed by Clint Eastwood is mainly based around the theme of how the important characters as vehicles to convey the theme familial love and support. This is shown when the theme is set up through Maggie and Frankie having broken relationship with their families, but it was resolved when they came together. Having familial love and support is important to an individual’s wellbeing. Without love, humans become isolated and unsatisfied. Therefore, by coming together, they express a similar familial love although they are not biologically related and experiences this fulfillment in life. The characters from the film demonstrated the beauty of this relationship. Eastwood successfully conveyed the idea through various visual and oral techniques. Throughout the film, secondary characters also supports the success of the protagonists to show family support is essential for the main character to achieve their specific goals. Eastwood conveys the idea of the importance of familial love for Maggie, in â€Å"Million Dollar Baby†, through the relationship between Maggie and Frankie, her boxing trainer. Maggie and Frankie, both have broken relationships with their own families but the resulting emptiness is filled when they came together. Maggie does not want to live in a dysfunctional family as her family cares little for her well-being. Her plight is summed up in the quotation when the audience is told that she wants to escape from her miserable life, â€Å" I’m 31, Mr. Dunn, and I’m here celebrating the fact that I spent another year scraping dishes and waitressing which is what I’ve been doing since 13. My brother’s in prison, my sister cheats on welfare by pretending one of her babies is still alive, my daddy’s dead, and my momma weighs 312 pounds. The only thing I ever felt good doing was boxing.† Although Maggie saves up enough of her prize money to buy her mother a house, her actions are not appreciated. Her mother berates Maggie for seizing her welfare payments and Medicaid benefits. Frankie’s support provided the energy for Maggie to succeed in her career. In Frankie’s situation, he was alienated from his daughter for an unexplained reason. This is shown when Frankie’s letters along with his pain comes back to him with‘ Return to Sender’ written on them. Frankie expresses the pain of rejection through his facial expressions. Lighting was used in the film to portray this. Dim lighting was used whenever Frankie appears. His face was made barely visible with many shadows, one side being darker than the other. This technique of the different shades on the character’s face symbolized the two sides of Frankie’s life. The darker side symbolizes the terrible past of his life while the brighter side symbolizes the bright future Frankie will share with Maggie. Dim lighting on the returned letters is also used to express the sad mood in the scene. The letters are on the ground forcing Frankie to bend down to pick them up, which symbolizes his daughter’s rejection and his distant relationship with he r. When Frankie says to Maggie â€Å" I made many mistakes in my life. I just want to prevent you from doing the same† it demonstrates his regret. This shows the relationship progress between Frankie and Maggie. He wanted to redeem himself by finding a ‘replacement’ daughter-Maggie. In â€Å"Million Dollar Baby†, Frankie’s life changed because of Maggie’s entrance. They each had personal needs due to the lack of familial love so personal fulfillments developed to satisfy each other. Both Frankie and Maggie have a lack of familial love therefore, as they meet, a non-biologically related love and support develops. Two examples of dialogue stand out in particular showing the development in their relationship. Maggie said: â€Å" You’re gonna leave me again?† ,Frankie replied, â€Å" Never† and when Maggie expressed â€Å" I’ve got nobody but you, Frankie.† Frankie answered with a definite answer of â€Å"Then youà ¢â‚¬â„¢ve got me.† Eastwood used both dialogues to express the same idea of that strong bond between Frankie and Maggie that has developed throughout the film. Frankie is the only one who helped and supported Maggie through her victory as he saw her as his own and wanted to make her the best by training her harshly which can be seen as another type of love. Maggie sees boxing as one important part of her life and does not want to give up. Finally won by her determination, Frankie accepts Maggie by making an agreement between them. Frankie then slowly shapes her into a viable fighter. The other technique used to show her success was lighting. The lighting used at the beginning of the film was dim and dark indicating the dark sides of Maggie’s life. When she succeeded, it changed into a very bright background. The brand, Everlast, on the speed bag was used subtly to show Maggie’s determination. She used this support to work hard to change her life and be successful for once in her life. It all paid off when she was standing inside of the boxing ring. Without Frankie’s support, she might have never dreamed of that day. The theme of familial love and support plays a significant role in the film â€Å"Million Dollar Baby†. It is shown through Frankie and Maggie’s development of familial love due to their dysfunctional family. Familial love and support was also conveyed by the secondary characters supporting the protagonists as they express care and support to each other. Familial loves is shown as a complex idea in the film as biological love fails and another form of family is reconstituted. The audiences also learn that love is a powerful force that can transform families and provides fulfillment in the lives of people and to be successful in life, you have to have love.

The characteristics of organizational knowledge

The characteristics of organizational knowledge Introduction In the study of management, business and organizational studies, many authors and scholars concur that there is a strong connection between effective management of the intellectual assets of an organization and continuous progress in performance.Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on The characteristics of organizational knowledge specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is to say that knowledge management has become an essential requirement for management of organizations, which guarantees successful performance. Above all these important components, it has been agreed that knowledge itself is vital and incomparable. As a result, business organizations can derive value from the type and location of their knowledge resources by investing in creative knowledge management techniques. In its broadness, knowledge can be described as the driving force behind societal, personal and organizational behavior (Campos S anchez 2003). Notably, there are two knowledge-related aspects, which are essential for the feasibility and excellent performance of any business organization. The first aspect concerns knowledge assets, which is also known as intellectual assets. This generally refers to priceless knowledge that is readily available for use by individuals or by the entire organizations. For the success of any organization, nurturing and use of knowledge is important for all the parties involved (Cohen Levinthal 1990). The second aspect entails knowledge-related processes. These processes are commonly found in organizations and may have a wide range of applications including but not limited to transforming, creating, safeguarding, compiling, pooling, building, organizing and applying knowledge. For better results, it is important for these areas to be properly and explicitly managed, with regard to all sectors that could be affected. In the understanding of this concept, it is imperative to undersc ore the need for effective knowledge management in order to achieve individual and organizational objectives (Cohen Levinthal 1990). In this line of thought, management of knowledge in organizations must be internalized from three stances as discussed below:Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Business perspective From this point of view, the management is usually tasked to focus on where, why and to what degree an organization is supposed to invest and exploit knowledge in the running of its services. In general, knowledge augments development of services, strategies, products, acquisitions and alliances (Coombs Hull 1998). A good example of this is corporate strategy, which only thrives depending on how knowledge is managed within an organization. Additionally, planning and designing of new products and services principally depends on knowledge. It is also vital to note that knowledge management is needed to give direction to an organization to create, install and exploit knowledge assets and if possible establish joint collaborations with an aim of exploiting knowledge. Management perspective In this perspective, knowledge-related activities are usually given preference through determination, monitoring and directing of relevant processes in order to attain desired business goals and objectives. Moreover, every organization requires knowledge to develop knowledge, regarding the creation, transfer, acquisition, usage and retention of knowledge (Coombs Hull 1998). As a result, it is doubtless that management of knowledge is necessary to examine processes and adopt policies and ideas, which are indispensable during the identification of knowledge-related activities. Operational perspective Unlike the above discussed stances, this perspective requires the management to be committed to employing the services of expertise to perform clear know ledge-related work and responsibilities. Furthermore, one requires knowledge in order to carry out a research to establish knowledge status, as a way of discovering the available knowledge that is necessary in future development of human resources. Importantly, knowledge management is essential for the purpose of better training, establishment of a pool of knowledge and systems and better research and development. From this discussion of the three perspectives, it is worth noting that management of knowledge requires relevant attention and analysis from people with reputable skills like researchers and business management experts (Coombs Hull 1998).Advertising We will write a custom proposal sample on The characteristics of organizational knowledge specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the study of knowledge management, Ryle’s work of 1949 is considered to be the first piece of literature to be published, covering the concept o f knowledge. In The Concept of Mind, Ryle brought to the attention of the world the concepts of know-that and know-how, which is sometimes referred to as know-what (Ryle 1949, p. 2). On the other hand, it was concluded that knowledge can broadly be divided into tacit and explicit knowledge (Polanyi 1966, p. 5). These two types of knowledge will be discussed in later segments of this paper. In his 1987 research, Von Hippel described information trading as the readiness of employees to fit in varying organizations, including their direct competitors for the purpose of informal exchange of information (Von 1987). He further defined knowledge transfer as the process which a member of a given network is influenced by what happens in the life of another member. These explanations are based on the fact that most employees exchange information through a process, to allow the formation of new knowledge about current products as well as new ones to be created in future (Ryle 1949, p. 2). Desp ite the efforts made by these authors, it is imperative to note that their work received almost no attention from organizational management until early 1990s. Nevertheless, many Multi National Enterprises were forced to downsize and retrench some employees towards the end of 1980s, an incident, which was mainly fuelled by sluggish business activities. Among other factors, the world witnessed major stock market stock market crashes, which forced most organizations to revaluate their strategies to mitigate the impact of these effects (Polanyi 1966, p. 5). As a result, there was the birth of two major business and management aspects, which were process re-engineering and knowledge management concept. In 1990, Nonaka gave a detailed explanation on the two types of knowledge, namely, tacit and explicit knowledge. From his approach, explicit knowledge can be obtained through gathering of information that is collected from customer files, manuals, databases, and software.Advertising Looking for proposal on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This type is also referred as structural capital (Nonaka 1990, p. 15). On the other hand, tacit knowledge may exist in the minds of suppliers, employees and customers, and it is commonly referred to as human capital. When the two types of knowledge are combined, they result into an intellectual capital of the organization. Based on previous history, it is noteworthy that interest in the topic of knowledge management has exponentially been realized, with several learning and research institutions identifying it as a major discipline (Nonaka 1990, p. 15). The rise of Knowledge Management As indicated in the previous segment of this paper, a host of people have developed interest in the concept of knowledge management for several years. However, this interest attained its peak in 1990s, when massive research was being done by scholars and researchers. Throughout this period, these authors have attained a consensus with regard to the impact of knowledge management in organizational perf ormance. It is regarded as a major tool that is effective in attaining a competitive advantage within the business industry, together with a myriad of other advantages. Additionally, exchange and sharing of knowledge has been applauded especially to increase its relevance to the functioning of a given organization (Bohn 1994). As one of the writers who have contributed to the expansion of this field, Nonaka proposed that a high level of attention is usually required when handling knowledge processes and the procedure of creating new knowledge (Nonaka 1991). Additionally, knowledge may change meaning especially when it is moved to a different context. As a result, a match between the recipient’s point of view and the nature of the received is quite significant. It is equally important to emphasize that creation of knowledge is always a continuous process, which mainly starts at an individual’s level, before expanding to other sections, division and even beyond the confi nes of an organization (Bohn 1994). In analysing the impact of some of the findings recorded by various authors, it suffices to mention that some of the information left gaps like how to identify existing type of knowledge mismatches or finding the sources for the mismatches. Important findings were also made by and Nonaka and Takeuchi in 1995, when they affirmed that explicit knowledge can easily be articulated and disseminated in a wide range of formats, while tacit information is generally hidden and unspoken (Nonaka Takeuchi 1995, p. 10). Furthermore, Nonaka and Takeuchi argued that knowledge conversion has four modes, which are: internationalism, socialism, internationalism and a combination of the three modes. As a result, it is prudent for an organization to prepare for one of the above mentioned modes when settling on a particular knowledge management program that is deemed more feasible than others (Bohn 1994). Conversion modes The SECI (Socialization, Externalization, Com bination, and Internalization) theory recognizes the fact that knowledge has four modes of conversion, which are important since they are believed to be the sources of knowledge. The four conversations are summarized below: The first mode as described by the theory is that it converts tacit knowledge from tacit knowledge and is commonly referred to as socialization. The only recognized way of achieving this is through individual sharing of knowledge with other individuals based on their experiences in the field. The second mode is viewed as a combination since it converts explicit knowledge to explicit knowledge. Unlike in the first mode, knowledge is generated through sorting and re-categorizing of the available knowledge from the sources. On the other hand, externalization revolves around converting tacit knowledge to explicit organizational information (Nonaka 1991). According to this mode, the knowledge of an individual can be converted into a form that can be well understood by other people in the same group. It is therefore applied with an aim of creating new knowledge that would be relevant to the organization, in making it more competitive. The last mode is internationalism, which converts explicit knowledge to tacit information. This mode allows one to understand knowledge that is directly linked to an individual in an organization. Importantly, this stage allows practical application of knowledge in generating new and better organization’s routines. Another research, which is well recognized in the study of the concept of knowledge management, was done by Coombs and Hull in 1998, who argued that the field can be divided into three segments. The first one is knowledge processing. It is believed that this category of knowledge management mainly revolves around transfer, capture, utilization, codification, identification and format among others (Coombs Hull 1998). The second one is knowledge domains, which principally deals with classification o f knowledge. For example, several areas of knowledge acquisition present different factors. These areas are technical knowledge, process knowledge, product knowledge, external and internal knowledge, and process knowledge. Lastly, knowledge formality is literally concerned with the general format of knowledge. For example, formal knowledge presents a different format from informal knowledge (Coombs Hull 1998). In addition, knowledge management plays a significant role in determining the quality of services and products given by a given organization. For instance, these management processes are viewed as ways through which addition of value to inputs, which is later used in the production of processed-knowledge. This approach significantly adds value to clients. Nevertheless, specific requirements for this vary widely across industries. Four primary processes have been put forth, which are important when handling resources of knowledge. These include utilization of knowledge, value addition to information, knowledge generation and knowledge capturing. Similarly, organizations are usually encouraged to adopt additional processes for sorting and accessing knowledge to allow the four requirements above to function effectively. For instance, other people should be given a chance to identify the relevance of particular knowledge even if it is coded. Moreover, information can only be converted into knowledge when it is relevant, understandable and usable. This double emphasizes the need for assessing and evaluating any kind knowledge before it can be used. For performance strategies to work, it is important for an organization to have the right knowledge that is required. In this context, poor or defective knowledge may undermine the viability of organizational strategies. In this essence, there exists a relationship between availability of poor knowledge and the unachievable strategies. It is therefore the role of the management to create a match between intended s trategies and the realized strategies. This mismatch of knowledge is known as a knowledge gap while strategic gaps define differences between the realized strategy and the intended strategy. In this understanding, mapping techniques are commonly applied in establishing what organization can do while backward mapping identifies important aspects that have to be known to the organization (Soliman 1998). Similarly, in cases where complex knowledge management systems exist, it has been mentioned that this may enhance realization of intensive knowledge network. Importantly, a combination of knowledge loops and spirals has the potential of leading an organization into knowledge gaps. This stage is usually followed by the occurrence of strategic gaps, which may result into poor organizational performance. Attributes and characteristics of Knowledge Every enterprise is always challenged to perform better than existing competitors in the market. In achieving this competitive advantage, some management experts argue that knowledge is a major tool required for the task. This is mainly because organizations, which are able to define their knowledge management activities, get opportunities to make potential improvement, which yields competitive advantage within the business market. Similarly, correct knowledge should be able to identify areas of weakness within the organization, which could hinder the firm from attaining competitive advantage over other organizations. As discussed in the previous segments of this paper, it is doubtless that knowledge gaps could be one of the factors hampering competitive advantage in most organizations. Based on the irreplaceable role played by knowledge management, it is essential for an organization to identify and segment knowledge for the purpose of determining the usefulness of every knowledge segment. Knowledge-based systems need to have the following seven characteristics. They must have reasoning and programming capabilities Have e nough knowledge regarding a given domain or situation Must have an inference engine, different from the knowledge base Can handle varying data, say, uncertain conflicting and unknown Must allow easy medication by the administrator Have a source that explains the reasoning process Must extensively use â€Å"if-then rules† Notably, many organizations are usually faced with the challenge of disseminating knowledge to where it is needed by people. Consequently, available knowledge may require sorting and screening to ensure that only relevant information is delivered (Soliman 1998). What are some of the attributes of knowledge that have to be considered when disseminating information to where it is needed? Accuracy Although it is not easy to determine the accuracy of knowledge, experts agree that one is able to measure knowledge against envisaged knowledge. The degree of closeness of the two aspects may therefore determine the confidence of people in the knowledge applied and the ultimate value of the knowledge. Nevertheless, reproducibility and repeatability of knowledge may be tied on other factors. In its application and definition, accuracy may refer to correctness, reliability or truthfulness. Timeliness and currency According to knowledge management experts, the main aim of timeliness is for one to avoid making decisions, that are out of date and which may harm the progress of an organization. In this respect, it suffices to mention that valid knowledge must be current. In other words, one is able to find out when the knowledge was obtained, revised and whether it is current or out of date. Relevance of knowledge In the application of any information, there is usually a lot of weight attached to relevance and organizational impact. In this context, the relevance of knowledge could therefore be determined based on a range of factors including functionality, flexibility, importance, reliability, portability, functionality and importance. With regard to the impact of the knowledge, this is principally determined by the value of the working environment and the overall performance (Davenport Short 1990). The benefits of knowledge relevance could be determined by the relationship of the knowledge to the topic, target users of the knowledge, and the level of the knowledge. Authority This deals with the origin of the knowledge in order to determine its authenticity and reality. The source of any information can be determined by finding out the author, publisher and sponsor. Additionally, the author’s credentials are important and his or her affiliate organization in handling knowledge. Purpose It is vital to establish the need for a given type of knowledge. This is usually considered to be critical in establishing the integrity of a particular type of knowledge. The intended purpose of information can therefore be determined by establishing the intensions of the authors, impartiality or objectivity of the information and the kin d of biases present. Importance This entails a wide range of issues, including the ability to control the characteristics of knowledge within the organization, its focus and its timing. However, important knowledge has to meet the needs of a given organization, by responding to a real world problem in a manner that allows the realization of a solution. Accessibility This simply denotes the understandability of knowledge. Knowledge may lose meaning especially in cases where it is considered to be difficult to comprehend. Additionally, this encompasses the readability and its focus towards realizing the objectives of the organization. Applicability This involves the completeness of knowledge and its ability to provide direction to the organization. Inapplicability of knowledge may cause it to become irrelevant. This concept also covers the completeness of the knowledge and availability of recommendations for sober actions to be taken. This may hinder its application even when it is pe rceived to relevant (Davenport Short 1990). Suitability This is mainly concerned with how the knowledge being sourced is important and suitable to the organization in meeting the needs of the organization. Many knowledge management experts believe that there is a connection between the applicability of knowledge and its suitability to satisfy the needs of an organization (Soliman 1998). Knowledge that is important and suitable to an organization can be enhanced in future to make it more satisfying in meeting its intended purpose. As mentioned above, the aim of having proper information about knowledge management is to develop effective operations, establish control mechanisms, compare results, gauge performance and take remedial action if deemed necessary (Soliman 1998). In this regard, it can be deduced that the above characteristics of knowledge have an array of advantages, which can be realized by an organization through effective knowledge management. This is to say that organi zations are tasked to enhance their efficacy through excellent knowledge management practices, with the absence of non-value-adding task (Soliman 1998). Conclusion From the above analysis, it is evident that knowledge management is widely recognized as a priceless tool in organizational management. If well implemented, proper knowledge management programs have the potential of influencing the performance of an organization positively (Campos Sanchez 2003). As a result, it is highly regarded as a competitive advantage tool in the business world. On this basis, there is every need for organizations to review and evaluate their knowledge management tools in order to have them inclined towards attaining set goals and objectives. Good strategies should therefore be implemented, with reference to the current knowledge that addresses the needs of the organization. Importantly, the ability of any organization to thrive to today’s business environment is solely determined by the way knowledge and skills are coherently applied in the running of the organization. In implementing this, the management has the responsibility of assessing knowledge and determining its feasibility in achieving the goals of the organization. Lack of such skills is crucial and may undermine the success of any organization. References Bohn, R 1994, ‘Measuring and Managing Technological Knowledge’, Sloan Management Review, pp. 61–73. Campos, E Sanchez, M 2003, ‘Knowledge management in the emerging strategic business process: Information, complexity and imagination’, Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 7 no. 2, pp. 5-17. Cohen, W Levinthal, D 1990, ‘Absorptive Capacity: a New Perspective on Learning and Innovation’, Administration Science Quarterly, vol. 35, pp. 128-152. Coombs, R Hull, R 1998, ‘Knowledge Management Practices and Path-dependency in Innovation’, Research Policy, vol. 27 no. 3, pp. 237-253. Davenport, T Short, J 1990, ‘The new Industrial Engineering: Information Technology and Business Process Redesign’, Sloan Management Review, pp. 11–27. Nonaka, I Takeuchi, H 1995, The Knowledge-Creating Company, Oxford University Press, New York. Nonaka, I 1990, A Theory of Organisational Knowledge Creation, Nihon KeizaiShimbun, Tokyo. Nonaka, I1991, ‘The knowledge creating company’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 69 no. 6, pp. 96–104. Polanyi, M 1966, The Tacit Dimension, Routledge, London: Ryle, G 1949, The Concept of Mind, Hutchinson, London, U. K. Soliman, F 1998, ‘Optimum Level of Process Mapping and Least Cost Business Process Re-Engineering’, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, vol. 18 no. 5, pp. 810-816. Von, H 1987, ‘Cooperation between Rivals: Informal Know-How Trading’, Research Policy, vol. 16, pp. 291-302.

Stuart Davis, American Modernist Painter

Stuart Davis, American Modernist Painter Stuart Davis (1892-1964) was a prominent American modernist painter. He began working in the realist Ashcan School style, but exposure to European modernist painters in the Armory Show led to a distinctive personal modernist style that influenced the later development of pop art. Fast Facts: Stuart Davis Occupation: PainterMovement: Abstract art, modernism, cubismBorn: December 7, 1892 in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaDied: June 24, 1964 in New York, New YorkParents: Helen Stuart Foulke and Edward Wyatt DavisSpouses: Bessie Chosak (died 1932), Roselle SpringerChild: George Earle DavisSelected Works: Lucky Strike (1921), Swing Landscape (1938), Deuce (1954)Notable Quote: I dont want people to copy Matisse or Picasso, although it is entirely proper to admit their influence. I dont make paintings like theirs. I make paintings like mine. Early Life and Education The son of sculptor Helen Stuart Foulke and newspaper art editor Edward Wyatt Davis, Stuart Davis grew up surrounded by visual art. He developed a serious interest in drawing by age sixteen and started illustrating adventure stories for his younger brother, Wyatt. Davis family moved from his childhood home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to New Jersey, where he got to know a group of his fathers artist colleagues known as the Eight. This group included Robert Henri, George Luks, and Everett Shinn. Bar House, Newark (1913). Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain Stuart Davis began his formal art training as a student of Robert Henri, who became the leader of the Ashcan School, an American art movement known for focusing on painting scenes of daily life in New York City. They took much of their inspiration from Walt Whitmans poetry in Leaves of Grass. The Armory Show In 1913, Davis was one of the youngest artists featured in the groundbreaking Armory Show, the first extensive exhibition of modern art in the U.S. First showing at New Yorks 69th Regiment Armory, the exhibition then traveled to the Art Institute of Chicago and Copley Society of Art in Boston. The Mellow Pad (1951). Brooklyn Museum / Wikimedia Commons While Stuart Davis exhibited realist paintings in the Ashcan style, he studied the works of European modernist artists included in the exhibition, from Henri Matisse to Pablo Picasso. After the Armory Show, Davis became a dedicated modernist. He took cues from the cubist movement in Europe to move toward a more abstract style of painting. Colorful Abstraction Stuart Davis mature style of painting began to develop in the 1920s. He became friends with other influential American artists including Charles Demuth and Arshile Gorky as well as poet William Carlos Williams. His work began with realistic elements but he then abstracted them with bright colors and geometrical edges. Davis also painted in series, making his work parallel to musical variations on a theme. Swing Landscape (1938). Robert Alexander / Getty Images In the 1930s, Davis painted murals for the Federal Art Project, a program of the Works Progress Administration. One of those, the monumental painting Swing Landscape shows the style of Stuart Davis in full flower. He began with a depiction of the waterfront of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and then added the energy of the jazz and swing music he loved. The result is a highly personal explosion of color and geometrical forms. By the 1950s, Davis work evolved to a focus on lines and a style influenced by drawing. The painting Deuce is an example of the shift. Gone was the cacophony of bright colors. In its place was a lively set of vibrant lines and shapes still echoing lessons learned from the European cubism of the early 20th century. Later Career After he established himself as a vital member of the New York avant-garde painting scene of the mid-20th century, Stuart Davis began teaching. He worked at the Art Students League, the New School for Social Search, and then Yale University. As an instructor, Davis directly influenced a new generation of American artists. Nightlife (1962). Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons 2.0 Although his late-career work continued to incorporate abstract elements, Stuart Davis never moved completely away from referencing real life. He rejected the abstract expressionism that dominated the American art world of the 1950s. In the early 1960s, Davis health quickly declined until he suffered a stroke in 1964 and passed away. His death came just as art critics saw the influence of his work in a new movement, pop art. Legacy Deuce (1954). Andreas Solaro / Getty Images One of Stuart Davis most lasting contributions was his ability to take lessons learned from European movements in painting and create a distinctly American twist on the ideas. His bold, graphical paintings contain echoes of the work of Fauvists like Henri Matisse and the cubist experiments of Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. However, the end product finds inspiration in American life and architecture, a factor that makes Davis work unique. Pop artists Andy Warhol and David Hockney celebrated Stuart Davis blending of content from commercial advertisements with the shapes of everyday objects that he first depicted in the 1920s. Today, many art historians consider Davis work to be proto-pop art. Source Haskell, Barbara. Stuart Davis: In Full Swing. Prestel, 2016.

Shakespeare's Globe Theater Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Shakespeare's Globe Theater - Essay Example It was located in the outskirts of London (Notini 1001); made from oak was one of England’s most magnificent structures with a sitting capacity of around 3000 and designed as an open air three story amphitheater. Despite the glaring class divisions in the Elizabethan times, which were evident even in most of the plays, the theatre provided a forum in which both the rich and poor could enjoy entertainment together. The upper classes occupied the upper levels which were relatively comfortable while the poor also known in the theater context as ‘groundling’ occupied an area called the pit for the price of a penny although they had to stand. The theatre’s dramatic symbolism was enhanced by the fact that signs and flags were normally used when advertising performances that the audience expected to see (Weimann 402). A tragedy like Othello would be symbolized by a black flag, comedies like taming of the shrew a white one and historical plays such as Julius Ceaser would be advertised with a red flag. Embossed on the entrance were the Latin inscriptions â€Å"Totus mundus agit histrionem†, meaning the whole world is a playhouse. The theater’s historical significance is underpinned by its close resemblance to the Greco roman structures where citizens met to enjoy games and plays. It acts as a bridge to the classical and renaissance periods where theater was finally given the recognition it deserved and to a significant extent, the globe theatre is the reason for success and relevance of broadways and even Hollywood albeit indirectly. Here, famous plays were tried and tested and different staging techniqu es experimented with, the individuality of actors was also approached with exceptional ones being recognized and this gradually led up to the concept of stardom where actors are highly revered although in those days they were often considered immoral. During

Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Security - Essay Example These systems also force consumers to tackle new rights and responsibilities in order to use the data and re-evaluate principles of advent computers (Stahl 2011). 2 The Importance of Ethics in Information Systems Authority, source and control are the major resources of the information. In fact, the key to success is the right access towards the information. As a result, the social and political relationships are also involved in the development and growth of information systems (Hilton, Se-Hyung "David" Oh et al. 2006). It is more important and ethical that how this information is been utilized by the people. For instance, government levels, headquarters and homes include the electronic systems (Hilton, Se-Hyung "David" Oh et al. 2006). This involvement is increased so much that the people without access to these systems are exaggerated in a particular way. For this reason, new and modern techniques, innovative ethical and lawful decisions are needed in order to balance the requireme nts and privileges of every person (Stahl 2011). 3 Ethics Fill the Gap as Legal Decisions Lag Behind Technology The legal decision lags lies as in modern technological field behind technical development and growth. These gaps are filled through confronting on the issue and by discussing the facts on how to use the electronic information should be proceed (Baase 2008). ... These include standards of acceptable behavior and rules governing members of an occupation. Moreover, these extend to the Electronic Networks, Electronic Databases and significantly to a Geographic Information Systems. The problems that are present particularly in the three areas require a little different type of ethical decisions. In general, the Electronic Systems, Geographic Information Systems and Networks are being described individually in the later section of this study. 4.1 Electronic Networks 4.1.1 A Network Defined Starting from a fundamental definition of computer networks, a network is defined as a set of computers or workstations that are capable to communicate with one another. Likewise, in other words a group of similar objects connected together. Some of the networks are present within the institutions or organizations allowing people to communicate electronically within the organization. In fact, some of these small systems are inked or connected with the other org anization’s workstations. Thus, thousands of such networks connecting together collectively form an Internet. However, several issues related to the Internet may be applied to smaller network as, well as large network connections. 4.1.2 Network as Source of Power Initially, the Electronic Networks are recognized as a reliable means of connecting and communicating. Furthermore, it is also recognized as a mean for exchanging information efficiently but today it has become a much more than this. The new sources of power are represented by the large networks. The networks are now prepared in order to generate consistency and competency in communication, so that the movement of information could not rely on another person or could not be