Analysis of Shelleys Ode To the West Wind :: Ode to the West Wind Essays

Analysis of Shelley's Ode To the West Wind In "Ode to the West Wind," Percy Bysshe Shelley tries to gain transcendence, for he shows that his thoughts, like the "winged seeds" (7) are trapped. The West Wind acts as a driving force for change and rejuvenation in the human and natural world. Shelley views winter not just as last phase of vegetation but as the last phase of life in the individual, the imagination, civilization and religion. Being set in Autumn, Shelley observes the changing of the weather and its effects on the internal and external environment. By examining this poem, the reader will see that Shelley can only reach his sublime by having the wind carry his "dead thoughts" (63) which through an apocalyptic destruction, will lead to a rejuvenation of the imagination, the individual and the natural world. Shelley begins his poem by addressing the "Wild West Wind" (1). He quickly introduces the theme of death and compares the dead leaves to "ghosts" (3). The imagery of "Pestilence-stricken multitudes" makes the reader aware that Shelley is addressing more than a pile of leaves. His claustrophobic mood becomes evident when he talks of the "wintry bed" (6) and "The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low/ Each like a corpse within its grave, until/ Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow" (7-9). In the first line, Shelley use the phrase "winged seeds" which presents images of flying and freedom. The only problem is that they lay "cold and low" or unnourished or not elevated. He likens this with a feeling of being trapped. The important word is "seeds" for it shows that even in death, new life will grow out of the "grave." The phrase "winged seeds" also brings images of religions, angels, and/or souls that continue to create new life. Heavenly images are confirmed by his use of the word "azure" which besides meaning sky blue, also is defined, in Webster's Dictionary, as an "unclouded vault of heaven." The word "azure," coupled with the word "Spring," helps show Shelley's view of rejuvenation. The word "Spring" besides being a literary metaphor for rebirth also means to rise up. In line 9, Shelley uses soft sounding phrases to communicate the blowing of the wind. This tercet acts as an introduction and a foreshadow of what is to come later. Shelley goes on to talk of the wind as a "Destroyer and Preserver" which brings to mind religious overtones of different cultures such as Hinduism and Native Indian beliefs. The poem now sees a shift of the clouds which warns of

Capital One Financial Corp: Setting and Shaping Strategy Essay

Strategy Capital One Financial Corp’s strategy is to develop and market products and services to satisfy the demands of a competitive and ever-changing marketplace by utilizing information technology for mass customization which will deliver the right product to the right customer at the right time and at the right price. Such a strategy requires the employment of talented people and a flexible culture promoting innovation to help identify, develop and market products and services. Capital One’s information-based strategy, or IBS, serves as the strategy to improve operations in every aspect of the company. IBS technology enables Capital One to provide more valuable products, thereby creating a positional advantage over its competitors. However, by focusing on the IBS capability as its sole competitive advantage, Capital One neglects any positional advantages, such as its brand, that might become more valuable than the potential advantage IBS might yield elsewhere. Analysis Capital One makes it a point to hire the top talent from top schools. Even though this is an important initiative to obtain quality assets, it is just as important to organize such assets in a way that achieves competitive advantage. Capital One has done a good job aligning its organizational structure with its strategy. Its functional structure enables Capital One to facilitate technical excellence within each function and still achieve cross-functional sharing of information or knowledge due to its loose coupling of departments. By aligning the internal organizational structure with the talented resources they become a source of competitive advantage. Capital One created a culture that rewarded data and fact-based decision making which flattened its hierarchy and promoted innovation. Employees were empowered to test and learn through all aspects of the organization. Performance reviews were conducted by peers and bosses, providing constant feedback. Compensation was heavily weighted on cash bonuses and long-term incentives; further aligning employee behaviors with the long-term goals of the company. Departments were encouraged to work closely with each other, which promoted information sharing. This loose coupling benefited Capital One’s explorative initiatives in finding completely novel ways of doing things, rather than doing the same things better than the competition. Capital One’s IBS capabilities aligned with its internal functions enabled it to differentiate its credit card product offering from the existing competitors. In so doing, it attracted the lowest risk applicants creating a completely new super-prime market segment. Due to the explosive success of the credit card divisions, it would be very easy to support the Summit Acceptance Corporation initiative. The IBS capability was easily applied to the credit sector, and one would deduce that this competitive advantage would be successful in other credit-based markets. Even though Capital One was in a position to easily leverage its existing IBS capabilities into products not previously considered, it would be difficult to support the America One initiative. There was a lack of synergy with Capital One’s existing operations, and the telecommunication market was a drastically different industry. Alternatives Even though Capital One experienced rapid growth and success in the credit industry due to its superior IBS capabilities, it is clear that the company’s strategy is lacking exploitive competencies. Systems have become increasingly complex and duplicative which could impact Capital One’s ability to react to environmental changes quickly. The company’s explorative focus on growth and change has made it difficult for the finance division to forecast effectively. The company must continually develop and deepen its current IBS advantage if it is to meet the challenge of competition both locally and globally. They are great at exploring new opportunities but fall short from further exploiting those markets. They were able to get things done operationally, but were not able to add any additional value. Capital One needs to recognize that environments change and as they explore new opportunities, they may want to create new forms of competitive advantage. By focusing on the IBS capability as its sole competitive advantage, Capital One neglects any positional advantages, such as its brand, that might become more valuable than the potential advantage the capabilities might yield elsewhere.

Developing yourself as an effective HR Practitioner Essay

Briefly summarise the CIPD Profession Map (i.e. the core professional areas, the specialist professional areas, the bands and behaviours) In this report I will summarise the CIPD Profession Map which is made up of Ten Professional areas, Eight Behaviours and Four Bands. The two core Professional Areas Insights, Strategy and Solutions – This area of the map concentrates on developing an understanding and prioritising the direction of the organisation. Leading HR – Shaping and driving themselves and other employees to deliver a valued service to the organisation. The Professional Areas are made up of Organisation Design – This area of the map concentrates on shaping the organisation structure to the business needs. Organisation Development – This area of the map concentrates on developing skills and training of all employees to build a strong team. Resourcing and talent planning – This area of the map concentrates on identifying and developing talent within the organisation, seeing where the need is for new talent within the organisation, making sure the survival of the business continues to grow. Learning and Development – This area of the map concentrates on developing employee’s knowledge and skill in all levels of the business. Performance and reward – This area of the map concentrates on recognising performance and experience of all employees by rewarding them. Employee Engagement – This area of the map concentrates on insuring employees engage with each other and their work at different levels through the organisation. Employee Relations – This area of the map concentrates on keeping accurate records, supporting employees at all levels and rewarding employees in performance. Service Delivery and Information – This area of the map concentrates on delivering accurate information to the customer within an agreed time frame within an agreed cost. Eight Behaviours Curious – New ideas wanting to update technology and training needs. Decisive Thinker – Being able to analyse information and identify solutions. Skilled Influencer – The ability to influence customers in the direction of organisation needs. Personally Credible – Delivers and builds HR expertise to add value to the organisation. Collaborative – Cooperation between departments making positive contribution to the organisation. Driven to Deliver – Being able to deliver a service on time within budget by prioritising agreed tasks and goals. Courage to Challenge – Being able to challenge by specking skilfully when confronted with challenging situations. Role Model – Respected by other employees by using integrity and tact being able to deliver a solid service. Encourages others to act in the same way. The Bands are made up of four levels – Starting at Band One – Entry Level. Focusing on being accurate and flexible on collecting and providing data to the customer. Band Two – Advisory Level. Leading and advising individuals and teams, understanding issues when they arise and resolving them quickly and professionally. Band Three – Consultant Level. Addressing and leading all HR challenges providing ideas and solutions, analysing risks. Band Four – Leadership Colleague / Coach. Coaching and leading, developing strategies and plans for the customer needs. Comment on the activates and knowledge specified within any 1 professional area, at either band 1 or band 2, identifying those you consider most essential to your own (or other identified ) HR/L&D Role. I will select one Band and one Professional area which I consider most essential to my current employment. Band 1 and Service Delivery and Information as the Professional Area. In my employment I have to have a clear idea of what the Line Managers and Senior Managers want me to deliver. As listed in Band 1, Listening to them and asking the right questions understanding their needs, getting a time frame on when they want it to be delivered is essential. Its gives me a clear picture of what information I have to collate using the technology provided this saving time when delivering the information to them. Keeping the channels of communication open is essential in case of delays or other customer complaints that arise. Activity 2 2.1 Understanding customer needs (including examples of 3 different customers and 1 need for each, and explain how you would prioritise conflicting needs) In this activity I have chosen three customers, Staff, Line Managers and Senior Managers with reference to my own role I will identify their needs and prioritise conflicting needs. Staff – Pay Queries If a member of staff comes to the HR Department with a Pay Query the HR Department must deal with the query within an allotted time. In the Company I work for this time is 48hrs from the time of receiving a pay query. The next step of the process is to talk to the Line Manager to identify where there might be a problem, if this is to do with hours. This will then be passed on to the Payroll department to be rectified, the member of staff will be notified by email or phone call of the progress of the query. If this cannot be resolved by theses means the employee and the line manager will be asked to come to a meeting to discuss the query. Not resolving pay issues in an agreed time frame, can lead to low moral within your employees and give a negative response to the HR Department. Line Managers – Performance At the Company I work for the HR Department is requested by the Line Managers to be responsible for monitoring performance of all employees and reporting back to them if an employee falls below the agreed target. This has to be done daily and weekly depending on what department the employee is from, to keep the continuity of production flowing and reducing problems later on. Without the HR Department doing this as requested by the Line Managers the quality and productivity could be dropped if this is not monitored. This is essential for the business to produce good quality produce for the external customer thus reducing customer complaints. The HR Department would have to prioritise this service. If an employee has been identified that has fallen below the set target, they will work alongside with the Line Manager and agree what course of action should be taken i.e. Would the employee benefit from more training and what type, bearing in mind this would be an extra cost (has a budget been put in place for retraining employees) has the  employee performance dropped due to other circumstance, this would all have to be investigated. The employee would then be invited to attend a meeting with their Line Manager and a member from the Hr Department to discuss this. Senior Managers – Labour and Budgets At the Company I work for the Senior Managers puts together a Labour and Budget plan at the beginning of the year, for the amount of staff they will need each month. This plan is then given to the HR Department to recruit the right amount of staff on budget within the agreed time frame. The HR Department would have to prioritise this plan if they did not it would have a detrimental effect on the business no employees no product no business. The conflicting needs of all the different customers at any one time would have to be prioritised in order, for example Senior Managers requesting information would normally come first over other customers. Line Managers would then come second leaving the Employee last, but is this right does this mean the employee is less regarded in the organisation. No this should not be the case no matter what position you are in. It’s about prioritising what needs to be done first, not what level you work at. This may mean extending your delivery time within an agreed time frame with other customers, keeping channels of communication open with them until you can deliver the service to them. 2.2 Effective communication (include examples of 3 different communication methods and the advantages and disadvantages of each) Daily / Weekly Meeting The advantage of having a daily or weekly meetings is that a manager from each department usually attends a meeting discussing what will be happening or if there have any problems that need to be aired with other colleagues. This keeps communication following. The disadvantage of this, is another colleague would have to cover the manager’s work, while doing their own. Putting pressure on themselves to deliver their own work. Also information may not get passed down to other workers or the information may get distorted causing problems later on. Skype The advantage of using Skype that you can conduct meetings or interviews  with other sites and conduct interviews this would save on travel costs. The disadvantage of using Skype is if you are in an area with a poor signal. Newsletter – Monthly Advantage – A monthly newsletter is a good way of communication to employee’s especially to the ones that don’t have a company email or attend a regular meetings on what is happening in other departments on different sites. At the company I work for our newsletter is divided up into four section on what is happening and what is going to happen this usually starts with Operations Directors talking about what’s happening on their sites. It then moves on to Hello’s & Goodbyes announcing who has left and who has joined the Company and what department and position they are in. As well an email being sent out about a new employee starting this gives other employees a chance to know new faces. A Birthday or Celebration section has also been added. The last section is about Who Are We getting to know an employee each month. These newsletter is attached to the payslips monthly. The disadvantage of printing individual newsletters is the Cost depending on how many employees you have this could be high, the alternative is to place this on a notice board for all employees to see. 2.3 Effective service delivery (include: delivering service on time, delivering service on budget, dealing with difficult customers, handling and resolving complaints. The way to build and maintain an effective service delivery fast and professional, is to have a set procedure in place of: Who does what Has a time frame been put in place to respond, are you in receipt of all information to deal with this Request / Complaint. If you receive a complaint are you appropriately trained to deal with difficult customers. Keep the channels of communication open to all customer needs by the ways of a Phone Call, Email or a Letter or invite them to a one to one meeting. This all helps to keep the customer informed and make them feel valued. Interview the customer, identify key bits of the complaint, do you need to interview anyone else. All these factors need to be addressed to avoid a lengthily drawn out process. Any delay could prevent the Company from having  a successful result. What is it going to cost, is it within the budget. The key is to keep the channel of communication open, inform customers straight away of changes that may affect them. If there is a complaint react straight away. Bibliography ACAS. Workplace relations the key to better UK productivity – Sir Brendan Barber. Available at: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=5169 Accessed (25 February 2015) ACAS. Top tips for better management. Available at: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2966 Accessed (12 February 2015) CIPD. CIPD Profession Map. Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/cipd-hr-profession/profession-map/ Accessed (21 December 2014) Martin, M and Whiting, F (2013) Human Resource Practice. 6th Edition. London: Chartered Institute of Personal and Development.

The Writers Diet

The Writers Diet The Writer’s Diet The Writer’s Diet By Mark Nichol How does your writing style rate regarding balanced use (or overuse) of parts of speech? An online test will evaluate your compositions for you. The writing handbook The Writer’s Diet: A Guide to Fit Prose has a companion website that features not only a blog (and a newsletter you can subscribe to) but also a test that analyzes writing passages. Naturally, I took a test drive (seven test drives, actually). Choosing some of my favorite essay-type posts on DailyWritingTips.com, I plugged them into the Writer’s Diet Test, which scores content in parts-of-speech categories equivalent to the ones the book’s author, academician Helen Sword, focuses on in the book: verbs, nouns, prepositions, adjectives and adverbs, and what she calls â€Å"waste words† (it, this, that, and there). The test scores on a scale labeled in keeping with the health-conscious them: Lean, Fit Trim, Needs Toning, Flabby, and Heart Attack. One by one, I copied and pasted seven of my posts into the tool and read the results of my writing physical. I was not surprised to see that for the most part, my writing tended to be at the Lean/Fit Trim end of the spectrum. (I’ve been writing professionally for four decades, so I’d better be in good shape.) However, four of the seven cumulative scores were in Flabby territory. Why? My use of nouns was usually restrained, though the test result for one post registered their use as decidedly unhealthy. Apparently, however, I’m living on borrowed time because of an excessive employment of verbs. And though my restraint with prepositions is admirable, and I was generally carefully about not overdoing it with adjectives and adverbs, I did binge once in the latter category. In addition, I was usually pretty good about minimizing the little words that Sword lists as inimical to clear, concise writing, though I had a couple of lapses. What does this mean? Objectively, it means that I should be more alert to avoiding inserting too many of what Sword calls â€Å"academic ad-words†- the adjectives and adverbs ending in -able, -ant, -ary, and the like- that are often used in stodgy scholarly writing. And though I am vigilant about avoiding using expletives (â€Å"it is,† â€Å"there are,† and so on) and repeating the pronouns it and that, I could do better. And especially, it seems, though I often advocate using vivid verbs and minimizing use of forms of â€Å"to be† (is, am, being, and the like), I am remiss in practicing what I preach. You may, after taking the test, argue that you know you’re a good writer and don’t deserve your check-up to result in admonitions to go on a diction diet. Or perhaps, after you slyly copied and pasted a passage from a Work of Great Literature, you scoffed when Tolstoy or Twain, or Faulkner or Fitzgerald, earned â€Å"failing† scores. Sword acknowledges that the test is a â€Å"blunt instrument†: Good writing can earn low scores, bad writing can result in a complimentary result, and titans of literature sometimes simultaneously break the rules of composition and produce masterpieces. (Hello, Samuel Beckett.) Furthermore, the test is not a directive to adopt a prose style of Hemingwayian simplicity. It merely calls attention to areas that may need some attention. Check out the website for an outline of the principles Sword advises that you attend to in order to achieve a lean (or at least fit and trim) compositional composition, or read the book for more details. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:English Grammar 101: All You Need to Know41 Words That Are Better Than GoodHow to Punctuate Introductory Phrases

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Spanish

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Spanish Look in just about any good Spanish dictionary, and most verbs will be listed as either transitive (verbo transitivo, often abbreviated in dictionaries as vt or tr) or intransitive (verbo intransitivo, abbreviated to vi or int). These designations can give you an important clue as to how the verb is used in sentences. What Are Transitive and Intransitive Verbs? A transitive verb is simply one that needs a direct object (a noun or a pronoun that the verb acts upon) to complete its thought. An intransitive one does not. An example of a transitive verb is the English verb to get and one of its Spanish equivalents, obtener. If you were to use the verb by itself, such by saying I get in English or obtengo in Spanish, it is clear you arent expressing a complete thought. Theres a natural follow-up question here: What are you getting?  ¿Quà © obtengas? The verb simply isnt complete without an accompanying noun (or pronoun) to indicate what is being obtained: I am getting an error message. Obtengo un mensaje de error. Another transitive verb is to surprise or its Spanish equivalent, sorprender. To express a complete thought, the verb must indicate who is surprised: It surprised me. Me sorprendià ³. To get, to surprise, obtener and sorpender, then, are all transitive verbs. They must be used with an object. Intransitive verbs are used without objects. They stand by themselves without acting on a noun or pronoun. Although they can be modified in meaning using adverbs or phrases, they cannot take a noun as an object. An example is the English verb to flourish and its Spanish equivalent, florecer. It doesnt make sense to flourish something, so the verb stands alone: The sciences flourished. Florecà ­an las ciencias. There are many verbs that can be used either transitively or intransitively. One example is to study or estudiar. You can use an object for a transitive usage (I am studying the book. Estudio el libro.) or without an object for an intransitive usage (I am studying. Estudio.). To write and escribir can be used in exactly the same ways. Take Note Transitive verbs (or verbs that are used transitively) need a direct object to be complete.Intransitive verbs do not need an object to be complete.Usually, but not always, Spanish verbs and their English counterparts match each other in transitivity. Verb Usage in Spanish vs. English The distinctions between transitive and intransitive verbs usually dont give Spanish students a lot of trouble. Most of the time, when a transitive verb is used in English, youll use a transitive one in Spanish. However, there are some verbs that can be used transitively in one language but not the other, or the opposite. That is one reason you may want to check the dictionary before you try using a verb in a way you havent heard it before. An example of a verb that can be used transitively in English but not Spanish is to swim, as in He swam the river. But the Spanish equivalent, nadar, cant be used in that way. While you can swim something in English, you cant nadar algo in Spanish. Youll need to recast the sentence: Nadà ³ por el rà ­o. The opposite can happen as well. In English, you cant sleep something, but in Spanish you can: La madre durmià ³ al bebà ©. The mother put the baby to sleep. In translating such verbs to English, youll often need to recast the sentence. Note that there are some verbs that are classified as neither transitive nor intransitive. These include pronominal or reflexive verbs (often abbreviated in Spanish as prnl), compulative or linking verbs (cop), and auxiliary verbs (aux). Pronominal verbs are listed in dictionaries as ending in -se. Examples of Spanish Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in Use Transitive verbs: Comà ­ tres hamburguesas. (I ate three hamburgers.)El estudiante golpeà ³ la pared. (The student hit the wall.)Cambiarà © el dinero en el aeropuerto. (I will change the money in the airport.) Intransitive verbs: Comà ­ hace dos horas. (I ate three years ago. Hace tres horas is an adverbial phrase, not an object. The verb in the next example is also followed by an adverbial phrase.)La luz brillaba con muchà ­sima fuerte. (The light shone very strongly.)Las mofetas huelen mal. (Skunks stink.)

Write about a single special needs area mine is ( ADHD). research that Essay

Write about a single special needs area mine is ( ADHD). research that special needs area - Essay Example What once was dubbed as an immaturity is now classified as a disorder.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a mental condition that is characterized by age-inappropriate features of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity (Heward, 2006). The DSM-IV-TR Diagnostic Criteria focuses on a persistent pattern of inattention or hyperactivity-impulsivity or both, with emphasis on the frequency and severity than is typical among individuals of the same age. Inattention is defined failure to focus attention on those elements of the environment that are most relevant to the task at hand. On the other hand, hyperactivity is the excessive psychomotor activity which is out of proportion to the situation while impulsivity is the tendency to act suddenly without giving it much thought.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has a wide array of symptoms that could very well mimic those of other conditions. This warrants a thorough assessment process by developmental pediatricians, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals to rule out other disorders. This entails complete medical examination, review of medications, dietary habits and living conditions. ADHD can be classified as predominantly inattentive type, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type, or a combined type (Heward, 2006). ADHD combined type has both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity for the past 6 months while ADHD predominantly inattentive type has only inattention for the past 6 months. Subsequently, ADHD hyperactivity-impulsivity has only hyperactive and impulsive symptoms prevalent for the past 6 months.   Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is the most common neurobehavioral disorder among school-age children (Antai-Otong, 2003). It is estimated that 3-5% of all school-age children have ADHD (American Psychiatric Association, as cited in Heward, 2006). This translates

Resouces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Resouces - Essay Example This article provides a study case of Korean high-school students and how their level of stress can affect their food diet. The study case includes a comparison between two groups of student, the first group has low academic stress level and the second group has high academic stress level. The study found that students with high stress level tend to eat food that contains high amounts of sugar such as chocolate, flavored milk, breads and candies. The article will provide a clear example of how a person’s mental health or mood affects their food diet and how stress is related to nutrition. The article indicates that the Omega-3 fatty acids are highly used Acids in treating people with depression and mental disorder. In fact, the article shows a negative relationship between seafood and stress. In other words, in places where people consume seafood a lot, the level of stress is less than places where people consume less seafood. Indeed, the article includes different studies and hypothesis that discusses the role and the effect of Omega-3 fatty acids on mental health and how is it used as treatment to some diseases. This article helps to explain how minerals can improve people’s