Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words

Human resource management - Essay Example While feasibility studies for establishment of alliances find it important to discuss and evaluate the matters concerning technology, marketing, ownership and management structures; human resources is thought to be a subject that can be discussed, after the negotiations are finalized and alliance deal is signed. (Drouin, 2001). While issues of coordination between the workers and managers of two alliance partners remain unresolved, studies have confirmed that companies devote only around 4% of their time for resolving such issues. In addition, the differences between workforces of alliance partners can pose complex problems, incase people from different nationalities and ethnic background are involved. (Adler&Ghadar, 1990____________________________________________________Footnotes: For example, high failure rate has been recorded among the American expatriates, as American firms neglect specific procedures required for selection and training of their personnel, for working with international assignments Alliances and joint ventures are distinctly different in working style and management as the unitary domestic companies have particular style of management and human resources functional practice. The issues arise when people from different cultures have to undertake common responsibilities for discharging required functions and job responsibilities under a joint venture functional style. According to Shenkar and Zeira , an international joint venture can have eight different employee groups that have distinct characteristics. These would include executives from host-parent headquarters, host-parent transferees, host–country nationals, third county expatriates having foreign parents, parent country expatriates, third country nationals recruited directly by the IJV, third country expatriates having parents of host country nationality and foreign headquarters

Perceptual Map Marketing Essay Example for Free

Perceptual Map Marketing Essay The purpose of this document is to illustrate the information contained within the Perceptual Map Marketing simulation and relate to its information as practical and important. Contained in the simulation were three phases, each of significant importance. We will include in this document the situation, the recommended solutions and the results. We will discuss the multiple marketing aspects that were revealed within the simulation and we will attempt to create satisfactory responses to the various questions which arise out of the relationships between differentiation and positioning of products or services and what the impact of the product life cycle on marketing is. It is the hope that after reading this document there will be a clear concept of what the results of this simulation were and how they are applicable to the papers mission. All good things have a story and Cruiser Thorr was no exception. We learned about the meaning behind the bike. The simulation showed how to create and use a perceptual map using the bike as a primary example. When using the Perceptual Map it then became clearly more evident which direction the marketing goals should take to carry on its back the heart and soul of the Morotcycle brand. In selling thousands of motorcycles a year the Thorr Motocycle company has created a client base capable of supporting their imense variety of choice that is given to the consumer. Everything from the type of engine to how many people can ride the bike. They sell accessories such as protective gear, clothing and even little models for children. The services they offer to their customers are that you would expect from a first rate bike shop. Our task is to set up a positioning strategy, a perceptual map and create the parameters that will become vital to the product as it will be the customers only information before making a major purchase. For decades now the industry of motorized bikes have been on the ries. Even with this evident truth backed by consumer research the top selling item that Thorr Motorcycles is creating seems to be dwindeling. The logical conclusion that we are coming to to is that their target customers are in the decades of their 30s till almost 60s and through the proccess of life seem to have lost interests in what Thorr stands for. No longer are these men rebels or out to â€Å"be wild† as Steppenwolf would say. Any consumers who are younger are simply not capable of affording the high price tag associated with a Thorr bike which ranges in the high 20 to low 30 thousand dollar range. Younger riders are more apt to buy less expensive, quicker riding bikes that are the exact opposite of the image that Thorr stands for. We are going to solidify Cruiser thorrs postion in the market by creating its Perceptual map. There are four basic parameters that are relevant to the entire scheme of biking industry which reflect the highest chances for Cruiser Thorrs survival. These are the four parameters: lifestyle image, product design and styling, service offerings, and price. The selection of lifestyle image is almost a no brainer as it is the backbone of the Cruiser Thorrs previous success. The entire bikes thriving record is built upon a reputation that having their bike is a status symbol. The same reason that people buy Starbucks instead of simply brewing their own coffee at home. Unlike other industries, transportation specfically speaks to the identity of the person who has the item. They will spend much of their time utilizing their vehicle. In no vehicle type is this more relevant than in bikes where people will see the bike and there will be no windows, walls, or doors hiding the rider from the world. Everyone will see who the rder is and that is why Product Design nd Styling are so vital to its success. The bike and the rider are one. Man and machine moving along the pavement together. The service offerings are probably the most second important aspect to a vehicle other than the price. Maintanence and such can get very expensive very quickly. Assuring that you are taking care of you customers and looking out for their well being is primary in the grand scheme of all things. At the end of the thought of course is always the most important aspect. Cost and price. The price is affected by many, many things. Among these things is engineering, construction, materials, labor, transport of the bike itself. The whole purpose for this bikes creation is ot make money. To make money you must have a clear marketing plan. Due to this obvious fact we have restructured Cruiser Thorr and decided to not create a new bike. It is imperative to keep the Cruiser Thorr in production if Thorr is going to keep making motorcycles. It is the bike that has built their empire. It would be as if Levis stopped selling 501 Jeans. We instead create a financing option that gives the consumers with less money an opportunity to own a Cruiser Thorr. With increased service options will be able to make rational sense of the high price that we will be able to keep at the same price. For advertising it would probably be a good idea to put some endorsements in race tracks, hook up with a popular drink brand like MONSTER and maybe make a â€Å"Monster Bike† that can ride around. We can also take a page out of the GM book and put our bikes into movies and on television for product placement. The current straegy is based on price, product, location, current pomotions and services offered. With the goal of repositioning the product in an attempt to remove the competions hold on the market because we will move the parameters into concurrent thought forms and proccesses making us and our strategies the same as the competition. We know that there are four key factors that are represented by stages in a products life cycle that are important for the marketing officer to know and understand. The four stages: introduction, growth, maturity and decline. Once a product reaches the stage of its full maturity it is time to revisit it with the hope of making improvements. If this is not done the product will very quickly enter the declining stages of its life cycle. This is the reason that Cruiser Thorr started to drop its sales figure. Their product had reached its maturity. Their current customers were old and any knew ones had no idea what Cruiser Thorr, the brand, stood for. For this reason we had to reinven and improve their bikes. It was necessary to compete. It is the hope that we have together reached and addressed the various key points necessary to form a graps of the information that was provided. We have described the three major phases in the simulation. The situation and the recommended solutions have been addressed along with what our results were. We have talked about the different marketing aspects and answered the different question sthat were arisen between the relationships of differentiation and positioning for each of the products and services and its impact. It was the desire of I to create a solid understanding of the purpose and use of Perceptual Maps in Marketing. References All information was taken from the Perceptual Map Marketing Simulation provided on the University of Phoenix website.

Organ Donation :: essays research papers

On April 16, 1996, my grandfather passed away of cancer. He had been ill since November of 1995, and he needed a kidney transplant. Unfortunately, he never received one, resulting in the cause of his death. Each day about 70 people receive an organ transplant. However, 16 people die each day waiting for transplants that cannot take place because of the shortage of donated organs, according to organdonor.gov. In New York alone, only 350 people are organ donors where 7,000 New Yorkers are currently awaiting organ transplants. One organ donor can save up to 8 lives by donating their heart, lungs, liver, kidney, pancreas, and intestines. Anyone can become an organ donor, and everyone should consider it. According to hjd.org, organs and tissues are distributed through federally or state authorized regional organ and tissue banks. Your decision to become an organ donor will not interfere with the health care you receive. Saving a patient’s life is the health care provider’s first priority, and it does not cost your family anything. According to organdonation.com, family consent is required for organ donation. Referring to an article titled, â€Å"The Gift of Organ Donation,† written by Dr. Dan Fischer about organ donation, organ donation is a lifesaving gift to a person who needs a healthy organ. It is an opportunity for you to give life to another human being after you have passed away. Organ donors are desperately needed in this country, and everyone should consider themselves a potential donor. According to a statistic on organdonors.html, tens of thousands of people wait each year for transplants, and between 10-20% of them die for lack of suitable organs. Death is a sad and final affair, especially through accidental or terminal illness.

Paul Gustave Dore Essay

While accompanying his father and older brother in Paris, Gustave discovered the allure of Paris and made known his intention to remain and pursue his career as an artist (Hubbard 5-8). His work is generally considered as Romanticism and he has been labeled one of the greatest illustrators of his time. His lack of formal training created both derision among art critics and a cult following among common people who could relate to his work. He possessed a grasp of what would be popular among the common folks of his time and a flair for the dramatics in his works. It could be said that the Parisian Art world did not side with him because he did not struggle or starve as most artist did and his financial success was a threat to the very core of Art (McWilliam 829-830). His was a time of great discovery, both scientific and artistic, and an industrial revolution the likes of which gave wealth to the very few. When he abandoned caricature work, he did try to redeem himself but, could not break the yoke of commercial production and its promise of wealth (Hubbard 5-8). His inability to sway his critics and peers in his birthplace and formative city (Paris) forced him to ply his wares in England and across the Atlantic to the United States. Gustave Dore became the darling of England and America, and managed to make millions during his half century of life and produced a staggering amount of sketches. At one point of his career as an illustrator, he employed forty blockcutters (WebMuseum 1). Gustave Dore dabbled in both painting and sculpture during his later years and was purported to be a violinist and tenor singer (Hubbard 5-8). The work of Gustave Dore is both loved and spurned during his lifetime but, he certainly maintained a life of wealth his father could not have made and he owed it all to his prodigious pencil. The following works by Gustave Dore, we will examine his favored subjects and themes that showed the suffering of poor people and presented these in surrounding treatment that emphasized those suffering. . Extracted from a book by Blanchard Jerrold and illustrated by Gustave Dore. The book was commissioned as a type of guide through the many streets and venues of London, in essence a Tourist Book (Spartacus. choolnet. co. uk). Instead it became a rendition of the lower class and their plight. A story in the Port Cities: Leisure, health and housing – Social conditions in the 19th-century Website cites the following: An artist’s impression of poverty For those whose imaginations could not be stirred by social commentators like Booth and Mearns, the French artist Gustave Dore (1832-1 883) visited London and produced horrific illustrations of life in the port areas that shocked public opinion. Although a commercial success, many of the critics disliked his work. The critics’ reaction Several critics were angry that Dore had appeared to focus on the poverty that existed on the waterfront, rather than on the finer aspects of life in the metropolis. He was accused by the Art Journal of ‘inventing rather than copying’. Completely missing the point, The Westminster Review complained that ‘Dore gives us sketches in which the commonest, the vulgarest external features are set down’. (PortCities London. org) Analysis of Formal Elements – One of the most fundamental elements of art is line. [Sayre 82] 1Variety and Quality of Lines Homeless people of London deadened on a bench, third quarter 19th century Figure 1 – Museum of Louvre department of the Graphic arts,  © Museums of France, 1998 Dore’s pencil drawing shows a clear outline of each figure with the use of a heavier line and the details using lighter lines. The implied and contour lines in the garments indicate worn use and filth. The vertical and horizontal rendering on the bench enables the viewer to perceive a seating area made of stone thereby heightening the plight of the homeless and impoverished that is depicted here. The development of each subject is made through the use of foreshortening and perspective. The foreshortening implies a reclining figure surrounded by seated figures. The perception of three dimensions is brought about through the use of reserve, or white background of the paper, on the standing baby and the face of the sleeping girl with a hat. The darker rendering of the other subjects suggest repose while the highlighted baby is awake. The cross hatching and hatching of the garments in uneven manner depicts clothing that is disheveled, worn, and filthy. Couple and Two Children Sleeping on a London Bridge Figure 1 – http://www. bergercollection. org/artwork_detail. php? i=167# Dore in Figure 2 now uses a more expressive line in the treatment of the subjects and dark heavy graduated in weight to specify large folds in the clothing and the edge lip of the bench, shown as details in Figure 3 and 4. A sepia wash is used to introduce as a possible element of a darkening sky dotted with white spots indicating stars. To the upper left of the figures is a depiction of crosses faintly visible implying the mast of tall ships thereby implying a port in the distance? The stone bench is still presented by straight vertical and horizontal lines but as opposed to Figure 1, it now shows details such as cracks that normally propagate in stone material. All the figures are dark and disheveled in appearance. Their clothing is depicted in an unkempt appearance and the scene shows a sense of separation from the upper class society because of the way they are lying on the bench, even though they are presented in a manner of dress inure to the upper class. My first impression was a family waiting for transportation to where I do not know after a night out on the town. Normally figures, during that century, waiting for transportation are sitting upright. Dore does not address in his drawing here the same condition as Figure 1. When I first saw this work, I chose not to look at the title and make some preconceived notion as to what was being depicted. When I noticed the implied ship mast in the background, which setup the next perception as a port, it inherently supported my theory of awaiting transportation. Alas, it was not correct and this may shed some light into Dore’s eventual illustration in Figure 5 of the same scene depicting a more impoverished set of subjects on a bench awaiting the light of day. Included as a reference to the depiction of poor vs. wealthy is Figure 6, one of just a few of the drawings the publisher thought would be prevalent in the book. Figure 1 – http://www. bergercollection. org/artwork_detail. php? i=167# Figure 2 – http://www. bergercollection. org/artwork_detail. php? i=167# London: A Pilgrimage, Asleep Under the Stars Figure 1 – http://www. cf. ac. uk/encap/skilton/illustr/index. html London: A Pilgrimage, A Ball at the Mansion House Figure 2 – http://www. cf. ac. uk/encap/skilton/illustr/index. html 2Spatial Strategy A Whitechapel Coffeehouse Figure 3 Use of a frontal recession, street level linear perspective is tantamount to depicting the main figures in this almost monochromatic painting. Dore’s lines are generalized and are meant to capture immediately the scene in its moment. The central figures show a more upright and important stance than the outlying supporting subjects. Their turned bodies show an intense attention to the entrance of these key figures. The key figures wardrobe is straight and the outlying figures show crumpled clothing which may imply poverty. It is not until the illustration in Figure 7 that the sense of desperation among the non-central figures is clearly delineated. It is also in this illustration that the claustrophic effect that Dore is famous for is in full effect. The painting shows a more elevated perspective than the illustration. I have started to question Dore’s intent in the production of these illustrations. Even though his name is clearly on the lower left corner on most prints, the blockcutters name is on the lower right. This clearly implies an employer to employee relationship and does not necessarily imply apprenticeship. The distinct change from study or conceptual drawing to print supports this remark. London: A Pilgrimage, A Whitechapel Coffeehouse Figure 4 – http://www. cf. ac. uk/encap/skilton/illustr/index. html 3Light and Color The Charity of the fishmongers: study in a district of London, 4th quarter 19th century Figure 1– Museum of Louvre department of the Graphic arts,  © Museums of France, 1998 Dore produced this work five years after the release of the illustrated book London: A Pilgrimage. His rendering of color does not lend itself well to translating key formal elements. Why he chose to color the gathering of men in red is in contradiction to the clear shaft of white light shining on the fishmonger and children. The gathering of men looks to be outside due to the street pole with what may be gaslights. It is reported that Dore was color blind and was not adept at color shading (Malan 1). If it were not for the title I may have mistook this as a gathering of children at a fish market with their caretaker. Under closer scrutiny it shows the children as lacking shoes and wearing torn soiled clothing. 4Texture and Pattern London: A Pilgrimage, Houndsditch Figure 2 – http://www. f. ac. uk/encap/skilton/illustr/index. html London: A Pilgrimage, Found in the Street Figure 3 – http://www. cf. ac. uk/encap/skilton/illustr/index. html Here again his lack of training shows through on the use of light, shading and shadows. His surrounding treatment is far below his work illustrating Dante’s Inferno or the Bible. Looking at Figure 10 gives th e impression that the candle is giving off more light than it is truly capable of producing. There is also an imbalance to the scene because of the light. Artistic license aside, I prefer George de la Tours rendering in Joseph the Carpenter [Sayre 175]. The Figures clearly show the impoverished condition that has befallen the subjects in the picture and shows, as if in a photograph, the dire predicament that requires immediate intervention 5Comparisons The well meaning Dore did have influences during his formative years and it came about through his beginnings as a caricature artist. Artist like Grandville was admired enough by Dore that he went to him for advice on matters concerning his art. Dore studied closely the work of the first comic strip artist Rodolphe Toepher and this may have created a caricature memory strategy that was difficult to overcome (Duncum 97, 98). Lion Devouring a Rabbit Figure 1 – Eugene DelaCroix DelaCroix’s lion bears a more realistic representation of the animal than the one Gustave Dore’s illustrated on the cover drawing (Figure 15) for the book London: A Pilgrimage. Dore’s lion seems to melt into the surrounding environment and the foreshortening of the front paw and rear paw are not in keeping with the rules of perspective. Hercules at the Crossroads Figure 2 – Albrecht Durer (Germany) circa 1498 London: A Pilgrimage, Gustave Dore Figure 3 – http://www. cf. ac. uk/encap/skilton/illustr/index. html Albrecht Durer’s treatment of the muscular human male may seem to fall within the same realm as Dore’s human male in his cover drawing but, it shows Dore’s lack of formal training in the way the back muscles are rendered. Durer studied human anatomy extensively including bone structure, which I believe Dore did not fully grasp. London: A Pilgrimage, Newgate Exercise Yard Figure 4 – http://www. cf. ac. uk/encap/skilton/illustr/index. html There have been questions in the art world as to the influence of Dore on other artist; one in particular is Van Gogh who referred to him as the Artist of the People (Study Light Org). † Van Gogh had produced a picture called â€Å"Prison Yard† and it was presented without reference to being after a major artist and this was not acceptable. The critic clearly states the resemblance of the picture to Dore’s above in Figure 17 and describes it as â€Å"a tolerably literal rendering of an illustration by Gustave Dore. † He does continue to deride Dore with the continuing remark â€Å"It seems as if Van Gogh had discerned, as others have, an occasional article of value in the rubbish-heap of Dore’s production (R. S. 250). This is but one example of Dore’s place in the Art Critics of his time. His development of the illustrations for the book London: A Pilgrimage brought about the issues of the paupers and homeless (Smith 997-1032). Smith projects the impression of France’s workhouses as being equal to the dreadful pictures of London in Gustave Dore’s book. In conclusion Gustave Dore succeeded in presenting to the populace at hand on the issues of poverty through study sketches that were transformed into illustrations. His rendered illustrations clearly showed the large divide between the wealthy and the poor. His handsomely paid commission did not affect what he saw as blight in society. His participation in this particular commissioned work allowed him to perform a service that could not be ignored, and his focus on the plight of the paupers created a controversy that most artists during his time could afford (Grew 204). The many sketches he made for this project is not readily encompassed by this study and many scholars are still building a repertoire of research into a man who turned a commercially paid venture into a social statement, which will provide students and teachers with questions still unanswered.

Applying Branding Techniques Essay

Introduction The Brand Techniques simulation is based on cosmetic company’s building of a new brand. Ca’Shara is a United States based cosmetic manufacturer and marketer of skin care, hair care, and make-up. Ca’Shara has an established brand presence and known for quality products. The recent consumer interest in natural products has made Ca’Shara management decide to cater to this segment of the cosmetic market. The company has decided on a 5,000 year old health care system from India called Ayurveda. As the newly appointed Brand Manager, I will be responsible for building the new brand Three executives gave their expert advice in the decision making process throughout the simulation exercise. They were Tina Trotter, Head of Sales; Monique Knight, Brand Consultant; and Jim Reding, Country Manager. Perceptual Map The simulation give the psychographic profile of the Ayurvedic customer as Caucasian to African American, age 18-35 with an income of $50,000 or higher. The consumer survey shows the customer base largely holistic and classy with a combined 55%. Meaning they like the natural base products and exclusive products. The principles of Ayurveda are explained as the Three Doshas. This is important to understand because it shows the three skin types the new brand will target. This will be dry, oily, and irritable. The brand position choice made was high on both holistic and classy and titled Enduring Secrets from the East. This was incorrect. The correct choice was high holistic and low classy. Correct title is Perfect balance, mind and body. The reason for the choice was because of the psychographic percentages only contained a slim difference in weighted value. I didn’t realize this choice meant the brand would need to carve out a new niche instead of competing against another company’s products. The choice made meant the perception of the product would be set as a lofty, unreachable goad of  perfect in every way alleviating all concerns and possible disadvantages. Brand Name, Logo, & Slogan Two choices were made correctly using the focus group information. The brand name chosen was Natural Balance because it aligned with the brand positioning. Logo number 2 was chosen because of the market survey’s information. The logos green color and curves match the preferences of the focus groups. The shape gives the feel of feminine soft. The slogan of A Return to Nature was chose, but was not the best choice as it was similar to a competitor’s slogan. This choice doesn’t allow the brand to stand alone and differentiate itself in the market. It could dilute the brands identity. According to Cron.com the choosing of a name, logo, and slogan are nearly as important as the products sold. â€Å"If you choose your name and logo well, they will stay in your customers’ minds and remind them of the value your company offers. In fact, a well-chosen name and logo can help you to stand out amount the competition. Your customers will instantly think of your memorable business name and logo whenever they are in the market for your products or services.† For this very reason, the slogan that is similar to another like product is a grave error. Brand Associations- The Final Look Now we are down to choosing the brand associations. Who will promote and what events or causes will be align our brand with? The focus groups chose Maria Switzer as the spokesperson. They also pointed to two functions of interest, Partner with GreenEco and providing grants to women’s trust funds. These choices used $27,300 of the allotted $34,000. Total cost of these choices is $327,000 and under budget. It makes sense for a product that is built around natural ingredients to be associated with an environmental group like GreenEco. It also shows the company’s long term commitment to the environment. The choice of providing grants to women’s trust funds is a choice that gives back to the community in a broad spectrum. The customer base can see where they may see benefit locally for the dollars they’ve spent. The choice of Maria Switzer was that of a strong, independent female with her own sense of style. The public’s view of longevity is associated with this individual’s unique persona. Beyond the Simulation The simulation was good about applying the principles of brand positioning, but there are more ways to make your product stand out among similar brands. One additional aspect is to show ownership. The simulation had a spokesperson picked, but customers like to be able to identify an owner. This is true for large and small company’s ability to stand out from the competition. Knowing the face behind the product is important to keeping the consumer engaged. Per the SBA, â€Å"Businesses really thrive when the energy of the owner is there.† A good example was Steve Jobs involvement with Microsoft. Small businesses can equally benefit from the consumer having a face behind the product or service. It lets people know the owner is involved and active with the business. Another way to have stood out was not only the shape of the container, but to have the container recyclable, biodegradable, or refillable would have been a good aspect to have. This would further appeal to the profile of being environmentally friendly and support the GreenEco cause the brand is supporting. The brand in the simulation, Ayurveda, immediately had a sense of well-being and soothing associated with the brand. Not only is it not irritating to the individual’s skin, but the environment too. The brand was immediately associated with everything â€Å"green† in today’s society. Service vs. Tangible product Had the simulation used a service instead of a tangible product application there would have been no real difference. A brand is in the minds of the consumer. It is setting or understanding their perception of the product or service offered. Conclusion The simulation was an excellent tool in learning and applying the branding techniques. It was only after wrong decisions were made and explained, that I understood why they were incorrect. At that point they seem obviously wrong. Making sure to use the differences of a product or service is the key to finding a niche and making a product stand out among the masses. References Chron, retrieved March 9, 2014 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/choose-company-name-logo-2348.html SBA retrieved March 9, 2014 from http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/10-tips-help-you-build-and-grow-stand-out-small-business-brand

3 Cases of Sentence-Composition Confusion

3 Cases of Sentence-Composition Confusion 3 Cases of Sentence-Composition Confusion 3 Cases of Sentence-Composition Confusion By Mark Nichol It’s not only quite possible but also quite common for what initially appears to be a well-written sentence to turn out to fail to express what the writer intended. Readers may be able to understand that intent, and may not even notice the error, but confusion is likely. Here are three sentences that don’t quite say what the writer thinks they say, followed by discussions and revisions. 1. Jones teamed up with another future Hall of Famer named John Smith. This sentence literally states that Jones’s name is actually John Smith; â€Å"another future Hall of Famer named John Smith† implies that the previously mentioned person shares that name. To eliminate this distraction, simply replace name with a comma: â€Å"Jones teamed up with another future Hall of Famer, John Smith. (Alternatively, change another to fellow and delete named: â€Å"Jones teamed up with fellow future Hall of Famer John Smith.†) 2. Gillian Anderson was offered half of David Duchovny’s salary for the return of The X-Files. Here, the take-away is that half of David Duchovny’s salary was taken away and offered to Gillian Anderson- obviously not the intended meaning, which is that Duchovny was paid twice as much as Anderson to return to the television series. The fact that Duchovny’s salary is mentioned only for comparative purposes should be emphasized: â€Å"Gillian Anderson was offered half of what David Duchovny was paid to return to The X-Files.† (Alternatively, write â€Å"Gillian Anderson was offered half as much as David Duchovny was paid to return to The X-Files.†) Note, too, the rewording in each case of the end of the sentence, which originally was written as if to suggest that she gave the series back in exchange for taking half of Duchovny’s salary, rather than that in exchange for reprising her role in a new edition of the series, she is earning half of what her male co-star is being paid. 3. I managed to pinpoint the location of his first housing development, but finding the first house he built was about as easy as locating men who worked on his construction crews. To compare one difficult task (finding the first house a housing developer built) with another (tracking down his contractors) by writing that one was as easy as the other could confuse readers. (As it is, only the counterpoint conjunction but provides a clue that the second and third objectives were a challenge to achieve.). For clarity, replace â€Å"as easy as† with â€Å"as difficult as†: â€Å"I managed to pinpoint the location of his first housing development, but finding the first house he built was about as difficult as locating men who worked on his construction crews.† 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 Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Wether, Weather, WhetherThe Writing ProcessDrama vs. Melodrama

The eNotes Blog A Fun Introduction to History Books That Give an Insight to Days GoneBy

A Fun Introduction to History Books That Give an Insight to Days GoneBy Books are  passports to other  worlds, no matter how cheesy that sounds. With that in mind, theres something particularly fascinating about works of fiction that take encompass times and events that really occurred. That isnt to say that novels taking place outside the realm of real life arent wonderful- they are, but to be able to pick up a book and see what it was truly like to live as an average person during, say, the reign of King Henry VIII and the break with the Catholic Church? Well, that is something the average person would never be able to do without the help of author-historians. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (Not to be biased, but this legitimately may be my favorite book of all time.) Anyone familiar with the history of King Henry VIII knows that this man had a lot of wives (six, to be exact). The most notorious of these wives was without a doubt the vixen named Anne Boleyn. Sure, the King married four women after her, but shes the one who forced him to exile his wife of many years (Queen Katherine) by breaking with the Catholic Church of Rome and forming his own (which became known as the Anglican Church). Its safe to say that  Anne was a powerful and ambitious lady. The Other Boleyn Girl is narrated by Annes sister Mary, a much kinder Boleyn daughter (and mother to a couple of the Kings children- thats in the novel too). Readers follow the story of the Boleyn family in their search for power and nobility to their eventual downfall- most people know that Annes story ended with a beheading. This novel is an absolutely fabulous melding of historical facts and beautiful storytelling. Girl with the Pearl Earring  by Tracy Chevalier The life of renowned Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer is not well-known in spite of the admiration his work continues to command, even in the modern world. What we know for sure is that this 17th-century artist rendered enchanting images of domestic life in still lifes and portraits of everyday people in the world that surrounded him. Our narrator is a young woman with the name of Griet, who is taken in by the painters house, doing menial housework in exchange for a basic living. Over time, Griet and her master, Vermeer, become increasingly close. Vermeer goes so far as to take the girl on as an apprentice, and later as a model- a model perhaps adorned  with pearl earrings. The story is full of rich detail and carefully follows the tumultuous experiences and emotions of its narrator, leading to an enrapturing tale. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden Many people are familiar with the nature of what a geisha  is: essentially (and I mean essentially- theres much more to being a geisha than this) a geisha is an extremely beautiful and well-learned escort. (If you want to know more specifics, this book is a good place to start.) Including many accounts from one of Japans most premier geishas,  Memoirs of a Geisha gives its readers a look into what it was like to live in a world of shadowed glamour, where looks and etiquette meant everything, and where ones virginity was sold for top dollar. Fall of Giants  by Ken Follett The year is 1911. It is coronation day for King George V of Britain and, across the pond, Woodrow Wilson is up for election and aided by a fleet of ambitious men. Meanwhile, in Russia, two families are divided (Romeo and Juliet-style) by enmity and class differences, but united by controversial romance; the Williams family lives off their small  salary as  coal miners while the Fitzherberts own the very mine in which the Williamses work. Fall of Giants manages to seamlessly blend the lives of the rich and the poor, the young and the old, and the life of the East (i.e., Russia), and the West (i.e., the United States and Great Britain). Outlander by Diana Gabaldon This is a novel that takes some liberties by including a little bit of time travel (and its done very well and much to the storys benefit). Its 1945, and WWII has come  to a close. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, has returned home to her husband, and the two trundle off to celebrate their reunion with a second honeymoon. Really, all of this sounds quite peachy- the war is over, lovers are reunited, and the future looks bright. That is, until Claire takes a weird turn through one of the Standing Stones of the British Isles and finds herself an outlander, in other words, an enemy of sorts to the warring clans of Scotland- back in 1743. Understandably bamboozled, our narrator finds herself trying to survive amidst war, spies, and treachery. As if that isnt enough, she also meets a man who shows her more intense love than shes ever known in her life. Claire is now torn not only between two time periods, but between two great loves. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak By being narrated by Death, already  The Book Thief has a bit of a hook. The novel is set during the Nazi partys rise to power and the onset of WWII. Our protagonist is a young girl living outside of Munich with a foster family. After learning to read under the tutelage of her adoptive father, our heroine realizes her love of books and reads everything she can get her hands on, even if that means a little thievery. When her family decides to take in and hide a young Jewish boy in their basement, she beings to read to him too- that is, up until they begin  the march to Dachau Atonement by Ian McEwan In 1934, it is safe to say that there were different ideas of  what went into a courtship and, eventually, an appropriate relationship. It is also safe to say that the average thirteen-year-old girl (particularly during this time period) would not be entirely privy to the nature of romantic inclination. When thirteen-year-old Briony spots her older sister and the son of their servant getting a little flirtatious, the young girl misconstrues his intentions to be of a more aggressive nature than they perhaps are. This little misunderstanding leads to a hefty amount of trouble for all parties involved. Atonement  takes place during  WWII (as so many of the books on this list seem to) and follows our characters to the conclusion of the twentieth century. We are given a glimpse into the lives of people during this time period, for better or for worse.