Developing an attendance management and rehabilitaion policy Essay

Developing an attendance management and rehabilitaion policy - Essay Example Under Innocent absenteeism, employees fail to go to work for reasons that are beyond their control. According to Cascio & Boudreau (2008, p. 45), IHC, which is one of the UK healthcare consultants argued that half of UK workplace absence his not often related with health problems. People just decide to attend their domestic or personal issues while others are not motivated by their jobs and various other reasons (Griffin, 2011, p. 280). Absenteeism is a global issues that face almost all companies though rates of absenteeism varies across companies depending on company location, size, industry type, weather, and job stress inherent in a given job position and responsibility. Some of the reasons for work absenteeism include poor attitude toward work that may rise from abuse of freedom or critical issues like sick leave permissions. Personal or family problems including the need to take care of sick children or elderly, family conflicts, pregnancy problems among most women among other reasons are cited as common causes of absenteeism (Jacobson and School of Psychology, 2007, p. 136). In organizations where the workforce constitutes of aging population, there are often high rates of absenteeism since older people may not be able to hand work overload. In places where employees are stressed, absenteeism is often high, work-related stress may rise from poor feedback between employees and management, harassment and bullying, poor remunerations, overworking among other issues. As mentioned by Jacobson and School of Psychology (2007, p. 136), involuntary absenteeism may occur where employees are not provided with required transport. Other reasons of absenteeism may include activities of the organization such as trips, entertainment or training of staff. According to Cascio & Boudreau (2008, p. 46), some of the direct costs

Enhancing Competitive Abilities for Airline Companies

Enhancing Competitive Abilities for Airline Companies Case of Air China Abstract This study examines the strategic, performance and learning issues confronting the Air China, in the aftermath of the Open Skies agreement between China and the United States. It uses a comparative perspective of United Airlines to examine Air China and the Chinese airline industry in context of ‘open skies, and in contrast to the wider global airlines industry. This is a questionnaire based study that uses both qualitative and quantitative data but relies more on the latter. The study is limited in its scope and implications primarily due to a small sample size, and the resulting inability to use inferential statistics. The study provides some focused recommendations on strategic thrusts and choices that could augment Air Chinas growth and performance as an international player. Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Background In the year 2008 the aviation industry forecasts show that Air China is the only Chinese airline that is likely to make a profit. Even Air China the Chinese flagship airline has been underperforming on international routes for some time now. While air travel is increasing on the backs of economic growth and the Olympic Games, fuel prices and competition under the ambits of international agreements like the ‘open skies between the US and China seem to have found Chinese airlines on the back foot for the moment. The fast expansion of the Chinese aviation market has seen investment flow in and international parties becoming interested as partners, investors and competitors in the sector. Chinese Airlines have responded with forays such as exploring alliancing, and strategic restructuring to respond to this duality of opportunity and threat. The open skies agreement in general implies â€Å"unrestricted access by any carrier into the sovereign territory of a country without any written agreement specifying capacity, ports of call or schedule of services† (Murali, 2005). Thus, theoretically, when the skies are open, any foreign airline can land any aircraft at any airport, with no restrictions on frequency and seat capacity. The frame of reference for the US China open skies agreement is the central provinces of Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Henan, and Shanxi. As per the terms of the agreement they are completely open to US airlines. Being open to the American enterprise means generous funds flow but harnessing this implies capturing the air routes and the passenger traffic. Major US airlines including the United maneuver to do this with their greater experience, resources and air traffic exposure alongside Chinese airlines. The latter have the advantage of being domestic players and thus have the local advantages that come with the same (Ahmed et al, 2006). Coordination and configuration issues also affect highly transnational international airlines in both positive and negative ways (Porter, 1985, 1986). One is by having greater experience of reaching out to new markets and the other is inevitable increasing challenge of synthesis and adjustment as each fresh market is encountered. The domestic flagship carrier Air China also has the advantage of national prestige just like Lufthansa has for Germany and British airways for Great Britain: â€Å"Air China is the only airline company which carries the national flag to fly. It has the first rank of brand value among domestic airline companies (the world brand laboratory evaluated it in 2006 as 18.896 billion RMB), and it is among the leading position of air passenger transport, freight transport and related service† (airchina.com, 2008). The advantage shows in it being at least better performing than other domestic airlines. However, the international experience and resource strength of players like the United Airlines is considerable. United operates more than 3,700 flights a day on United, United Express and Ted SM to more than 210 U.S. domestic and international destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C hubs (AsiaTravel.com, 2007). With key global air rights in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Latin America, United is one of the largest international carriers based in the United States. United is also a founding member of Star Alliance With the Star alliance, United is clearly in elite company where international code sharing, passenger traffic movements, innovations, and control of international hubs are the forte of a group of heavily resourced carriers. International alliancing is rather nascent as a strategy in the case of Chinese airlines with Air China having but recently joined the Star Alliance. Furthermore, within the Star Alliance also competition is not nullified among alliance partners. With the squabbling over alliances in domestic market viz. between Air China and China Eastern Airlines, the market seems dangerously susceptible to foreign takeovers unless either performance improves or government takes safety measures through anti-trust clamp down. The trust in a government safety net have often resulted in airlines facing major crisis like for instance, the German carrier Lufthansa in 1990s where a leadership change and strategic turnaround of a seminal nature were required to save it (Mintzberg et a l, 2003). With the domestic carriers making a loss even for the flagship carrier Air China it is imperative to make sure that it does not sit easy on its asset of existing brand recognition that stems primarily from carrying the national flag. It is reported, at present in the Chinese and American aviation routes, the domestic operators is relatively disadvantaged. Neither the passenger transportation nor freight transportation have been able to raise profits and even made losses, the situation being particularly acute in the Chinese context. Low occupancy in flights returning from the United Stated is just one reason among other operational and strategic aspects like fuel prices, customer preferences, quality perceptions, pricing, and alliancing effects, to name a few(ATKearney, 2008). Since the open skies agreement the need to strengthen the Chinese airlines competitive position has been seen as key to both the airline industry and to the validation of the strategic intent of China to successfully globalize its key industries. 1.2 Motivation The aviation agreement between China and the US signals the intention of the Chinese Government to take on global competition for larger gains. With a five fold increase in airline frequency proposed over six years commencing the onset of the agreement in 2004 it is probably the right juncture to examine the state of the Chinese airline industry in the aftermath of this strategic drive. Air China being the flagship carrier makes for an ideal setting to be examined with a comparative frame of reference of United Airlines of the United States. The agenda is to look at strategies, performance, and impact across a range of indicators to reflect on competitive performance, and issues therein for the Chinese aviation industry. The perspective of the China US agreement is also a case that has implications for other open skies agreements that China has entered into like with the European Union in 2005. The consequences of Chinas opening up and joining the World Trade Organization in 2001 are also implied in issues, challenges and performance related reflections that are to stem from this study. The motivation for this study in its chosen research site of Air China, in a comparative reference with united airlines in the main, and under the US-China open skies agreement is thus of great relevance to industry and economic scenario. 1.3 Research Questions In light of the aforesaid the following research questions will deliver the examination of Chinese Airline industry. This in context of the open skies agreement using the case of Air China in the main, with a comparative reference to United Airlines, and with a view to generate implications for the Chinese aviation industry as a whole. What has been Air Chinas strategy in light of the open skies agreement? What are the issues affecting the performance of Air China in particular and of the Chinese airlines in general, in the aftermath of the open skies agreement? What are the issues affecting Air Chinas global brand development and recognition? What are the lessons that Air China can draw from United Airlines as a sample of what the Chinese airline industry can learn from more experienced international carriers? The first two research question clearly relates to the examination of Air Chinas strategic choices in light of the open skies agreement and how these have resulted in the realized performance. The next question relates to the idea of stretching of the domestically acquired- flagship status based, brand recognition into an internationally acclaimed brand. A key indicator for the same is quality and value that is associated with the brand. The final question is in the domain of lessons learned more-so strategic lessons in the aftermath of the open skies and with a comparative context of more experienced transnational carriers. This completes the loop by looking at learning in context of strategic choices and performance 1.4 Outline of the Dissertation This dissertation presents a literature review in the next chapter. The chapter takes off by a review the global airline industry, open skies agreement and the airlines under purview with reference to past information and research. This is in addition to and an extension of the background presented here. The literature review then contextualizes extant research broadly in the areas of strategy, organisation learning and transnational aspects as discussed under the discussion on research questions above. The methodology and approach chapter that follows the literature review moves forward to discuss how the indicators from a synthesis of the literature review are developed into an instrument, and associated, data, sampling, approach and methods in analyses aspects, among other aspects. The findings chapter provide an objective outlay of the analysis from a questionnaire study and then the discussions chapter provides and interpretative discussion on the same. Finally the conclusions reflect back on the aims of the research as operationalised under the research questions to also provide recommendations for strategy and for future research in the area. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Global Airline Industry, Open Skies and Air China The AT Kearneys (2008) report on the global outlook for the airline industry presents several noteworthy points. It posits that returns are lower than the cost of capital, and that oil prices have caused a dramatic decline in US business conditions with consumer confidence at an all time low since 2001. It further argues that growth looks better in emerging markets like China, tight credit norms are affecting U.S and Europe while excess capacity is a big issue to tackle with efficiency lifts being very critical across the board. In addition the argument for open skies to intensify competition is also driven home. This comprehensive scenario suggests that there is an opportunity for airlines in the growing/emerging markets to usurp dominant international carriers if they pull their act together. The overall crisis scenario has more negatives for the bigger carriers that are outside emerging markets. However, experience, network and resource muscle are keeping them ahead. The Chinese a irline market is probably the biggest opportunity to gain fresh turf and revenues given its relative robustness in recent times. The Chinese flagship carrier ‘Air China today is the new generation of what was the â€Å"Air China† established on 1988. It has come together as a merger of the erstwhile Air China, National Aviation Company and China Southwest Airlines. With this strategic reshaping event in the aviation history of China that happened in 2002, air China has taken giant leaps in trying to become a globally recognized player in the airlines industry over a short time frame. Its sustained profitability is a matter of pride and a signifier of the potential in and of emerging markets. Despite global downturns in profitability which have been a concern for Air China also, its performance is much better than most other global and all domestic players (Airchina.com, 2008). The company has strategic targets that indicate its ambitious designs despite its nascent lineage. However, these, that of competitive lead, continuous quality, service and profitability improvements with unique and memorable experiences for customers (Airchina.com, 2008) are but rather generic across airlines and also conjoint agendas. Operationalising this strategy has seen quality impetus that we will discuss later, trying to learn from and network with other airlines, among others. This national carrier of China has joined the Star alliance in 2007 and its cooperation with leading airlines around the globe has seen it expand massively to nearly nine hundred locations around the globe. It has its catch phrases to help keep strategy and performance feedback simple and translatable into new initiatives and improvements. One such aspect is to do with service and is called ‘four hearts- implying reassurance, satisfaction, easiness and sensation (Airchina.com, 2008). Other config uration aspects that link with the sales network expansion, working to fine tune the much used frequent flyer tactic, and using supplier and partner networks to improve capacity utilization and efficiency. It has tried to outdo professional and technical capacities deployed by international airlines, whether it be pilot and staff training, motivating service operations and innovations through awards, and as aforesaid, using symbolic emblems for quality in general that can make the strategic intent transmittable through the organisation at all levels. Branding at a global level has always been a concern worked at audaciously with domestic dominance never being in question (Ahmed et al, 2006; Airchina.com, 2008). In 2007, Air China reported an increase of about fourteen percent in its operating revenue. The growth in passenger and cargo services fuelled by economic growth and also the impending Olympics seem to have contributed. Managing efficiency to make sure that capacity utilization and efficiency in operations given the fuel crisis deliver to their best might have paid off to some degree. However, rising operating costs have taken hold given the oil price scenario. While hedging has helped counter fuel price impact it is not a stable measure (ATKearney, 2008). The current scenario is not bleak by far the overtime trends are of concern given the uncertainties that prevail in the aviation market and the intensifying competition under the open skies agreement. Air China has focused on transfer traffic to increase passenger uptake while opening up steadily on international routes. Nearly thirty five percent of its routes are now international operating across nearly thirty countries. The revenue chunk from domestic operations stills makes the bulk. Having joined the Star Alliance recently Air China has made path breaking improvements in quality, service and has upgraded both its fleet and support infrastructure like under the new terminus at Beijing also hosting the alliance. The operating performance of Air China is markedly higher than other Chinese airlines including Eastern China Airlines. Domestic competition had defeated efforts at alliances here but the climate of uncertainty that has had international airlines pitching for co-operation saw Air China enter the prestigious Star Alliance. The inclusion was also triggered by promise in the emerging markets as aforesaid. Being the largest carrier in China with over 20000 employees and well trained crew who are more abreast with international service norms and issues holds Air China in good ground when making internationalization efforts. Domestic market is a stable resource mooring for the Airline that seeks to become a globally renowned brand in the industry. It makes for a perfect alliance partner for international majors given that at the onset of the decade China was recorded to have the highest percentage increase in passenger traffic of about 11.50%. US on the other hand had the lowest at -6.30% (Ahmed at al, 2008). Since 9/11 things have finally shaken the slumber in the U.S but fresh crisis of rising fuel prices and capital crunch have nullified the recovery. 2.2 United Airlines: The lineage and Chinese Context United is one of the oldest airlines. It claims its genesis in W.T. Varneys airmail operations in the later 1920s. United went with the fortunes of the times whether it be the Wars or the economic boom thereafter which saw rapid expansion on the one hand and monopolistic competition on the other. The 1970s were true crisis times for United as it went through several leadership hands and tried to remain afloat during turbulent economic times. The era of stability thereafter has seen United become the largest employee majority owned company in the world. While this has had positive implications on service quality, it is also not without its downsides. Arguably employee lobbies resulted in factionalism at times but overall the service philosophy due to this ownership has taken great leaps, and the ‘friendly skies slogan got replaced with a more ambitious slogan of ‘rising. This was probably as much aspiration based as it was given deregulation across the World. New economies and markets beckoned with domestic competition being as intense as ever. The 9/11 crisis probably hit the United the hardest. However, with government support, employee cooperation and smart financial management United managed to stay afloat and recover as a strong player in the international market. While it shares the industry downturn of recent times, experience and employee ownership hold it in good grounds to face competition and explore new markets (United.com, 2008). In March 2008 United Airlines won the duel with other US based airlines like the Continental- to run daily flights between Washington D.C and Beijing. The implications for the United home the Dulles airport is massive. This includes a boost through employment among other things much needed in the slumping economy. With the Beijing Olympics then just around the corner this meant even more money. Despite the open skies agreement the number of carriers from US in Chinese air space are limited by the government and the routes that open up thus draw fierce competition amongst prospective airlines (asiatravel.com, 2007). Besides increasing communication, this has special implications for international carriers that are facing the brunt of global oil price rise and uptake of luxury class travel (ATKearney, 2008). The forecast of emerging markets being the place to be discussed before has seen airline industries queue up for the Chinese airspace. The success is not only in winning amongst peers but also by getting a bulk of revenue off Chinese airlines like Air China who have local advantages but when it comes to international travel where the clientele is mixed they have less experience. The bids draw great political clout that pitch in with one airline or the other. With nearly 90000 people moving between China and Washington the market is serious. Us airlines like Continental, American and Northwest are serious contenders for the overall Chinese air space and are carving out their own niche for instance the connection between Shanghai and New York that continental offers (Asia travel.com, 2007). The star alliance connection between Air China and United comes to the fore here as this alliance allows United to access more routes around Beijing. Clearly the alliance has a cooperation agenda at the fore but competition remains within alliance partners also. On the one hand they rope in customers based on loyalty points, better cumulative resource strength, and wider route configurations, among others while on the other they vie for getting more and more alliance passengers as primary to themselves. 2.3 Network effects, Quality and Service Value Quality drives with an international value paradigm are a key indicator of aspirations to become a globally renowned brand. Network effects like that of prestigious alliances and by virtue of passenger traffic in the area given events such as the Olympics and generally favorable economic climate also augment the potential. Air China identified key business activities to enhance service quality and by extension value perceptions in customers. These were: â€Å"flight service (including off flight), people management (employee satisfaction leading to better customer service); supplier network management; technology adoption and integration; passenger perception management; and customer satisfaction measurement and complaint handling† (Ahmed et al, 2006). Under these, customizing services for individual customers is considered important. At the same times basic satisfying aspects are to be ensured before specialist and high order services are to be configured. This is in line with the ‘hygiene -motivators theory of Frederick Hertzberg (1959). Working to deliver a unique experience through incorporating attractive cultural aspects that are also internationally appealing has also been on the agenda fueling creative insights and challenges in the process. It has not been without innovation meeting efficiency and operational bottleneck for example to stretch customer choices by providing onboard menus that met with some embarrassing failures to keep adequate stock of items. This was reworked with considerable focus on database management to record past preferences. Employee satisfaction and involvement at this stage is pivotal as they are central to service and in the airline business front end employee interface is critical for rep eat business and reputation building. The people management agenda at Air China is closely juxtaposed with quality, the role of the manager in tying together people, and productivity and excellence stemming from motivated employees are all key tenets practiced with the adage that performance and quality issues begin at the top (Ahmed et al, 2006). As far as network effects are concerned the company seeks to establish long term relations with suppliers for stability, assuredness and cost effectiveness. The product life cycle of the key artifact the aircraft also merits such an approach. Improvement needs, maintenance needs and incorporating new technology are connected issues where in-house capabilities are also important. The excellence 2008 programme works to look at technology as a nonhuman aspect and emphasizes the need for connection with people as pivotal in realizing developing capabilities. Processes and initiatives are kept simple for easy of delivery and communication from the staff and to the customer respectively. The network effects Air China seeks stretch out to the customer through loyalty programmes and horizontally to partners with exchange and amalgamation of routes, loyalty points and information among others (Airchina.com, 2008). Brand image as a natural and desired culmination of the aforesaid efforts takes number one priority, followed by scheduling which is closely connect with capacity utilization and efficiency. Interestingly pricing is at number six preceded by on and off board services and plane model (Ahmed et al, 2006). Clearly the agenda is to drive on quality first and be realistic about the associated price. This is a model very distinct from low cost short haul airlines and also some airlines in other emerging markets like Russia. This is also a bold step that underlines the agenda for brand recognition through quality and service value with a close perspective on customer needs. 2.4 Organisational Learning: Strategic Choices and Performance feedback Organisational learning is understood as learning within the organisation and is complimented by the idea of learning by organisations as a distinct concept (Cyert and March, 1963; Senge, 1990). Overall the literature on learning with reference to organisations has a rather expansive lineage that is outside the scope of this study. In context of this study it is important to keep in mind the context that of learning from competitors and partners, learning from the experience of initiatives like those related to quality within the organisation, and learning from past direct and indirect experiences to counter environmental threats. These three issues will be central to the main research site Air China in context of learning. Competitive, growth and recognition aspirations that we have broadly contextualized so far will be of concern The literature on organisational learning and learning by organisations as distinguished above can be viewed from several lenses. The first is the human development lens which is at the heart of Air Chinas people management orientation that drives everything else. The emphasis on simplifying inputs, delivery and adoption are all tied into the concern of this perspective. The individuals orientation, capacities and motivation to learn are at the core of this lens. Also the stages and enablers that make learning effective are design issues to be implemented and monitored (e.g. Kolb, 1979; Argyris, 1978, 1986, 1992; Talbot and Harrow, 1993; Dixon, 1994). The management science is essentially about information management. It is important to generate feedback from processes and operations again an important but not central issue. This is because while people management is supposed to motivate this automatically at Air China, the importance of effective processes to say generate employee and customer feedback cannot be ignored (e.g. Huber, 1991; Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995). There are other lenses like the one that looks at organisation as a societal being and another that considers organisation from a productivity perspective only as far as learning is concerned (Easterby Smith, 1997). Both have consequences for efficiency and performance but alone do not suffice to deliver the needed learning for sustaining performance (e.g. Pettigrew, 1973; Hedberg, 1981; Talbot and Harrow, 1987; Buzzell and Gale, 1987). Easterby Smith (1997) has generated other perspectives from his extensive review of the growth of body in learning with reference to organisations. These include cultural and strategic lenses that are critical to appreciate given the globalization agenda to hand. The cultural multiplicity within organisations and the areas they operate is juxtaposed with increasing competitiveness as globalization becomes the order of the day for design and configuration of organisations and their goals (e.g. Shibata et al, 1991; Hamel and Prahalad, 1989,1993). While I explore these lenses here in context of the Chinese aviation industry and Air China in particular it is useful to refer back to the comparative frame of United Airlines being used. The context of learning also becomes important as experiences, the feedback and the realization of this feedback into improvements are not imitable but need to be adapted (Nickerson and Zenger, 2002; McDermott and ODell, 2001). With Air China drawing on conventional strategic and tactical threads used in the airline industry to fuel its mindset in this nascent stage of development care should be taken to recognize that it is a different organisation especially when indirect (experience of other airlines) are learned from (Schwab and Miner, 2001; Rogers, 1997). This is important because learning needs to translate into fine tuning the strategic frame. Choices that work need to be distilled from choices that dont. However there is the simplicity agenda to contend with here (Miller, 1993). Overtime this implies bracketing and focusing on an industry wide panacea or select aspects which are considered pivotal to performance while others are made dormant. A non-performing element whether it be pricing that takes a back seat to people management may be the cutting edge one is looking for when the aspect of employee management has been honed by all competitors to an extreme. Innovations lie in such dormant aspects and creativity within the organisation needs to be fuelled to encourage bouncing of new ideas outside the confines of what is taken as doing well in the present time (March, 1991; Miller, 1990, 1993). The globalization agenda makes this even more crucial as performance feedback is subject to more ambiguity than ever before. Outside once domestic arena interpretation of performance is often more difficult and mistakes can be costly. For Air China its bold steps like alliancing, technology and excellence drive that seems to be driven around dominant features of what has worked in the Airline industry may be risky. The learning agenda from United that is decades older than it could be to examine the shocks it faced when threading a similar path rather than what works for it and other more experienced transnational airlines (Mintzberg, 1979) 2.5 The transnational context: Establishing global recognition and competitiveness Globalization is a phenomenon that most industries and major companies therein choose, strive for and adapt to. On the one hand lies the legacy of domestic or local experience and competencies shaped in that mould, while on the other lies the challenge to customize and adapt this ‘strategic configuration to market realities of different international markets (Mintzberg, et al, 1998; Mintzberg, 1979). The multiple subsidiaries and spread across countries creates the need for multidimensional competencies that are flexible. These also come with the principle competency of being able to choose the right mix and leverage it to local realities. The relationship between intermediaries and with the parent /home unit is important resource strength. The perspective of being able to adapt, and at the same time identify with the parent organisation brings to the fore the important aspect of creating a balanced interdependency (Bartlett and Ghoshal 1987). Going trans-national thus needs to be a carefully crafted initiative with the aforesaid issues and a host of variables to be considered. These variables include the economic climate, and industry level variables. Baden fuller and Stopford (1991) provide a set of considerations that impact on the profitability of a global strategy (figure 1). While these are generic considerations that point that is again emphasized in shaping of this framework is that competing in the transnational market is a very distinct foray than domestic competition. Being a domestically profitable and successful firm will not imply that the same success will be repeated in the international market (Rangan, 2000). The company has to carefully stretch and leverage (Hamel and Prahalad, 1993) its value set and configurations (Prahalad and Hamel, 1990) so as to maintain a balance between the stability of its configuration and at the same time coordinate the diverse subsidiaries to gain maximum synergy and interdependent benefits (Porter, 1986). Air China with its nascent lineage that goes back just two decades, in its present form it being around for only a few years has a lot of lessons to draw on. Its dominance as the dom estic player in China has spurred it on but its transnational success is still an early call to make. The importance of being part of the Star alliance brings a novel perspective to going transnational. The interface with more experienced airlines and the trade off of benefits from hosting each other in home countries is mutually beneficial. Alliances are crucial not only given the airline industry needs but also they bring a novel enabling and risk averse perspective to global business. How this tells on competitiveness amongst the partners is also rather unique in the case of the ai

Mad Magazine: Its Success :: essays research papers

MAD Magazine: Its Success MAD Magazine is a counter culture publication that was founded in the 1960's by William M. Gaines. The magazine satirizes everything from popular television and entertainment, to important political issues and government leaders. Despite the fact that MAD contains no advertisements, it has flourished for more than three decades and is still widely read today. In today's media advertisement has become a necessary part of the business, Ads fill the pages of newspapers, magazines, even comic books. In this clip journal project, I am attempting to determine why MAD Magazine has survived over the years without the aid of advertisement. I have come up with three main factors that could explain MAD's success. The first factor that has made Mad's survival over the years possible is it's foundations. Its creation was during the sixties, when counter culture was at its peak, a time when rebelling against "the system" and not "selling out" were the ideals of popular culture. The fact that the magazine held within its covers no advertisements catered to the ideal of not selling out, which drew a faithful audience. The second factor is tradition. As is true with most MAD readers of my generation, My first encounter with the magazine was when I was a kid, going through some old things of my father's in the attic. I came across an old issue of MAD and became interested in it although I only understood a few of the satires that it contained. It is a fact that most young people who read the magazine have parents who have read or still read it.

Devil in a Blue Dress Rhetorical Analysis Novel vs Film Essay

The hardboiled mystery novel, Devil in a Blue Dress, by Walter Mosley was first published in 1990 and was acknowledged by former U. S. President, Bill Clinton, as one of his many favorite novelists (Easy Writer). Taking place in post-war Los Angeles, the story is narrated by an African American laborer, Easy Rawlins, who is transformed into an L. A. detective after being pulled in to the affairs of local townspeople. The successful novel continued onto screen adaptation in 1995 and was directed by Carl Franklin and starred Denzel Washington, who also financed and produced the film (Easy Writer). From a well-liked hardboiled detective novel to a contemporary film, viewers and readers are restricted from several rhetorical devices and techniques displayed in either mediums such as point of view, tone and imagery. In both works we see how this transition of mediums affects viewer’s appreciation and understanding of the plot, characters, and historical context. When comparing the film adaptation and hardboiled novel, we see how Easy conveys the story with his point of view through first person narration. Since the film had a time limitation of 102 minutes (imbd) it held back the benefits of incorporating all of Easy’s narrations from the book. According to his article, Devil in a Blue Dress, Jeff Stafford states, â€Å"Universal first acquired the rights to Devil in a Blue Dress and hired Walter Mosley to adapt his own novel for the screen but the author soon realized it was not his forte†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . His statement shows how difficult it was to transform the novel into a 102-minute film without excluding its great literary aspects. In the novel, Easy conveys the story through his perspective and, consequently, we have access to his opinions, insights and visuals. For example, in the book, readers have access to Easy’s intentions and motives when looking for Frank Green. He admits, â€Å"I never brought up Frank’s name though. Frank was skitterish, like all gangsters, and if he felt that people were talking about him he got nervous; if Frank was nervous he might have killed me before I had time to make my pitch† (Devil in a Blue Dress page 61). In the movie viewers don’t get to see the fear that Easy hides. He describes Frank in the book as a fearing man that has the capability to kill him; but we don’t see this in the movie. Instead, the movie shows multiple scenes where Easy bombards stores and threatens people to find Frank Green. He angrily yells Frank’s name out loud and makes a scene wherever he goes (Devil in a Blue Dress Movie 1995). This portrays him as a courageous and unemotional detective, which is different from how readers perceived him in the book. Unlike the movie, the book characterizes Easy as a selfless man who initially engages in the case for money to pay his rent. He finds himself falling deeper and deeper into the investigation and faces many dangerous confrontations where he is violently beaten and threatened. When being interrogated by the two police officers, Easy says, â€Å"†¦before I could turn toward him I felt the hard knot of his fist explode against the side of my head† (Devil in a Blue Dress page 33). Easy’s character has flaws and often experiences difficult situations that requires him to plan out his actions in order to survive. In the movie; however, Easy has a heroic representation and appears unharmed throughout much of the plot. Lead actor Denzel Washington is known in most of his movies for playing the â€Å"good guy† role that fends off the bad (25 Best Denzel Washington Films of All Time). Throughout the movie, directors appeal to viewers liking by shooting Denzel Washington with unharmed physical features. The movie utilizes Easy’s voiceover narration to tell the story from his point of view and the book written in the form of a diary where Easy can express all of his emotions and thoughts. The movie also fails to include Easy’s third conscience, which was so useful in the book. Although both mediums do consider the case from Easy’s perspective, it is clear that the movie lacks essential details that Easy mentions in the book. In addition to the differences seen through Easy’s point of view, there are also several differences in how the author and director utilize certain effects to obtain a dark tone. The screen adaptation paid homage to the dark tone perceived in the novel through lighting and a voiceover narration from Easy. Several scenes in the movie appear to have darker lighting than others. This effect allows viewers to feel the mysterious and secretive mood that is intended. In the scene where Easy visits John’s nightclub the lighting in the movie portrays the room as very dark and musty. The room itself is very enclosed and secretive since the owner, John, was into the speakeasy business before Prohibition was repealed. The nightclub itself is for the black community and has a very low-key reputation. To show the secretive, mysterious reputation of the nightclub, Franklin shoots the scene with little to no lighting (Devil in a Blue Dress Movie 1995). Throughout the film the audience is led through Easy’s point of view, which is heard through his voiceover narration. According to a movie review by Edwin Jahiel, â€Å"Washington’s voice is rather too sweet, lacks the tough staccato†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Again, we see actors blocking take effect as Washington attempts to live up to his typical role as the â€Å"good guy†. The movie takes a much different approach towards Easy’s character, which results in a smooth, legato narration. His short, flowing sentences give off a professional feel and results in an overall darker tone. In the book readers get a feel for the same dark tone through Mosley’s structured syntax, imagery and facts that are included and omitted. Most of the dialogue contains slang words and short forceful sentences that make the characters intimidating. When Easy refuses Mouse’s offer he responds, â€Å"Nigger cain’t pull his way out the swamp wit’out no help†¦You wanna hole on t’this house and git some money and have you some white girls callin’ on the phone† (Devil in a Blue Dress page 73). Mouse’s response is daring and bold when he gives Easy these alternatives to live a leisure life. Mosley’s word choices in the dialogue and Easy’s narration causes a dark tone that allows readers to grasp the mystery and danger being incorporated in the investigation. Most of Easy’s narration is straightforward because he gets straight to the point. For example, after visiting the bar he states, â€Å"I never got bored or frustrated. I wasn’t even afraid of DeWitt Albright during those days. I felt, foolishly, safe from even his crazy violence† (Devil in a Blue Dress page 61). Easy gets straight to the point and does not beat around the bush when it comes to admitting any information or thoughts. This allows the book to be dense in information and causes a fast pace suspenseful experience. Imagery is also utilized differently in both mediums since the film takes advantage of visuals through acting and scene production while the book takes advantage of description through texts. While sitting in Joppy’s bar, Easy thinks to himself, â€Å"Joppy’s windows were so dingy†¦ if you sat at a small cherry table next to them, at least you had the benefit of the dull glow of daylight† (Devil in a Blue Dress page 2). His description of Joppy’s bar and use of comparison, illustrates the bar vividly. Later on in the book, Easy notices Daphne Monet’s accent, ‘â€Å"Allo? Thees is Mr. Rawlins? Yes? †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and afterwards Easy thinks to himself, â€Å"The accent was mild, like French, but it wasn’t French exactly† (Devil in a Blue Dress page 102). His specific description of her accent raises reader’s superstition and reminds us of each character’s mysterious secrets. The director’s decision to cut this from the movie is unknown, but surely it did cause more of a surprise when she revealed her mulatto origins. The directors also changed Albright’s physical appearance in his first scene. The book describes him wearing, â€Å"†¦an off-white linen suit and shirt with a Panama straw hat and bone shoes over flashing white silk socks†¦ I felt a thrill of fear† (Devil in a Blue Dress page 1). This first impression of Albright symbolizes white supremacy during the late 1940s. His decision to appear in a black community dressed in all white seems daring and ruthless. Again, this adds to Mosley’s intention to illustrate a dark tone by incorporating racial aspects that differentiate blacks and whites. Also, the book clearly exposes Daphne and Easy’s relationship outside of the case. This sexual relationship that isn’t seen in the movie gives the book an advantage on grasps the dirty depths of the investigation. These additions or deductions, nonetheless, also affect viewer’s understanding of the story. In the film, Daphne Monet plans to blackmail Matthew Teran with photos that evidenced his pedophilia, â€Å"†¦ I paid seven thousand dollars for those pictures they belong to me†(Devil in a Blue Dress film). Although this isn’t seen in the novel, viewers who watch the movie can understand the conflict between Daphne and Teran much easier than in the book. While standing in Carter’s office, Easy reveals to us, â€Å"Talking with Mr. Todd Carter was a strange experience. I mean, there I was, a Negro in a rich white man’s office, talking to him like we were best friends—even closer†(Devil in a Blue Dress page 57). His conversed narration allows readers to connect with his character and also understand racial ideologies during that time period. The novel was published in 1990 and the movie in 1995, however, both convey an investigation set in 1948 when black and white association was uncommon (Peter Travers). The investigation takes place during the Second Great Migration where large-scale shift of African American from the South migrated upwards into Northern cities such as Los Angeles. The aftereffects of WWII also caused many minorities to search for skilled jobs to make more money (The Great Migration: Creating a New Black Identity in Los Angeles). This is seen in both mediums as Easy is haunted by his past in the war and explains his reasons for moving to L. A. , â€Å"I ran away from Mouse and Texas to go to the army and then later to L. A†¦. igned up to fight in the war to prove to myself that I was a man†¦But I had dreams that didn’t have me running in the streets anymore; I was a man of property and I wanted to leave my wild days behind† (Devil in a Blue Dress page 22-23). His ambitions to leave behind his past life in the South and move onto the war and later into the city represent many young African American in the late 1940s. The aftereffects of the wa r led many minorities to travel and work towards their dreams and life goals (The Civil Rights Movement:? 1919-1960s). The text exemplifies African American struggles in the late 1940s during times of racism and segregation. In the movie, however, viewers did not fully recognize the racial ideologies at the time since many prejudice statements and actions were cut from the film. The movie showed Easy’s neighborhood to be a close-knit black community. In the movie we see children playing in the yards and riding bicycles along the sidewalks, homeowners tending their gardens and watering plants, and even a local lunatic who tries to steal everyone’s trees (Devil in a Blue Dress Movie 1995). Having been produced in 1995, the movie lacked most racial ideologies set in the 1940s. Due to Denzel Washington’s lead role as Easy Rawlins, there wasn’t a significantly amount of racism portrayed in the film since directors wanted to keep the screenplay in viewer’s favor. Transitioning from the well-liked hardboiled novel in 1990 to the a big screen adaptation five years later, the two mediums compare and contrast in several rhetorical devices such as point of view, tone and imagery. We see how the film’s adaptation from the book’s point of view through Easy’s perspective can leave out information that readers get from the book. The sense of tone that is darkly portrayed in both mediums allows the audience to focus on certain issues while sensing the mysterious dangerous mood. The imagery illustrated in the novel seems to be more informative and descriptive for readers, unlike the movie. Although both mediums work their best to portray the hardboiled L. A. detective theme, they do distinguish their own techniques, which affects the audience’s appreciation and understanding of the plot, characters and historical context.

ATDPTI Paper

The supplies used by the Indians on the reservation are completely outdated and unhelpful. An example of outdated supplies on the reservation is when Arnold is still at his school on the reservation and he receives a geometry textbook with his moms name inside of it. He then realizes that this geometry book was used when his mom went to school on the reservation. Soon Arnold had realized that his book was prehistoric he threw the book at his teachers face by accident and broke his nose. The last thing Arnold wanted to do was start the year off badly.As ell as supplies teachers are very different in the way they act and treat their students compared to the teachers at Reardon. Teachers at Arnold's old school on the reservation have terrible methods of teaching their students. When students go to school, they depend on their teachers to teach them, but when the teachers don't so their job right the motive for the students to learn is gone. An example of bad teaching methods or actions in the novel ADOPT is when Mr.. P who was Arnold's teacher on the reservation was talking about how teachers were expected to beat their students if something was one wrong.The way people are treated and taught at a young age can affect the way they act for the rest of their lives. Education is a very important aspect of ADOPT but their are many more. As well as education, money and income of a household of a family has a huge impact on the way that certain families act. In the novel ADOPT one of the differences in money be;en white people and Indian people is their wealth. Wealth determines how much money you receive and depending on that income someone could be poor or wealthy. In ADAPTS Arnold happens to live in a very poor family.When Arnold gets to his new school he notices that all the white people that attend Reardon have nice clothing and Arnold also notices that his clothing is not so nice compared to the other kids. This causes Arnold to feel like he does not fit in, which does not help him specifically on his first day. Money and income also affects peoples way of life. If someone is poor then they might set lower standards than people who are not poor. When people set lower standards than they should that could be bad because that can lead to not achieving goals that they would want to accomplish.An example of setting bad standards in the novel ADOPT is when Arnold is saying that he will get nowhere in life and the only chance of him getting anywhere in life is through drawing his cartoons. He thinks this way because he does not have the money to go to college or school which makes him feel like he can get no where in life. Money is needed for many things and can help in life if available. To be healthy, one must have a certain diet that suits them. When comparing the health of white people and Indians in the novel ADOPT one ill see that the state of health of the white people is depicted better than the health that of the Indians.To survive you mu st eat, but this often did not happen in many families on the reservation including Arnold's family. An example of bad health in the novel ADOPT is after Arnold and the Reardon basketball team beat the basketball team from the reservation. After Arnold had won the game he realized that the some of the players on the reservation team had not eaten the previous night. Arnold felt terrible about this and wished he could change what he had done. Another reason health is important is sickness.