Why Workplace Sarcasm is a Great Thing

Why Workplace Sarcasm is a Great Thing Workplace Sarcasm is so often hilarious- and just as often annoying and borderline insulting. But new research on sarcasm actually seems to show that finding a healthy balance between humor and alienation can bring employees together and make them more productive. It Challenges the BrainThe first benefit of sarcasm, of course, is that it’s an effective mental workout. Both the sarcastic speaker and the listener have to very quickly interpret the comment and divine the truth between the literal and the actual meaning of the utterance. It requires abstract thinking and fuels creativity by keeping people mentally acute.It Creates BondsThere’s evidence that employees actually perform better under sarcastic conditions than in an environment of total sincerity or even a neutral environment. The sarcastic comments are both team-building, humor-inducing, and can make the whole team perform better and more productively.Of course, none of this is to suggest that sarcasm should be undertaken as the dominant office norm. And it should not give anyone carte blanche to be as sarcastic as they care to be at any time in their professional life. Sarcasm, wielded effectively, requires trust and a solid existing basis for effective communication. It’s not to be undertaken lightly, or between parties who don’t like or trust one another- but for everyone else, it’s not totally off the table.

Taylor's Main Principles of Scientific Management in Working Place Essay

Taylor's Main Principles of Scientific Management in Working Place - Essay Example Process are now clearly defined as well as how to do it that does not leave any room for intuitive job functioning. This is also to achieve uniformity and consistency in production and to make quality and output predictable. Scientific Management is an engineering approach to achieve efficiency in the workplace. Where the workplace or organization can be likened to a machine which is composed of several parts that should work together to achieve optimum efficiency. Principles of Scientific Management The first systematic attempt to address this conflict and labor recalcitrance in organization was directed by Frederick Winslow Taylor with his Scientific Management. For Taylor, the key to establishing an efficient and productive workplace required the possession and control of knowledge about the methods of production (Jaffe, 2008). Taylor's (1911) preface to the Principles of Scientific Management makes this quite clear when he stresses for national efficiency... first, it is teleolog ical in its orientation to means: what is important is securing the desired consequences. Second, in Taylor's philosophy, actions can be judged only by their consequences: a dogged empiricism is allied to an unquestioned grasp of the ends to be served. Third, ends are defined in terms of efficiency (primarily for factory owners) but are represented as the common good (Taylor, 1911). In pursuit of optimum efficiency, this Scientific Management engendered the idea of defining and breaking down of functions in narrowly defined tasks. Organization is viewed like a well-oiled machine where its parts, including labor would conform to the predetermined methods already in place. It proposed an engineering solution to a human issue with the objective of minimizing friction brought by human factor that the results of production may be predictable. According to Frederick Taylor, "Scientific Management is a distinctively scientific, since it aims to correlate in factory administration, and to p ush development further in accordance with the principles discovered (Taylor, 1911). According to Taylor (1911), the key features of scientific management are as follows: time study, functional or divided foremanship, the standardization of all tools and implements used in trades, the standardization of the acts and movements of workmen in each class of work, a unique planning function, management by the exception method, the use of slide-rules and other similar timesaving methods, instruction cards for workers, careful task Performance Improvement allocation, bonuses for successful performance, the use of a â€Å"differential rate,† a routing system, and mnemonic systems for classifying products and modern cost systems. The underlying principles of the philosophy are as follows: (a) the development of a true science for each element of a job, (b) the scientific selection and training of the worker, (c) cooperation with the worker to ensure that the job is being done in accor dance with principles of scientific education, and (e) an almost equal division of work and responsibility between workers and management (Wagner, 2007). Section 2. Case: Harvey Fast Food Restaurant I. Shift the decision making responsibility from the workers to managers   Decision making responsibility can be shifted to the managers from the workers when functions are broken down into specific tasks where it can be quantified for the managers to determine objective productivity output. In this way, the determination

Interview 335 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interview 335 - Essay Example few Indians among other members from the European continent together making a total of about forty two tribes with the Kikuyu community being of the largest group occupying the central parts of the country and the El- mole people living around the shores of one of the great rift valley lakes, lake Turkana, are the smallest tribe. Kenya is among the few in the world which houses the Great Rift Valley, a broad natural feature which laterally transect the country into two on the eastern and the western sides of the rift valley. This paper will present the findings of an interview I carried out with one of the Kenyan citizens in America on how far they have gained the awareness and skills in dealing with global diversity and cultural variances as well as my development in understanding of technologys impact on the development of world societies and cultures based on the interviews. Kenya is among the developing countries of the world just emerging from the fierce throngs of economic dismay since independence. Most people in the country therefore have poor economic backgrounds with only a few rich families dotted amidst the poor majority. Like any other poor countries in Africa and the world, wealth in Kenya is contained just in the hands of a few people who are considered rich while the rest are languishing in abject poverty with a majority of the populations living under the wages which are below one dollar per day. The main economic activity carried out in the region and from which most families earn their daily wages is agriculture, mostly sedentary, which forms the backbone of the country’s economy. Most people therefore depend entirely on their farm produce as the sole source of their everyday food and which supplement their meager income sources. Most of the needs in most families are therefore met from the sales of agricultural produce. A few peo ple practice business as an alternative source of income, mainly among the Indians who depend entirely on business

Othello the Manipulator Essay Example for Free

Othello the Manipulator Essay Shakespeare’s Othello: Iago, the Master Manipulator William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Othello† is a play consumed with deception, jealousy, and revenge, mainly caused by a powerful â€Å"villain† named Iago (1. 1. 28). Although Iago presents himself as everyone’s honest friend, he is always trying to manipulate and deceive them, as shown in his words â€Å"Whip me such honest knaves† (1. 1. 50). This heartless character even manipulates everyone around him including his companions Cassio, Rodrigo, and the Moor, Othello intending to gain power. His actions create a massive amount of jealousy and rage. All of this revenge and manipulation first forms when Cassio is chosen for the position as Othello’s Lieutenant, a job which Iago wanted desperately. This sends Iago into a rage motivated by his hunger for power. His revenge towards Cassio first begins at a celebration when Iago pressures him into having one drink after another knowing Cassio has a low tolerance with alcohol. Under pressure, Cassio argues, â€Å"Not tonight, good Iago: I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking: I could well wish courtesy would invent some other custom of entertainment† (2. . 1164-1167). Iago’s perfects his manipulation by taking advantage of other’s weaknesses. Iago manipulates both Cassio and Rodrigo into fighting each other which results in Othello taking away Cassio’s title as Lieutenant. Using Cassio’s statement, †She’s a most exquisite lady† Iago is able to use this to conjure a second mastermind plan to have Cassio’s rep utation ruined by convincing Othello that Cassio and Desdemona are having an affair (2. 2. 1152). Although Iago seeks revenge from Cassio for gaining Iago’s desired position as Lieutenant, his main interest of destruction is the Moor Othello, which is the masterpiece of Iago’s many manipulative plots. Iago uses Othello’s beloved wife, Desdemona, to take advantage of Othello’s weakness. Iago implies, â€Å"Cassio my lord? No, sure, I cannot think it; That he would steal away so guilty-like, Seeing your coming† (3. 3. 1668-70). Iago’s coy assumption of Cassio overcomes Othello, making Othello think Iago is an honest friend he can trust. This gained trust makes Iago’s plans of destruction much easier to accomplish. Iago, also, makes Othello overhear a conversation between Iago and Cassio, which he believes he is about Desdemona, when in fact their conversation is about Cassio’s prostitute Bianca. As the two men laugh and tell sexual stories, Othello goes into a jealous rage, at the thought of Cassio having these relations with Desdemona. Iago multiplies Othello’s rage as he talks about the situation, â€Å"Did you perceive how he laughed at his vice? † (4. . 2602). He convinces Emilia to take Desdemona’s handkerchief, which was Othello’s first significant gift to her. Iago sets the situation up so that the sacred handkerchief will be found in Cassio’s room, and later is given to Cassio by Bianca in front of Othello. As Iago pumps more deceitful lies of Cassio and Desdemona’s affair into Othello’s head, Iago says, â€Å"And did you see the handkerchief? à ¢â‚¬ ¦and to see how he prizes the foolish woman your wife! She gave it him, and he hath given it his whore† (4. 1. 2604-08). Othello, having seen this will have all the evidence he needs to suspect Cassio of the affair. Iago then manipulates Othello into killing his loyal wife by suggesting, â€Å"Do it not with poison, strangle her in her bed, even the bed she hath contaminated† (4. 2. 2638-39). Iago’s over whelming hunger for power is also shown though his best companion, Rodrigo, whom is also in love with Desdemona. Discovering that Desdemona and Othello are married, frantic Rodrigo confides in Iago and asks, â€Å"What should I do? I confess it is my shame to be so fond; but it is not in my virtue to amend it† (1. . 673-676). As a master of deception, Iago proves to Rodrigo that Desdemona’s heart will be easily won by his lavish expensive gifts. With Rodrigo’s excessive amount of savings, Iago purchases these gifts that are intentionally for Desdemona and sells them for his profit. Secondly, Iago convinces Rodrigo into thinking that Cassio and Emilia are having an aff air. Iago manipulates Rodrigo into fighting Cassio at the celebration. Iago persuades Rodrigo by saying, Watch you to-night; for the command, I’ll lay’t upon you. Cassio knows you not. I’ll not be far from you: do you find some occasion to anger Cassio, either by speaking too loud, or tainting his discipline; or from what other course you please, which the time shall more favorable minister (2. 1. 1064-70) In conclusion, Iago’s deception and manipulation plan to gain power completely fails as everything falls to pieces. When Iago’s wife, Emilia, reveals Desdemona’s loyalty to Othello and all of Iago’s lies, it is far too late. After Othello murders his wife, he finds out all of Iago’s â€Å"honest words† were all lies and catches Iago in the act. In the final scene, Iago says, â€Å"Demand me nothing: what you know, you know: from this time forth I never will speak word† (5. 2. 3665-66). In the end, Iago manipulated everyone around him so he could gain personal power. However, his selfish goal of power is never reached and nothing is gained from Iago’s manipulative actions. Iago’s excessive lies and actions show that he is the main cause for so many problems containing deception, jealousy, rage, and revenge. Work Cited Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. The Norton Shakespeare: Tragedies. 2nd ed. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W. Norton, 2008, 425-507.

Inherit the Wind - Scene Analysis Essay -- Inherit the Wind Essays

Inherit the Wind - Scene Analysis The scene that introduces the audience to Matthew Harrison Brady, in Inherit the Wind, (Dir. Stanley Kramer. With Spencer Tracy, Frederic March, and Gene Kelly. MGM. 1960) uses dialogue, composition, camera work and music to develop Matthew Brady. Kramer reveals important information about the plot of the film in this scene. The scene opens with a bird's eye view shot of the town of Hillsboro, and focuses in on the movement of the parade below. The camera comes to rest on the convertible that transports Brady and his wife. The town of Hillsboro welcomes the well-known politician. He will serve the town by being the prosecutor in a trial about evolution, similar to that of the historical Scopes Trial. This scene, where we first meet Brady, reveals his strong character, and the role of savior that the town expects him to play. Through the development of Brady, Kramer also introduces us to the issues of religion and politics. Stanley Kramer, the director, introduces the audi ence to two key ideas in the very first shot of the scene. He does this through the use of background tools, like music and scenery. As the camera fades in from the previous scene, music begins to play, and a group of women sing a religious hymn, "Give me that old time religion." The extremely loud music continues for the duration of the parade. At first the audience doesn't know the source of the music, but as the parade comes to an end, the camera focuses on a group of militant looking women, who march and sing. This song draws the audience into the impending controversy over religion. It expresses the entire town's point of view on the issue. The audience can see that religion affects the soc... ...ene illustrates. Through the process of developing Brady's character, Kramer questions whether it is possible for religion to exist in politics. Brady can't balance the two, as his ultimate collapse illustrates. Kramer also points out the detrimental, oppressive affect that a small town can have on the truth. The narrow mindedness of the town enabled Brady to take control and prevent any alternative point of view to be considered. Is it possible for a small town to equally consider both sides of an argument? Brady appears to the town as a very strong self-assured man who believes in his ideas. At the climax of the film, Drummond places Brady on the stand, and questions his ideas. This serves as a major theme for the film and as a result it becomes necessary to have a strong development of Brady's character, so that the viewer can better understand his fall. Inherit the Wind - Scene Analysis Essay -- Inherit the Wind Essays Inherit the Wind - Scene Analysis The scene that introduces the audience to Matthew Harrison Brady, in Inherit the Wind, (Dir. Stanley Kramer. With Spencer Tracy, Frederic March, and Gene Kelly. MGM. 1960) uses dialogue, composition, camera work and music to develop Matthew Brady. Kramer reveals important information about the plot of the film in this scene. The scene opens with a bird's eye view shot of the town of Hillsboro, and focuses in on the movement of the parade below. The camera comes to rest on the convertible that transports Brady and his wife. The town of Hillsboro welcomes the well-known politician. He will serve the town by being the prosecutor in a trial about evolution, similar to that of the historical Scopes Trial. This scene, where we first meet Brady, reveals his strong character, and the role of savior that the town expects him to play. Through the development of Brady, Kramer also introduces us to the issues of religion and politics. Stanley Kramer, the director, introduces the audi ence to two key ideas in the very first shot of the scene. He does this through the use of background tools, like music and scenery. As the camera fades in from the previous scene, music begins to play, and a group of women sing a religious hymn, "Give me that old time religion." The extremely loud music continues for the duration of the parade. At first the audience doesn't know the source of the music, but as the parade comes to an end, the camera focuses on a group of militant looking women, who march and sing. This song draws the audience into the impending controversy over religion. It expresses the entire town's point of view on the issue. The audience can see that religion affects the soc... ...ene illustrates. Through the process of developing Brady's character, Kramer questions whether it is possible for religion to exist in politics. Brady can't balance the two, as his ultimate collapse illustrates. Kramer also points out the detrimental, oppressive affect that a small town can have on the truth. The narrow mindedness of the town enabled Brady to take control and prevent any alternative point of view to be considered. Is it possible for a small town to equally consider both sides of an argument? Brady appears to the town as a very strong self-assured man who believes in his ideas. At the climax of the film, Drummond places Brady on the stand, and questions his ideas. This serves as a major theme for the film and as a result it becomes necessary to have a strong development of Brady's character, so that the viewer can better understand his fall.

Explore the Ways Strong Feelings About Love Are Presented

Poems are commonly used to convey strong feelings about the true nature of love. However, these feelings can take many different shapes which articulate positive as well as negative perceptions of love. The four poems that embody these different features are ‘Hour’ by Carol Ann Duffy, ‘Sonnet 116’ by William Shakespeare, ‘In Paris with you’ by James Fenton and ‘Quickdraw’ by Carol Ann Duffy. Two poems that share similar feelings about love are ‘in Paris with you' and ‘Quickdraw' as they both explore the theme of conflict and emotional pain instigated by love.Fenton makes it clear in the first stanza that the speaker has been hurt in the past, claiming that he was ‘one of your talking wounded' which is a pun on the phrase ‘walking wounded'. However, this phrase is pursued by a. Use of neologism ‘maroonded' which serves to create an apparent carefree tone carried on through-out the poem. However, as the p oem progresses it becomes apparent that the light-hearted mood hides a deeper subtext and is a cover for the speaker's true feelings.Similarly Duffy makes use of an extended metaphor ‘a western stand-off', using the slightly chilidish image to to conceal her true feelings and the more serious emotional pain which results from love. She makes use of lexical choices from the semantic field of battle or a western style stand-off â€Å"guns, trigger, Sheriff, last chance saloon† to reflect how she is feeling in the relationship as well as avoiding the reality of the issue. Despite the light-hearted tones of the poems, the reader's attention is drawn to the subtle darker subtexts which reveal the speakers' true feelings in both poems.Fenton indirectly adresses the speakers true feelings about love by using an ambiguous phrase ‘in paris with you' repetitively. However, towards the end of the poem it soon becomes clear that â€Å"paris† is a euphemism for love. Lo ve is really what the speajer is trying to convey but in a cautious way clearly due to a phobia of rejection or further emotional pain experienced in previous loving relationships. Duffy makes the speakers feelings know in a slightly indirect way as well by the use of enjambment in the phrase ‘you blast me†¦ hrough the heart', the sudden break in the line highlights the effect te lovers words have on the speaker by enabling through ‘through the heart' to stand alone consequently stand out. With ‘heart', being the main of love and ‘blast', related to warfare, being married together, they significantly emphasize the true pain the speaker is experiencing from the lovers' use of weaponry ‘your voice a pellet' as well as a real depth of her vulnerability. In addition, the two poems make use of structure to convey their strong feelings about love to the reader by manipulating the form and layout of the poems.Duffy uses sonnet structure in ‘quickdra w', which is a structure traditionally used for romantic poetry. A sonnet consists of 4 stanzas, each stanza containing four lines, also known as a quatrain which are reminiscent of Shakespeare. However, the sonnet structure in ‘Quickdraw' doesn't quite reflect the common structure of a sonnet as it is brocken up by the use of enjambment and caesuras ‘blast me (stanza 2)†¦ throught the heart (stanza 3)' and ‘another one's(stanza 3)†¦ oncealed(stanza 4)' which can be enterpreted in different ways, perhaps it is used to symbolize the breakdown of communication in the relationship or maybe it was used to highlight important words. ‘Quickdraw' is also wiritten in free verse, so there is no order to the poem as a result it is effective as it replicates the subject of a western ‘stand-off' or ‘showdown' which similarly have no order to them and are generally chaotic. Correspondingly, ‘in paris with you' is also manipulated so that the st ructure and form of the poem emphasizes certain elements of the relationship.The third stanza is indented and contains nine lines as opposed to the other stanza's which contain five lines. The evident change in structure in stanza 3 is imposed to highlight the speaker's rejection of all the cliches of love by using colloquial language ‘can we say sod off to the sodding Notre Dame', which juxtaposes the classic image if Paris:the city of love. Therefore, an idea of the speaker's clear fear of having to commit theirself to a relationship, after being ‘bamboozled' by the ‘mess' of the previous ones, is suggested.Nonetheless, despite the speakers in both poems' reluctance to admit the emotional pain and conflict they are suffering, the true extent of their feelings towards their lovers is made very clear by their poignant last lines. â€Å"In paris with you† ends with the speaker directly adressing their subject of their affection by saying ‘I'm in Paris w ith you', thereby making it clear to the reader that they are in fact ‘In love with you' if you replace ‘paris' with ‘love'.The phrase is repeated several times through-out the poem and suggest that no matter how much the speaker denies their feelings, they are unable to hide them. The extra line in stanza 5 suggests the speaker is breaking free of their old thoughts about love and opening up to new ones. Similarly the speaker in â€Å"quickdraw† ends the poem with the ambiguous phrase â€Å"take this†¦ and this†¦ and this†.The breakdown of language and the use of ellipsis and repetition could be interpreted in different ways, it could suggest that the speaker has been left defensless against the blows of her lover. Alternatively it could be that she finally succumbed to her feelings and is showering her partner with kisses as the bullets are described as ‘silver', so precious and expensive. The last lines of Quickdraw are effective as they are very much open to interpretation so the reader is left with different ideas about how the speaker is feelings.Conclusively, the strong feelings about love presented in â€Å"In Paris with you† and â€Å"Quickdraw† are highly interesting and evocative with Duffy's use of extended metaphors and Fenton's use of repetition and euphemism. Both of the speaker's ability to get the reader to empathise with them indicates the clear effectiveness of the poem's language, structure and context. The layered deeper meanings and subtexts, hidden beneath the light-hearted tones of the poems, are especially effective.

Cesar Garcia Marquez s Chronicle Of A Death Foretold Essay

Cultural constructs in Colombia restrict the roles of Colombian women. Colombian women are expected to be housewives and serve their husband. They are considered less intelligent than men and their opinions are thought to be irrelevant when making economic decisions. Though some women have broken free from the stereotypes and expectations, many continue to be held to these standards, as seen in the negative portrayal of Colombian women in Gabriel Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Colombian women, who aspire to be independent and economically successful, suffer in relation to men who are thought of as the head of the household. Many Colombian women will continue to be dependent on men for economic stability, despite being capable of performing tasks other than household work because of Mà ¡rquez’s portrayal of Colombian women as intellectually inferior to men through degrading depictions as either servants or temptresses. Colombian women are shown as only being capable of performing domestic work. Men provide for their family, while women care for the house and obey their husband; women are not expected to participate in any other activity. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Mà ¡rquez writes, â€Å"The brothers were brought up to be men. The girls had been reared to get married. They knew how to do screen embroidery, sew by machine, weave bone lace, wash and iron, make artificial flowers and fancy candy, and write engagement announcements† (Mà ¡rquez 31). Women are taught