Translation of image in metaphor

The present study Is an attempt to Investigate the translation of image In metaphors. In translation of metaphor, It Is necessary to start with Investigating the concept of metaphor. So the definition of metaphor and different kinds of metaphor are presented. Imagery is a key concept in metaphor that helps the reader to visualize and experience the author's writing. Different type of imagery also presented. Then translation of metaphors ,including cognitive approach, is considered. At last the translation of metaphor in Persian poetry is investigated.Introduction Translation plays an essential role in transferring message from one culture to another (Batavia,2008). Deference between SSL and TTL can sometimes pose challenges in the process of translation. One of these challenges is the translation of metaphor. Metaphors can become a translation problem, since transferring from one language and culture to another Is difficult. â€Å"Translation of metaphor will be always seen as probl ematic, no matter which approach to metaphor Is chosen† (Olivier, 1998:5).Literature review There are no Instructions for devising metaphors; there Is no manual for determining hat a metaphor â€Å"means† or â€Å"says†; there is no test for metaphor that does not call for taste. A metaphor implies a kind and degree of artistic success; there are no unsuccessful metaphors There are tasteless metaphors, but these are turns that nevertheless have brought something off, even if it were not worth bringing off or could have been brought off better. (Davidson 29) According to Adage(1987:77) â€Å"metaphor presents a particularly searching tests of the translator's ability'.Furthers Olivier (1998:5) claims: â€Å"the translation of metaphor (†¦ ) Is problematic no matter which approach to metaphor is chosen†. Degrees of translatability of metaphor are classified as follows: 1 . Metaphors are untranslatable: the advocates of this are Nadia, Avian and Darlene , and Adage. They believe that translation creates a different metaphor In the target language. 2. Metaphors are fully translatable: Sloppier, Reels and Mason claim that there is no problem in metaphor translation. Metaphor is translated as a new metaphor in target language. 3.Metaphors are translatable but pose a degree of interlinguas in equivalence: Van Den Broke, Arabian Olivarez, Tour and Newark have this view. 4. Conciliatory approach: Snell Horny said that he text type determine the range of rendering. Mandible(1 995) focus on the translator's reaction time to show differences in the translation of SCM ( similar mapping condition) and the DIM ( different mapping condition). The work of other theorists like Coves(2005), AH Hosannas(2007), Male(2008) and Rainmakers and Gaur(2010) are all product-oriented, show that translation products depend on SCM and DIM.The common basis between all of these studies Is that â€Å"the more the two languages conceptualize metaphors In a salar y way. The easier the task of translation will be. Also some research have been done In relevance to the effect of translation on metaphor by Schaeffer(2004) and Starriest(1993). Towboats (1993: has to be culture specific, thus presenting what amounts to often insurmountable problems for translation, which is by definition a transactional process. Schaeffer (2004): Discussed some implications for a cognitive theory of metaphor to translating metaphor without trying to draw a theory or a model. Dickens (2005): Simplified Model, Full Model, a reworking of Newark in terms of legalized and non- legalized metaphors, where Arabic-English translation of metaphor is reduced to exuberance and congruence. First, it is claimed that if two languages have radically different conceptual systems, then translation from one language to the other is impossible.Second, it is often claimed that if translation is impossible, then speakers of one language cannot understand the other language. Third, it i s often claimed that if the languages have different conceptual systems, then someone who speaks one language will be unable to learn the other language because he lacks the right conceptual system. Fourth, to confuse matters further, it is sometimes claimed that since people â€Å"can† learn idiotically different languages, those languages couldn't have different conceptual systems (Alaska, 1987: 311). What is metaphor? According to Newark metaphor is † any figurative expression: the transferred sense of a physical word, the personification of an abstraction, the application of a word or collocation to what is doesn't literally denote, to describe one thing in terms of another. † He also introduces the polygamous words and English phrasal verb as metaphor. Most people think that metaphor is used only in the literature and is a feature of language. They introduce metaphor as â€Å"matter of words instead of thought r action†. But metaphors are used in every day conversation, in language, in thought and in action.George Alaska claims that â€Å"our ordinary conceptual system, in terms of which we both think and act, is fundamentally metaphorical nature. † Tall metaphor is described in two senses: in narrow sense, metaphor is figure of speech, one thing is described in terms of another. So metaphor is the combination of three components: tenor(object), vehicle(image), ground(sense) and is described as a resemblance between image and object. To explain more, we can say that the tenor and vehicle are connected by a verb that creates resemblance. The verb â€Å"to be† is often used to say the tenor is the vehicle.In broad sense metaphor is explained as what Newark define metaphor. In this broad sense metaphor is the relation between mind and cognition. From historical point of view, metaphor is a Greek word for transport and is defined as a transportation of concepts from its normal location to a new location. In the past, me taphor was figure of speech or form of figurative language that defined in terms of aesthetic and rhetorical points. It has been analyzed in term of components (image, object, sense) and types (dead, click, recent†¦ ). But nowadays, metaphor is seen in perspective of conceptualization and idealization.So the cognitive conceptual stylistic approaches are chosen. Metaphor is similar to simile. In simile A is like B, but in metaphor â€Å"like† or â€Å"as† are not used. It means that in simile the comparison stated explicitly, while in metaphor and simile depends on this point of similarity between topic and image. This implicit similarity may be understood from context. Different type of metaphor Newark expresses six types of metaphor. 1 . Dead metaphor: â€Å"Dead metaphors are metaphors where one is hardly conscious of he image, frequently relate to universal terms of space and time, the main part of body and main human activity. In translation of dead metaphor the same image is transferred. â€Å"An example of a dead metaphor would be the ‘body of an essay. ‘ In this example, ‘body' was initially an expression that drew on the metaphorical image of human anatomy applied to the subject matter in question. 2. Click metaphor: â€Å"Click metaphors are metaphors that have outlived their usefulness , that are used as substitute for clear thought , often emotively , but without corresponding to the facts of matter. Different image is made from SSL to TTL. Absence makes the heart grow fonder is a proverb click.Achilles heel is an allusion click. Acid test is an idiom click. Age before beauty is a catchphrase click. Alive and kicking is a doublet click. Avoid like the plague is a simile click 3. Stock or standard metaphor: Stock or standard metaphor is an â€Å"established metaphor which in an informal context is an efficient and conscious method of covering a physical or mental situation both referentially and pragmatically and which is not deadened by overuse. † In translation of standard metaphor the same image must be constructed n TTL. 4.Adapted metaphor: This type of metaphor â€Å"is actually a stock metaphor that has been adapted into a new context by its speaker or writer(fleetness' of a stock metaphor has been adapted or personalized in some way)† It can be translated by an equivalent adapted metaphor. 5. Recent metaphor: â€Å"This type of metaphor is produced through coining; they are often ‘anonymously' coined†. Recent metaphors should be translated using continental analysis. 6. Original metaphor: â€Å"Original metaphors, are created or quoted by the SSL writer or speaker usually to make discourse more interesting and often used to highlight particular points. Translator has some choices: literal translation, reduction to sense or modification of the metaphor. Alaska and Johnson determine 3 type of metaphor under the title of conceptual metaphor: 1 . Orientation metaphor: spatial orientation (up-down, in-out) is the concern. For example: happy is up. Sad is down: I'm feeling up today. He's really low these days. 2. Ontological metaphor: an abstraction such as emotion and ideas is replaced by a concrete thing such as object, substance or entity. In this definition some words need some explanation.Entity is made when an abstraction is replaced by concrete physical object. For example, the mind is represented as a machine: my mind Just isn't operating today. When abstraction is represented as material, substance is made. For example: there was a lot of good sprinting in the race. Container is one ontological metaphor: when one concept is shown as something that has outside and inside, and holds something else. For instance: get the most out of life. 3. Structural metaphor: this is a conventional metaphor in which one basic domain of experience is transferred to another basic domain.This is the most complex metaphor. For example: argument is w ar, so we can say: your claims are indefensible. The conventional metaphor in this definition is a metaphor that is used in everyday example: if life is a Journey so we can say: it's time to get on with your life. George Alaska represents another type of metaphor that is called image metaphor. According to Alaska â€Å"image metaphor maps conventional mental image onto other conventional mental image by virtue of their internal structure. † Image metaphor is different from conceptual metaphor.Some metaphors are used in advertising slogans, so they are o common and convert to something that is used in every day conversations. For example consider the metaphor of â€Å"life is a Journey' â€Å"Life is a Journey, travel it Airlines) â€Å"Life is a Journey. Enjoy the Ride. â€Å"(Ionians) â€Å"Life is a Journey. Enjoy the ride with a GM reward card. â€Å"(General Motors) â€Å"Life's a Journey–travel light†(Hugo Boss Perfume) Some metaphors used in the lyri cs. For example: Life's a Journey not a destination And I Just can't tell Just what tomorrow brings. From the album A Little South of Sanity) Poets use metaphor in poems. A common poem by the use of â€Å"life is a Journey† is The Road Not Taken† from Robert Frost: Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth. Then took the other, as Just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same. And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I– I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all t he difference. Function of metaphor description of entities more comprehensively than in literal language (referential purpose). The second purpose is to delight, to please (pragmatic purpose). The third purpose is to show similarity between two comparable things that have one characteristic in common.Metaphors are also used to suggest the reader to think positively and beautifully to their life and world. â€Å"Love is a homeless guy searching or treasure in the middle of the rain and finding a bag of gold coins and slowly finding out they're all filled with chocolate and even though he's heart broken, he can't complain because he was hungry in the first place. â€Å"(Boo Burnham, â€Å"Love Is†) â€Å"Time, you thief†(Leigh Hunt, â€Å"Rounded†) â€Å"Memory is a crazy woman that hoards colored rags and throws away food. â€Å"(Austin Maloney) â€Å"Life is a zoo in a Jungle. (Peter De Varies) â€Å"Life is a game played on us while we are playing other games. â€Å"(Even Sear) The application of metaphor Metaphor is an important device for communication. The work of Alaska and Johnson wows the application of metaphors in cognitive linguistics, as well as cognitive anthropology, computer science, and philosophy of language also in psychology. In psychology, the work of Alaska and Johnson shows interest in study of metaphor in cognitive and clinical psychology. In a cognitive perspective, metaphor is example of mental model as well as analogical reasoning and problem solving.Analogies and metaphors make sense f the word. Gentler (1983) argues that metaphors help to understanding, decision- making, and action. Duke (1994) shows the effect of metaphor in applied field of software ergonomics. Tahiti, Photos and Grasses (1999) represent the effect of metaphor in communication process. Clinical psychology, concentrate on the role of metaphor in communication processes in psychotherapy. Imagery Imagery is not only the representation of v isual image in our mind. Imagery is more complex. And can be categorize in five types, each relevant to one of our sense.Newark claims that language refers to visual image and metaphor is the language reference to other senses. Hearing and touch are more powerful than taste and smell. Different type of imagery Visual images are mental pictures that are constructed in your mind. It means that in order to compare two things use picture rather than word. For example: the Tavern was worn down with age, the wooden bar chipping away, the floors looking black from the dirt, and the ceiling carrying dark brown stains from water damage. Auditory images relate to sound. It is a form of mental imagery that is used to organize sound.This image divided to two auditory modalities; verbal imagery and vividness and detail of auditory imagery depend on the background and condition of brain. As an example of auditory imagery we can express from an ode: â€Å"Or sinking as the light wind lives or die s; And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn; Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft, And gathering swallows twitter in the skies. † Kinesthesia images: where the reader can imagine the movements and action of a person or an object.For example: his body moved fluidly throughout the obstacle course, dodging every object thrown at him with agility and grace while speeding down the path. Olfactory images which refers to smell of the odors and scents. Example: the perfume she sprayed reminded her of the sweet and calming scent of mangos and vanilla, a wave of relaxation soon overcoming her. Gustatory images refer to the words in your mind that make you think of taste. For example: the artificial cherry taste of the cough medicine was overly flowery and sweet. Tactile image: allow reader to imagine a feel or texture of certain things.As an example: the blanket was as soft as cotton and as smooth as silk. Organic imagery which is the imagination of feeling what the character feels, such as thirst, hunger. As an example: he was completely drained of energy, his knees buckling from carrying his own weight and eyes drooping from exhaustion. Imagery used in three senses in literary eroticism: in the broad sense, the image need not be mental pictures. In narrow sense, imagery is description of visual objects and senses. The third, imagery means figurative language. Function of imagery Imagery is used in poetry and literature.In poetry is as a backbone of poem because imagery used in poem to evoke a response in reader. Imagery has different connotation and meaning, but for the poet they convey a complete human experience in every few words. Imagery in literature is a collection of techniques that appeal to the senses. There are two main types of language used in literature: secretive and figurative: in the descriptive language we can refer to the senses directly, while in the figurative language we should use some description and invoke other meaning. To create imagery in literature, both types of languages are used.The descriptive language use imagery directly to create a vivid, realistic description of the sense. This describes the appearance and setting, the different senses. Comprehension of metaphor There are some theories related to metaphor comprehension: 1 . Interaction theory: (proposed by Richards (1965), black (1962)), in this view the interaction between tenor and vehicle creates metaphor. . Mapping theory: (proposed by Alaska(1987)), this view use the terms of â€Å"source domain† and â€Å"target domain† to show the directionality of relation between these domains that called mapping. 3.Blending theory: in metaphor there are two psychological spaces: source psychological space and target psychological space. These two spaces make a new space. The sense of metaphor called generic space. If the source, target and generic spaces create a new space metaphor is mad e. Metaphor translation According to Newark, â€Å"whilst the central problem of translation is the overall choice translation of metaphor†. Unremarkable; 104) In order to interpretation of metaphors, translator can choose among some possibilities: 1 . Exact equivalence of original metaphor, 2. A metaphorical phrase which express a similar sense, 3.Untranslatable metaphor replaced with approximate literal paraphrase Problems relating to metaphor translation Adage points out â€Å"since a metaphor in SSL is, by definition, a semantic novelty, it can clearly have no existing equivalence in the TTL†. Another problem relates to what Limier claims † most words in a language have absorbed cultural aspects and historical experiences†. Metaphors often are culture-bound, and the best way for translation is direct translation. Metaphor as an issue in translation study Prescription versus description These two polarities (prescription and description) are one aspect o f translation problem.The advocates of prescriptive approach are Nadia, Van den Broke, Newark and the advocates of descriptive approach are Tour, Snell Horny, Baker. (Fernando et al 2003:61) These approaches seeking SST faithfulness have been increasingly disregarded in favor of target oriented studies, which had an impact on the concept of equivalence. Transgenic equivalence thus doesn't pursue ‘perfect' but rather ‘acceptable' rendering (Arabian-Lavaliere's) Classical versus conceptual perspective Another classification in study of metaphor is the polarities of classical and conceptual approach.While the principal of these two approaches are different, in recent decades some attempts have been done to combine these two approaches. In the classical view, metaphor was a rhetorical figure or a device to add interest to the text. At the same time, metaphor has been seen as something interesting, peripheral, as an object in realm of poetic rather than empirical analysis. Tr aditional understanding of metaphor as a figure of speech has been recently replaced with a more complex conceptual, cognitive approach(Schaeffer 2004).The publication of ‘Metaphors we live by (1980) by Alaska and Johnson change the whole world of study. In recent years the new conceptual view of metaphor is the most important view. Alaska and Johnson argues that marathons are nothing less than demonstration of the whole system of experience and thought of human society- in other words, â€Å"metaphor permeate and pervade both languages and thought†( Fernando 2003:65). So metaphor is an expression of conceptual mapping, while this view is the same of lassie view but it is said that mapping is a surface demonstration of the relation in a deeper level.Descriptive: _cultural Horny(1988-95), Towboats(1993) _(UN)translatability and cultural overlap(Adage(1976-1987) _(UN)translatability and structure of cultural information(Van Den Broke(1981) Prescriptive keeping the same me taphorical image _changing it into a simile _substituting by equivalent metaphor in the TTL _keeping the same metaphorical image and adding explanation _paraphrase Horny(1988-1995) claims that some abstract rule cannot describe metaphor, and the unction of metaphor within a context should be considered.Newark never said anything about the choice from among the procedure. Alaska and Johnson argue that â€Å"the metaphors that are most alive and most deeply entrenched, efficient and powerful are those that are so automatic as to be unconscious and effortless†. In recent work related to metaphor translation, the cognitive approach is adopted by different theorists and statisticians. They look at the metaphor not as stereotyped types, but as a process of mapping between two different domains that called the source domain and target domain.For example in the statement â€Å"this room is an oven† the target domain is our understanding of the concept of heat for it is the con cept we wish to express through the metaphor. The source domain is conceptualized as â€Å"an enclosed heated compartment_ an extremely hot place, which is vehicle for the metaphorical transfer. The whole metaphor can be expressed as â€Å"heat is an enclosed heated compartment. † The selection of translation method In order to preserve the image of metaphor 1 . Literal translation: the image in the target text is the same image transferred from source text. 2.The image in source text is replaced by another form in 3. Image is transferred but annotation is added. This is used when target text. There are cultural differences. So by the use of annotation the reader with different cultural background can understand metaphor. Mapping In this view instead of terms tenor and vehicle, two other terms are used that called source domain and target domain. In this theory, metaphor is the projection from source domain to target domain. Mapping between these two domains helps the reader to understand conceptual metaphor and the translator to translate effectively. Translation of metaphor: 1 .There isn't the same metaphor In the target text 2. The metaphor existing in target text, but the mapping doesn't follow directly. There are three possible reasons for this. -in target text another meaning is created. -the mapping doesn't occur in target language -the mapping has restriction. Now the choice of translator depends on the existence of conceptual metaphor. If the conceptual metaphor doesn't exist in target language, the translator has two choices: whether translate literally and add an explanation or without any consideration to mage-schematic mapping, translate the meaning of metaphor.But if conceptual metaphors are the same in source or target language the translation is as follow: if mapped instance is the same, an exact translation is used. And if different mapping is created in target language there are two choices: Use an explanatory simile or an instance wi th the same meaning is replaced. Finally if there isn't image-schema mapping in two languages, an explanatory simile is used or explanation added to direct translation. Cognitive approach Mandible In this model the cultural beliefs and values between two culturally different faculty is added when cultural differences are existed.If cultural background of two language readers is the same so we can say mapping conditions in the SSL and TTL are similar, and cultural gap create different mapping condition. These two conditions are basic terms used in mandible's Cognitive Translation Hypothesis. Mandible(1995) argues that translation of metaphor with a similar mapping condition(SCM) is simple and less time-consuming. When translator face with different mapping condition(DIM), has some choices: rendering the metaphor to simile, paraphrasing, footnote, explanation and omission.Mandible intended to show the translator needs to make a shift between mapping condition of source and target lang uage. Coves Coves (2005) expresses the regularities of the ways conceptual metaphors are expressed linguistically in different languages. In this model the translation of sixteen English metaphorical linguistic expression of â€Å"Time is money' metaphor as described in Alaska and Johnson is examined. Coves characterized each example by one or several patterns to show whether the form, literal meaning, figurative meaning, conceptual metaphor are similar or different.He compares the linguistic expression of conceptual metaphor in two languages of English and Hungarian. He explain that different kind of possibilities or patterns are as follows: a. Metaphors of similar mapping conditions and similar lexical implementations. B. Metaphors of similar mapping conditions but different lexical implementations. C. Metaphors of different mapping conditions but similar lexical implementations. D. Metaphors of different mapping conditions and different lexical implementations.AH Hosanna In the criticism of Mandible approach, AH Hosanna(2007) added one scheme, and present three schemas for metaphor translation. . Metaphors with similar mapping condition ( these are cultural universal SSL metaphors) 2. Metaphors have similar mapping condition but lexically implemented in different way( in this category, the ethical system in the TTL and SSL make metaphors different in lexical aspect) 3. Metaphors have different mapping condition( include culture-bound SSL metaphors) AH Hosanna also criticizes the Naiad's equivalents.Nadia believes that the translation should create the same response in TTL reader as in the SSL reader. AH Hosanna claims that this equivalence is impossible practically and can be applied only under two notations: the translator knows the experience and world view of TTL readership or translator knows the best way to adapt text with experience of TTL readership. Alaska and Johnson(1980) believe that metaphor is not only a linguistic things, but also is perceive d in thought and action.So in the cognitive view of metaphor, the psychological, coloratura and linguistic aspects are considered. Another model for metaphor translation is the model of Schaeffer(2004) and Strainers(1993). Their approach is descriptive. The political texts in English and German are compared. Schaffer express five type of metaphor translation. . Manifestation having been accounted for at the micro-level 2. Structural components of the base conceptual schema in the SST are replaced by expression that make entailment's explicit. 3. Metaphor is more elaborate in TTT. . SST and TTT employ different metaphorical expressions which can be combined under a more abstract conceptual metaphor. 5. The expression in teeth reflects a They criticize the models of Mandible(1995), Coves(2005), and AH Hosannas(2007). They noted that translation of metaphors in this model is different from mapping condition and lexical implementation. In this model there are six logically possible sche mes on a cog native basis. Some English metaphors and their Persian subtitles in 3 American movies (Face off, Con Air, Speed) are considered.These six schemes are as follows: 1. Metaphors of similar mapping conditions and similar lexical implementation For example: I'd like to stand on my own two feet Definition: to become independent Translation in Persian: The word for word translation: I'd like to stand on my own feet 2. Metaphors of similar mapping conditions but different lexical implementations. For example: she is real 10. Definition: talented and knowledgeable Translation in Persian: The word for word translation: she is 20. 3.Metaphors of different mapping conditions but similar lexical implementations. For example: he calls his teacher by his first name. Definition: to have a friendly relation with Translation in Persian: ss Is-a The word for word translation: he calls his teacher by his first name. 4. Metaphors of different mapping conditions and different lexical impleme ntations. For example: somebody gets the gasohol out here Definition: annoying person Translation in Persian: The word for word translation: somebody get the stick out of here. The SSL metaphor doesn't exist in TTL For example: he is a late bloomer There isn't any equivalent in TTL So the TTL speaker use literal language to explain 6. The TTL metaphor doesn't exist in the SSL (the SSL speaker use literal language, TTL speaker conceptualize an identity in metaphorical structure. Metaphor in Persian poems In Persian poetry, especially the lyric (odes), feeling, thought and situation or even the persons are described by metaphor. There are two reasons for this; first of all are the poetic aspects of metaphor; the other reason is that it is politically incorrect to express feeling explicitly.Different aspects of love and characteristics of beloved, nature, wine are described by metaphor. Hafiz employs metaphor to mask his real meaning. He uses code words which do not represent their ord inary meaning. Metaphoric wine Wine is used in Persian poetry either in actual sense or in metaphoric sense. Hafiz sometimes use wine to refer to beloved, friend, teacher or master or God. Attar also refers to wine metaphorically as follow: 15 Metaphor in describing beloved: The beloved often is image of an idealized abstract entity rather than a physical

Communication: The Culture Affect Essay

Communication one of life’s biggest assets yet also one of life’s greatest issues. Everyone uses communication – everyone in every walk of life, in every country, everywhere. There is no way around it. We depend on communication for nearly everything. â€Å"Communication is the vehicle by which meanings are conveyed, identity is composed and reinforced, and feelings are expressed. As we communicate using different cultural habits and meaning systems, both conflict and harmony are possible outcomes of any interaction† (LeBaron, 2003). Proper communication is one of the keys to success. One would think that given its importance, communication would be held in higher regard and more effort would be put forth in communicating correctly. Mary Guffey and Dana Lowey discuss the five key elements of culture in their book, Essentials of Business Communication, to help improve our understanding of cultural communication. Those five elements are as follows: context, individualism, formality, communication style, and time orientation. Guffey and Lowey say that â€Å"context is one the most important cultural dimensions, yet it is among the most difficult to define†. In one idea, context can be considered to be the environment from which one’s perceptions are attained. There are both low-context cultures, like the US and high-context cultures, like Asia. Low-context cultures tend to be more direct, and think everything needs to be explained. They do not mind confrontation or making demands. They rely on facts, data, and logic. They are more relaxed about power and wealth, but do value competence regardless of job or position. They take words at face value. High-context cultures value group decisions and rely on relationships ore than data. They avoid confrontation and emotion in business transactions. They value position and status over competency. They may not take words literally. (Guffey & Loewy, 2010) It is easy to see why context is important to our communication. If these differences were understood or at the very least known about before communication begins, misunderstandings and offenses can be avoided. â€Å"An attitude of independence and freedom from control characterizes individualism† (Guffey & Loewy, 2010). Low-context cultures, such as Americans, generally value individualism, while high-context cultures tend to be more collectivist. Individualism represents independence, self-assertion, initiative, competence, and personal achievement. Collectivism represents a more group-oriented mindset. Their identity is found in the group, rather than themselves as an individual. Then you have some cultures that cannot be characterized as either individual or group oriented primarily. (Guffey & Loewy, 2010) When communicating to these different groups, it is important to highlight the ideals that they value. Formality is another element. Some cultures hold tradition, ceremony, and social rules in high regard, while others do not. Americans, generally informal, can be quite offensive to more formal cultures. For example, Americans are friendly to most and develop friendships easily. We share information and are â€Å"comfortable† with authorities (teachers, bosses, etc. ) in our lives. We also address people by their first names, something that is not done by formal cultures. Titles are heavily used in formal cultures and names are reserved for only close friends and family. The Western, informal, culture is more relaxed about social status and position of power. Formal cultures hold authority figures in very high regard. In Egypt, Turkey, and Japan students stand when their teacher enters the room and bows to them when they pass them on the street. (Samovar, Porter & McDaniel, 2010) So again, when communicating with a group or culture that is different from you, especially communication from an informal culture to a formal culture, it is vital to know the culture and mold your communication appropriately. Communication style is another important element that cultures approach differently. For example, â€Å"to Americans and Germans, words are very important, especially in contracts and negations. People in high-context cultures, on the other hand, place more emphasis on the surrounding context than on the words describing a negotiation† (Guffey & Loewy, 2010). Americans approach contrast as final, Japanese approach contracts as intentional but changing, and Mexicans approach contracts as ideals in a perfect world. Americans are straightforward in communication and are somewhat distrusting of individuals who are not for full disclosure. Americans like to work through negotiations quickly. The Japanese, or high-context culture, tend to drag out negotiations because they have realized others cultures concede over time. They are often quite and meticulous in negotiations. Realizing the differences in communication styles will be of tremendous asset to one’s business dealings. The fifth element that separates cultures is time orientation. Americans view time as an important commodity. They value productivity and efficiency. They see time as money. They, as a general rule, do not keep people waiting for business meetings. For one, that would not be a good business practice and two, that would be exceptionally rude. While this is true for American cultures, there are many other cultures that do not look at time the same way at all. Hispanic or Caribbean cultures have a far more relaxed view of time. They, generally, are not in a hurry. According to Guffey and Lowey, † the perception of time and how it is used are culturally learned†. Having an understanding of how a culture uses their time becomes important as you begin to have dealings with them. Each culture has its view on these different elements; each culture communicates differently, each culture values differently, and so on. It is important to realize these differences and learn to adapt to the culture in which you are currently dealing. Adapting to a particular culture could possibly be there difference in making or breaking a deal. Life, as a whole, is about compromise and balance. Communication is simply another element of compromise. As stated earlier, communication can be one of life’s biggest assets or one of life’s greatest issues. Words and actions must be chosen wisely to communicate effectively.

Real World Experience #2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Real World Experience #2 - Essay Example I am running a small business of ready-made dresses. I have hired some labor workers who are working at the back office while all the dealings at front office are conducted by me. From the last two months I have been observing that the quantity of the final dresses at the end of month is decreasing. Though the quality of the clothes and the work was same but problem was with the number of dresses. I was in trouble that if the quantity continues to decrease it will definitely adversely affect the sales and thus whole revenues will be disturbed. Now my focus was to find out the cause behind the fallen quantity of output product. After careful analysis of the workers I caught the reason. They were wasting their time in idol talking and many other such small activities which actually kills their valuable time but they were unknown to this fact. They had the potential to do more and in an enhanced quality but they were misusing their precious time. Now the responsibility came on my shoulders. I had to choose a middle way that will solve the problem and also employees may not feel anything bad about their work place behavior. I believe on performance management concepts very much. My opinion is that the incentives and bonuses really boost up the energy of the employees. And the research has also proved that the rewards really pump up the employees (Mayhew, 2013). So I did the same trick in my problem. I announced that the bonus which was given annually to the employees is now attached with the monthly performance of the employees. Every single employee will be rewarded more whose output is more than others. According to my opinion this would definitely work and by luck I got the best results. The output quantity was increased in the very next month because employees really work hard to earn more bonus reward. Therefore it

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Business Strategy - Essay Example The product chosen to make the strategic plan is the True Call. The first step is to perform an external analysis of the True Call Ltd. The analysis of the external environment consists of both domestic and global environments of the company. Only a sufficient analysis of the external environment of the business can aid in the strategic positioning of the organization. This also helps in identifying the firm’s stakeholders as well as taking strategic decisions. Strategic planning is a procedure that involves preparing a report of the company’s most important goals, the execution of plans to accomplish them, the evaluation of development as well as the continuous revision of objectives and schedules. This strategic plan serves to build up the operational? financial and strategic focus for True Call Ltd. The plan also addresses many of the opportunities and challenges at the present. As a tool of management, a strategic plan should be developed according to the requiremen ts of the organization that it stands for. Representatives from each department in the organization must participate in the process of strategic planning. If possible, stakeholders and customers can also be made an integral element of the planning activities. When each person participates in the planning phase, the execution of the strategic plan turns out to be less of a challenge. ... The external analysis of True Call Ltd consists of identifying its opportunities and threats. The opportunities and threats to the organization are considered to be a major part of external analysis. These elements exist outside the realm and also depend on forces beyond the control of the company. â€Å"An environmental analysis evaluates internal and external factors impacting an organization's performance, especially its marketing effort† (In Business What is the Environmental Analysis? 2003). Some citizens screen all of their telephone calls? as they prefer to direct all callers to their answering machine, pay attention to the message being said, and only then attend if it is someone they desire to talk to. True Call facility is comparatively better than this. For strategic planning? it is significant to carry out an analysis of the external environment, to identify the internal strengths or core resources of the organization, to assess the organization’s present st rategic choices as well as to select a best strategy that suits the organization. â€Å"Steve Smith and John Price, the Directors of true Call Ltd, have been working in the field of nuisance call control since 1999† (Response to the Consultation by ofcom on Tackling Abandoned and Silent Calls 1st June 2010, 2010). True Call gives a choice of facilities to keep messages secure and private? External environment analysis of the True Call is used to examine the opportunities and threats of this product. Opportunities: â€Å"TrueCAL-MAG is a special chelate complex of 6 sources of calcium with magnesium and other ingredients to assist the body in maintaining healthy bone structure. Calcium is a primary mineral for building the strong structure of bones and teeth† (TrueCal- MAG: Keep

Question set 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Question set 5 - Assignment Example Contrast the expectations of transactional and transformational leaders. The four different factors associated with Bass’s theory of transformational leadership are individual consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspiration, and idealized influence. Individual consideration places an emphasis on what the group member needs, intellectual stimulation ensures that the leader seeks ideas from the group and encourages them to contribute, inspiration gives meaning to the task at hand, and idealized influence refers to the leader becoming a full-fledged role model. An example of a leader who exhibits all of these factors, and not just one or two of them was found in Steve Jobs, who worked to ensure that he and his employees transformed the business world. Transactional leaders, or managerial leaders focus instead on the role of supervision, organization, and group leadership, in which the leader works to promote compliance in their followers based on a reward/punishment system. 2. Team Leadership. Describe the role of leadership within teams. What are the primary reasons that teams fail? What can ensure team success? Give a personal example of team success. A team must always have a leader, and as such, there are certain characteristics that comprise the role of leadership within a team. The leader must keep the team to a specific purpose, they must have the knowledge to judge and act prudently, they must accept their authority over the team, use that power to make decisions, and at the same time recognize that those decisions affect all members of the team, and as such should only be used to further the shared purpose of the team itself, and finally, the leader must be trustworthy; the team must know, understand, and recognize that the decisions the leader makes are for the common goal. Teams may fail because they lack shared values, shared objectives, shared activities, a poor leader, or lack the ability to accurately gauge their progress. In order to en sure team success, the team must have a strong leader, all work must be divided equally, all members must be held accountable for their share of the work, and progress must be made in a timely fashion. One personal example of team success would be working with several other students to start and complete a group assignment for school and have it submitted before the due date. 3. Negative Leadership. This week there were two case studies: Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Knight of the British Empire and Chuck MacKinnon. In reviewing the two cases, address the following questions: a. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Knight of the British Empire: What are the elements that lead to Giuliani’s miraculous transformation? What lessons could corporations with negative public reputations learn from this case? b. Chuck MacKinnon: Where might MacKinnon have gone wrong? What did he do well and what were his most significant mistakes? Was his management style to blame? What could be done to fix things now? What lessons can you take away from this case to become a better leader? The main elements that lead to former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s transformation from a person who was not well liked or well respected into a true leader were not the decreased crime rate that he worked to bring about, nor the implementation of budget discipline, but were through the practical

Analyis of financial objectives. financials projecttions and Essay

Analyis of financial objectives. financials projecttions and investment decisions - Essay Example Being employed in the finance department at Aztec Catering, this report analyses the tasks that Ms. Field, the Chief Financial Officer at Aztec Catering, has given and this report is aimed to review the three current objectives of the company, prepare and analyse the three year financial plan of Aztec Catering as well as evaluate the capital investment decision that the company can take and how this decision can add the value to the company. The report has been divided into three sections and each section aims to accomplish the three tasks that have been provided. The first section of the report critically evaluates the suitability of the current objectives of Aztec Catering. Moreover, this section analyses and compares the objective of the competing firm, Compass with the Aztec’s objectives. The second part of the report analyses and predicts whether the company would face any financing problem in the next three years. Moreover, this section also justifies the solution that t he company can implement in order to help itself from such problems. The third section of the report analyses and evaluates the capital investment decision that the company can take. This section analyses how this investment decision can be helpful in increasing the wealth of the shareholders of the firm and different investment appraisal techniques have been used in order to analyse whether investment should be made or not. Some of the techniques that have been used in order to analyse the investment decisions are: Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Accounting Rate of Return (ARR), and Economic Value Analysis (SVA). Section 1: Critical Analysis of the objectives of Aztec Catering and Compass Group The first section of the report cortically analyses the objectives of Aztec Catering and its competitor Compass Group. It is important to know that Compass Group is an international brand and it is not only operating and serving the clients of United Kingdom but it ha s presence in different parts of the world. Therefore the objectives of Compass Group should be considered as the benchmark and the company should and can use the objectives of Compass Group to achieve more success in United Kingdom and even then expand its offerings to other parts of the world. The current objectives of Aztec Catering that have been decided at the end of 2012 board meeting are as follows: a. To maintain a profit margin of around 24% b. To ensure the current strong financial position is maintained c. To satisfy the shareholders by maintaining a dividend payout ratio of 50% It can be found that all the three objectives of Aztec Catering have been focusing and emphasizing on profitability and financial position of the company. The first objective of the company focuses on maintaining a minimum profit margin (Tucker, and Lean, 2003). Profit margin of the company is the ratio of net profit after to sales. Or it is the ratio that the company earns after deducting all the expenses and paying of interest expense as well as taxes to the revenue (Cravens, and Piercy, 2008).. Therefore, the first objective encourages the management to focus on achieving higher profitability regardless of how it has to be done. In order to meet the first objectiv

Ifnormation security and assurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ifnormation security and assurance - Essay Example The up to date tools and technologies provided by the information technology helped businesses to computerize and organize their business operations and consequently improve their business performance. Despite the fact that, the ideas of remote working, storage, processing and communication are not new, because in every decade we have seen a lot of developments and efforts carried out in these areas. However, at the moment we in reality see these ideas as a genuine implementation, in the form of cloud computing. Actually, the cloud services are offered by a third party. So the secret data and information of an organization are stored on the servers of that third party. In this scenario, organizations believe that there emerge a number of security issues for business organizations due to cloud computing environment. This paper discusses some of the important security issues in cloud computing. Index Terms—Cloud Computing, IaaS, SaaS, Cloud I. Introduction This paper presents a detailed analysis of cloud computing related security issues. In the past few years, the cloud computing has emerged an attractive platform which provides on-demand, reliable and expandable (as these services can be reduced or expanded depending on the organization’s needs) computing power to organizations. ... With the adoption of cloud computing the business organizations are able to get a large number of advantages such as utility computing, Virtualization, scalability, the ability to outsource data and processes, pay-per-use services and access to almost infinite computing resources (Aleem & Sprott, 2013; Dahbur et al., 2011; Hudic et al., 2013). In addition, this wide variety of affordable and consistent services have caught the attention of a large number of business organizations, which have decided to shift their business data, application or major operations of it into the cloud. In fact, the recent studies and researches conducted to determine the impact of cloud computing on business organizations show a beyond belief expansion; on behalf of more than 16% of the world software sales with a market of more than $46 billion. In fact, for the majority of business organizations cloud computing is believed to be an affordable, helpful and an appropriate choice for the reason that the a doption of cloud computing allows them to diminish the total expenditure of technology ownership. Without a doubt, cloud computing model provides a wide variety of tools and techniques to improve business productivity, however, there are certain security issues connected with the use of cloud computing. In order to take benefit of cloud computing a business organization must effectively deal with these issues (Aleem & Sprott, 2013; Dahbur et al., 2011; Hudic et al., 2013). II. Security Issues Cloud computing is an attractive information technology (IT) trend which ensures the implementation of the utility computing model broadly using Virtualization technologies. Keeping in mind the numerous advantages of cloud computing, an increasing number of business

Cognitive approach over Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cognitive approach over Psychology - Essay Example Man's continuous urge to understand humanity had led the development of various fundamentals in psychology. With their apparently significant contributions, these recent approaches, particularly neuroscience had somehow managed to make its impact. However their imperfections and bit immaturity have made each emerging, as well as the established approach somehow insufficient. With this, it would be best to for these approaches to collaborate to come up with a complete understanding of the human psychology. In fact, upon an extensive and meticulous observation, one would find a clear point on each of these proven approaches that would link them to each other. This could serve as an explanation, if in the future disciplines such as neuropsychology would standout having been able to convince us with its view by means of intertwining two or more of these fundamentals. 3. ... ntiers, it would be substantial to say that behaviorism, psychoanalysis and cognitive psychology clearly depicts great consideration to individual differences while evolutionary psychology derives its explanations from general facts. It could ease the subject if universal explanation would serve as a constant and the individual difference as the variable. For example, humans in general have inherited mental capacities for acquiring speech, however, the individual upbringing and education dictates his/her way of speaking. In this example, with smooth and careful transition between evolutionary and cognitive approach, a considerably convincing thought had be derived. In the end, it would be best to take both universal explanations and individual difference into consideration; nevertheless, neither of the two would suffice. 5. From the point of view of your own intellectual development, what are the three most important things you have learned in this course Explain why they are important for you. With such enlightening course, one can derive tons of thoughts to ponder. First, we, humans are so gifted with the ability to think and rationalized that we are able to come up with explanations about almost everything. Unluckily this ability had somehow created addiction to wisdom and had lead to the materialization of several conflicting disciplines. Second is that each of these approach have manage to convince a multitude as well as give rise to their critics. Despite of their great significance, due to their inevitable flaws, no single approach can stand to serve as a perfect and adequate explanation like any other fundamentals inevitable flaws have their share of critics. Lastly, the noble gift of intellect must be utilized, at that; things should be viewed in a liberal

Zara Strategy Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Zara Strategy Analysis - Essay Example The chain offers a diverse clothing lines for women, men, and children, legions in latest designs. It operates through â€Å"The Cube† under the command of the giant Inditex Corporation. The corporation has been on the rise since 1996 recording massive sales ahead of its competitors like Gap. Thus, the firm became the world’s largest fashion retailer in 2008 with its eight brands. However, the corporation’s growth rate attributes to the success in Zara sales, which amounted to two-thirds of the corporation sales. Zara is venturing in fast expansions all over the world with new markets in over 68 countries in the globe. It is the most innovative and devastating fashion retailer in the world with immense profits though its products are relatively cheap. The chain relies on latest blend of technology to devise its market strategy. The chain has unleashed a strategy that shuns advertising, does not run sales, and keeps its huge investments of production at home. In a field where almost all firms outsource their manufacturing processes to low-cost countries, the Zara Company seems to negate all the fashion industry rules thus remaining vertically integrated in the market. However to analyze the success of Zara strategy in the market, we will need to consider various factors in relation to technological advancements. The analysis will consider the internal and external perspectives and use strategic models and theories in drawing a conclusive decision. The analysis will focus on critical issues that would guarantee long-term success. The analysis will also look into the sustainability of the strategy, its feasibility, and acceptability in the fashion industry. ... marise the key findings from the analysis and make informed recommendations in an effort to maintain the growing success of the company.  The paper will use the SWOT analysis to summarise the analysis and reach a defined conclusion. The paper will apply the Igor Ansoff Matrix models, seven s analysis, and pestle, in the analysis. Igor Ansoff Matrix model (Ansoff, 1988, n.p) Existing markets New Markets Existing New In using this model, I will try to show the market penetration of Zara products in the existing markets. I will also highlight the market development of Zara products in new territories in both new and existing markets. Additionally, the model will note diversification of Zara products in new markets using the existing capabilities. The model will henceforth highlight Zara product development in both new and existing markets using the existing capabilities. External analysis PESTLE (Johnson et al, 2009, n.p) PESTLE Summary Zara Company is subject to political stability a nd attitudes to competition. This rises from its major establishment and dominance in one country. In case of political instability and change of attitude in competition, Zara market advantage will crush. Factors of global recession and economic growth will equally affect the company since it has stores in many countries. Changes in lifestyle and social mobility will jeopardize the company sales since it concentrates mostly on two stores located in the same country. Changes in technology will significantly affect the company since its operations rely on technology and machines. Competition, employment laws and difference in laws between nations has a great significance in the mode of competition, recruitment of staff, and the running of the company in various nations it plans to invest. The