Evaluation Of Hrm Policies In Nestle Management Essay

Evaluation Of Hrm Policies In Nestle Management Essay Bob Kane, John Crawford and David Grant (1999) research discussed the effectiveness of HRM policies in Australian and New Zealand organizations. The authors had highlighted that HRM effectiveness could be achieved through soft and hard approaches. They had also identified the barriers to effective implementation of HRM policies. The first barriers as identified in the research paper were the low priority of top management towards HRM issues as they focused towards power and control. Second barrier as explained was the competencies of HR personnel to implement a credible HRM programs within the organization. Third barrier concerned the lack of knowledge about the long term impact of effective HRM programs. This study specifically focused on problems or barriers which had a negative impact on HRM effectiveness. For that purpose, researchers gathered responses from managers, employees and HR staff. They measured respondents perception of both hard and soft approaches which had been practiced in various organization. Researchers floated questioners that targeted managers, employees and HR personnel of organization of Australia , New Zealand, USA, UK and Canada. The questionnaire consisted of 42 questions. A total 702 respondents completed the questionnaires. The result indicated that employees and managers were not satisfied with HR personnel as their policies were not effective in order to improve the employee motivation, satisfaction and commitment. The research concludes that HRM polices can be achieved through soft and hard HRM approaches however companies have failed to successfully implement HRM policies due to lack of the support of companys top level management and inadequate and incompetent HRM staff. The researchers defined soft HRM approach as employee motivation, commitment and development. This approach plays a significant role in a business to create a work environment where employees work efficiently for the company. Employees can enhance their skills through trainings and commitment which creates a competent workforce. This workforce allows the companies to enjoy competitive advantage over its rivals. Another approach as identified in the paper is HARD HRM approach also known as strategic HRM. This approach of the view that HRM effectiveness can be achieved through implementation of cost reducing measures in human resources. Tanuja Agarwala (2002) in his research paper the author had studied the factors which had changed the trends in Human Resource Practices. Rapid change in technology had brought innovation in the human resource activities (r recruitment, selection, training, appraisals etc). The study also highlighted organizational effects and employees outcomes which were directly inclined to creative HR practices. This study focused on the growing trends of Human Resource Management. It also focused on outcomes by appling innovative HR policies within the organization. Tanuja Agarwala (2002) conducted in-depth interviews to understand the emerging trends of innovation in human resource management. A total of 21 in-depth interviews were conducted with private sector organization and public sector organizations. The entire experts believed that innovation in HRM had brought positive changes in organizations as it increased the skills and commitment of the employees. He also stated that people were organizations precious assets and innovative human resource policies would increase the skills of the employees. The variables and their relationships deduced were most significant for my research. Innovative HR practices (recruitment, selection, testing, training, appraisals) directly influences the overall organizational climate. It also has an impact on employees performance, attitude and his knowledge and skills. These practices also had an impact on the organizational productivity, employee turnover and financial performance. R.S. Dwivedi (2001) study highlighted the key competencies required for selection and training and development of key managers. The three competencies as indentified by the author were interpersonal communication skills, leadership skills and motivational skills. The research was conducted on 106 successful managers of Indian organization. This study focused to identify the interpersonal communication styles of successful managers, transformational or transactional leadership among managers and the factors which motivate people at work. It also intended to identify the key competencies required to make HRM decision in Indian organizations. The author deduced that consultative communication style was considered more feasible then despotic style. Moreover mostly managers in the sample were equipped with transformational leadership which enables the strengthening of the organization. The author also identifies that employees could be motivated by satisfying their needs and wants. Thus these competencies as identified in the paper were significant for my research and they can be sued as a key to make critical HR decisions. Marcel Van Marrewijk and Jonna Timmers(2003) in addition to human resource management introduced a new approach called Human capital management. Human capital management stressed on alignment between individual and organization as it is the key to successful management. The authors highlight that human resource management only deals with recruitment, retention and rousing the workforce. However it doesnt play an important role in order to bring motivation and commitment among the employees. On the other hand, the new approach ( HCM) embodied the features of human resource management and provides undiminished values. Human capital management aligned with employees in three domains: Human operations, corporate identity and values and human development with the goals of dedication, commitment and motivation respectively. Therefore human capital management outshines human resource management in every possible way. Mark A. Youndt, Scott A. Snell, James W. Dean, Jr. and David P. Lepak (Aug.1996) research examined two alternative views-universal and contingency- of the human resources (HR) in manufacturing industry. This study was conducted to study determine the degree to which Human resource management policies have an impact on firms overall performance. It also focused to analyze the relationship between human resource management and operational performance of the firm. It also studied the linkages between manufacturing strategies and HR policies and its impact on the overall performance of the firm. It was revealed from the research that contingency approach (human resource management on the basis of cost, quality and flexibility) was better than universal approach. Shaping HR practices according to the organizational strategies was the key for competitive advantage. The results suggested that HR practices intended to foster employees and create an egalitarian work environment positively influence operational performance when matched with quality manufacturing strategies. Thus the notion of HR practices on the basis of cost, quality and flexibility holds significant value for my research. Marianne J. Koch and Rita Gunther McGrath. (1996) deduced that positive and significant effects of labor productivity are found for organizations that utilize more sophisticated human resource planning, recruitment, and selection strategies. The hypothesis of this study were overall human resource sophistication and investment in hiring, human resource planning and employee development will have a positive effect on labor productivity. In this study, labor productivity being the dependent variable was being influenced by independent variables such as investments in human resource planning, hiring and training. Results had shown that investment in human resource management do pay off as workforce becomes more productive and works efficiently to attain the goals of the organization. Research indicated that firms that systematically train and develop their workers are more likely to enjoy the rewards of a more productive workforce than those that do not. Robert Roepke, Ritu Agarwal, Thomas W. Ferratt (2000) case study illustrated how 3M had been able to foster the competencies of IT professionals which in turn turned out to be a competitive advantage for the firm. 3M capitalized its sources and introduced innovative human resource management policies within the organization. The finding of this case study also indicated that investment in improving the leadership capabilities of the employees was essential for success of the firm. Those capabilities can be fostered through trainings and development of the employees, assistance, flexibility and interpersonal understandings. W. Hatch and Jeffrey H. Dyer (2004) also emphasized on investment in human capital in order to have a competitive advantage. It would increase the overall productivity and performance of the firms. The authors also stressed the importance of learning as it was necessary to foster the skills of employees. The hypothesis of this research were: screening tests improve learning through performance, higher human resource education increase learning, and greater investment in human resource field also increases performance. The data was collected through questionnaires and follow-up interviews in different semi-conductors industries of USA, Asia and Europe. Regression analysis was conducted on the data for findings. Results suggested that firms which had practiced proper selection, development and deployment of the employees enjoyed greater productivity and higher returns. Tests like screening tests in the selection process would enable the organization to have a skilled pool of employees as compared to the competitors. Development of the individual skills is essential in manufacturing industry as it enables the firms to achieve the excellence in operations of the firm. Michael Haid (2008) stated that proper implementation of HR practices would increase the commitment and retention of key individuals of organization. Certain HR practices such as manager support, social responsibility and performance appraisal practices would have a positive impact on employees morale as his satisfaction and overall motivation level increased. Michael Haid laid heavy emphasis on managers skills as it was necessary to increase the motivation and commitment level of the employees working under them. Trainings from mentors and coaches would enable employees to foster their competencies and allow the organization to enjoy competitive advantage. The author also stated that organization should be socially responsible as it was necessary for employees determination and commitment towards organization goals. By practicing these policies, employees would be satisfied, committed and found pride in their organization. The employers on the other hand would be able to retain their key employees. Geetanjali Pandit Gupta (2009) in his article discussed his point of view on the importance of HR practices as they played an important role in any industry particularly services. In his article, writer gave suggestion and advisees to Cineplex in order to improve its services in India. He believed that effective HR policies are critical in service sector as there was a direct interaction between customers and employees on multiple touch points. Satisfying the customers were necessary for the company. Choosing the right personnel for the job was a main duty of HR personnel in any organization. Careful recruitment and selection process were required to recruit a skilled workforce. Geetanjali Pandit Gupta (2009) also believed that training of the employees was necessary to improve the skills of the employees working in any service organization. Objectives The basic purpose of this study is to analyze and evaluate the HR programs of Nestle. To identify the strengths and weaknesses of HR programs in Nestle. To study the effectivenss of motivational techniques being used by managers. To recommend innovative HR practices in order to increase the competencies, skills and motivational level of employees. To study the impact of employees competencies on firms performance. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Hypothesis Testing Employee motivation H0: there is no significant impact of employee motivation on HRM programs H1: there is significant impact of employee motivation on HRM programs Employees commitment H0: there is no significant impact of employees commitment on HRM programs H1: there is significant impact of employees commitment on HRM programs Employee development H0: there is no significant impact of employee development on HRM programs H1: there is significant impact of employee development on HRM programs Technology H0: there is no significant impact of technology on HRM programs H1: there is significant impact of technology on HRM programs organizational productivity H0: there is no significant impact of organizational productivity on HRM programs H1: there is significant impact of organizational productivity on HRM programs employee turnover H0: there is no significant impact of employee turnover on HRM programs H1: there is significant impact of employee turnover on HRM programs financial performance H0: there is no significant impact of financial performance on HRM programs H1: there is significant impact of financial performance on HRM programs leadership skills H0: there is no significant impact of leadership skills on HRM programs H1: there is significant impact of leadership skills on HRM programs

Analyses on Different Recruitment and Selection Approaches

Analyses on different recruitment and selection approaches and case study Abstract This report introduces several methods recruitment and selection approaches in HRM and discussed their advantages and disadvantages, as well as cultural differences. While external recruitment is applied widely, internal recruitment is better used in large scaled companies. Personal reference can be applied in emergency situation regardless of its drawbacks. 1. 0. Introduction The importance of recruitment and selection cannot be overstated. The recruitment and selection policies and practices can be perceived as integral.Recruitment and selection not only seek to attract and select applicants for a certain position to achieve the certain objective or strategic goals, but may also have significant influence on the whole composition of the workforce (Beer et al. 1984). There is no perfect recruitment and selection method for every situation. In this report, approaches of recruitment and selection are in troduced and discussed. Recruitment in HRM is defined as â€Å"the different activities of attracting applicants to an organization, and the selection of people to fill vacancies. † (Bloisi, 2007: p. 07) and selection is defined as â€Å"the process ‘by which managers and others use specific instruments to choose from a pool of applicants’† (Bratton and Gold, 2003: p. 221). 2. 0. Analyses on different recruitment and selection approaches In this section, approaches of recruitment and selection are both discussed. Section 2. 1 mainly highlights internal recruitment approaches and cultural differences through the process. Section 2. 2 focuses on some traditional selection approaches and personal reference, illustrating their application, pros and cons. 2. 1. Recruitment approachesRecruitment in HRM includes two important parts: job analysis and person specification. The ultimate target is to combine these two parts, thus selecting the right person for the ri ght position. To accomplish this goal, two basic methods are introduced: internal recruitment and external recruitment. They both have their own pros and cons, and should be carefully applied to different situation. To better analyse the problem, this section only focuses on the methods of internal recruitment approaches. In addition, since the cultural influences on recruitment should never be underestimated especially, arguments are also made in this section.Looking for the right person for a vacancy within company can not only reduce advertisement fees on media, but also provide a good way for current staff to further considering about and acting on their careers in the company, improving their passion for career. The relationship between internal and external recruitment can be viewed in two perspectives: substitute and complementary (Matias-Reche et al. 2006). Today’s large number of staff that are considered as good candidates in internal promotion and reassignment are contingent workers who are initially hired for multiple results.According to studies and research, relationship between the proportion of contingent workers and the level of internalisation of employment practices within company is complementary and positive (Abraham 1990; Gramm and Schnell 2001; Ko, 2003). For these contingent workers, they already had some basic knowledge both for their current job and the company, thus making the further investment and especially trainings fewer, compared with those on a new employee. This advantage is more evident in large scaled companies, since there would be much more rules and standards for operation to learn in big companies (Matias-Reche et al. 006). However, for small companies, the save on further training may not seem evident and the promotion of these contingent workers has possibility of triggering dissatisfaction among current workers, who have managed to enter the company through formal recruitment process. It also reduces the possi bility of outside recruitment, narrowing down the range of choice of HRM. For large scale companies especially international conglomerates, cultural difference should also be taken into accounts in recruiting.Realistic job preview, which has been regarded as one of classical techniques used in recruitment in Western, turned out to be a moderately important one in Taiwan (Hsu and Leat 2000). This fact may result from that in late 1990s, realistic job preview was still new for Taiwanese, and companies were not willing to expose too much and too explicitly about themselves especially those negative information. 2. 2. Selection approaches Traditional selection process include application forms, shortlist, interviewing and etc.These fundamental methods can help HR managers get to know the applicant in a short time. As information is clear, there is no need to consider cultural differences in these processes. However, to cater HR managers’ expectancy, the content in application for m or the answers in interview can be exaggerated by applicants, which can hardly be distinguished immediately. A survey in 1985 showed that over 85% applicants in the USA have ever tried to â€Å"polish† at least one critical item on their CVs (Li 2006). In this way, background investigation can be used to diminish such situation.However, as background investigation can cost a lot manpower and material resources, it’s only preferred in final selection (Li 2006). Interview is one of the most frequent selections in practice. Through observation and communication, HR managers can evaluate the applicant both rationally and emotionally. While questions about applicants can be answered immediately, applicants can get to know the company by asking back, which provide a multi-way communication. However, a well-structured interview requires well preparation and due to limited interviewees at one time, the whole interview can last for a long time.Also, biased opinions may be mad e by interviewers who are inclined to be attracted by certain personal traits, which don’t have much relation to the job requirement. Personal reference is also an efficient way especially when the vacancy is an emergency. The applicant recommended by current staff is usually more acknowledged with the whole situation, job description and proper expectation to the company than an applicant who just â€Å"hears of† the company, which can decrease the length of adaptive phase, being more suitable for emergency.Also, being responsible for the company, the referrer is always cautious and considerate when s/he recommends. However, it also has disadvantages. The authenticity of applicant is not as high as those selected through applicants’ pool, increasing the possibility that the ability of applicant is exaggerated by referrer as a result of personal relationship. Furthermore, the position of referrer is also play an important part in the selection, and even in futur e work, especially when the referrer is in comparatively high position. Problems can appear as the manager of the applicant (future subordinate) has o consider more on punishment or critique for the referrer’s sake. Last, not all positions are suitable to this method. When it comes to managerial and professional recruitment, companies usually prefer to use external recruitment such as advertisement in the media and direct applications more frequently (Hsu and Leat 2000) since the skills and professions can easily be distinguished in those selection process. Culture differences still exist in selection especially in Eastern cultures, where guanxi (a personalized networks of influence) relationship can influence the choice especially for entry-level positions (Fan, 2002). . 0. Reward strategies on real-life job advert 3. 1. Case description In the case, the company is looking for an ideal junior executiv. S/he has to work 37. 5 per week, in which 4 days in PR and 1 day Marketin g, which means that s/he has to be both capable of these two fields. His/her job is to support the Head of PR to increase public awareness and understanding of the organisation as well as assist the Marketing Manager in developing marketing materials and literature . The salary is ? 18,000 per year and base in London. No specific potential career development is mentioned. . 2. Reward strategies For new comers, the most important reward may not have to be material one since most of them are young. Good opportunity and promising future both in promotion in the company and in this working field seem more attractive. Thus, professional work trainings and expected promotion are good rewards. Besides, since this job first requires the staff to do both works in PR and Marketing, the company can offer the free choice of either of these two fields to the staff as a reward after working for a certain period of time.This would not only be beneficial to the staff, but also better for the compan y to develop talent. Also, emergencies and accidents often happen in PR field especially in important events. Rewards can be offered to the staff when the accidents are solved perfectly and more importantly, if s/he finds a perfect way to prevent the accidents from happening again. This evaluation of performance is also in accordance to LeBoeuf (1984)’s ten ways to motivate staffs. The company wish the staff to be able to work during evenings and weekends when it is necessary.As a reward, extra vacations and bonus can be offered according to staff’s performance and the scale of the project. Also, as the staff is supposed to be working overtime, a supplement life insurance and annual physical exam can be provided, as research shows that they are also top choices in rewards and perks (www. hrmguide. com). 4. 0. Conclusion The methods for recruitment and selection should be considered in different situations. Specifically, cultural differences should be taken into conside ration. For entry-level jobs, the material reward is not most important.Leaving more space for the staff to grow and showing respect to his/her choice is also a way of reward. References Abraham, K. G. 1990. , Restructuring the employment relationship: the growth of market-mediated work arrangements, in Abraham, K. G. and McKersie, R. B. (Eds), New Developments in the Labour Market: Toward a New Institutional Paradigm , MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, p 85-120. Beer, M. et al. , 1984. Managing Human Assets, New York: Free Press. Fan, Y. 2002. Guanxi’s consequences: Personal gains at social cost. Journal of Business Ethics, 38 ,p. 371–380 Gramm, C.L. and Schnell, J. F. 2001, The use of flexible staffing arrangements in core production jobs, Industrial and Labour Relations Review 4 (2), p 245-258. Hsu & Leat, M. 2000. A Study of HRM and Recruitment and Selection Policies and Practices in Taiwan. Int. J. of Human Resource Management 11(2) p. 413-435 Ko, J. R. (2003, Contingent and internal employment systems: substitutes or complements?. Journal of Labour Research, 24 (3), p 473-490. Li, D. , 2006. The Recruitment and Selection Methods in HR. Science and Technology Literature Press LeBoeuf, M. , 1984.How to Motivate People. Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd Matias-Reche, F. , & MarFuentes-Fuentes, M. , 2002. The Internal Labour Market and The Employment of Temporary Help Workers in Spain. Personnel Review, 35 (4) p. 378 – 396 Appendix (including job advert) The Sick Children's Trust – PR ; Marketing Junior Executive http://www. graduate-jobs. com/job/the_sick_childrens_trust_pr_and_marketing_ju nior_executive_50615 Salary: ?18,000 Location: London Date posted: 2 November 2012 Job start date: 7-Jan-2013 ————————————————-Application close date: ————————————†”———- 17-Nov-2012 The Sick Children's Trust – PR & Marketing Junior Executive (Four days PR and one day marketing) Hours:  37. 5 per week/FT (Four days PR and one day marketing) Reports to:  Head of PR Job purpose †¢ To support the Head of PR in the development and implementation of a successful media relations programme to increase public awareness and understanding of the organisation †¢ To assist the Marketing Manager in developing marketing materials and literatureResponsibilities †¢ †¢ Assist Head of PR in securing maximum publicity of community events, SCT events, corporate support †¢ Ensure that high quality news releases and statements on the organisation’s activities are researched, produced and disseminated to appropriate media contacts to generate maximum coverage   †¢ Develop and maintain relationships with targeted media contacts †¢ Assist the Head of PR on publicity of national campaigns and fundraising appeals when necessary †¢ Assist on the night of events by assisting Head of PR in o-ordinating press activity and ensure photo-calls are organised where appropriate †¢ When needed assist the Head of PR in rolling out the social media campaign and updating SCT website †¢ Assist Head of PR in celebrity liaison role. †¢ Assist the Marketing Manager on the design and production of marketing materials and literature such as the Direct Mail, Annual Report, Newsletter and charity promotional literature and merchandise. General †¢ Represent the organisation at agreed events organised by the organisation and others e. g. aunches on behalf of the organisation †¢ Build an understanding, as far as possible, of the work, requirements and priorities of the other department teams Administration †¢ Take responsibility for own administration, including filing and handling a range of telephone enquiries †¢ Ensure that The SCT’s internal data base is kept up to date and add media and celebrity contacts according to the database policy †¢ Ensure media/photo consent forms are completed and filed Duties may vary from time to time with development of the post.The post holder will be required to carry out such duties as receiving general telephone enquiries and dealing with general office administration as befits a small office environment. Experience †¢ Degree educated, preferably in relevant subject such as English, Media or Communication Studies (E) †¢ Experience of managing own workload effectively, planning and organising a number of projects at one time to set timescales (E) †¢ Experience of working effectively without close supervision, dealing with problems as they arise (E) †¢ Experience of working in the voluntary sector (D)Abilities ; Skills †¢ Able to produce correspondence and written work using good compositional skills and to produce accurate work to a high standard at all times (E ) †¢ Good oral communication skills (E) †¢ Able to prioritise workload and manage own time effectively to meet deadlines (E) †¢ Can communicate clearly and assertively with a wide range of people at all levels (E) †¢ Ability to generate and identify hard news angles and react where possible (D) †¢ Ability to think creatively (D) Ability to develop and maintain sensitivity, respect and understanding of people linked with the organisation (E) †¢ Uses initiative to perform tasks well and demonstrate pro-active thinking(E) †¢ Work as part of a Team (E) Knowledge †¢ Kowledge of Microsoft Office software in particular, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook, In-design, PR Max and Photoshop (E) †¢ Good working knowledge of how the media works, including social media (E) †¢ Good working knowledge of marketing (E)Education/Training †¢ Educated to A Level standard at least including English (E) †¢ A journalistic qualification would be a n advantage (D) Other Requirements †¢ Able to work evenings and weekends when necessary (D) †¢ Commitment to work within the principles of the equal opportunities policy (E) †¢ Results orientate approach to working (E) †¢ Represent The SCT according to the values of the organisation (E)

The Literacy Narrative Essay Topics Trap

The Literacy Narrative Essay Topics Trap Characteristics of Literacy Narrative Essay Topics The 2 things are connected, and it can help to write when you're a skilled reader and vice versa. Within this write-up, this myth is demystified in the next ways. A great ending is when it's linked to the very first portion of the start of the story, and it ought to be correlated to the whole areas of the story. In truth, it is similar to a story, but different in it is weaved around a motif. The Most Popular Literacy Narrative Essay Topics The outline can help you to organize your ideas and get your mind working toward the purpose of telling a story in a logical way so as to acquire your point across. In these few sentences, you receive a feeling of how that very first day of school went, but in addition the insight gained from the experience. The Foolproof Literacy Narrative Essay Topics Strategy It isn't important to us, whether you're too busy on the job concentrating on a passio n undertaking, or simply tired of a seemingly infinite stream of assignments. Stories about traveling have an outstanding potential. Therefore, unless your mentor or professor assigned you a particular subject, the decision of thinking up an excellent topic is your choice. It's a remarkable opportunity to boost our writing. It's also commonly utilized as a very first assignment for college composition courses. It is suggested to look for the one which has a great reputation and offers high-quality papers at very affordable rates. There are lots of students that are great at research on topics that they're provided, but when it has to do with broad topics, it's too challenging for the student to narrow it down on her or his own. They lead busy lives and often forget about an upcoming deadline. And so, I feel like someone who reads a lot is going to be a good writer too. If you own a lot of experience with all this, then you ought to know what an expert bit of work looks li ke and sounds like. Although you may make a typical story sound spectacular using the correct words and the suitable technique, more than often the topic receives the credit for a valuable bit of work. The exact same thing goes with writing. Fortunately, Kibin has some great suggestions for writing concluding paragraphs for personal narrative essays that it is possible to take a look at if you're stumped. If you are searching for one, below is a list of topic that might assist you in your narrative essay. With luck, this page will assist you in your struggles to finish your essay assignment. The very best thing about writing a distinctive research paper is that you turn into a student of a specific topic, especially if you never researched the topic before. There's no need to discover extraordinary stories to compose a narrative essay that's interesting to read. It is essential that you find out more about the topic thoroughly before writing the first draft as you wish to be well-versed in the topic and this can help you appear to be an expert when writing the paper. It's tricky to pick just 1 topic whenever there are so many you could write about. There are those within this world who are experts in their particular area of work that could demonstrate how things work using their very own adaptive terminology in contrast to if you should read up on it all on your own. Generally when folks inquire others this sort of question, it's far from since they will need to understand which language you learned to speak first. There are a lot of things worth sharing. It's pe rsonal enough, it permits you to play with words, and it's both interesting and edifying for the general public. A Secret Weapon for Literacy Narrative Essay Topics Review the notes indicated and make a decision as to what question you desire an answer to regarding the material you've read. You will use that outline to compose your essay, so you are certain you don't leave out any vital points. A narrative essay has a certain format, specific element to discover, and a particular motif. Scroll down the page in order to look at extra essay samples which might help you in creating your very own literary essay. What to Expect From Literacy Narrative Essay Topics? The cost of an essay depends upon the total amount of effort the writer has to exert. For instance, you might be an athlete. Well, this sort of writing is quite much like the purpose which commercial ads we watch on Television want to reach. Introducing Literacy Narrative Essay Topics It takes an extremely skilled article writer to create the best books in existence. Many literacy narratives are written and published by famous writers to assist their audience get to understand them. Perhaps you wish to write about your favourite author or book and its effect on your life. You may also increase your writing force by selecting an expert essay writer online. I want to dwell on the positive effects of my parents, books and educational institutions on my private literacy. Writing literacy narratives are sometimes a joyful procedure, but nevertheless, it may also trigger untapped feelings about the intricacies of literacy. They're an integral element of my private literacy also. Among the challenges of this kind of literacy narrative is making sure you remain on topic.

The Snow Queen by Michael Cunningham

The new novel by Michael Cunningham, The Snow Queen, takes its name from the famous fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, telling the story about love and how its power can eventually prevail over any adversity. Cunningham is known as the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including: The Hours, postmodern reworking of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway. Pulitzer Prize-winning A Home at the End of the World. Specimen Days, heavily based on Walt Whitman’s poetry. However, in this work Cunningham steps from what is perceived by many as his specific approach of reworking original plots and concepts in a new way, which he used, for example, in his reimagining of Mrs Dalloway in The Hours. This time he takes from the original nothing much but the title, the topic of love in a very general sense, and all-pervading symbolism of winter, cold, and ice. An Icy Slice of Life The Snow Queen tells the story of two brothers going through midlife crisis. Both of them were considered to be very talented in their early years, but didn’t manage to find their places in life and reached middle age without ever making decisions or really achieving something. Barrett knows his way about poetry and knows more about Western philosophy than an average college professor, but works in a vintage clothing store, while Tyler, although possessing a real gift and inclination for music, remains an almost unknown musician and spends the majority of his time in his shabby apartment with Beth, his girlfriend dying from cancer. In the beginning of the novel Barrett sees a vision while walking through the Central Park. He doesn’t know what it is: a mystical experience, a vision, a UFO, an early sign of epilepsy or a misplaced case of Aurora Borealis. He doesn’t tell anybody, including his brother, about it, because he is not ready to allow Tyler to worry about him. Later he often wonders how this experience influenced his life and what happens around him, looking for the signs of this influence everywhere, for example, in the remission Beth undergoes soon after. Changes in Style The Snow Queen if different from earlier novels by Michael Cunningham not only because here he explores his own plotlines instead of reworking the works of other people in postmodern manner. His style differs quite a bit from the previous examples of his writing. It seems that Cunningham’s extensive study of Virginia Woolf’s creative work did a lot of good for his skills. Before he sometimes looked helpless when trying to express emotion – he tended to deepen into sentimentality and drown the reader in the flow of purple prose. In The Snow Queen this job is done by the stream of consciousness, which bears strong resemblance to Virginia Woolf’s, but still possesses unmistakable personal quirks characteristic of Cunningham. It allows him to tap directly into his characters’ feelings and emotions, without forcing the reader to deal with never-ending descriptions. All in all, it is certainly a turn for the better.