Poetry In John Steinbecks The Grapes Of Wrath - 1463 Words

For poetry is the mathematics of writing and closely kin to music. Moreover, it is the best therapy because sometimes the troubles come tumbling out. Well, he did...Just poetry - anything and not designed for a reader. I only offer this if your dryness goes on too long and makes you too miserable. You may come out of it any day. I have. The words are fighting each other to get out (Steinbeck, John. phantascene.com/2014/0 2/john-steinbeck-what-he-taughtwriters.Web.7Oct.2013). The lyrical style of The Grapes of Wrath keeps the readers spell-bound from beginning to the end and lets the readers feel the vicinity of the have-nots. Steinbeck has a suitably elastic form and elevated style to express the far-reaching tragedy of the migrant†¦show more content†¦His humour is based on ideas often incompatible, new awareness, comparisons and mutually understood and agreed discrepancies. He successfully embeds humour in his creative style. Jokes, funny incidents, surprise, misdirection and absurd juxtapositions are commonly used in the dialogues of his characters. He uses the opposite expressions. Irony resides in intellectual part of his novels. Verbal and situational irony is an outcome that turns out to be very different from what is expected. It creates anti-climax in The Pearl. He uses dramatic irony when in Of Mice and Men poor Lenine does not know the consequences of his action. The satire is created by human stupidity and vices of Danny and frien ds in Tortilla Flat. His vision of a modern egalitarian society for the have-nots has a satirical tone. His humour and humanity are well connected. Just before his death when he got his hand impaired, he wrote with precision of words that no one can surpass. I must make my hand, clever again (Huntington, Don. www.donhun tington.com/quote/.Web.18Nov.2013). His humour perhaps arises from the most paradoxically yet poetic things he wrote 12 years prior but used in a 1963 speech, immediately after receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature For his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception (Steinbeck, John. www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizeslite rature/laureates/ 1962 /.Web.1 Oct.2013).As far as Steinbeck’sShow MoreRelatedThe World and Literature Changes in the 1930s823 Words   |  3 PagesProject, was John Steinbeck, who was later awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962 â€Å"for his realistic and imaginative writing s, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception. (N. P. Staff). John Steinbeck, wrote a trio of novels, which focused on the lives and struggles of migrant workers in California with the first book, In Dubious Battle, published in 1936, then followed by Of Mice and Men in 1937, and Steinbeck’s masterpiece in 1939 The Grapes of Wrath a story of anRead More John Steinbeck was born to middle-lower class family in the farming1689 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Steinbeck was born to middle-lower class family in the farming community of Salinas, California. John’s Steinbeck Imagine†¦ your town is suddenly stricken with poverty. Your family business goes under because the economy of your local community can no longer support it. Herds of your closest friends continually move out of the town you grew up in due to a severe shortage of work. The basic necessities of life are so scarce that everyone around you reverts to their animalistic urgesRead More John Steinbeck Essay1735 Words   |  7 Pages John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California, a farming community with of about 2500 people. He was the third of four children and the only son of John Ernst and Olive Hamiton Steinbeck. His sisters Beth and Esther were much older than John and he felt closest to Mary, the youngest. He spent his childhood and adolescence in the Salinas Valley, which he later called â€Å"the salad bowl of the nation.† John’s mother, Olive, was the daughter of Irish immigrants. She left her parents’Read More Skill and Craftsmanship in the Works of Steinbeck Essay1558 Words   |  7 PagesSkill and Craftsmanship in the Works of Steinbeck      Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men, The Red Pony and The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck professes his admiration for the man who displays skill and craftsmanship in his work. A man who does his job exceedingly well is, by extension in Steinbecks works, a hero who is satisfied in doing his best in affection for his craft - a direct contrast to the multitude of humans who are merely unsuccessful and unhappy dreamers.   Ã‚  Ã‚   TheRead MoreThemes And Styles Of John Steinbeck s The 4033 Words   |  17 PagesJohn Buttiglione Mr. Bruno English IV Period 08 November 17, 2014 Themes and Styles of John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was born on February 26, 1902 in Salinas, California. He spent the majority of his childhood there and readers learn about his home city and childhood in his works. Steinbeck wrote novels, non-fiction books, short stories, poetry, and plays. Some of his most impactful and recognized works include: Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, The Pearl, The Moon is Down, EastRead MoreThe Quiet World Of Written Words1255 Words   |  6 Pagesorder to discover just who he was. Though I was prepared to comb through every article necessary, a simple Google search was all the elbow grease it took to unearth the mystery: Tom Joad is the main character of a novel written by John Steinbeck, titled â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath.† I bought the book, and it was then that I branched out from raging sound waves into the quiet and meticulous world of written words. The year was 2008; and the first decade of the new millennium was drawing to an end on an extraordinarilyRead MoreThe Rage Against The Machine1368 Words   |  6 Pagesorder to discover just who he was. Though I was prepared to comb through every article necessary, a simple Google search was all the elbow grease it took to unearth the mystery: Tom Joad is the main character of a novel written by John Steinbeck, titled â€Å"The Grapes of Wrath.† I bought the book, and it was then that I branched out from raging sound waves into the quiet and meticulous world of written words. The year was 2008, and the first decade of the new millennium was drawing to a close on an unprecedentedlyRead More The Impact of the Great Depression Essay926 Words   |  4 Pagesbecame known as the Great Depression. As industries shrank and businesses collapsed or cut back, up to 25% of Americans were left unemployed. At the same time, the financial crisis destroyed the life savings of countless Americans (Modern American Poetry). Food, housing and other consumable goods were in short supply for most people (Zinn 282). This widespread state of poverty had serious social repercussions for the country. America’s agricultural economy had already been suffering for a decadeRead MoreJonelle Samai. Evelyn Cartright. Eng 210. John Steinbeck.1758 Words   |  8 PagesJonelle Samai Evelyn Cartright Eng 210 John Steinbeck John Steinbeck was an American Nobel Prize winner whose work was viewed by many as controversial. Growing up in Salinas Valley California, Steinbeck enjoyed a comfortable life but opted to work with migrants on a farm. Here, his interest in the socio -economic aspects of life sparked, which later influenced his literary perspective. As an outspoken democrat and advocate of blue collared America, his critics often argue that his works are biasedRead MoreFacilitating Learning and Assessment in Practice3273 Words   |  14 Pagesexperiences in reading soon led me to attempt various writings of my own, beginning with poetry at age eight. I kept a journal in eighth grade, writing daily entries from the word of the day presented by my English instructor. I continued to write poetry, essays, critiques and creative short works throughout junior high and high school, where I was exposed to a bevy of literary compositions such as Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, Huxley’s Brave New W orld, Dante’s Inferno, Hawthorne’s House of the Seven Gables

Traditional Literature Three Cinderellas Essay - 916 Words

Most people are familiar with the Cinderella story as told in the translation by Marcia Brown. There are also cultural and parodied versions of this tale. For a cultural version, I will be referring to Sootface, an Ojibwa tale retold by Robert D. San Souci and illustrated by Daniel San Souci (San Souci, 1994). The parody Ive chosen is Cinderumpelstiltskin, found in the book The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith (Scieszka, 1992). All three renditions are picture storybooks, and have similarities in the cast of characters and in the motifs of transformation and magic, but there are significant differences within those similar themes. The three stories have honored†¦show more content†¦We can tell by looking at the illustration alone that this is no ordinary retelling of the Cinderella story. A young woman in distress is the common main character, and there are similarities and slight differences in the womans fa mily, and in the prince figure, as well. The Cinderella figure portrayed by Brown and Scieszka are already beautiful. Poor Sootfaces beauty has been scarred by ashes from the fire; her hair is singed. In all three renditions, the mother of the Cinderella figure has died. Both Browns and Scieszkas Cinderellas have wicked stepmothers and mean stepsisters. Sootface has no stepmother; its her mean sisters that mock her and make her do their work. The father figures are either absent or powerless to help Cinderellas situation. The father of Browns Cinderella is tied hand and foot to his wifes apron strings. Sootfaces father seems to be off hunting while Sootface is abused at the hands of her sisters. And Scieszka doesnt even mention Cinderellas father. The prince (or mighty warrior, in Sootface) does appear in all three stories. All the young women in Browns Cinderella and San Soucis Sootface want to be betrothed to this character; in Cinderumpelstiltskin, he is just mentioned as the host of the ball. Despite the differences in settings and familyShow MoreRelatedCinderella Stories1524 Words   |  7 PagesCinderella Stories Lesson Plan Sherryl Green Grand Canyon University: RDG:585 October 8, 2012 Lesson Plan Cinderella Stories ABSTRACT In this study of Cinderella Stories, second grade students will use charts and diagrams to discover the similarities and differences among stories. Students will develop writing skills using descriptive language and details. They will strengthen their comprehension skills through the use of magical Cinderella tales from different lands and apply map skillsRead MoreHow Traditional Literature Has Changed Over Time894 Words   |  4 Pagesthere were varying topics, but they were all under one category, which was traditional children’s literature. In the book many topics are discussed which include, what it means for a book to be traditional literature, how traditional literature has changed over time, the categories in which the different books can fall under, the different cultures and countries that the stories come from, the elements within traditional literature, and lastly the hero circle. There were also several articles that I readRead MoreThe Disney Princesses85 7 Words   |  3 Pagesgiven characteristics that are very gender specific. The next Disney Princess to be released was Cinderella in 1950 followed by Sleeping Beauty in 1959. These films also conformed to the conventional beliefs about women and their place in society. These princesses both had very soft-spoken voices that were barely audible (Whelan, 23). In Cinderella it also displays her doing the stereotypically traditional tasks of cleaning and looking after the house. She accepted without complaint all the tasks herRead MoreGender Stereotypes : Masculinity And Femininity1195 Words   |  5 Pagessame-sex relations, which the US has not fully recognized yet. The Hijars in India are homosexual or intersex males who embody aspects of the traditional female gender role. They dress as women do and can marry husbands if they so choose. Or the Albanians in southwest Europe and northern Greece are biological females that take a vow of chastity, and embody traditional male gender roles. They do this for multiple reasons because they always felt more male, to avoid marriage, and/or to access the power andRead MoreCinderella vs Ella Enchanted Essay2614 Words   |  11 PagesCinderella vs Ella Enchanted The tale of Cinderella has been heard and read for many generations. The idea of rags to riches has appealed to countless readers through varying accounts. The plot of Cinderella has become a traditional theme. Through different cultures and eras the theme has seen many copies, remakes, twists and views in literature, theater and film. Today’s era of blended families and conflicts in class statuses may be why Cinderella has been a classic. One of those twists is seenRead MoreThe Girl Against The Brick Essay2140 Words   |  9 Pageseveryone around them. Weeks pass, the students never came to the pub. Then, after three months, I saw the familiar faces. There was a weakness among them, some even sitting in silence. I looked to the brick wall where Elizabeth always stood, but the wall was empty. In fact, from that weekend on, I never saw Elizabeth again. Recipe A dark twist on a classic take on ignored abuse. Serving Size: One Cooking Time: Three to Six weeks depending on the severity relationship Recipe Difficulty: Very DifficultRead MoreAnalysis Of Disney Princess Films848 Words   |  4 Pagesportrayal of Disney princesses is the stereotypical damsel-in-distress, and very domestic. This can be seen through Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. A second portrayal arose and shifted the roles of female characters to be seen as independent and free spirited. This picture can be seen through characters of Merida, Anna and Elsa. Through different researches and literature reviews, including the movies themselves, Disney can be seen slowly making strides along with the surrounding culture andRead MoreFairytales : The Way Of The Society And Mainstream Pop Culture1457 Words   |  6 Pageswomen are inferior to men. Traditional gender role stereotypes in fairytales negatively impact young children. Stereotypes are a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. Some widely known stereotypes about gender are women are compassionate, cook and clean, and dependent. Men are strong, they are not emotional, and are in charge. The list goes on and on. While on the hand there are traditional gender roles. Traditional gender roles are the publicRead MoreThe Body of the Disney Princesses1568 Words   |  6 PagesPrincesses have always been a form of innocence for young girls. However, while it’s clear that the majority of people adore the Disney Princesses, still, most can see the impact it can produce on young girls that will follow them into adulthood. Literature Review According to various articles, although the Disney Princesses seem to be an innocent form of entertainment for young girls, their overall messages serve as a negative influence on how they develop into adults. This is where the unrealisticRead MoreCompare/Contrast the Treatment of Femininity in Pygmalion and Medea1437 Words   |  6 PagesHistorically, the treatment of femininity in literature is wide ranging. Some texts explore the feelings and responsibilities involved with typically feminine traits such as motherhood and in social environments, while others highlight more feminist issues such as the struggle for equality and male oppression. Authors of both sexes have made major contributions to this area in literature but it remains surprising that male writers have been able to perceptively portray women above their previously

Easements free essay sample

An easement essentially is a right in another’s land and confers both a benefit and a burden. Megarry Wade[1] introduces easements by stating: â€Å"The common law recognised a limited number of rights which one landowner could acquire over the land of another; and these rights were called easements and profits. Examples of easements are rights of way, rights of light and rights of water. † Easements can exist in all number of ways, including an easement to store goods as in Wright v Macadam[2] and an easement to use an airfield as in Dowty Boulton Paul Ltd v Wolverhampton Corporation. 3] However, the requirements to ensure the validity of easements can actually restrict the range of rights that can operate as easements. Some may argue that the law which governs the creation and acquisition of easements has been developed in a haphazard manner and is in need of reform. Indeed, Dr Martin Dixon[4] commented on this: â€Å"Section 62 LPA 1925 is difficult to justify and usually operates only to rescue parties who have failed to specify what they really want or to catch out the innocent but unadvised land owner. We will write a custom essay sample on Easements or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is not clear that it has a role in a system of e-conveyancing. There are uncertainties about its precise field of operation, save that it operates only on grant. † The conditions needed to satisfy the creation of an easement were set out in Re Ellenborough[5], whereby four rules were set out for a right to be capable of becoming an easement. Firstly, there must be a dominant and servient tenement, whereby the benefit of the right must attach to a piece of land and not that of the individual. Secondly, the easement itself on the servient tenement must accommodate the dominant tenement, meaning that it is imperative that it is connected with its enjoyment as well as for its benefit, as in Hill v Tupper[6]. This rule has caused somewhat controversy over the years as this case, along with the case of Ackroyd v Smith[7] have showed the classification of easements to be closed and limited to only well-recognised types. The third rule in Re Ellenborough states that the dominant and servient tenements must be different people and therefore cannot be owned by the same person as in the case of quasi-easements. Lastly, the easement must be capable of comprising the subject matter of a grant, which includes a number of ideas aimed at controlling the range of possible easements. For example; in order for it to become an easement, the right must be of a clear description and precise definition in its meaning and must not be solely used for the purposes of enjoyment. In Re Aldred[8] it was held that a right to a good view could not constitute as an easement. This would suggest that the acquisition of easements would be not to be found unclear as it warrants against creating miscellaneous definitions. However, some may argue that this last condition in Re Ellenborough allows for judicial discretion and indeed flexibility within the system, as new easements can actually come to exist such as an easement to use a letterbox in Goldberg v Edwards. [9] The rules in Re Ellenborough simply act as a guide for the judge, but often a judge may choose to recognize an easement based on the needs of the property, the behavior of the parties and the circumstances regarding the case. Hence, in this view, the law is uncertain as it becomes somewhat difficult to assert if a new right will pertain to being an easement. In relation to how easements are created, there are three ways in which it was recognised an easement could be created; by way of express or reserved grant, implied or reserved grant by operation of statute or lastly, by operation of prescription. An express grant is the most common way in which easements are created, whereby the owner of the servient land agrees in writing to grant the owner of the dominant land a right over their land for the benefit of the dominant land. *** An easement may also come into being via an implied grant as mentioned previously, through reason of necessity, by  the common intention of the parties, under  the rule in Wheeldon v Burrows and Under  Section 62 of the LPA 1925. However, the above methods of acquiring easements by implied grant can often overlap, as easements created by implication are more difficult to define, as it depends entirely on the facts and circumstances of each unique case whether or not an easement by implication can exist. In terms of by way of necessity, a property to be conveyed can have an implied easement attached onto it, if the use of the easement is reasonably necessary for the enjoyment of the property and is apparent, continuous and in existence at the precise time when the property is being conveyed. Easements by implication are much harder to define. Whether or not an easement by implication exists will depend on the facts and circumstances unique to each case. The established rule found in Wheeldon v Burrow is that on grant of the land, the grantee will acquire all easements which are continuous and apparent, and have been and are at the time of the grant being used by the grantor for the benefit of the land itself. Therefore, following the rule in Wheeldon v Burrows, easements operate in favour of the grantee and against the grantor, as the grantee will be able to claim as an implied easement a right over the land that has been retained by the grantor. However, the rule that the right must be necessary for the reasonable enjoyment of land poses a problem of sorts. The right in question is not essential for the enjoyment of the land, but rather the right should accommodate the dominant tenement. This shows how imprecise the rules regarding Wheeldon v Burrow can be in certain cases, especially in Wheeler v J. J. Saunders Ltd. [10] In section 62 of the Land Property Act 1925, certain requirements are also laid down. This statute implies easements where there has been â€Å"some diversity of ownership or occupation of the quasi-dominant and servient tenements prior to the conveyance. If the purchase is by way of deed, these rights automatically will be transferred along with the conveyance to the grantee unless expressly excluded in the conveyance as in the case of Wright v Macadam. [11] Additionally, the right must be enjoyed at the specific time when the conveyance occurs and the right has to be capable of being an easement, not merely just a permission granted as held in Green v Ascho Horticulturalist Ltd. [12] Turning to easements obtained by prescription, one could say this is similar to acquiring title by adverse possession. It arises from uninterrupted use of land, whereby a non-landowner can gain the prescriptive easement in a property that he does not own if he meets all the requirements stated. Typically, these requirements include using the easement for twenty years (as ruled S. 2 Prescriptions Act 1832 and found in the case of Reilly v Orange[13]), ensuring exclusive control is maintained over it, using it continuously during this period and doing this in a manor which makes it clear to the current owner.

Total Quality Management Xerox

Introduction Total quality management is a variation of lean manufacturing principles that originated in Japan. Toyota Production System first developed them. Over the years, the concepts have morphed into various business tools, including the TQM that is now a comprehensive tool used by almost all major firms in the Western world.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Total Quality Management: Xerox specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More TQM incorporates customer satisfaction, continuous improvement, and workforce commitment (Lai, Lui Hon 2014).  The following are achievable with adequate total quality management implementation in a firm. First, the firm will strengthen its competitive position, have high productivity, enhance its market image, increase its profitability, and ensure that employees have job security. These and other results depend on the nature of TQM implementation and the business sector. A q uestion concerning implementation is whether it contributes to better functioning of other tools and whether TQM leads to the desired results. Additional queries may relate to whether the business in question is also reaping sustainable benefits. Xerox case This section now examines the application of TQM in Xerox Corporation. Familiarity with Xerox and research on the company through secondary literature sources informs the analysis. Among multinational Western firms, Xerox is one of the most quality conscious one. It began implementing TQM in 1980. The company develops its TQM practices to respond to changes in its business environment and to shape its operations to enjoy a competitive advantage. Company background The firm started operations in 1906 in the USA. Five decades later, it had made its first plain paper copier. Its profit growth was 20 per cent annually by the start of the 21st century (Xerox 2004). Stock prices for the public company soared.Advertising Looking fo r critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, its company’s growth nosedived soon afterwards. Its stock price fell from a high of USD 70 in 1999 to less than USD 5 in 2001. During the period, the company lost USD 30 billion as market value (Xerox 2004). Worldwide, Xerox has a reputation to uphold, as the world’s best photocopier manufacturer. Its success is a demonstration of right management principles, tool usage, and positive sustainable outcomes. Implementation of TQM at Xerox began as a reaction to the negative market performance. The company lost about 65 percent of market share in the 1980s and was moving towards obsolescence. It needed to change its strategies and once again become dominant in the market. At the time, key sources of competition were Japanese manufacturers that were embracing a low cost market strategy to upset incumbent rivals like Xerox in the general ele ctronics and office equipment markets. Although Japanese copiers were very affordable for most businesses, they did not compromise on quality, which made them irresistible to customers. Xerox copiers at the time were of high quality, but costs of production were very high, such that cutting prices would translate to company losses. Main findings The introduction of TQM was a change of tactic that would seek to ensure that Xerox copiers curve out a new niche market segment and fulfil consumer preferences. Xerox opted to go for a quality edge, instead of being fixated on prices and finding ways to produce cheaper products than competitors do. Its new value proposition would be to attain leadership through quality. Xerox would leap ahead of the innovation curve and defend its brand image. It would grow its reputation by designing well-functioning and long lasting products.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Total Quality Management: Xerox specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Additionally, the company was also looking at maintaining long-term relationships with customers. It would only achieve this feat through adequate quality management. Research on TQM benefits in company shows that having TQM is not an end in itself. Firms also have to embrace the critical features and principles that promote TQM implementation for them to maximise its benefits (Fawcett et al. 2014). Employee commitment The goal of TQM at Xerox is to manage for results. This applies to all operations of the firm. The company wants to have production improvements and revenue increases consistently. It relies on the management of quality as its main strategy. To achieve its success, the company used TQM principles to make changes in the way it does business and relates to customers, suppliers, and employees. Today, Xerox is back to its glorious past, where it commands a substantial market share in printing and document p roduction business globally. It has the support of employees and customers and its revenue and returns on investment are high. The company realized that suppliers, including employees as labour suppliers, were sources of quality compromises. It also noticed the spread of resources when dealing with many independent suppliers for specific production components became less efficient than collective dealings. As a remedy, it consolidated manufacturing facilities so that it would only deal with groups of suppliers. It made economic sense, as group relations afforded Xerox economies of scale and gave it a bargaining power in negotiations, as it could easily take advantage of intra competition among suppliers. Most importantly, groups of suppliers lowered the cost of quality implementation. With suppliers organized into a group, the company could organize supplier relationship systems to undertake quality inspections and lower its overhead costs by eliminating marginal costs in procuremen t, inspection, shipping, and supply management. Moreover, consolidation meant that Xerox now had a manageable small supplier base. Its task of increasing employee empowerment also became achievable after the renewed focus. It was able to extend monitoring systems to the suppliers and assume a better position that allowed the firm know in advance when a problem arises.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More With few overheads in supply and a low number of suppliers, employee requirement for Xerox in the manufacturing and supply management remains low. Continuous improvement results When Xerox was losing money in 2001, it was still implementing TQM; however, a change in the external environment meant that the company’s production strategy was no longer viable. Photocopiers were turning digital and Xerox was still stuck in the analogue world. After the decline, the company retaliated with its digital production press for the production market. It also enhanced its office product line to include digital copiers and printers. The company worked towards increasing its revenue and reducing costs so that it would offset the losses encountered prior to the year 2004. Performance over the last decade has been promising, which shows that the tactics used by the firm paid off. Its financial performance for the last few years has been positive, with promises for future revenue growth (Xerox 2014). Other than the shortcomings of failing to catch up with technological trends, Xerox has made considerable efforts to be at par with customer demands and environmental threshold capabilities. In addition to photocopiers, the company offers LCD monitors, printers, large volume digital printers, workflow software, and other office productivity software. The company relies on benchmarking, as it works towards sustaining its competitive advantages. This is a process of improving towards, and considering best practices (Xerox 2014). Benchmarking can be of different types, such as strategic, process, functional, internal, external, and international. Each type has a different aim and scope of comparison. Benchmarking is a multiple step process that begins with planning and the data collection, which precede analysis and reporting. After that, the firm makes changes based on the report (Rani, Duhan Deshwal 2012). After initial market troubles, Xerox benchmarked its operations again st Japanese companies. Xerox realised that it takes twice as long to produce compared to Japanese competitors. At the same time, the number of technical staff needed by Xerox for the same production process was almost five times higher than the number used by Japanese firms. For example, there would be five more engineers at Xerox than at its competitor, and they would all develop similar products. The company also experienced design changes that were four times higher than the competitors. Consequently, it spent more on design costs, with figures being three times more than the competitors. As Xerox manufactured goods, Japanese firms had already sold them to the market. They were fast, low cost, and high quality at a retail price that was equal to the manufacturing cost at Xerox. Xerox had over 30,000 defective parts per million due to the inherent inefficiencies and the lack of quality management. This was 30 times more than what competitors reported.  After finding out its bad position against the competitors, the company opted to follow the benchmarking process to achieve similar results and surpass the competitors in some aspects of its operations. In planning stages, it came up with the features for benchmarking. In addition, it had to come up with an appropriate data collection method to facilitate effective capturing of information for subsequent decision-making. Xerox evaluated the rivals’ strength against its strength as part of the analysis. Once it made tangible analysis, it moved on to the step of integration. In this step, necessary goals were put into the overall company planning process. Action steps came later and they included the implementation of established plans. Moreover, the company checked whether the goals that were set were being realized. It also assessed its maturity to determine its position in the market. The suppliers who served Xenon were about five thousand, while those of most Japanese firms were about one thousand. It reduced the number to 500. It was also realized that Xenon’s rivals offered the vendors skills in quality control, among other areas. To match up, Xerox opted to introduce a vendor certification process. It consisted of training suppliers and then certifying them and establishing partnerships that would provide a means of telling them the areas for improvement. Xenon informed the vendors about the changes that were undertaken in the bid to enhance customer experience. This ensured that the firm became proficient in supplier management and was able to increase overall quality of the business unit consistently. Xenon got rid of inventory bottlenecks caused by excess capacity, or non-matching customer orders and production stocking levels as part of inventory management. A key indicator of performance improvement was the capital cycle period. The company also minimized its inventory carrying cost. With smart document management solutions, the firm allowed customers to shift t o an on-demand model for producing documents. The method retained quality and saved in inventory costs for customers and Xerox (Xerox 2004). The manufacturing system recognizes internal customers like assembly line workers and external customers like the end users. The people at Xerox connect to customers and their businesses. Relationships between employees and customers or the firm are personalised (Xerox 2004). With product innovation, the company has come up with new ways of enhancing the functionality of its main products to reduce damage and waste so that they are more beneficial to client businesses. For example, the firm develops smart packaging products that can track temperature and relay consumption information with every opening. They act as additional information collection centres for the company and fulfil customer needs for better functional designs (Xerox 2014). Customer satisfaction On customers, a philosophy of being oriented to customer demands drives Xeroxâ€⠄¢s strategy. Here, manufacturing goals have a quality aspect, in addition to being quantity based, because of firm performance targets. The current goal is to ensure that customer interaction with Xerox at any point is rewarding to both parties. Points of interaction include Xerox copiers, employees, and marketing campaigns. The company seeks to have all activities meet high quality standards, such that it does not have to worry about customers interacting with any of the company aspects and finding out there are poor quality elements. Thus, customer satisfaction encompasses everything that the company does internally and externally. The realization of customer satisfaction goals is a management task. In addition, the company continues to move elements of its production-based strategies to customer based ones (Xerox 2014). Achieving the customer satisfaction feat comes with a full dedication of all members of the organization to be considerate of the market and be alert about oppor tunities for improvement. Entrepreneurship shows in the spirit of employees, while personal initiative ensures that there are incremental changes that enhance the overall quality of the company tradition, customer relationship, and product features at all levels of the organization (Sikdar Payyazhi, 2014). Customer satisfaction goals continue to be key pillars of quality of the company. The firm continues to invest in other businesses that are likely to increase its value creation for customers. Rather than offer standalone products, Xerox now takes part in integrating its office and production systems, together with clients and their end users for both public and private customers. The company is now moving towards being a service-led company. It provides products, but it also enhances their utility and fulfils customer needs by making the customer part of an overall process of designing and solving needs. Thus, the company has to constantly add new features and eliminate the chal lenges that relate to service delivery. A key indicator for its success is the rate of contract renewals for managing services that it provides. The year 2013 saw a 92 per cent increase in business processes and IT outsourcing business (Xerox 2014). The company also retained its global leadership in digital technology products. Service revenues for the firm were only 24 per cent of its total revenue in 2009. In 2013, they made up 55 per cent of total revenue (Rani, Duhan Deshwal 2012). Discussion According to Rani, Duhan and Deshwal (2012), the gains made by Xerox, such as the reported reduction in supplied parts defects by the early 1990s, are attributable to the robustness of TQM applications. Today, TQM can serve both private and public organizations, with equal gains expected. The focus of quality refers to meeting the expectations of customers and financial stakeholders. It can extend to meet societal needs and personnel needs. As much as the basic definition of quality has re mained the same over the last few decades, understanding has undergone an evolution. In its original foundation, TQM aims to discourage reactions and promotes planning and production. It favours first-time prevention, instead of inspection and conformance to requirements.  Looking at Xerox, success came because management was committed and offered a storing top-to-bottom support. The company held a strong customer focus in its internal and external processes. The entire Xerox workforce was, and continues to be part of TQM implementation. Business improvement is happening in a continuous manner, while the firm is becoming more innovative in its production. Lastly, the company opted to treat its suppliers as partners. It involves them in its long-term plans and accommodates their needs in its strategic plans to ensure that high quality production remains sustainable.  Success at Xerox was achieved by focusing on information. The question was about what the firm could do with knowl edge of its internal processes and the competition. Although the company embraces technology, it only does so when the underlying information makes economic sense.  Continuous improvement and employee empowerment are features of TQM. Achieving perfection may not be possible in a dynamic business setting. Nevertheless, organizations need to improve their performance recurrently to enjoy compounded effects of growth, development, and efficiency. On the other hand, employee empowerment is recognition of the internal customer of the organization and the first public relations officer. Under this feature, a firm lets employees suggest changes and spot problems in production. Forthcoming employees receive rewards, instead of punishment.  Process management and product design are also features of TQM. They relate to the quality of source materials being determined before processing or production commences and the ability of a product to meet customer needs based on its functions, usage , and practicality respectively. A firm has to make sure that suppliers offer same quality practices to it so that time for inspection and resources used for verification of quality standards remain minimal. With product design, a firm seeks to put customer preferences into technical requirements of products, such that product performance in the market experiences grows. Issues of TQM Coming up with a comprehensive implementation of total quality management in a firm needs total commitment from the staff. With participation of every member of the firm and their commitment, some TQM features may remain unachievable. In addition, the level of commitment and participation differs among the hierarchical levels of the organization. An important thing is to have the management staff doing more as both workers and mentors to influence expected behaviour and the attitude of the junior staff (Sikdar Payyazhi, 2014).  Once the staff exhibit commitment, an additional step is to have a compa ny-wide improvement process. Here, the basic feature is measurement of performance, and then implementing new or existing strategies to increase the performance and achieve new benchmarks. Monitoring ensures that a firm is in touch with its features of TQM, such that improvements and corrections to problems happen immediately upon the identification of a need. The determination to push forward with the changes brought by TQM is important. Demanding continuous improvement may not be straightforward and comfortable, but this is what overall success requires. Consequently, a firm’s leadership may have to look into attaining high satisfaction levels for all the organizational members as part of the collective strive to gain firm-level triumph. While implementing and fostering commitment is critical, there is also a heightened need for quality, which is the principle factor within TQM. Quality is a measure of excellence in processes, products, interactions, relationships, and stra tegies of a firm (Cronholm Salomonson 2014). Any features of poor quality undermine overall gains that a firm makes towards being a preferred organization to work in and a fierce competitor. Quality achievement comes at a cost. To gain good quality, a firm has to use resources and adopt a specific tactic to avoid consequences of poor quality. At the same time, if a firm has poor quality, then the cost suffered in terms of missed opportunities and declining business prospects is the problem that it will have to deal with. Thus, a firm must evaluate whether prevention, appraisal, and implementation costs of TQM are appropriate investments and whether their returns is higher than the lack of initiative, which reverts a firm back to its initial losing position. Among prevention costs incurred by most firms are procurement inspection, quality training, design, machine inspection, field testing, sampling, and monitoring along the supply chain (Azadi, Farzipoor Hosseinzadeh 2014). TQM is applicable to all activities undertaken by an organization. The improvements achieved help to increase opportunities and efficiencies of other non-related sections of the organization. For example, improvement in procurement inspection lessens the demand for process inspection and allows an organization to reallocate resources and maintain agility towards changing business environments. On the customer side, satisfaction is the product of quality management. The same achievements are possible for suppliers. The essential thing is that performance enhances across the organization, affecting all its business processes and stakeholders (Eltantawy, Giunipero Handfield 2014). Quality costs narrow down to prevention, appraisal, and avoidance of failure. Taking precaution is expensive, but not taking it can be more expensive for a firm; therefore, it is a necessary cost. The same is true for appraisal costs, which relate to the expense paid to detect flaws in quality across the entire fi rm’s spectrum. Appraisal costs will include the funds used to perform in-house checks, together with those paid to third-party inspectors. It will also include the time and other non-monetary resources used by the firm to achieve its total quality management. Future of workforce commitment and continuous improvement at Xerox As Xerox focuses on service delivery as its next area of growth, it increases demand for expertise, employee citizenship behaviour, and quality control of its employees and business partners’ staff. Determination of quality at a service level is the same as that of a physical product. For example, the number of defects is not as countable in a service, as they are in a physical product. Sometimes, errors in service delivery and customer relations compound and take time to reveal. Setting standards and conforming to them when the product is intangible is problematic. Xerox meets the service delivery challenge by emphasizing on information gathering and knowledge sharing (Xerox 2014).  Xerox can control the manner of delivering services to clients by integrating suppliers, employees, and customers in its plans and their execution, such as review of designs and inventory management. With this approach, it is possible to learn about mistakes and eliminate them in collaboration with clients to prevent the loss of business (Mosadeghrad, 2014).  Some aspects of TQM at Xerox are not as visible as they were two decades ago when the process was initiated at the firm. Today, quality management has become part of an ongoing tradition. Benchmarking may not reflect the competition in isolation, but it integrates with customer and employee features. The blurring line of business partners and customers also makes information differentiation from competitors and customer preferences difficult and may pose a challenge for data analysis for the company (Moskovkin, Bocharova Balashova 2014). Conclusion The implementation of TQM at Xerox has been one of the reasons for sustained success over the last few decades. At the same time, incidences of company poor performance at the end of the 20th century show that TQM is only advantageous when it also ensures that the firm remains agile to changing business environment conditions. The findings from a review of Xerox show that the firm is moving towards being a service-oriented company. Many of its success strategies were based on manufacturing. As a global business, service delivery has a number of challenges. Nevertheless, the adoption of quality control benchmarks and insisting on employee empowerment ensure that the firm’s service oriented strategy is paying off. 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