Political thrillers based on non-fiction books are oriented to represent the plot events extremely closely to reality. However, the reality in All the President’s Men (1976) is depicted vividly and completely, and it is possible to speak about the successful representation of the documentary facts in the context of the highly artistic work.
The plot of All the President’s Men directed by Alan J. Pakula depends on the real events of 1972-1973, and it is associated with the Watergate scandal which led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon as a result of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein investigation for The Washington Post.
The roles of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were performed by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman (Coblenz & Pakula, 1976). Alan J. Pakula’s All the President’s Men is characterized by the remarkable approaches to depicting vivid details and illustrating the documentary story in order to make it an effective political thriller.
The story begins with arresting five burglars who were observed in the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Two reporters of The Washington Post Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein began to investigate the case.
This event can be discussed as the main one for the development of the whole story because the reporters became interested in the event as the trigger for the political scandal that became more obvious with each new detail of the case investigation. The burglars had the bugging equipment, and many aspects of their presence in the Democratic National Committee headquarters were difficult to understand.
The financial scandal led to the development of the great political scandal in which President Richard Nixon was involved. The whole story can be described as the clew which was unwound by efforts of Woodward and Bernstein.
Focusing on a lot of details and hidden facts and using the help of the anonymous person, Woodward and Bernstein revealed all the incomprehensible points and combined them in a single picture (Coblenz & Pakula, 1976). Thus, the plot of the movie is based on the investigation performed by two successful reporters Woodward and Bernstein who did not work together previously.
To understand the fact why this movie is discussed as the classical example of a political thriller, it is necessary to concentrate on examining the characters of Woodward and Bernstein and their cooperation as well as on perfect work of the director who was successful to produce the definite atmosphere of menace. Woodward and Bernstein are the best reporters of The Washington Post, but they are not used to work in pairs.
The investigation associated with the Watergate scandal becomes the challenge for two reporters and makes them cooperate effectively. These two persons are depicted as antagonists in relation to their approaches to work, but they are professionals, and their cooperation results in a success.
The difference between these two persons is appropriately emphasized with references to depicting their different styles, manners, behaviors, habits, and working principles. The vivid characters which attract the audience’s attention can be considered as the movie’s strengths.
The next strength is the specific atmosphere of the genre of a political thriller. The bugging persons are expected to be found round every corner. The audience can feel the extreme psychological and emotional tension.
The associated menace, paranoia, and suspense are presented in slight details of the characters’ behaviors making the viewers wait for the denouement. The changes in the situation can be observed with references to changes in postures and behaviors of Woodward and Bernstein, and this fact makes the story more real and interesting.
Ben Bradlee is the next important character of the movie who plays the role of a motivator for Woodward and Bernstein’s continuous investigation. Ben Bradlee is the editor of The Washington Post who proclaims such important principles as the reliance on the facts which are confirmed and reputation of the people discussed in the articles and of the newspapers’ authors (Coblenz & Pakula, 1976).
Thus, Woodward and Bernstein need to demonstrate all their skills in investigating the case and communicating with people in order to find the necessary information. Words play a key role in the work of journalists, from this point, the scene of communicating with the anonymous source is interesting because the whole conversation is the flow of metaphors and associations.
The positive opinion in relation to the movie can be based on many factors such as the actors’ performance, the work of the director, the interesting plot, the effective atmosphere, the association with the reality, the focus on influential details. Moreover, it is significant to pay attention to the aspects of representing the work of journalists in the movie. Woodward and Bernstein are the masters of questioning and searching the facts and evidence.
Furthermore, they do not rely on facts, criticize and pay attention to finding the confirmation for their guesses and conclusions. Thus, All the President’s Men is the perfect example of the political thriller in which the work of intellects and psychological tension is more important to portray the situation than the scenes of cruelty.
Reference
Coblenz, W. (Producer), & Pakula, A. J. (Director). (1976). All the President’s Men [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Organization behavior is defined as the knowledge and application of how individuals, groups or the whole organization relate to each other within the context of the organization. It is an important area of study more so for persons seeking to understand how people relate to each other as individuals or groups with the aim of achieving organizational, self, and social objectives (Newstrom & Davis, 1993).
There are different elements of organization behavior that encompass the different attributes of the organization. These include organization change, organization culture, and communication in the organization, group dynamics, and organizational leadership.
This paper presents the different organizational aspects that Joe could incorporate to ensure success of the organization he heads. It discusses the individual perceptions, learning theories, and how to leverage on the value of self efficacy to ensure a holistic success in the management of the organization
Individual perceptions
Individual perception is a psychological term that is used to refer to how persons form opinion about themselves and/ or others. It is an important aspect of organizational behavior since it shows how people relate to one another (Lent & Hackett, 1987). Individual perception is often used together with social perception to show how people relate to each other more so how they form opinion about each other whether within the organization or without.
There are various ways in which individual form perception. In most cases, perception is formed based on individual personality and the self efficacy. An individual behavior can be determined by identifying a particular trait that is born by that particular individual.
These traits are used to determine the individual’s behavior through association of the trait with other related traits. Once as individual’s behavior is determined, the attributes of that particular are known this is used to infer additional facts and predict future behavior (Wood & Bandura, 1989).
There are two major determinants of perception that Joe could employ to make attributions about others with his employees. These determinants are functional and structural determinants. Bandura (1986), notes that structural factors are those factors that originate from the nervous system of the individual.
These factors are independent of the individual’s needs or external environment. They are therefore formed by the individual’s personal attribute that originates from the natural effects evoked from the nervous system (Bandura, 1986).
The importance of appreciating these perception factors in the organizational context is that when dealing with different persons, an individual should expect to face subjective opinions from different persons. This is helpful to Joe since an understanding of these perceptions will ensure that the sales persons in the field get prepared to meet individual customers who do not have an objective evaluation of the quality of services offered to them.
An understanding of their traits is therefore important since dealing with such persons can be both tasking and may often lead to strained relationships. The other factors that contribute to individual perception are the functional factors. These are perceptions that are based on an individual past experiences, present needs, and memory and so on (Wood & Bandura, 1989).
These factors are largely determined and influenced by contact with the external environment. They originate from a continuous repetition of a certain aspect or a past experience that determines how individuals expect a certain outcome to be. Functional factors can help understand the individual perception in Joe’s case in that a market study of the different needs of different customers can be established.
Once the needs are established, products that satisfy the needs can be availed to the customers thus enhancing the perception of the products. This can go a long way in identifying market segmentation of the consumers as well as ensuring that the individuals’ perceptions of the products get enhanced.
Both functional and structural factors can be used together to achieve a proper learning of the perceptions of both the employees and the customers. This will go a long way in ensuring that employees are positioned at areas where the perception between them and the customers complement each other.
This, together with the understanding of the different traits born by employees can be successfully used to ensure that the sales strategies formed by organization are customer oriented.
Learning theories applicable
Learning is defined as the process of bringing together cognitive, emotional and environmental influences to a person with the aim of acquiring knowledge, skills, and information on a particular area of interest (Wood & Bandura, 1989). Learning theories are therefore the hypotheses that have been designed to explain how learning takes place (Bandura, 1986).
The most common learning theory used in is behaviorism. The other major ones are cognitive and the theory of constructivism. Behaviorism deals with those aspects of learning that can be observed and hence acquired.
Cognitive theory looks at a person’s mind and brain while constructivism regards the learning as a process in which a person develops new ideas therefore learning from these new ideas (Newstrom & Davis, 1993). This paper proposes the behaviorism learning theory as the most appropriate for Joe in this case.
This is because the theory posits that people learn through observing the behaviors of others. This theory is the most appropriate in the marketing environment more so where there are different types of individuals being observed. Observing the behavior of the customers would go a long way in ensuring that the sales strategies employed are congruent with the customers’ needs and expectations.
This learning theory is also a more realistic approach to learning than the other theories. By nature, individuals like portraying behavior that presents them in the most admirable way. This is a powerful tool that can therefore be used to make observations on how persons view different matters thus enhancing the learning process.
The above learning theory can be used to enhance employees’ performance in various ways. In his research, Bandura found out that individual’s behavior causes environment (Wood & Bandura, 1989). This means that a certain way of conduct depicted by an individual in some way affects how the environment is.
Therefore persons who display undesirable behaviors cause an unfavorable environment. The theory continues to explain the aspect of reciprocal determinism. This is defined as a belief system where the behavior causes the environment and the environment causes behavior.
The applicability of this behaviorism theory comes in where Joe can explain to the employees the relationship between the behavior and the environment.
The concept of reciprocal determinism can be useful in explaining how the employees should display behaviors that will ensure that the consumer environment reacts in the most desirable manner. This concept can also be used to show employees on the means and ways of reacting to the environment so as to result in desired outcomes.
Using behaviorism, learning is acquired through conditioning; either classical or operant conditioning (Hellriegel & Slocum, 2011). Classical conditioning is where an individual’s behavior is modeled through predetermined actions. Joe could apply the use of classical conditioning to motivate his sales personnel.
This can be achieved through setting up motivating incentives such as commissions, bonuses, and so on. Employees who know that they will be paid according to their productivity will definitely increase their work rates so as to earn more from the incentives.
This theory can also be used as a de-motivator against undesired behaviors. This is because of the proposition that behaviors cause environment and therefore undesirable behaviors result in unfavorable environment. Employees can be exhorted to uphold high standards of desired behavior so as to achieve the set organizational goals and objectives.
Since such behaviors result in the desired outcomes, they also influence how the environment reacts and applying the concept of reciprocal determinism results in mutual benefit both to the employees and the organization.
The value of self Efficacy
Albert defines efficacy as the way individuals believe about their ability to produce certain levels of performance that impacts their lives (Bandura, 1986). This is an important area of personal development since it entails individuals self belief and self motivation. A strong sense of self efficacy results in an individual having a high sense of achievement and confidence.
This is important in self motivation since a person always believes in himself and faces challenges with a winning mentality. Individuals displaying this characteristic are usually have higher energy level during work, they also depict high motivation levels and are always self driven and goal oriented.
In contrast people who doubt their self efficacy usually refrain from challenging tasks and this always results in below average results. Such individual depict the laissez faire attitude where a difficult task is considered sources of personal threats (Lent & Hackett, 1987).
Self efficacy is an attribute that can be boosted in employees through various ways such as the use of vicarious experiences given by the social models, social persuasion, and through use of mastery experiences (Newstrom & Davis, 1993). Managers can therefore boost the self efficacy of employees through the one or all of the methods above.
As such, Joe can leverage on the understanding of the self efficacy to hire most successful people. He can achieve this by the use of the various models that determine the personal attributes of individuals. Sales job require individuals who are self driven, motivated and strong willed.
Joe could therefore use the self efficacy as a benchmark to hire individuals who are self motivated and those who display the self efficacy characteristics. This will go a long way in ensuring that the kind of sales personnel he hires bears these important attributes.
Since self efficacy is concerned with the people’s beliefs in their abilities and confidence to exercise self control, Joe can use it as a powerful tool of ensuring that the kind of sales personnel he hires control their own functioning, and the various events that revolve around them.
This is an important aspect of personal behavior that ensures excellence in the various facets of life. Employees who have self efficacy often will result in high productivity for the company and subsequently receive higher rewards in terms of job satisfaction, remuneration and other benefits than the ones who do not have these characteristics.
Joe’s understating of the organization behavior and the different elements of organization behaviors will go a long way in ensuring that he inculcates individual behaviors which result in desirable outcomes.
This knowledge will also ensure that the marketing and the sales environments are to a large extent influenced by the behaviors born by the various employees. These factor coupled with other organizational related factor are crucial in ensuring a long term success of Joes business and his employees.
References
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J. W. (2011). Organizational Behaviour. Michigan: Cengage Learning.
Lent, R. W., & Hackett, G. (1987). Career self-efficacy: Empirical status and future directions. Journal of Vocational Behavior , 347-382.
Newstrom, J. W., & Davis, K. (1993). Organizational Behavior: Human Behavior at Work. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Wood, R. E., & Bandura, A. (1989). Social cognitive theory of organizational management. Academy of Management Review , 361-384.
Wendy’s restaurant is the third largest fast-food restaurant in the world (Wendy’s, 2013). It only lags behind Burger King and McDonalds in the selling of the hamburger sandwich. Wendy’s is involved in the business of developing, running, and franchising fast-food restaurants, which serve high-quality foods (Wendy’s, 2013). At the end of 2012, the restaurant had 6186 outlets in North America alone (Wendy’s, 2013, p. 3).
Of those, 1427 restaurants were operated directly by Wendy’s, while the other 4759 outlets were operated by 439 franchises (Wendy’s, 2013, p. 3). Outside North America, Wendy’s has 374 restaurants in 26 countries operated under a franchise system (Wendy’s, 2013, p. 3).
Wendy’s generates its revenues by selling the foods cooked at its restaurants and the products at its bakeries, in addition to the loyalities paid by the franchises operating under its brand (Wendy’s, 2013, p. 3). Wendy’s has also partnered with Tim Hortons Incorporated in a real estate joint venture (Wendy’s, 2013, p. 3).
Wendy’s menu includes hamburger sandwiches, chicken nuggets, french fries, chilli, soft drinks, salads, baked potatoes, kids meals, and frosty desserts (Wendy’s, 2013, p. 4). The chain of restaurants also sells promotional merchandise on a limited time basis (Wendy’s, 2013, p. 4).
The company maintains high quality in the preparation of food by training its employees, doing operational audits, and taking its supervisors for instructive visits (Wendy’s, 2013). The only food the company sells to its franchise stores is sandwich buns. New Barkery Company is owned by Wendy’s and is tasked with the responsibility of supplying buns to some of the restaurant’s branches (Wendy’s, 2013).
As of 2012, Wendy’s hamburgers were supplied across the United States by five independent processors (Wendy’s, 2013). On the other hand, Wendy’s chicken were supplied by six other independent processors in the country (Wendy’s, 2013). The suppliers for raw materials have been operating smoothly with Wendy’s (Wendy’s, 2013).
In 2009, Wendy entered into a deal with it franchises, which is known as the Quality Supply Chain Co-op, Inc (QSCC), to help manage its contracts for the purchase and distribution of foods in the United States and Canada (Wendy’s, 2013, p. 5). QSCC ensures a smooth flow of supplies to minimize absolete inventory along the supply chain in Canada and the United States (Wendy’s, 2013, p. 5).
Wendy’s Product Life cycle
Firms normally introduce new products to keep up with the competition and changing consumer demands (Stevenson & Hojati, 2007). A company that does not introduce new products and services will eventually face a decline in its sales and profitability.
This is because the demand for products and services normally declines with time. The product life cycle is divided into 5 stages: product or services planning, introduction, growth, maturity, and decline stages (Reid & Sanders, 2012). The figure 1 below illustrates the product life cycle.
Figure 1: Product Life Cycle
During the product and service planning stage, ideas for the new product are introduced, evaluated, and the final design developed. At this point, no profits are generated, but the costs of development are incurred. The sale of the product begins at the introduction stage where the profits start being generated (Reid &Sanders, 2012). The profit is little because the sales volumes are still low.
At the growth stage, the popularity of the product grows rapidly. The main operation is to keep up with the demand, rather than enhancing efficiency (Stevenson & Hojati, 2007). When the product enters the maturity stage, the sales level off and profits start declining. There is a lot of external pressure from competitors who are copying the product. This makes the company cut its costs and experience lower profit margins.
At this point, efficiency is paramount. The company can put efforts to differentiate its products from those of its rivals (Reid & Sanders, 2012). The last stage is the decline stage where the product becomes obsolete. New and better products replace it or it just disappears due to the lack of sufficient demand.
Wendy’s introduced the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger on July 2013 (Breslouer, 2014). The introduction of the product was a successful move. The product planning stage took a year to develop the burger. The only weakness at this stage was the lack of customer participation in relation to the flavors they would prefer for the burgers (Breslouer, 2014).
The process of product introduction was expensive as it involved testing the burger in restaurants in Miami, Sacramento, and Cleveland (Breslouer, 2014). Another challenge of introducing the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger was that it cannibalised other burgers at the Wendy’s Restarant (Breslouer, 2014).
There is a need to develop a vegetarian burger made from eggs. The product name should be unique to differentiate it from those of its competitors. It is important to trademark the design to discourage competitors from copying it. This product should be cholesterol free. Most people are avoiding food rich in cholesterol to improve their health status.
During the introduction stage, proper advertising campaigns should be employed to attract new customers. It is important to ensure the product does not cannibalise other products, which are at the maturity stage of the life cycle. Constant improvement in relation to the flavors of the burgers will allow the firm to avoid the decline stage.
Components of Wendy’s Supply Chain Management
The key elements of Wendy’s supply chain is the supply of of raw materials, such as beef, pork, vegetables, and coffee; the storage of the raw materials; and the distribution of finished products, such as coffee, burgers, and salads among others (Wendy’s, 2013; Breslouer, 2014). Before the year 2010, the supply was done by Wendy’s to all its major restaurants (Wendy’s, 2013).
As from 2010, the supply of raw materials is done by a purchasing co-op (Wendy’s, 2013). The most important issue in the supply of raw materials is ensuring uninterrupted delivery. Interruption in the supply of the raw materials at Wendy’s can harm the business greatly.
The incorporation of the purchasing co-op allows Wendy’s to ensure a consistent supply of raw materials. Another important issue is the compliance of the food supplies with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) terms and conditions. Wendy’s ensures this compliance is met by all its suppliers (Wendy’s, 2013).
Inventory control is a major area of concern for Wendy’s. The company prides itself in selling fresh burgers, which are never frozen. To ensure a smooth flow of the burgers, the supply must match the clients’ demand. The Quality Supply Chain Co-op Incorporated (QSCC) is tasked with the responsibility of managing the company’s inventory.
This ensures that there is no obsolete inventory along Wendy’s supply chain in both Canada and the United States (Wendy’s, 2013). QSCC is also responsible for the distribution of food products to various Wendy’s restaurants and franchises across the two countries. The main challenge in distribution is ensuring the timely delivery of the food products.
Another challenge is the rising gasoline prices, which could increase the costs of logistics (Wendy’s, 2013, p. 11). Food related diseases and conditions, such as obesity, have been attributed to fast-foods. This could lead to a decline of Wendy’s sales. The solution is to research on healthier food products and provide them to its clients.
Total Quality Management Tool
It is important for Wendy’s to maintain high standards in its operations. This will enable the company to retain loyal customers and attract new ones. To do this, it is important to adopt a total quality management tool. The basic total quality management tools include: cause-and-effect diagrams, check sheets, pareto charts, scatter diagrams, stratifications, histograms, and control charts (Broday & Andrade, 2013, p. 381).
Wendy’s should adopt the Pareto chart tool of quality management (TQM). The pareto chart TQM divides large problems into smaller manageable ones (Broday & Andrade, 2013). Wendy’s is a multinational company that runs many franchises. To manage the whole business, the management should be sub-divided to tackle specific tasks.
The Pareto chart allows the company to divide problems in the order of importance and then represents them on a bar graph (Broday & Andrade, 2013). The use of the Pareto chart will help the company to improve its working relations with the suppliers, allow a continous improvement of its foods and services, and enhance its communication with the customers.
Communication with customers allows the company to understand their needs better and develop products that fit their preferences best. Wendy’s should also focus on the improvement of its employees through motivation and training.
Training them will help to improve their skills to serve the customers better (Stevenson & Hojati, 2007). The TQM tool will also make the company flexible enough to respond to the changing customers’ demands. This tool will promote team work among its employees and improve coordination through its management’s social structure.
Just-In-Time Philosophy at Wendy’s
The just-in-time philosophy allows the company to reduce inventory costs by receiving only the goods required for the manufacturing process (Kootanaee, Babu, & Talari, 2013, p. 8).
This philosophy ensures efficiency and decreases wastage of resources. It demands that the manager should be able to predict the demands and order supplies that match the company’s need. This philosophy allows the company to produce only what it needs at a particular time. The production is based on customer requests and actual orders. The figure 2 below illustrates the just-in-time concept
Since Wendy’s restaurants only sell fresh burgers, this demands a continous flow of the products from the suppliers to the customers (Wendy’s, 2013). The advantages of the just in time concept for Wendy’s is that it reduces time and costs for setting up warehouses.
This allows the company to lay more emphasis on other processes of production and supply chain management. The just-in-time concept allows employees to process goods faster, as there is no need for a large inventory. Most of the raw materials utilized by Wendy’s are perishable and would require more inventory costs to keep them fresh due to refrigeration costs.
Through the use of the just-in-time philosophy, the inventory costs are reduced. Customers prefer fresh salads, burgers, and other food products. An assurance that the company uses the just-in-time philosphy normlly attracts more sales.
The use of the just-in-time philosophy improves the relationship between Wendy’s and its suppliers. Wendy’s is able to identify reliable suppliers who are able to deliver goods at the time they are needed. The round the clock supplies and deliveries allow the workers to remain focused and productive.
Qualitative and Quantitative Forecasting Methods
Forecasting is the prediction, estimation, or projection of a future occurence, activity, or event in an organization (Reid & Sanders, 2012). There are two types of forecasting: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative forecasting methods are based on opinions, intuitions, personal experiences, or the decision maker’s opinion. These methods are subjective and do not rely on computations.
On the other hand, quantitative methods use mathematical equations and models to predict future events. They are objective as opposed to the qualitative ones. Qualitative methods are used in short-term forecasting for the company and not long-term prediction, due to the overliance on the opinions of experts, rather than measurable data (Stevenson & Hojati, 2007).
Examples of qualitative models are the market research and Delphi methods (Reid &Sanders, 2012). The market research aproach involves asking the customer’s opinions on a certain product to forecast how people will purchase the product when it is launched. On the other hand, the Delphi method involves asking expert opinions and using them to forecast sales.
Quantitative methods use measurable data to predict sales and prices of particular commodities. Some qualitative models include the indicator approach and the time series method.
The indicator approach uses the relationship between indicators like GDP and unemployment rates to predict other factors (Reid & Sanders, 2012). The time series method uses past data to predict the future. The table below illustrates how the quantitative and qualitative methods can be applied at Wendy’s to improve its operations.
Operation at Wendy’s
Forecasting Method
Product planning
Qualitative: market research
Product launch
Qualitative: Delphi method
Profit forecast
Time series
Competition analysis
Indicator approach
Supply chain improvement
Delphi method, indicator approach
Table 1: Qualitative and Quantitative Forecasting Methods
Broday, E., & Andrade, P. (2013). Application of a Quality Management tool (8D) for Solving Industrial Problems. Independent Journal of Management & Production, 4(2), 377-390.
Kootanaee, A., Babu, N., & Talari, H. (2013). Just-in-time manufacturing system: From introduction to implement. International Journal of Economics, Business and Finance, 1(2), 7-25.
Reid, D. R. and Sanders, N. R. (2012). Operations management: An integrated. approach. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
Stevenson, W. J., & Hojati, M. (2007). Operations management (vol. 8). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
The typical feature of a real political leader is that whenever he is losing, or winning, he is always at the top of the world. Despite the critical situation, he manages to find a way out and to resist the obstacles which have been set on his way. One of the brightest examples of the politician whose ambition to take the first position despite the circumstances is Barack Obama, the 44th President of the USA.
Like every person engaged in politics, Barack Obama has the legend of his own, a myth called to bring the country together and lead it to the economical and cultural prosperity. Built on certain elements of his speech and behavior, it drives to certain effect which has the most striking result on people. Due to specific communicational strategy, this is what could be called “the tactics of the winners”.
Taking a closer look at the picture, it is possible to suggest that one of the strongest messages of cultural and ideological character which Obama sends to the audience is his vision of the USA as a strong country with huge economical and political influence. Quite a powerful iconic sign, it was used by Obama in the most reasonable way.
Indeed, considering his ideas listed in a number of studies, it becomes obvious that the political strength of the country is his head aim. Emphasizing that all the forces which he applied were driven for the U.S. to achieve the certain stage of well-being, Obama is most convincing:
Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines, in the living rooms of Concord, on the front porches of Charleston. (Cohen 65)
With his gestures, and with that specific expression in his eyes, Obama seems to convey the same idea in the picture, as if saying, there is the way to do things right, and I can show it to you, people… Indeed, the gestures which Obama makes breathe with the energy of the leader who is capable of getting people out of the political mess.
The Myth That Supports the Colossus
Because of the impressive and effective signs which Obama uses to create the vision of striving for the better future, he seems so successful and persuasive. One of the core reasons for the force which the picture is breathing with is the gestures which the USA President makes.
This contributes to the myth which is created in the greatest way. With the palms always open for the people to see them – an extremely important psychological move determined to show clear and good intentions – Obama is taken as the most honest person in the Earth, whether this is so or not.
“Obama’s trademark demagogy” (Tarpley 159) can also be read in the picture; although the image cannot either move, or utter a word, it is clear that the President speaks, and he speaks “big words”. One of the features of his, the unceasing willingness to share his ideas and to recruit as many new adepts as possible can be observed in the picture through the gestures and the facial expression of the president.
One of the core ideas of his peculiar philosophy, the feeling of righteousness, is what the expression of his face tells to the most attentive spectators. Looking into his eyes, one can see the pride on belonging to his nation, the feeling for justice and for the rightness of what he believes in and what he is doing. His facial expression is an indexical sign itself, breathing with the feeling of justice and patriotism. That is why the ideas which Obama communicates can be heard even looking at his image.
Reading the Messages of the Picture
With help of the legend which stands behind him, Obama can create an image of a politician competent enough to cope with the business of the international importance. One of the components of his image, the accuracy and attention to the tiniest details, can be traced in the picture as well.
Because of the well-though image, the strict and straight lines of his suit, as well as the angle which the photographer caught the president’s face at, the image of the politician who is greatly concerned with the world’s fate is complete. Taking a brief look at this picture is enough to understand that such man does no make mistakes – which Obama counts on.
Another important issue in the picture which adds to the idea of patriotism and the reliability of the United States is the national symbols taken in the camera focus. Indeed, the photographer caught the national flag and the image of the national coat of arms into the camera shot. With help of these details, the idea of the USA as the country of great political influence and the incredible authority has been increased times.
This gives people the hint on the history of the USA, the battles which the States had to face to achieve the freedom which the people have been striving for for so long. Creating the code for people to decipher as the idea of the States’ strength and influence, Obama contributes to the idea of the country integrity and unity.
One more idea which can be interpreted from the picture, namely from the way in which Obama addresses the problem of the Egyptian crisis, is his concern of the world political issues as carefully as the ones of the United States. The mimics, the expression in his eyes and the way his lips move show that his tactics is the so-called “active listening”, which is also the feature of his “responsive” politics.
One could argue that the ideology of Barack Obama could be considered too pushy and positioning the United States as the world authority. However, it is quite reasonable for a politician to take the active position so that the country which he represents could be considered worthy.
Among the things which an eye catches instantly is the fact that Obama does not gesture in the picture. An important iconic sign, it brings people’s memory back to their ideas of the most influential politicians whose words were enough to enflame the crowd.
Showing that he is completely self-assured and certain of his methods and means to control the world political situation, Barack makes an impression of a perfect politician. Conveying the ideas and ideology of his party, Obama creates the specific world in which he has built the model of the right state. As Brill says,
To accomplish so much, Obama needed the respect of other state representatives. He had a gift for reaching out to opponents to find agreement. “What drove him was policy issues,” said Miner. “But he realized that government involves compromise. Barack was so talented that he compromised from a position of strength.” (Brill 38)
The signs in the picture, namely the facial expression and the calm look of Barack’s eyes, show the readiness for the compromise, which is the key sign of the picture. One of the key symbolic signs, this is the means with which he reaches the top success.
Conclusion
With help of indexical and symbolic signs in the picture, the photographer has managed to express the whole ideology of the party in a single picture. With help of certain signs, the picture looks most convincing and makes one believe in the man depicted. The multiple details which have been expressed in certain way in the picture have helped to create the image of a politician who wins even when he loses, which shows the impact of the signs which a picture can convey.
Works Cited
Brill, Targ Marlene. Barak Obama: Working to Make a Difference. Minneapolis, MN: Millbrook Press, 2006. Print.
Cohen, David Elliot, Mark Greenberg and Howard Dodson. Obama: The Historic Front Pages. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, 2009. Print.
Tarpley, Webster Griffin. Obama: The Postmodern Coup: Making of a Manchurian Candidate. Raleigh, NC: Lulu.com, 2008. Print.
“The New Pearl Harbor” is how the terrorist attack of September 11th, 2001 is called in the United States. This horrifying act of terror claimed more than 3 thousand lives. On September 11th, 2001, suicide bombers of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization hijacked four passenger planes in the United States. Terrorists aimed two of the planes at the business symbol of New York – the World Trade Center towers, and the other two – at the Pentagon and, presumably, the White House or the Capitol.
All planes, except the last one, reached their targets. The fourth hijacked plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. This terrorist attack became not only the largest in the history of the U.S., but also the first “live catastrophe” in the world history: millions of people around the world watched the events unfold live. History has changed, and September 11th became the starting point, from which serious lines of transformation of modern society and modern politics began.
The documentary 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room tells the story of the day that changed America from the perspective of President George W. Bush. The events that occurred in the twelve hours that followed the attack portray the hardships of making decisions during such a precedent. It is worth noting that the President and his Cabinet reacted almost disbelievingly to what had happened – their confusion is almost visible in the film. At the time that the attack was unfolding, the President was attending a primary school, and it is clear that he did not react very well to the news about it. Perhaps one could call it a failure of public relations management of the government, as they did not have a reliable plan for such occasion, and this is, indeed, a lesson to be learned.
Another interesting lesson lies in the way the public relations with other concerned countries were managed – for example, how Condoleezza Rice took time to brief the Russian President Putin on the issue. Moreover, the film makes a brilliant PR move, as it gives a quite sad narrative of how the beloved wife of the U. S. Attorney General died, being on one of the planes. The documentary portrays President Bush and his subordinates in a way that speaks of an aspect people often forget – that they are all human, and their reactions are valid, too.
Additionally, the interviews with Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Ted Olson, and other staff also show just the extent of pressure they were put under in the short span of twelve hours. I think that, from the view of public relations, this is a crucial point that gives valuable conclusions: when talking of such crises, it is important to be honest with people. The PR narrative the film gives provides a feeling of empathy and takes one’s understanding of the events and the Presidential staff’s role in them to a new level.
When a state is implementing a long-term program of countering terrorism, special services, power structures, and institutions of civil society must cooperate to achieve real results. In my opinion, the involvement of domestic mass media in the work on prevention and countering terrorism is of particular importance to the issue of counterterrorism. Documentaries such as 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room give the events of September 11th not only the factual, objective context. More importantly, they provide an emotional connection to the people who have to make decisions during such times – the government, who reveals to be not a soulless machine, but real people with their own feelings.
September 11the affected the way people talk about themselves and the history of the country they live in – in many different ways. In general, the influence is negative, pushing forward the reverse side of patriotic upsurge and the desire to declare war on “evil terrorists.” Mostly, it was due to the unwillingness to somehow fit what had happened into the historical and political context. As a result, there was, and still are active attempts to censor and punish those who indicated that the attack on America did not happen in a vacuum. People are still not ready to accept that this act was associated with the foreign policy that the United States has been pursuing for decades. Unfortunately, the film does not really draw on the factual evidence behind the attack, instead focusing on retelling the flow of immediate actions after the attack.
However, this approach is also valid and important – mostly, to the public image of the government and the structures such as CIA and FBI. The latter had to make a lot of public relations amendments, as it was precisely their reputation that suffered great damage after the attack. The film does not, in fact, by any means justifies the actions of CIA and FBI – or, rather, their inactions – but with its emotion-filled narrative, it calls to the understanding of the difficulties in human interactions. As far as I can see, this documentary is a great PR move with an excellent timing – perhaps, it even has the potential of changing the nation’s attitude towards the events of 9/11 and the government’s decisions regarding them.
