Narrative Film Story

Sample details Pages: 19 Words: 5849 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Cinematographic Art Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? This essay will look at the importance of narrative in two CG animated films which are Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Hironobu Sakaguchi, 2001) and The Incredibles (Brad Bird, 2004). The essay focuses specifically on the narrative and the spectacle of the films and how through the cinematic medium, they help each other to deliver a visual story across to the audience. The essay will discuss if a solid storyline is needed for a successful feature length animated film or are the animated films just a platform for spectacular imagery. This essay will discuss topics such as the different narrative theories and how the majority of contemporary films have a similar narrative structure, how films have become more sophisticated in terms of raw video footage being just one element necessary to complete a single shot in a film. It will also discuss modern film techniques and how it can help the story being told. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Narrative Film Story | Film Studies Dissertations" essay for you Create order The essay will first focus on the various theories of narrative and a brief history of the spectacle of cinema before moving on to the analysis of my chosen case studies. People have been communicating since the day they have been born. From gossiping, bed time stories to little white lies people have been subconsciously or consciously telling stories in some form of a narrative structure. By this I do not mean that all human discourse takes the form of a true story itself but the elements of the basic narrative structure such as having, a beginning, middle and an end are present. Vast majority of mainstream films have the classic three stage act structure of the 19th century stage melodrama, set-up, conflict and resolution as the basic linear structure.time is experienced as linear (past-present-future). From starting to read this essay to the end time has passed. Narratives that have manifested itself into other forms of medium more or less have a tendency to follow this fact. Dreams, flashbacks, characters or a narrator reciting earlier events or future events which are due to happen are eccentric elements of breaking up the linear time format. Hence the arrangement of the plot being the story or as described by the Russian formalist, Viktor Shklovsky, fibula (story) and syuzhet (plot). A prominent example of this is in such films as The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer, 1995) or Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000) where the plot and story are quite different, the story not being presented chronologically. Narration, the plots way of distributing story information in order to achieve specific effects. Narration is the moment by moment process that guides us in building the story out of the plot. Re-arranging the plot of narratives can be a powerful technique as it can easily create suspense, curiosity, fear, satisfaction, motivation to know more of the situation. Film as a narrative medium, more or less does have closure of story or events, as in the end order is established, stability has been restored. In other words restoring the balance, a theory concluded by Tzvetan Todorov, a Bulgarian structuralist. Todorov reported that the majority of narratives have the same structure, i.e: in a linear storyline, initially all the forces are in balance (equilibrium) and by some event or another the forces are disturbed and majority of the storyline involving around further complications of the initial situation at hand and eventually the balance being restored in the end, even though this balance is not the same as it was at the start of the narrative. When speaking of events happening or that have already happened to disturb the equilibrium, I am referring to character driven and event driven plots or moments. Major film blockbusters tend to follow this pattern with a high tendency of closure with the notion of appealing to the mass audience. This concept of commercial aesthetics may or may not be frowned upon by directors, producers or the script writers but I can comfortably agree with the fact that major film studios highly consider what will or wont appeal to the audience, how much funding they are willing to provide, generating revenues, running time, sequels and prequels and this greatly effects the quality of the storytelling and spectacle of the films, thus the directors or producers true vision of the film not being fulfilled. There are many theorists in different fields of study who have studied to devise logical ways of thinking about narratives. The main theorists I have looked at are Carl G. Jung, a Swiss physiatrist who studied Archetypes and their influences in western storytelling, Claude Lvi-Strauss, a French anthropologist studied that narratives were made up of binary oppositions and that key terms in narratives had differences. Joseph Campbell, an American professor studied mythology and religion. His works have been published in a book, Hero With A Thousand Faces. He described the term monomyth, an idea which he outlined some archetypal patterns that he realised. He focuses on the role of the hero and the various events that the hero can go through. Gustav Freytag, a German critic suggested a method for representing and analysing plots through a simple diagram of a triangle. The triangle highlighted the setup, conflict and resolution of conventional narrative structures. Starting from the left side (setup), going up the triangle would suggest the apex of the crisis (conflict) and falling back down to the end of the story or the equilibrium being restored (resolution). Meanwhile going across the bottom of the triangle would be the time passing by in relation to the events in the story. This triangle is an adaptation of Aristotles work on narrative structures. Aristotles work has been collected together into a book called The Poetics which is a series of lectures and workings, which essentially sums up that there are causes and effects that occur over time. Tzvetan Todorov and Viktor Shklovsky I have mentioned before as theorists in narrative and finally Vladimir Propp. They all came to the conclusion of their own theories of narrative however, it will be most useful to concentrate on two particular theorists whose works compliments each others quite well. all conventional films are characterized by the same narrative structure by the work of Tzvetan Todorov and Vladimir Propp. The majority of mainstream films have a similar narrative structure and the works of Todorov and Propp are evidently clear within these narratives. Vladimir Propp, a Russian critic and folklorist analysed many folk tales to see if they shared any common attributes and structures. He concluded that there are eight main characters such as the dispatcher or the donor and that there are 31 narrative functions such as villain is punished or the hero is pursued. His analysis also mentioned that not all these are evident in all narratives. Todorov and Propps theories have been influential in modern narratives and work fluently with my chosen case studies and I will apply their theories in more detail later. One last person worth mentioning is Christopher Booker, an English journalist who published the book, The Seven Basic Plots. This book outlines that all narratives fall into one of the seven various forms of storytelling. These plots are overcoming the monster, rags to riches, the quest, voyage and return, comedy, tragedy and rebirth. These plots all had alternative darker versions, except for tragedy which already is the dark version. Furthermore two new plots were added outside this list, rebellion against the one and mystery. Both my case studies fall under the plot, overcoming the monster which I will briefly look at later when analysing my case studies. The pleasure of looking scopophilia has been central to cinema since the beginning Film is a visual storytelling medium. More people are keen on using their eyes to visualise the story as the audience willingly lose suspension of disbelief, sitting in a film theatre staring at a flat wall for two hours as the story unfolds before their eyes. Before I discuss some of the contemporary film techniques of storytelling I will briefly focus on the cinema of attractions an expression used to describe the early cinema by film historian Tom Gunning. As technology began to evolve over the 20th century, the moving image was born. People were overwhelmed by this form of medium and what technology could do thereafter. It was all about the wow factor, the look of the film. Since most films during this time were unedited sequences of footage, the narrative was not an important issue. Film makers were more fascinated with the possibilities of this particular medium and capturing the real and what they could do with it. There were people like the Lumiere Brothers (Auguste Marie (1862-1954) and Louis Jean (1864-1948)) who successfully captured the real-life imitation of film. One famous example is the short film called LArrive dun train en gare de la Ciotat (1895). When this film was shown people were so shocked and in fear that the train was going to run them down they fled the theatre. This was a turning point in film history as the Lumiere Brothers inspired so many other film makers. One particular other magician turned film maker was Georges Melies (1861-1938). He was another French film pioneer who made over a thousand films, the most memorable ones being Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon, 1902). His views on film making was not to mimic real-life but to explore other possibilities, using the camera to subvert what the camera sees into abstractness or creating illusions. He discovered the dissolve effect by chance when his equipment jammed. He explored the magical possibilities of the camera and other techniques such as split screen techniques and stop motion photography. He was a pioneer in cinematic special effects and also a film maker who inspired the likes of Jan Svankmajer, Terry Gilliam, etc. Films made during this period were only a couple of minutes long and over the years up until the present films have got longer, in the nineties being an hour and a half but now the average running time is at least two hours, which I definitely support the idea of, since we at least as the audience will be getting our moneys worth. This is not to say that quantity is more essential than quality but I would like to argue the fact that film producers and directors are adding extra running time to enhance the narrative, by adding sub plots or developing characters to improve the story or explain situations or events clearly and not to extend the running time so the spectacle can be the main attraction, even though Hollywood has a tendency to refer to its films as motion pictures rather than film. This can be a signal that Hollywood is faithful to the spectacle of the moving image. A new cinema of attractions has risen, particularly within action genres, where plot and story are of less importance than the spectacle. This can be true since the action genre relies on the spectacle to deliver the film. The action genre is an area where the narrative is simply a platform for spectacle where the audience can sit back, relax and enjoy the film visually, instead of participating in the story and working out clues and problem solving the story. It is more or less the dominant element, meaning in days to come we will remember the spectacle but might fail to remember what actually happened. Furthermore I think films in theory have to have at least a sequence where the narrative is disrupted and spectacle takes over, such as a car chase or a well choreographed fight scene. In theory the cinema of attractions still exist to this day with the huge cinema screens with surround sounds and films still offering the spectacle as the attraction. In Russia during the Soviet Union (1920s) spectacle was still the attraction but besides that, editing of films was also used to draw the audiences attention. Editing created powerful effects on the spectators. One particular example I would like to mention is the famous Odessa steps sequence from Sergei Eisensteins, Battleship Potemkin (USSR, 1925). This well known sequence is where the army restores order among the sailors and civilians of Odessa. He used a montage type of editing to create a pulsating attraction after attraction to intensify the feeling and effect. The point I am trying to make here is that spectacle can be a potent technique in storytelling without the strong element of narrative. Editing has evolved over the years and has become an art form in itself. It can be used to clarify events, establish a location and to build up tension and emotions. Editing itself is a unique process of shots being composed together to maximise the dramatic effect of the story. It combines the mise en scene of the shot along with all the rest to make sense of the film. It is how information can be held back to the directors content, what to reveal and what not to the audience. Filmmakers are editing in specific ways or cutting more shots out of the final film recently since the audiences sophistication grows. This can also be referred to as restricted and unrestricted narrative. Restricted narrative is when we have limited information as to what is going on, we only know what the characters know, being it false information or not. We are told information from a first person perspective, as if we are in the films ourselves within that space. Unrestricted narrative is where we are told everything, we know things that the protagonists dont as in a third person perspective. Editing shots in a way that one shot transitions into another giving the sense of a smooth, flowing edit is called continuity editing. This is a technique where a seamless edit takes place, this can be helpful as it can interpolate the audience into the physical space where the action is taking place. But some narratives shots require the edits to be visible to achieve a particular effect such as the Odessa steps sequence as mentioned before. In continuity editing there is rule known as the 180degrees rule. This rule takes place seamlessly also within the film. When two characters are talking, the action is shot on one specific side of the characters, being the one side or the other and the camera being placed anywhere on that side. This is just to clarify which direction the characters are facing and to establish the space in which they are in. This rule can be used for close-ups for intimate conversations and happenings or far out as we look on as spectators. Another important aspect of storytelling is mise en scene. This is a term given to describe everything involved within that particular shot. It is everything that makes up the frame, i.e: actors, dialogue, the music, diegetic material, cinematography, cg elements or as Richard Maltby describes, arrangement of screen space as a meaningful organisation of elements Lev Manovich a professor in visual arts, wrote an article among many, but one that I found particularly interesting was on Digital Cinema and he quotes, Cinema is the art of the index; it is an attempt to make art out of a footprint. He states the fact that contemporary cinema has become a platform where film-makers can edit and simulate real world actions through different forms and techniques such as CGI. Cinema has evolved from movies being mostly live footage to contemporary digital cinema where the live footage in film has become little or used as a basis for experimentation, 3d manipulation, etc. The fact that he used the expression an attempt to make art out of a footprint in reference to raw video is an indication as how it is used as a ground element for the CG to build upon and to manipulate it until all the elements are finalised to complete the shot. How did cinema arrive at using animation in its projects? I am going to try to explain this as short and briefly as possible. Cinema was born when the moving image was created, a sequence of images, footage or hand drawn, which theoretically is animation, since a series of images give the illusion of movement, hence animation. Film makers took this new format and made films in the tendency of the Lumiere style or the Melies style as mentioned before, adding animation as a supplement. As technology developed, the future made digital cinema possible incorporating animation and special effects as the main essence of films while live recording was used as the basis or even reference, hence, the production becomes just the 1st stage of post-production. Manual construction and animation of images gave birth to cinema and slipped into the marginsonly to re-appear as the foundation of digital cinema. The history of the moving image thus makes a full circle. Born from animation, cinema pushed animation to its boundary, only to become one particular case of animation in the end. These contemporary film techniques and processes which I have just discussed are clearly evident in the two films of my choice. The first film I want to examine is Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The film is the first photorealistic computer generated film ever to be made as all the cast are life like computer generated characters. The film is set in the future and it focuses on Dr. Aki Ross and her finding of the eighth spirit, in doing so will erase the alien phantom spirits from earth who have more or less taken over the world and left a barren like wasteland. The film follows a linear narrative structure and even though the film shares the same title as the computer games it bears no reference or relation to any of the stories in the computer games. Todorov suggests that conventional narratives are structured in five stages and this films narrative structure seamlessly integrates within those five stages. The first stage is clearly the equilibrium, however the film starts off with an already unbalanced state, which is the world has been laid waste to an alien race. The second and third stages, is the equilibrium being disturbed by some event and the recognition of this disturbance, which also has already happened before the story has begun, in being that the aliens have crashed on planet earth, and the human population reacting to this by evacuating to gigantic like plane hangers cities around the world which are protected by some sort of special field against the threat. The majority of the film is in reference to stage four which is trying to repair the unbalance, meaning Dr. Aki Ross with the help of a special task force unit trying to find the remaining spirits. The story finishes off in the fifth and final stage where the balance is restored in the end and the alien race eradicated from earth. Final fantasy also bears a resemblance to Christopher Bookers work and his theories of the seven plots, specifically overcoming the monster. The phantoms are the great and mysterious evil which the world has fallen to. The source of threat is the phantoms. The hero is Dr Aki Ross who is armed with the seven spirits and with the help of the scientist Dr Sid, they set out to travel to the source of the evil and with some amount of struggling, finding the last spirit and finally by discovering the eighth spirit the monstrous entity is destroyed. The threat has been lifted and the world has been saved with the loss of her companions. Looking at the film, the sense of photorealistic spectacle can help intensify and value the story better particularly the scenes of the phantoms. To clarify this notion in the scene where Dr Aki Ross is having her dreams of the phantoms charging towards her, I would find it quite difficult and would feel emotionless if the CGI was unrealistic to say the least, you wouldnt feel threatened because they didnt look real or menacing enough. As a serious science fiction film the visual look can help communicate the narrative across at some points in the story by making the scenes more authentic and grittier. To be honest that is the only positive aspect I can mention about the look of the film. But on the other hand a point worth mentioning is the fact that the digital actors were quite emotionless. This lead to the notion that they were artificial. In traditional animation, the facial features and body movements are extremely vivid. The motions are slightly exaggerated to give the illusion of life and personality so the movement can blend from one frame to another and that is why films that are made by pixar are so rich in character because their animators have strong backgrounds in traditional animation. Nonetheless Final Fantasy strived for life like replicas of real human people. The films photorealistic look with the serious live action feel can also be considered as its weakness. While they did look amazingly real their emotions and actions were lifeless which lead to the fact that they were artificial characters. The characters had no chemistry with each other on screen, an example is the love/romantic scene with Dr Aki Ross and Captain Gray Edwards, I did not feel like they genuinely liked each other, it was not shown successfully with their reactions or on their faces. This brings me to my next point. My initial reaction to the life like characters was mostly surprised and mesmerised. But striving for the human believability of the characters solely on the look was not enough. Maybe if the characters were created for a still image in a magazine for example it would have been suffice. But for a motion picture, the digital characters felt strange and eerie. This might be down to the fact that, the photorealism in an animated feature film was a first but I would like to believe it was down to a theory hypothesised by a Japanese roboticist, by the name of Dr. Masahiro Mori. His theory was that the more human like a robot becomes or looks like, people are fascinated by it, but when the robot borderlines human likeness the natural response by people is negative. People focus on that negativity. The human like robot is considered odd and bizarre and leads to the feeling of strangeness within the viewer. This theory was named The Uncanny Valley. Imagine a perfectly human-looking face that suddenly grimaces or smiles in a non-human way Its profoundly disturbing when something blurs the line between human and non-human. I myself, think the story was not strong enough for the film, it does not hold up to the magnificent CGI. I personally thought it failed to articulate the plot well. It is why I think the film was a let down. Some questions were left unanswered. Why were the alien phantoms a threat to the human race? Why were the alien phantoms fighting each other on their home planet in Dr Aki Rosss dreams? Why did their home planet explode? Some of these questions, answered would have given us as the audience a better understanding of the plot. The narrative was simply a platform for spectacular imagery. When I watched the film for the first time I suspended disbelief on the visual realism, I was attracted to how believable the characters and environments were. I was conscious to the excellent CGI being shown the whole time. In the future looking back at this film, people will remember this film and automatically think of how brilliantly photorealistic the animation was, how life like the characters were and how new and ever evolving technology made this possible. My next case study is another feature length animation made by the incredibly talented people at pixar studios. Pixar have been making animated feature length films and short films for over 10 years now and each one has been more successful than the previous one. The Incredibles is a computer generated film that is not photo realistic. It does have that classic pixar look, heavily stylized with human attributes. It is arguably, one of my favourite animated films mainly because it is not just the typical comedy from pixar. It does have its comedic moments but what sets this apart from any other animated film especially from the studio of pixar is that it is darker and has some form of violence. It feels like a live action film. It has moved away from the cute, lovely characters from previous pixar films. I liked this notion because it mainly appeals to a much wider audience. The narrative structure does follow Todorovs linear theory of equilibrium but I would like to apply Propps theory of character types with Gustav Freytags Triangle. The story film begins with an equilibrium, superheroes exist, living amongst normal people saving the world and keeping peace and order in society. Problems begin to evolve as the main Hero Mr Incredible is being sued for injuring the same civilian he just saved moments before. One thing leads to another and all superheroes have been forced to live normal lives under a superhero witness protection program. Thus the balances have been disturbed and according to Freytags Triangle the density of the problems are growing as time goes on and as the story makes its way up the triangle. The hero by temptation has been called into action by the villain into using his powers. The hero without knowing what he is doing has willingly helped the villain in his master plans and when Mr Incredible realises what he has done he is inevitably captured. His family are now on their way to release him. This is the peak of the crisis or triangle as all the problems are laid bare and the tension has built up, we know what Syndromes (villain) intensions are. The climax or the solving of the problems are to follow next as we climb down the triangle, as the family of superheroes solve the problems one by one. The family now together try to find a way to stop Syndromes plans and save the world, restoring the balance in the end and the story coming to an appropriate closure of the current events. I say appropriate closure because the films ending is more or less an open possibility for a sequel or maybe more. I loved the narrative as it has a bondesque feel about it, saving the world from a mad man. I was easily and simply able to establish who the heroes and villains were and the fact that the story had a suitable closure as all the loose ends of the story were tied up. Examining the narrative overall I can safely say that the relatively straightforward narrative fits Freytags triangle perfectly in view of the fact that all the problems that grew were resolved in the end. I would like to mention the beginning of the film was a parody to the 1950/1960s U.S superhero comics and films. The likeness is significant in the terms that the film begins in the past and works its way to the present day and when the superheros lived alongside average citizens and the fact that the look of the film mimicked the same style of news reporting when the superheroes over the world were being sued. In addition the stylised characters with the large upper torso, broad shoulders, square jaw and smaller than average legs evidently represented by Mr Incredible were mimics of the 1950/1960s U.S superheroes. This parody worked well as it gave the film authenticity and it felt that time had moved on within the film to the present day. Even though the characters were not photorealistic, the animation sold the concept that they were real. The exaggerated motions like I mentioned before convinced me that these artificial characters had feelings and they genuinely exist. This was quite an achievement for pixar, as cg characters before The Incredibles, whether in television adverts, cartoons or short animated films have not been quite rigid but lacked that sense of energy and dynamic in them. This can raise the question, is animation only successful with non-human or non-realistic characters? This question in itself is worth another essay, to be studied accurately, but in short I would like to think not, since there have been films that have major success such as The Incredibles clearly, Toy Story 12 also made by people at pixar studios, Shrek 12 by Dreamworks Animations and feature length films which include CG doubles of their live counterparts. Again the theory of The Uncanny Valley comes into play as successful films of non-realistic characters maybe down to the fact that people find it strange when CG characters end up looking too real on screen. The appearance of the film was simplistic, almost approaching a minimalist look and stylised but not over done as to steal the limelight of the narrative. The narrative is the dominant element within this film as I believe that the spectacle supported but did not dominate the narrative. On watching this film I was drawn into the story, what was going to happen next, it was engaging and I wanted to know more. I felt that an actual story was told to me, that I was watching the events unfold from a third person view within the film, that I was successfully entertained. On first time round watching the film I was not thinking how that was made. The film will be remembered for its entertaining, excellent storytelling factor, a film the whole family can watch. All feature animated films that have been produced by the pixar studios have had massive success. I think of pixar as any other major film studio emphasising on telling an entertaining narrative but telling it through a specific medium of film. Films such as the Toy Story series, Finding Nemo, Shrek series, Ice Age series and Madagascar all have had major success due to the strong narrative element running through the film. All films are non photo-realistic as the spectacle supports and is just the platform for story. It is kind of ironic that a photorealistic character felt unconvincing in Final Fantasy but felt realistic in The Incredibles even though the creators of Final Fantasy were aiming for realism. It proves my point of the fact that intending to achieve realism will only go so far without the narrative, vigour or the personality behind it. Narrative is compulsory in giving spectacle depth and more over life so it will become believable and to work and blend as one as a feature length animated film. So is story and plot less significant in feature length animation then spectacle? I think not. I strongly disagree with the fact that spectacle is more vital than narrative primarily because of the apparent reason that the whole idea of feature films is to tell a story. The public go to cinemas to be entertained for two hours. They set out to be enthralled by a story, that is what a film is, a narrative in by which the spectacle helps to communicate the information across. As CG effects get more complicated the audiences want more than spectacle, they yearn to be motivated by other means rather than to watch a sequence of frames. To lose the sense of reality and be mesmerised into a fictional world of wonderful computer generated characters and environments. I believe that full feature animation is just another medium of spectacle that stories can be told through, that narrative is essential for a successful CGI animation, as only recently due to new software and powerful hardware more and more CGI feature films are being made and it is technically quite a new process as filming the real has been done for a while. There is of course the excuse of the cinema to show off how the latest technology can create spectacular imagery and special effects, and show off new film and CG techniques. I also agree that spectacle can sometimes enhance the narrative being told, by exotic scenery and sets that would be impossible to manually build on location, or unrealistic physical attributes such as walking on water or punching holes in walls. The visual storytelling medium has changed, evolved for better or worse due to commercial aesthetics in meeting needs for the mass audiences to ensure that the films being produced are logical and understandable. An interesting point to note is that technology can be put to work either to create a convincing of the real or create the opposite and in my chosen animated films Final Fantasy is clearly the Lumiere Brothers tendency of cinema while The Incredibles is more of the George Melies tendency of cinema. Modern cinema has become quite impressive, in terms of merging old and new practices into one product, a hybrid of traditional narrative plots with the wonderfully executed animation and special effects. The reason I think why such established narrative theories are still present in contemporary cinema is the fact that, it is how film makers today are still able to captivate the mainstream mass audiences. Again the notion of commercial aesthetics might have an influence on my opinion but nonetheless, it is another fact which proves that a well-built narrative structure along with spectacular imagery can provide a successful film. While speaking of traditional practices, both films still respect the cinematic language, meaning that the hand held camera feel, camera shake and the established cinematography, such as mise en scene, editing and continuity editing are without a doubt evident. These techniques are clearly apparent in both of my chosen case studies. These techniques provide the film with that cinematic, live action/motion picture feel rather than just another animated film. I think it helps to blur that difference between animations and motion pictures because in the end feature length animations are inevitably just another manifestation of the cinematic medium where narratives can be told through. Other animation studios around the world are producing feature length animated films because this is a booming market and as long as they keep a balance between the story and the look of the films they can inevitably become successful movies.

Short Story - 1121 Words

It had been a great night, but Arthur still found himself missing Gwen when his head hit the pillow. He squeezed his eyes closed and waited, but sleep would not arrive. Without thinking, he grabbed his cell phone, opened his messenger app, and typed, I still love you, Gwen. Arthur stared at the words for a full minute before deleting them. Gwen locked up the bookstore a little after seven in the evening. It had been an extremely busy day, with sales through the roof, and she’d met with Arthur, so she expected to feel drained, but was instead oddly invigorated. She didn’t know if that undercurrent of energy resulted from a successful work day, her enjoyable hour with Arthur, or if it was linked to her anticipation about her date with†¦show more content†¦Then again, he did not seem like the kind of man who would be hindered by a mere clasp. She worked product through her hair with a wide-toothed comb, then allowed her curls to air dry as she laid out her clothing—a snug black dress that showed a little cleavage and a peek of thigh, knee-high black boots, and a gauzy silver scarf. Gwen loved her scarves these days. As she dressed and applied light makeup, she thought of Arthur and how his eyes had lit up when he saw her walk into the coffee and tea shop earlier. He still looked like a man in love when his gaze stopped on her, and he had admitted as much. She recalled the devastation in his expression when she told him she was seeing Gwaine. Gwen experienced no satisfaction about his pain, and she had wanted to comfort him, but to have done so would have been misleading. She cared about Arthur, deeply, and she was in a place where a friendship seemed possible, but a relationship again? Slipping into her coat, she shook her head. She was with Gwaine now, and about to embark on an enjoyable date night. She’d keep memories of Arthur at bay. XXXX Gwaine sat across the table from Gwen in the dimly lit sushi house, his chopsticks paused midair as he stared at her. â€Å"What?† she asked, chuckling. â€Å"That’s the third time you’ve gaped at me like that. Do I have wasabi on my nose?† He dropped the chopsticks onto his plate.Show MoreRelatedshort story1018 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Short Stories:  Ã‚  Characteristics †¢Short  - Can usually be read in one sitting. †¢Concise:  Ã‚  Information offered in the story is relevant to the tale being told.  Ã‚  This is unlike a novel, where the story can diverge from the main plot †¢Usually tries to leave behind a  single impression  or effect.  Ã‚  Usually, though not always built around one character, place, idea, or act. †¢Because they are concise, writers depend on the reader bringing  personal experiences  and  prior knowledge  to the story. 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Because of its shorter length, the characters and situations are fewer and less complicated than those of a novel.† In the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s DictionaryRead MoreShort Stories648 Words   |  3 Pageswhat the title to the short story is. The short story theme I am going conduct on is â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ by James Thurber (1973). In this short story the literary elements being used is plot and symbols and the theme being full of distractions and disruption. The narrator is giving a third person point of view in sharing the thoughts of the characters. Walter Mitty the daydreamer is very humorous in the different plots of his dr ifting off. In the start of the story the plot, symbols,Read MoreShort Stories1125 Words   |  5 PagesThe themes of short stories are often relevant to real life? To what extent do you agree with this view? In the short stories â€Å"Miss Brill† and â€Å"Frau Brechenmacher attends a wedding† written by Katherine Mansfield, the themes which are relevant to real life in Miss Brill are isolation and appearance versus reality. Likewise Frau Brechenmacher suffers through isolation throughout the story and also male dominance is one of the major themes that are highlighted in the story. These themes areRead MoreShort Story and People1473 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Title: Story Of An Hour Author: Kate Chopin I. On The Elements / Literary Concepts The short story Story Of An Hour is all about the series of emotions that the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard showed to the readers. With the kind of plot of this short story, it actually refers to the moments that Mrs. Mallard knew that all this time, her husband was alive. For the symbol, I like the title of this short story because it actually symbolizes the time where Mrs. Mallard died with joy. And with thatRead MoreShort Story Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesA short story concentrates on creating a single dynamic effect and is limited in character and situation. It is a language of maximum yet economical effect. Every word must do a job, sometimes several jobs. Short stories are filled with numerous language and sound devices. These language and sound devices create a stronger image of the scenario or the characters within the text, which contribute to the overall pre-designed effect.As it is shown in the metaphor lipstick bleeding gently in CinnamonRead MoreGothic Short Story1447 W ords   |  6 Pages The End. In the short story, â€Å"Emma Barrett,† the reader follows a search party group searching for a missing girl named Emma deep in a forest in Oregon. The story follows through first person narration by a group member named Holden. This story would be considered a gothic short story because of its use of setting, theme, symbolism, and literary devices used to portray the horror of a missing six-year-old girl. Plot is the literal chronological development of the story, the sequence of eventsRead MoreRacism in the Short Stories1837 Words   |  7 PagesOften we read stories that tell stories of mixing the grouping may not always be what is legal or what people consider moral at the time. The things that you can learn from someone who is not like you is amazing if people took the time to consider this before judging someone the world as we know it would be a completely different place. The notion to overlook someone because they are not the same race, gender, creed, religion seems to be the way of the world for a long time. Racism is so prevalentRead MoreThe Idol Short Story1728 Words   |  7 PagesThe short stories â€Å"The Idol† by Adolfo Bioy Casares and â€Å"Axolotl† by Julio Cortà ¡zar address the notion of obsession, and the resulting harm that can come from it. Like all addictions, obsession makes one feel overwhelmed, as a single thought comes to continuously intr uding our mind, causing the individual to not be able to ignore these thoughts. In â€Å"Axolotl†, the narrator is drawn upon the axolotls at the Jardin des Plantes aquarium and his fascination towards the axolotls becomes an obsession. In

Unit 3 †Supporting Children Free Essays

string(155) " Another strategy that my setting uses to empower children to develop independence and self reliance is ‘Special Helper Day or sometimes called VIP day\." E1. Five pieces of current legislation are: 1. Sex Discrimination Act 1975 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Unit 3 – Supporting Children or any similar topic only for you Order Now Equality Act 2006 3. Childcare Act 2006 4. Race Relations Act 2000 5. Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 E2. The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 states that we should not discriminate on the grounds of gender and that both genders should be treated equally with the same rights. This means that practitioners should involve boys and girls in all activities and should not make comments such as ‘Girls are more sensible than boys’. Equality Act 2006 provides a legal framework to protect the rights of individuals and advance equality of opportunity for all. That means that practitioners should treat all children as an individual and give children equal opportunities as children have individual needs that should be met. Childcare Act 2006 incorporates the welfare standards with which all settings registered to work with children under 8 years must comply, and also provides a learning framework for children aged 0-5 years called the Early Years Foundation Stage. The welfare requirements affect much of the day-to-day practice within settings, for example the adult to child ratio in rooms. Race Relations Act amended 2000 apply to discrimination on the grounds of colour, race, nationality and ethnic and national origins. It states that practitioners should give equal opportunities to all children no matter what their race, nationality and ethnic origin is. Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 states that practitioners should not treat disabled children less favourably than other children. It also states that schools must ensure that they make reasonable adjustments to ensure that children with disabilities are not placed at a disadvantage. E3. Safeguarding is defined as: All agencies working with children, young people and their families taking all reasonable measures to ensure that the risks of harm to children’s welfare are minimized. Policies and Procedures will help safeguard children by making sure that all steps are taken to protect children and young people from harm. To ensure this create an environment in the setting which encourages children to develop a positive self-image, regardless of race, language, religion culture and home background. Encourage children to develop a sense of autonomy and independence and enable children to have the self-confidence and the vocabulary to resist inappropriate approaches. Following the correct procedures in the setting is essential because if there is an accident and you have followed all the correct procedures then the accident is not your fault; however if you haven’t followed the correct procedures then you are responsible for any accidents that happen and the consequences are your fault. Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 states that practitioners should not treat disabled children less favourably than other children. It also states that schools must ensure that they make reasonable adjustments to ensure that children with disabilities are not placed at a disadvantage Another policy that will safeguard children is Health and Safety Policy. This policy aims to ensure that settings both inside and outside are secure, safe and healthy place for children, parents, staff and other people to be around in. This policy also aims to prevent accidents, injuries and ill-health, and it makes sure all staff is aware of potential hazards within the setting and the surrounding environment. E4. An Inclusion policy ensures that all pupils are fully included in all aspects of school life and have an equal opportunity no matter what their gender, religion, race, background, specific difficulty or physical ability is. This policy aims to support the individual needs of each and every child recognising their rights and raising awareness. By having a relations or partnership with parents’ policy in place a setting, helps a setting to recognise that parents and carers are the first educators of their children. â€Å"Parents are children’s first and most enduring educators. When parents and practitioners work together in early years settings, the results have a positive impact on children’s development and learning. † Commitment 2. 2 Parents as Partners, EYFS The policy’s aim is to work in partnership with parents and carers in providing an environment that supports and involves them in the setting. A setting can do this by informing parents of how the setting operates, opening times and policies and procedures through written information on notice boards and involve parents in the shared development record keeping about their child and ensure they have access to their child’s developmental records.. Another policy that is provided to promote fair, just and inclusive strategies is ‘Equal Opportunities’. This policy is designed to provide opportunities for all people to achieve according to efforts and abilities. This policy means individuals will be catered for and they will be given equality of opportunity no matter what disability, ethnic origin, medical condition, gender, special educational need, religion and age. As a practitioner working in a setting you must understand that everyone is equal and everyone has different needs and abilities. E5. One strategy which my setting uses to empower children to develop independence and self reliance is arrival time. When children arrive to school they have few jobs to do before they sit down on the carpet. Firstly what they have to do is put their book bags in correct box Hares, Rabbit or Reading Group Box it depends on which group they are in and whether it is their turn to read. To find out if it is their turn to read they look up on the reading board to see if their picture is up. Once they have done this they have to do the same with their lunch boxes. Then its time to find their pegs and hang up their coats. All children have their own pegs with their picture and name on them which makes it easier for children to find their pegs. Finally children say goodbye to their parents and sit down on the carpet in their sitting spaces. Another strategy that my setting uses to empower children to develop independence and self reliance is ‘Special Helper Day or sometimes called VIP day. You read "Unit 3 – Supporting Children" in category "Papers" All children in the classroom have a turn to be a VIP. Children have special jobs to do when it is their turn to be VIP. In the morning the teachers tells children who the VIP is and give children a VIP sticker. Then children are asked to take the register and money basket to the office and on the way back to get the fruit box. Throughout the day VIP’s are responsible for giving the fruit and milk out at snack time and during the day the help the teacher in simple task such as giving the paper out or putting pencil trays on the tables. E6. Transition is a time of change, when children pass through the various stages of life. For the baby this can mean being weaned from milks to solid foods, and for the child it means starting nursery and then school. There are many strategies and examples of how childcare settings can prepare children for transfer or transition. These are listed below: Parents can become as anxious as their children about the move to a new class. Practitioners will regularly have meetings for ‘new parents’ before their children start school. Also, most mainstream provisions have meetings when parents can meet their child’s new teachers; where staff can talk to parents formally about the routines and informally to get to know each other. It is an opportunity to show parents the layout of the setting, and all the practical things which parents need to know about and for them to meet new staff. Reading books, leaflets, brochures and hearing stories that deal with the subject of transition will prepare and support children. This helps to familiarise children with the transition process and helps minimise the fear of the unknown. Some children whose second language is not English will find it difficult to communicate or interpret the information provided and the setting will need an interpreter to ease the child’s transition. Ensuring that all documentation about a child is organised and ready to be passed on to a parent/carer or other professionals as appropriate to the situation- For example a key person may hand on a child’s developmental records. Children having comfort objects brought from home will ensure that a child has a smoother transition. Having a comfort object offers children psychological comfort and security especially in unique or unusual situations and also encourages independence. Allowing plenty of opportunities for children to express their feelings and emotions through imaginative and expressive play will ease transition and develop self help skills. Imaginative play helps children to work out ‘real life situations’ which then helps them to replay the situations which helps children to create solutions to life which is essential for early childhood onwards. Expressive play helps children to release their emotions which will help a child who has just started in a setting to feel more confident. It will help to learn to express emotion more effectively. By having information given by the parent/carer a setting will be more aware of a child’s particular needs or requirements therefore this partnership is crucial. The role of the key person is also important to provide stability for the child and security for the child. E7. Discrimination can occur because some people can have very stereotypical attitudes by having a judgemental approach against children they don’t know and they then assume they know what the children are capable of. Assuming you know what the children are capable of can lead to telling them they can’t do certain activities that other children are doing, when actually they may be capable of it, however even if they aren’t they should be given a chance to try the activity and develop their skills, if they are struggling. Discrimination against any child regardless of their needs can make them feel isolated and different to other children. Very often children with special needs have a very difficult time trying to fit in with other children especially if they are in a mainstream school. All children can be very unintentionally cruel to one another and should be helped to understand that everyone is different and how this is good. Example: In our setting we promote inclusion and we treat everyone the same and explain to other children â€Å"we are alike but different. † A lot of discrimination can be caused by school children thinking they are better than other children. Children don’t understand that everyone is equal and have the same right. Most often children make comments about other children that come up under discrimination. For example they may say: ‘I don’t want to play with black children’. This will make children that are different ethnic background feel different, and picked on. They may feel lonely and left out as other children don’t want to play with them because there skin colour is different. â€Å"Children who are discriminated against may not feel they are valued and so may lose confidence, or they may find that other people have low expectations of what they can achieve. This may mean that they are not given the opportunity to acquire new skills or try out new activities as it is assumed they will not be able to cope† (Tassoni et al. 2005 Page 82. (Children’s Care Learning and Development Level 2, Heinemann, Page 82) D1. There are many issues relating to practice which support children to prepare for transitions. Gathering Information about the setting. It is useful to find out information about school/nursery before parents make a decision which school/nursery to send their child to. Parents can look up the information on the setting†™s website where they can get some background information. They may also read Brochures/Prospectus. These can be useful as they may contain photographs which will be easier for children to visualise where they are going. Parents can also make a phone call to get some more information about the setting; they could also arrange a visit to the setting. Parents could also ask other parents about the setting as other parents may have children that go to the certain setting. However these would be just opinions from other parents. Talking about school with children It is important to talk with children about school, discussing what it might be like and what will happen during the day. To do this effectively, it may be helpful to school or the teacher who will work with the child to find out some more information about the routine. It is important to avoid building overly unrealistic expectations about what school will be like, as a child’s disappointment when the first day is not as they expected may have an effect on settling in process. Visits to school It is beneficial for a child to visit school before starting. Many schools/nurseries offer visits to school/classroom or when the child is moving to the toddler room etc. The more times that a child can visit the place that the child will be moving to the better as the child will get familiar with the setting and will get used to the routine , other children and teachers. Partnership with Parents It’s important that the setting has a partnership with the child parents, as the parents of the child may worry/panic about their child going into a new environment. For example, the setting could have a coffee morning where stay and play sessions can take place to the parents can watch their child play. The child’s self help skills will also have a link with their parents, For example, if a child still uses a potty the parent of the child and the child’s teacher will work together to motivate the child to use the toilet. By working together with parents practitioners can find out more information about children such as child’s interest, dietary requirements or if the child needs any special help. D2. Listening to children By listening to children, children will realise that others value what they have to say and therefore children will feel accepted as individuals with their own feelings and thoughts. There are many ways that early learning and child care practitioners can help children to feel heard. During circle times children can be encouraged to share their personal stories, opinions and feelings. Practitioners can encourage children to speak by asking questions, which will give them the chance to speak and to elaborate. When children’s questions are taken seriously they feel validated and comfortable to seek answers. Taking child’s interests into the account If a child demonstrates interest in something, practitioners can follow up by offering more opportunities for children to try activities related to his/her interests. By following up on the discussion initiated by the child’s question, it shows the child that the practitioner has heard and appreciated his expression of interest. Empowering children to seek answers engages them in the learning process. Giving children choices When children are given some guided choices appropriately and gradually or whenever possible rather than given commands all the time this helps to build up their decision making ability and self confidence. This is by far better than giving commands alone as giving children commands in upbringing stifles the child’s decision making ability which may result in an overly dependant mindset and a general lack of self confidence. B. Assuming what children are capable of can affect children because practitioners may judge them and treat them differently, and children will eventually notice that they are being treated differently which will affect their self –esteem and their social and emotional development. When a child feels that way they may stop trying to achieve or only attempt tasks half-heartedly. They may withdraw from activities and/or the group. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy-the less a child tries, the more likely they are to fail. This reinforces their belief that they will fail and they may try even less as a result. ‘’Discrimination of any kind prevents children and young people from developing a feeling of self-worth or self esteem. The effects of being discriminated against can last the whole of a child’s life. ‘’ C. Meggitt 2007 page 155 If a child is the subject of discrimination, they may have a lack of confidence as a result. But there are also additional issues that may have impact on their learning. Children who are discriminated against are not given equal opportunities in comparison to their peers. This can limit children’s experiences and relationships which in turn affects their learning. â€Å"Children who are discriminated against may not feel they are valued and so may lose confidence, or they may find that other people have low expectations of what they can achieve. This may mean that they are not given the opportunity to acquire new skills or try out new activities as it is assumed they will not be able to cope† Children’s Care Learning and Development Level 2, Heinemann, Page 82. If children are not given equal opportunities to attend settings, participate fully in activities and have their needs met, they are unlikely to learn effectively as children who do not experience discrimination and are therefore treated superiorly. Children are discriminated for a range different reasons for example: A practitioner will not allow boys to play with dolls and the home corner because she thinks they are girls’ toys. A wheelchair user is encouraged to read a book inside while the other children go outside to play because the practitioner thinks they will not be able to join in with the physical activities. Children may discriminate against other children on account of their differences; this is often the form of name-calling and teasing, and may be directed at children who are either fatter or thinner than others in the group, or who wear different clothes, have a disability or are bilingual . Discrimination against any child regardless of their needs can make them feel isolated and different to other children. Very often children with special needs have a very difficult time trying to fit in with other children especially if they are in a mainstream school. All children can be very unintentionally cruel to one another and should be helped to understand that everyone is different and how this is good. Example: In our setting we promote inclusion and we treat everyone the same and explain to other children â€Å"we are alike but different. † C. One theoretical perspective which supports the development of strategies for empowering children is Albert Bandura’s theory. Bandura used the term ‘self efficacy’ to consider the extent in which children believe in themselves. A child with a high self-efficacy believes that they are capable of doing activities and they feel more confident. As a child with low self-efficacy has a low self-esteem and will not feel comfortable about some activities. They may make assumption that the activity is too hard and they can’t do it before even starting it. A. The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 has influenced working practices within the early year’s settings as Schools and nurseries need to ensure that nobody is discriminated on the grounds of gender. The settings needs to ensure that nor boys or girls are discriminated in the provision of play activities or during routines. In my placement we plan activities where all the children, boys and girls, are able to take part, for example, dressing up. ‘’The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 makes it unlawful to treat a person less favourably than a member of the other sex’’ http://www. dba. org. uk/pdfs/120-3%20Sex%20Discrimination%20Act. pdf In my setting I have seen that there is a lot of legislation in place to protect and safeguard children, their parents and families. I have found that the legislation plays part on the work practices when in the setting and it reflects on the setting’s policies and procedures. For Example; at my setting we have a policy on behaviour that states no physical punishment is allowed because the Human Right says children and adults have the right of dignity. The Equality Act 2006 has influenced working practices within the early year’s setting as now every setting has an equal opportunities policy which aims to ensure that every member of the school community is given an equal opportunity to achieve their full potential . It also aims to offer equal opportunities regardless of race, culture, gender orientation, academic ability, physical ability or class. Provide an environment free from social, sexual or cultural prejudice for all members of our school community. Achieve an environment in which members of the school community can be respected as individuals and in which the varied experiences of the community can enrich the life of the school. Race Relations Act 2000 has influences working practices today as every settings take this Act in to the account that racial discriminatory practice is unaccepted . The Act was introduced to make discriminatory practice illegal in the United Kingdom. In practice this will mean that an organisation must be alert on how a setting promotes their service, recruits staff and make the service genuinely accessible to all. The Act defines two types of discrimination: 1. Direct Discrimination – where a person or organisation treats another person less favourably because of their colour, race, ethnic or racial origin. 2. Indirect Discrimination – where apparently everyone receives the same treatment, but where that treatment disadvantages people from a certain racial group. Following the Act the Commission for Racial Equality was established in order to help enforce the act, and also to advise the Government and others on issues concerning it. â€Å"The Race Relations Act 1976 and its amendment Act 2000 and the Children Act 1989 place duties on Local Authorities and others to carry out their functions with due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity and to provide racially, culturally and linguistically appropriate. ‘’ http://www. durham-lscb. gov. k/Procedures/appendix5. shtml The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 strengthened the right of children with disabilities to attend mainstream educational facilities. It is unlawful for any school to discriminate against any disabled children or parents. Ofsted inspectors are now checking that schools are complying with the SENDA and are making sure that children with disabilities have the same rights as other people. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 cover all four UK nations. It defines a disabled person as ‘someone who has a physical or mental impairment which is substantial and long term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day –to-day activities. Each nation has their own legislation to ensure that children with specific needs are assessed and have their needs met in most appropriate way. Settings are required to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ by either changing policy, providing alternative ways to access a provision, or by addressing physical features which make a service impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled people to use. For example settings can make their provision more accessible by having downstairs toilets, wider doors and ramps to the front doors. Bibliography Author| Date of publication| Title| Name of publisher| Tassoni et al| 2007| CACHE Level 3 Child Care and Education 4th Edition| Heinemann| Meggitt C et al| 2011| Children and Young People’s Workforce| Hodder Education| Miranda Walker| 2006| Child Care , Learning and Development| Nelson Thornes| Websites http://www. dba. org. uk/pdfs/120-3%20Sex%20Discrimination%20Act. pdf http://www. durham-lscb. gov. uk/Procedures/appendix5. shtml How to cite Unit 3 – Supporting Children, Papers

Portfolio On Knowledge Management Company -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Portfolio On Knowledge Management Company? Answer: Introduction Knowledge management system is referred to as a type of IT system which is widely used by most of the large and medium business organizations to store and fetch knowledge. In addition to this, it also helps to improve collaboration by locating knowledge sources for hidden knowledge, capture and uses of knowledge. It also helps to increase the Knowledge management processes in the business organization. The aim of the portfolio is to identify different knowledge management practices and theories used in Walmart Company for gaining huge competitive advantages and measurable as well as successful revenue. In different nations the company runs a huge departmental stores and warehouse application thoroughly. This portfolio reflects a critical analysis on different knowledge management practices and theories those are applicable in the business organizations. An implementation roadmap of the insightful and detailed evaluation of knowledge management system in Walmart is also elaborated in this portfolio. Proposed knowledge management strategy Walmart is one of the most well-known multinational companies that run huge chain of departmental stores in United States. If the annual revenue of the company is calculated then it will be found that from the revenue gaining aspects the rate of the revenue of this particular company is the highest. Among different knowledge management system the most suitable KMS for Walmart, Managing Information System is found to be most beneficial one (Calvo-Mora et al. 2015). Over 2.3 Millions of staffs are working for this big private company. However with the help of the knowledge management system the company is willing to improve their business process accordingly. However, it is generally used in different business organizations in terms of Information system, public policy and general management system etc. However; the large organizations also invests huge to improve their existing knowledge management system (Wang, Noe and Wang 2014). From different KM practices the most suitable strategy is identified and illustrated in this portfolio. Exceptional knowledge management system Based upon the business practices of Walmart, accurate knowledge management strategy is needed to be adopted by the company. It is expected that, KM strategy will help the business organization to minimize the rate of issues and also increase the effectiveness of the business practices (Geisler and Wickramasinghe 2015). Several KM practice models are there those are widely used in the business organizations for creating knowledge management strategies. Knowledge management system is nothing but KM tool that is used during the business practices to define the relevant knowledge that is helpful for the implementation of a particular business strategy. Different types of knowledge management systems are there and based upon the application and business requirements the most suitable KMS is needed to be adopted by Walmart to increase the sales rate and revenue respectively (Dehghani and Ramsin 2015). The different types of KMS are as follows: Decision Support System (DSS): With the help of this system the consumer will be able to access required information stored in an organized manner within the server. This system is useful for the organizations to make effective decision making in a much easier way. Database management system: In order to store and retrieve data from the storage the most useful knowledge management system that can be assisted is a database management system (Sein-Echaluce et al. 2017). From the business perspectives this approach is very much secured and data cannot be accessed by the unwanted users. Only the authorized users will be able to access data stored in the database system and the unauthenticated users are not allowed to access information from the server. Simulation system: In order to model real world scenario, the simulation system is used by the business organizations. Not only this but also to test the effects of the test scenario that is whether the result is unsafe or safe, economically profitable or not this real world equivalent checking is very much important (Munoz et al. 2015). Information system: This is another KMS that is widely used by most of the business organizations to manage large set of information regarding their consumers and employees details. Knowledge management process deals with general knowledge management whereas; the KM strategy helps to develop long term knowledge management strategy. The previously outlined process can be improved by sharing knowledge and strategic objectives. For Walmart Company the most suitable Knowledge Management Model is the Integrated Knowledge Management model (Jarle Gressgard et al. 2014). KMS is the first system that is used to deal with the specific IT oriented issues. The knowledge management strategic initiatives are as follows: Investment: In order to support the existing structure investment is needed to be done for competencies, knowledge retention mechanism, culture and external network. Removal: The obsolete knowledge set are required to be removed from the system Identified set of issues While analyzing the knowledge management practices of Walmart it has been found that, certain issues are associated to it those are needed to be mitigated (Gemino, Reich and Sauer 2015). The identified issues of Wal-Marts Knowledge management system are as follows: Overloaded balanced data: With the increasing size and diversity of valid information associated to Walmart, it has been found that overloaded balanced data is referred to as one of the most vital issues that have been identified (Rezaei, Karimi and Hosseini 2016). If it is found that, the system is limited within small groups, and then it might happen that the data gets lost from the server (Schmitt 2014). Again if it is found that the system is wide enough then information overload might also take place. Inaccurate knowledge flow: Improper knowledge flow is another vital issue that has been identified in case of Walmart. Accurate structuring of knowledge is very much important to ensure that the flow of information is going on the right track. In order to fill the extensive skills and questionnaires the employees who are working for the business organizations must add accurate data within their documents (Bautista et al. 2017). The company fails to appreciate the contribution of the employees with necessary motivation, rewards and support. Due to this reason the knowledge fails to flow on the right track. Negative long term impact of Knowledge Management System: Each time it is not necessary for the issues of KMS to be resolved easily. Rather in some case these issues cannot be resolved easily. Both exploitation and exploration are the issues raised as the long term problems in WalMarts knowledge management system (Garfield 2014). In spite of developing new solution the issues of the existing system are required to be resolved. However, the company fails to make the necessary changes. Issues with technical adoption: The staffs working for the company are failing to adopt the application and its evolved operational and functional excellence. Due to this particular reason the cost of the KMS exceeds the expected budget. Synthesis and application of Knowledge management theories and practices There are some business organizations which thoughts that the KM system is deals with the usage of Information Technology in the business. However, KMS helps to build proper relationship between the technology and experience of the employees. In order to exchange information and knowledge the KM models and systems are used by the business organizations. According to Geisler and Wickramasinghe (2015), the most highlighted KM system is used in Walmart Company. The Knowledge management strategy used by Walmart is integrated system which integrates the supply chain with the Knowledge management. At the logistics end of the business supply chain is referred to as the most effective form of business to gain enough revenue. It helps to increase the number of employees by connecting them with their job professions. Dalkir and Beaulieu (2017) stated that, the supply chain management system used by any business organization d required to be consumer focused, flexible, financially proper and damage free as well. In order to gain measurable and structural revenue the management authority of the company must focus on sales improvement, reduced cost, efficient distribution and distributed as well as logistics management (Laudon and Laudon 2016.). The company has recently changed their focus from supply chain to demand chain. It implies that the c ompany has currently implemented their KMS in such a way so that all the managerial issues could be resolved accordingly. Awareness and interpretation of the research While defining the knowledge management system of Walmart it has been found that, the company is much focused to their KM strategies and application. However, the company fails to identify the set of necessary knowledge (Schmitt 2014). In order to meet the business requirements the necessary KMS those have been identified include the following: Things of business: Walmart must focus on the way through which the product cost can be reduced and the number of deliveries can be increased accordingly. Therefore, not only the traditional cost structure but also the managerial head of the company must know better about the details of the products (Armstrong and Taylor 2014). Another thing on which the company needs to focus on includes products availability and nature of the suppliers. Processes: The Company collects products from different suppliers and due to this reason they needs to know about the ways of moving products from the suppliers to the consumers. The direction of efficient movement starts from picking goods from the plants, distributing the goods through the distribution channels and delivery of the products to the exact location (Wang Noe and Wang 2014). Again the company is needed to build proper relationship between the suppliers and the materials or good to be delivered to the consumers. Event, agents and responses: In order to lead time, inventory management and to provide better services to their consumers proper response is needed to be done by Walmart. Motivation and business values: The objective of Walmart is to deliver accurate products to the consumers with affordable price and quality as well (Dehghani and Ramsin 2015). Distribution details: The Company is doing global business to gain effective revenue and structured profit as well. Thus to meet the demand f the consumers they are needed to focus on the changing regulatory, logistic issues and global opportunities as well. Connection with knowledge management theories According to Geisler and Wickramasinghe (2015) different contingencies rather motives are available in the business organizations those are needed to establish and maintain the version of the originals. After identifying the issues of KMS in Walmart it has been found that, those are required to be mitigated accordingly with proper knowledge management theory. Based upon six basic contingencies the theory is needed to be established. The contingencies of the theory are as follows: Need: The participants of the company are needed to achieve the legal as well as legal and political requirements. Power: In order to preserve the autonomy and control the performance of the business organization proper power is needed in terms of motivation. Stability: The rate of both risks and uncertainty should be reduced properly. Cost: In order to economize the transaction cost from other organizations should adopt accurate KM strategies. Legitimacy: The employees and other stakeholders associated to Walmart must focus on providing proper justification to their activities. In addition to this, the employees are required to be socially responsible. Goals: In each of the project initiation phase, the project team members must adopt proper activities in terms of organizational goal (Dehghani and Ramsin 2015). It has been found that, effective goal sharing will help the organization to meet their goal. With the help of the Knowledge management strategies and metrics two different things can be discussed accordingly and that includes the followings: An appropriate KM strategy helps to create link between the business application and the business objectives. In order to monitor the progress of the organization towards their business goal, good metrics are needed to be framed up with accurate measurements For Walmart this Knowledge Management Strategy has been adopted because it can provide the followings: It can provide the building blocks It helps to achieve the organizational learning and continuous business development In order to avoid time wastage repetitive mistakes should be avoided to make sure that everyone if familiar with the newly adopted system application details. Depth analysis of knowledge management system From the current analysis of the market it has been found that proliferation of knowledge management software is one of the vital solutions those are widely served by the business organizations of companies to gain effective and measurable revenue from the competitive market place. However; selection of appropriate Knowledge management system is another tough job for the business authority (Dehghani and Ramsin 2015). In order to support the knowledge workers it is very much necessary to select the appropriate KMS. As the most widely used problem solving approach, most of the companies uses SISTeM Cycle 1 based action research framework (Jarle Gressgard et al. 2014). The identified issues of knowledge management system are as follows: In some cases it happens, that the generated knowledge are not stored in the server or might have lost from the system. Due to lack of knowledge the participants fail to fix these issues according to the requirements (Gemino, Reich and Sauer 2015). Due to lack of missing key concerns, technical staffs and technical abilities of Knowledge management system, the company fails to meet the requirements of the consumers and other business units. Implementation roadmap ok Knowledge management system In order to gain effective revenue from the market place Walmart is required to follow the accurate steps to meet the KMS requirement. Particularly for Walmart the implementation path or roadmap is as follows: Establishment of program objectives of Knowledge management system Preparation for necessary changes High level processes are to be defined Determining and prioritizing the technology requirements Current state should be access whenever needed Implementation of Knowledge management roadmap to analyze the gap and economic condition as well. Conclusion From the overall discussion it can be concluded that, the Knowledge Management System (KMS) used by Walmart was not that much effective from the consumers and business perspectives. Thus, it is necessary for Walmart to improve their existing Knowledge Management System (KMS) to gain effective business revenue. The set of knowledge must be organized properly to make the system mush valuable and useful as well. The dimensions of KMS used in Walmart include connectedness, perspective, congruency and completeness. It is expected that, the business gaps would be minimized accordingly if accurate KMS strategies are adopted by the company. In order to gain competitive advantages and long lasting business sustainability few advanced models and innovative practices are adopted by the company. With the help of proper KMS the company would be able to make proper decision for the business organization. The different knowledge management system practices used by Walmart and the most appropriate K MS strategy that might mitigate the issues of business practices are elaborated in this portfolio. From critical analysis it has been found that the company uses the KM strategies to create distributive strategic insight and specific experiences as well. In order to improve the internal knowledge management practices from critical analysis the most suitable KM strategy is adopted for this company References Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014.Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. 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