John Lennon and Yoko Ono's campaign for peace Essay

John Lennon and Yoko Ono's campaign for peace - Essay Example The essay "John Lennon and Yoko Ono's campaign for peace" discovers campaign for peace by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The war was causing great suffering to the women and children. However, the US government was not ready to stop the war anytime soon. However, after the people stood against their own administrators, the political leaders who needed their votes during the next election had to bow down and listen to their concerns. Currently, it’s easier to mobilize people to the streets. This is because the media has advanced tremendously. In addition, there is freedom of expression. Moreover, the entry of the internet in the world has revolutionalized the communication sector. Many people have access to technological gadgets such as phones, tablets, and computers to enable them communicate with other people at ease. On the other hand, social media has increased the connectivity of the people. Therefore, people are able to interact and share ideas without have to move from one pl ace to the other. However, during those times, the media was less developed. As a result, it was hard to mobilize people towards common objectives. As a result, the fact that John Lennon and Yoko Ono were able to convince people towards their ideologies is a clear indication that their campaign was of great success. The military in Vietnam were being blamed for various atrocities. In addition, the war was characterized by torturing of women and violation of other human rights. However, the world was silent as all these acts continued.

Single-sex schools are better due to its psychological reasons Essay Example for Free

Single-sex schools are better due to its psychological reasons Essay I)Introduction Thesis Statement: some people believe that single-sex schools are better because of educational reasons and psychological reasons, while others believe that mix schools are better. II) Single-sex schools are better due to its psychological reasons Girls have fewer constraints over how they must act if males are present they don’t get shy to freely discuss any of their views; they deal with nature and does not fabricate. According to CHRISTIE GARTON, founder, and CEO of 1000 dreams fun â€Å"single-sex schools foster better female-to-female relationship, which creates a sense of mutual empowerment and community†. Girl’s main concern is their looks 1)when there are males in class, girls focus on their physical appearances like styling their hair, wearing makeup and their outfit which takes a lot of time in the morning to get prepared and during the class have to constantly check their look this may eventually lead them to lose their concentration in class. 2)According to Dr. Linda Henman; a passionate proponent of single sex-gender schools believe that it provides fewer distractions, so the students can focus on academics. III) single-sex schools are better due to its educational reasons A)performance in single-sex schools is better than mixed schools. 1) Girl’s will understand to the fullest that’s to say, they don’t hesitate to raise their hand and ask a question related to the chapter the teacher is discussing even if the question is silly; she will not get embarrassed if it is silly therefore she cleared all her doubts. 2)According to Christine Garton, â€Å"a huge part of promoting women’s global success is fostering an environment where girls feel completely comfortable speaking up, voicing their opinions and being heard’’. B) There may be competition between the girls and boys. 1) sometimes boys master at some subjects like math and this will make girls to lose their belief in their abilities which will decrease self-efficacy and performance while in an all-girl environment, competition differs as girls are in the same level of math so this increase competition among them to put more effort in math and get good grades. IV)mixed schools are better due to psychological reasons. A) learning to deal with the other gender. 1)females who are not used to address males before may find it difficult to coexist or communicate with boys that’s to say she would be shy and nervous when talking with them but in mixed schools she is already familiar with how to deal with them so when she enters college or work phase, there will not be any barriers between their collegues2) According to Samira M ,who invented CoderBunnyz â€Å"girls will eventually have to work side by side with boys. So it’s better to start working with them early†. B) V)Mix schools are better due to its social reasons. A)Girls would know how to deal with different personalities. 1 )they will learn about each other way of thinking so that they will be able to understand each other later. 2)According to Professor Simon Baron-Cohen â€Å"A strong reason for co-education is that separating children for numbers of years means they will not be mixing and learning about each other†. B) In six schools there is no bullying. 1)In an all boys environment bullying is more intense which means a boy will be shy to fight with another boy in front of girls this may make him look aggressive and encourage violence and girls may move away from him. VI)conclusion

Australia Essay -- essays research papers

Australia- Trade and Immigration Background As Joycelyn has mentioned Australia's having greater and greater interaction with its Asian neighbours, through the areas of trade and its active role in the regional trade organization - APEC. Despite its location, Australia can hardly be thought of being an Asian country. Not so long ago, Asian were looked down upon, with a mixture of fear because of the communist aggression, pity because of their poverty, and contempt, as they dumped cheap and poorly made products to do Australian workers out of job. For decades, high prohibitive tariffs blocked the imports of Asian goods, and a 'White Australia' policy fenced off Asian migrants. However, the situation is reversed in the past 2 decades. With East Asia being the fastest growing economy, and the development of regional trade blocs in their traditional trading partners such as the EC and NAFTA that tend to emphasize internal trade, Asia becomes Australia's single most promising opportunity. And now, Australia is eager to be Asian. Trade (See overhead - Exports) In 1994, some 60% of Australia's total exports equivalent to more than 60 B A$ went to Asia. While Japan remains to be their largest trading partner, S Korea replaced US to take the second place. But at the same time, Australia's share of Asia's total imports is declining, down from 3% in 1985 to 2% in 95. The main reason is that Asian countries are trading more among themselves, and importing more hi-er value-added products, rather than the common Australian exported commodities. However, steering towards value-adding industries is not easy. Besides infrastructure and labor reform, Australian manufacturers will become head on with some of Asia's most efficient operations. Anyway, Australia has shown its committment to free trading. The former Labor government has committed to cutting the average tariff for most imports to 5% by 2000, compared to 20% in 1983. And the trend towards a more open economy will be continued by the new Liberal-National gov't. Most domestic business will not survive under such open competition, but Australia sees this as an opportunity to reshape its manufacturing base to become narrower and deeper, and more competitive. They see an ideal picture of Australia importing cheap manufactured goods from Asia instead of making expensive ones at home behind tariff, and Asia buying mineral... ...or a tv program 'Embassy' which he claimed was mocking Malaysia. Australia also got into diplomatic problems with certain authoritarian regimes for critizing their behaviors. Its relationship with Indonesia is always tense for its criticisms of Indonesia over human rights, corruption, and the status of East Timor. Even Singapore didn't like Australia's comment on its harrassment of the Asian Wall St Journal and other newspaper. As other Asian countries all share similar culture and values, Australia with its western nature would easily be labelled as intruder. And they all understand that Australia's friendliness towards Asia is economically driven, it comes out of the mind, not the heart. Moreover, some of them even suspect it of acting as a stalking horse for western interests. Malaysia proposed a regional East Asia Econ Caucus which will exclude the US and Australia, and this is clashing over with APEC in which Australia and US are active participant. So, how can Australia manage its odd man role in the Asian region? Should it go for Multiculturalism or a melting pot policy like the US? How can it balance its relationship with its neighbours while preserving its western values?

Renaissance Man

Florida Institute of Technology Civilizations I – Professor Lusty December 15, 2012 Think about the qualities of a Renaissance Man. Choose a man/woman/profession from the late 20th (or early 21st) century –even someone still alive today– that you think encompasses the spirit of the Renaissance ideal, and give 2 specific areas/ aspects that connect to this ideal. Be as specific as you can. What are the qualities of a renaissance man?According to the dictionary, a incessant man is â€Å"a cultured man of the Renaissance who was knowledgeable, educated, or proficient in a wide range of fields or a present-day man who has acquired profound knowledge or proficiency in more than one field† (Dictionary. Com, 2012). Using this definition, there is one who comes to mind as a renaissance man; Patrick Byrne. Patrick Byrne, Overstock. Coma's Chief Executive Office and Chairman, â€Å"has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese studies from Dartmouth College, a Master'sD egree from Cambridge University as a Marshall Scholar, and a Ph. D. In philosophy from Stanford University' (Forbes, 2012). His quest to improve the academic quality for America's children has resulted in his appointment to Co-chairman of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. He has founded numerous schools internationally – 19 to be exact – and implemented programs to help fund education by directing funding directly to the teachers and in the classrooms.To date, states such as Georgia, Texas, Kansas has implemented the 65% rule, agreeing that 65% of every dollar will be used for classroom instruction. Other states such as Dakota and South Carolina are considering implementing the same program for the schools in the states. As a former professor, Byrne, accompanied several Dartmouth students to Beijing, teaching a course on the economic conditions of the country while there. Byrne has also taught several classes at Dartmouth.Barnes achievements, which also i nclude having a black belt in Tea Swan Do, increasing awareness for cancer research, being a writer and Journalist, and an investor, definitely correspond with the definition of a modern day renaissance man. References Dictionary. Com. (2012, December 14). Retrieved from Dictionary. Com: http:// dictionary. Reference. Com/browse/renaissance+man Forbes. (2012, December 14). Retrieved from Forbes. Com: http://www. Forbes. Com/profile/Patrick-Byrne-2/

Education in America vs. Education in Third World Countries

Education in America vs. Education in Third World Countries A few weeks ago, I was walking downtown, when this random came up to me and said â€Å"You in school? That’s good, that’s good. Education is important. † From the state of her hair and clothes, and the smell of her breath, I assumed she was homeless. I didn’t really pay much attention to her, because homeless people are so common in downtown Atlanta. I was just hoping that she wasn’t going to ask me for any money! After a while, I started thinking about what the homeless woman had said; â€Å"Education is important. Growing up, I had always been taught that people who lived in the streets had been afforded the same opportunities as I had, but they had simply chosen to ignore them. So, if this woman had basically thrown away her life, why was she here preaching to me that education was important? How far had she gotten with her education? Was she like my great-grandmother, and lacked the sk ills to read and write? Literacy isn’t something that I spend a lot of time thinking about, mainly because all of the people that I surround myself and the people they surround themselves with are all capable of reading at proficient levels.Of course, I was always aware that some people had disabilities that made it harder to read, like dyslexia, but it never occurred to me that some of them allowed for the hindrance to completely turn them off to reading. Is it possible that I have been taking my literacy skills for granted? In this paper, I plan to explore literacy in America, and how it compares to the value other nations put on literacy and even our own country before public schools were instituted. Being literate is defined as any person over the age of 15 that can read and write.The United States had a literacy rate of 99% in the year 2003, according to the CIA census. 99%; almost our entire population is capable of reading and writing at a proficient level. Who does th e least 1% represent? The homeless? Or the dyslexic people who are too embarrassed to admit they need help reading? Every person in America is offered the opportunity to receive an education, admittedly some educations are not the same quality as others, but everyone is definitely offered an education.While 99% of the country is literate, a test conducted by National Assessment of Adult Literacy 14% of US residents have increased difficulty reading at their level. According to the afore stated definition, these people can be classified as illiterate, because they don’t met the standards of what is considered literate, since they have difficulty reading at their proficiency level. Is the lack of literacy due to lack of focus in class while the foundation for reading and writing were being laid, or does 1% of the United States Population that are classified as illiterate completely comprised of people who live with dyslexia?I can’t imagine that the government would knowi ngly incorporate people with documented learning disabilities when it comes time to calculate our nation’s literacy rate. That would be almost intentionally miscuing the results, because you’re including people who have hindrances that keep them from reading and writing at a level equal with their age. It’s also just downright insulting. Can you imagine not only having the s disability that makes you work twice as hard, but to be called illiterate for something you have no control over?Centuries ago, the idea of being able to read and write was a mere parlor dream among the majority of our population. The skill was reserved only for the kings and queens and the other extremely wealthy people of that time period. The commoners who truly wanted a better life for their children would probably have sold everything they owned if it meant their child would have the opportunity to learn to read and write. In today’s society, however, such sacrifices are not nece ssary to make. Our government ensures that an education is made ready to every child in the country.Education is such an available resource in our country that we don’t even think twice about it. We are inevitable taking it for granted. When did such knowledge become common place to us? There are times when I visit my great-grandparents house, and they start telling me all sorts of stories about how they didn’t even get to complete more than a third grade education, because they had to stop going to school in order to support their families. That was their reality; not having that education as available to them as other kids did.The richer, white families of that time period where the only ones who could afford to send their children to school on a daily basis, some even going as far as to ensure that their child received a quality college education. It often came down to that; money. In the end, it will always be the richer families, or even the richest countries that can afford to educate their youth. In lower-income developing nations, going to school is nowhere near a reality. The idea of buying money enough to buy school clothes, shoes, books, paper, encils, and any other supplies necessary for the learning environment is non-existent, because there just isn’t enough money for them to afford it. These are the absolute poorest places in the world; particularly Africa . Every time I turn on a television, regardless of what channel I may be watching, I am almost guaranteed to see a commercial about a charity trying to raise money to support the children in Africa . It’s heartbreaking, to say the least, to see the sad expressions on their sallow faces. I think to myself, that’s not what I was doing when I was 5 or 6. I was outside, playing in the yard, or stuffing my face with ice cream.I wasn’t worried about where my next meal would come from, or whether or not my only water source was toxic enough to kill me. The sa ddest thing I can remember about my younger days is when my parents forced me off the jungle gym to do my homework, because I like any other kid my age, hated reading and writing. Not because it was hard, or even that I was being required to do it; I hated reading and writing because that’s what we always did. Every day, for most of my day, the teacher had us reading directions aloud and writing spelling words and sentences over and over and over again.However, had I switched places with one of those sad-faced kids in Africa , they would have never complained about the amount of reading and writing required of them. They would have relished every single second of the knowledge that they gained in hopes of one day using it to help their families get to a better place. In those types of countries, literacy is to them as it was to us back when the only people who could afford to learn where the ones who didn’t have to work from sunrise to sunset in order to keep their fam ilies from starving.There, education is one of the most valuable resources, because so few have access to it. I remember learning in an economics class that the less you had of a product, the more valuable it became, like diamonds or oil, and vice versa; the more you have of a product, the less valuable it becomes. That’s what happened to our value on literacy in America . Before, when only a few people were awarded the privilege of learning how to read and write, everyone wanted it. I guess you could almost compare it to fads in today’s society.Whenever we see our favorite A-list celebrities wearing this bag or that hat, we rush out to the nearest boutique, and pay whatever ridiculous price they ask for it. Maybe that’s it. Since literacy and education have become so common place in our society that we have moved on another aspect to occupy our attention. Think about it for a moment. How many people in the United States have a Bachelor’s degree? A Master ’s degree? According to U. S. Census Bureau more than 40% of people 25 years and older in the United States has either a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree.There’s a saying, â€Å"When everyone is one thing, then no one will be. † Well, in this case when everyone is smart, then no one will be. Since a large enough portion of our population has these degrees, they are slowly starting to lose their value. Even some fast food restaurants are beginning to require that people over a certain age have to have at least a Bachelor’s degree in order to work at their establishment. What does this say for our future? Will we eventually reach a point where even a Doctorate degree holds no value in our economy?What will that mean for the homeless people, or those individuals with learning disabilities, or even people who just have a genuinely hard time keeping up with their course load? Will they be weeded out as Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution s uggests â€Å"Only the strong survive†? But in this case, the strongest are defined by their intelligence. Will they all eventually starve due to the fact that they can’t find a job, because standards are set so high? If the current trend continues, I think it’s definitely possible that eventually even the Doctorate degree will hold no real value.Especially with the way our counselor’s motivate us. They tell us that it’s not just enough to get an â€Å"old-fashioned† 4-year degree anymore, because that’s what everyone has already. No, if we want to compete in the job market, we have to set ourselves above that bar. Logically, that supports my hypothesis. Just think about it for a second. You’re telling an entire generation of kids that the generation that came before them did the now-average-thing by attending four-year institutions.Now we have to go up and beyond that, by obtaining our graduate degrees, and if we really want t o raise the bar, going as far as to earn our Doctorate. Where does that leave the generation that comes after us? In the same position we find ourselves in now. The problem with our country is not that we take literacy for granted. On the contrary, we are steadily improving and bettering ourselves by pushing each generation to do better than the last. Our problem lies with the fact that eventually; there will be no more up to go.

International Business in Emerging Economies

International Business in Emerging Economies Introduction Business environment is becoming competitive due to globalization caused by technological inventions. Firms have come to realize that in order to become competitive in the market they need to go beyond the local markets. This is one fact that management of Haier is well aware of and is planning on how to expand the market share for its refrigerators. There is need to enter into the emerging markets with this product.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on International Business in Emerging Economies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the most attractive destinations for this product is in South Africa (Pitt 2001, p. 58). This is not only because of the large size of the country, but also because of the massive growth of its economy. South Africa is one of the emerging economies, and the average purchasing power of the people of this country is relatively high as compared to other neighboring countries in the region. The emergence of the middle class in South Africa means that Haier refrigerators can easily find a huge market in this country. This is especially so in the major cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg. However, this firm can only succeed in this market if it understands the external environmental forces that will affect its operations while in this country. The management should also be aware of the internal strengths and weaknesses in order to devise ways of managing the external market forces. This research will analyze the South African market environment. External Business Environment of South Africa Cultural, political, economic, and legal aspects of a country make up the external environment of a business. External business environment is very important because it will always determine success or failure of a firm. A business unit cannot survive in a hostile business environment. According to Cooper (2009, p. 78), external business environment always dictates g rowth and development of a business. In order to understand business environment of South Africa, PESTEL analysis will be important. This economic analysis tool will help us understand South Africa as a business region, and its viability in supporting growth and development of this firm. PESTEL Analysis of South African Business Environment Political Aspects South Africa is one of the leading democracies in this region. This country became a republic in 1994 from the Dutch. The president is the head of state and government. Politically, South Africa has a very stable government. The country has experienced a long period of political stability that has made it conducive for business. It has a very stable government that is supportive of business operations.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Coulter (2009, p. 89), the political environment of South Africa has been very supportive of business operations. This scholar says that the political class has created a clear distinction between politics and business environments. The transitions from one regime to another have been very peaceful, and none has ever had a serious negative effect on the business fraternity since its independence. Economic Aspects As was stated above, South Africa has the largest economy in Africa based on Gross Domestic Product. Although the GDP is always very important when analyzing the attractiveness of a country in sustaining a business, the most important factor is always the wealth held by individual citizens. This country is one of the wealthiest nations in Africa in average household wealth. This means that its citizens have strong purchasing power. This makes the country a very attractive market for firms interested in venturing into it. The report by Davida (2008, p. 78) also shows that this country is rated favorably in purchasing power parity by GDP in this region. This means that wealth of the nation is fairly spread. This increases the purchasing power of the country. South Africans do appreciate the need to save, but they also spend a good part of their income. It is important though, to understand the fact that this country has also been experiencing economic recession that has been affecting the world from time to time. The country was affected by the 2009 economic recession that hit the United States and other regions of the world. The South African government came up with various policies immediately the 2008/2009 economic recession ended. The government has endeavored to ensure that the economy of the country do not experience difficulties it faced. The Socio-Cultural Environment South Africa has one of the richest socio-cultural environments in the world. Devellis (2001, p. 69) says that South Africa has a very rich cultural heritage that makes it stand out among many other countries. The socio-cultural environment of this country is diversified. This is because this country has people from all over the world. The people of South Africa cherish equality, and women have equal economic strength just as men. In this country, this firm should not segment the market based on gender. The country has been known for its ideals and declarations of rights of women. Based on religion, this country has several believers who are from different religions. The leading religion is Christianity. However, there are Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Pagans among other African religions. All these religions have been co-existing peacefully and without any form of friction.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on International Business in Emerging Economies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, each group has its own beliefs that make them unique in the market (Letavec 2006, p. 57). For instance, Muslims do not eat pork. Although their population is not very h igh in this country, they have an impact in the market. The management of Haier must therefore, be careful when segmenting the market. According to Clark (2000, p. 650), there is a unique character that makes the South African market different from others. The South Africans generally love leisure. They also like attractive products that symbolize love for life and for others. This is the reason why it is one of the leading markets for flowers in Africa. The country is also very sensitive when it comes to issues about colors. They have cultural beliefs about some specific colors. Each color has a specific attachment, and is therefore, suitable for different occasions. The Management of Haier must take a keen consideration when choosing colors for its products. This society is also very careful about diction. Every word has a special meaning. As a marketer of Haier, one would need to be very careful with the choice of word used during the promotional campaigns (Nagarajan 2005, p. 29) . Any wrong usage of word may cost a firm its market share. The technological environment in this country is very dynamic. Technological inventions and innovations, especially in the field of communication have been the main challenge and strength of various firms at the same time. While some firms are left with nightmares of trying to guess what their competitors in the market are going to come up with overnight, some have used this technology to emerge as the leaders in the market. Technological changes are so unpredictable and firms are struggling to come terms with these changes. The dynamism of technology in this sector has forced some firms out of the market. Legal Aspects According to Goolnik (2006, p. 56), no firm can operate in an industry that has no clear laws and regulations to help in general governance. Laws and regulations are always enacted to help define the relationship between a firm and the government, a firm and the public, and a firm with other firms. This law should be clear on various operational issues in order to ensure that operations of one firm do not affect that of another firm. Some governments always enact laws that may motivate growth of one industry, while impeding the growth of another country. Other laws may also be enacted to discourage foreign firms from investing in the country.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The government of South Africa has enacted laws that liberalize the economy. The laws have encouraged growth of the private sector through public-private partnership (Kanda 2011, p. 84). Legally, most firms have not faced major challenges. The laws that govern trade in South Africa have been very favorable to most firms. However, some firms have faced serious litigation cases for failure to follow some of the industry rules and regulations. Of importance to note is that this country is largely a Christian state. Most of the laws of this land are based on the morals and beliefs of Christianity. For this reason therefore, some businesses practices are not allowed in this country (Binder 2007, p. 84). Failure to follow the industry and national laws and regulation may not only lead to serious fines imposed by the government on the firm, but even a total closure of the firm. Haier should be aware of this. The government has clearly defined how firms should relate amongst themselves. Suc h issues as advertisements are closely regulated, with various agencies keenly monitoring content of the adverts. This is specifically so due to two main reasons. The first reason is to ensure that an advert for company A does not have a direct negative effect on products for company B. This is to create a healthy competitive environment where firms have respect for one another. Another reason for this regulation is viewers of the adverts who are below the age of majority. A standard language should be used when advertising in order to ensure that children’s mind is not polluted with contents meant for adults. However, given the nature of the product Haier is taking to this market, it may not face any serious challenge from this perspective of the law (Murch 2004, p. 48). The management of Haier only needs to understand how it needs to relate to the government, the public and other firms in this country. There are some environmental concerns that have legal implications. Sout h Africa is one of the emerging economies in the world. There are environmental agencies that have come out strongly to defend nature from any form of pollution. When operating in this country, the management of Haier should be aware of the laws that are enacted to protect the environment (Barker 2003, p. 89). Contravening these laws may result in litigation against the firm. This can cause serious financial consequences. Internal analysis of Haier Using SWOT Model SWOT analysis is always a very important tool that helps in determining the internal ability and weaknesses of the firm, and the opportunities and threats that are available in the external environment. This analysis will help in understanding this firm, and in knowing some of the factors that have propelled it to its current position in the market. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Company Haier Company has some special abilities that can be considered its main strength in the market. The ability of this firm to develop a variety of refrigerators of different sizes and for different purposes has earned it a massive ability to target various market segments. To help it succeed in this industry, this firm has come up with a quality control unit in all its subsidiaries in order to ensure that it delivers quality products to the customer (Chiou Droge 2006, p. 620). Ability to deliver quality service to the customer has made it develop a special niche in the market making its products popular across the world. The firm is also one of the first firms that embraced value chain management. Through this, the firm has been able to continue satisfying its customers at a reasonable cost. The ability of this firm to adopt the emerging technologies has been considered as strength by other firms. Haier refrigerator is one of its recent products that demonstrates the capacity of this firm to deliver special satisfaction to its customers by bringing products that are a little beyond the expectations of the market. D espite the above strengths for this firm, it has some weaknesses that have impeded its growth to a given degree. One of the main concerns that this firm has not addressed properly is the issue of the emerging technologies. LG and Samsung have successfully maintained their lead as the top manufacturers and distributors of refrigerators (Chaudhuri Holbrook 2001, 89). The main reason for this was the inability of this firm to adapt to the emerging technologies within the right time. Another thorny issue for this firm has been on environmental management. The components of the products of this firm are known to be very dangerous to the environment. Components of old refrigerators pose a serious threat to the environment. This firm has been criticized, alongside other firms, to be leading in the pollution of the environment. This firm is yet to come up with a clear structure on how it can manage environmental pollution caused by its wastes around the globe (Bruning 2002, p. 41). The fir m has claimed that it has been engaging in corporate social responsibility. However, this has not been enough to make the public believe its commitment to a cleaner environment. Opportunities and Threats In every industry, there are always opportunities and threats that a firm may come across in the external environment. Various opportunities exist for Haier in its operations in the South African market. One of the opportunities that this firm has had is an expansive and unexploited market in the third world countries. Most of the electronics firms have focused their effort on building a large base of loyal customers in the leading economies like the United States and the European markets (Andrzej Buchaman 2007, p. 98). This firm has managed to tap into the emerging markets in African and parts of Asia. The stable economic growth in the emerging economies means that there is increased opportunity for this firm to increase its sales in such countries as the South African markets and the neighboring regions. This growth of economy means that the consumers will always have enough to spend on luxurious goods such as the expensive Haier refrigerators. The market has developed an interesting trend where this firm is competing with Samsung for the market share of the refrigerators. The market has been experiencing a stiff competition between Haier refrigerators and Samsung refrigerators (Sirkin Jackson, 2005, p. 18). Although this may be considered as a threat, this competition has offered the two firms an opportunity to acquire a special niche in the industry, outsmarting some of the former industry giant like Sanyo. The emergent of an economically empowered youth around the world is also another opportunity that this firm has been able to exploit. In the IT industry, the main target market is the youth. With an economically empowered youth, this firm can generate many benefits through increased sales. There are threats that exist in this industry that is worth no ting. Technology is probably the main threat that this firm faces in this industry. Haier has used technology to reach its current position. It has managed to adapt to the emerging technologies at a gradual rate (Doladi 2007, p 218). However, it is a frightening trying to figure out what some of the competitors can do with this same technology. Any slowness in managing the emerging technologies can pose a serious threat to this firm. Another biggest threat that this firm faces is the stiff competition posed by rival firms. This industry is one of the most competitive industries in the world. Any slight mistake by the firm may result in a situation where its market share is taken over by other rival firms. Market Entry Mode According to Bird (2007, p. 221), it is important for a firm to have a clear strategy that it intends to use when getting into a new market. Haier should understand that the market forces in its home country are different from the forces in South Africa. It should find the best way through which it can get into the South African market with as minimal challenges as possible (McCarthy 2010, p. 36). One of the modes of entry can be direct market entry into this market. In this strategy, the firm will need to register with the relevant authorities is South Africa and start its operations in this country as an independent firm. Another alternative is to find exclusive distributers of its products in the market. In this approach, it will only need to coordinate with these distributers and supply them with its products. The distributers will be responsible for sale of the refrigerators in the South African Market. Alternatively, this firm can get into partnership with a South African firm in the electronic industry. With this partner, this firm can introduce its refrigerators into this country. Given the nature of this product and the level of market competition, direct market entry mode would be the most appropriate. The Organizational Strategy f or the Entry Direct market entry Strategy is appropriate because it would enable Haier to deal with the competition posed by competitors in a direct manner. To do this, the management of Haier should develop organizational strategy for this entry. The first step should be analysis of the market prior to the entry. This will enable the firm to understand what is needed in this market. After the survey, the management should form a team that will be responsible for managing this market (Bardes 2008, p. 187). This team should only include top managers because it would be appropriate to have host country nationals for other positions. The team should then develop market entry strategy that would help create a positive image of this firm in the market. This team must develop appropriate market proposition that would give it an advantage over its competitors. This may include positioning itself as an electronic firm that is environment friendly, besides being conscious of environmental fo rces. Human Resource Management Strategy According to Banutu (2004, p. 145), it is very important for the management of a firm to come up with an appropriate human resource management strategy when entering a new market. There are four options that Haier can use when staffing its new plant in South Africa. The first option may be to use parent country nationals, which would mean that it would come with employees from China. The second option is to have host country nationals meaning that it will hire South Africans at this new plant. The third option is to use third country national, which means that it will hire employees from other countries other than China and South Africa. The last option, which is the most appropriate, is to have a mix of the three strategies (Kousholt 2007, p. 37). Haier will employ top management from any other country, while junior employees would come from South Africa. Employing South Africans will help this firm in marketing because these employees alrea dy have an understanding of the market environment. These employees should be kept constantly motivated to ensure that they give out their best. Environmental Issues and Corporate Social Responsibility When the management has successfully made an entry into this new market, it would need to develop a positive relationship with the public. Gaining favorable public image would require this firm to engage in various activities that would endear it to the public. Corporate social responsibility offers a firm an opportunity to work with the public for the betterment of the public other than to generate profits for the firm (Baekdal 2006, p. 54). Given that the society has become very sensitive on issues concerning the environment, the management of Haier should consider engaging in activities focused on protecting the environment. This may include planting of trees, getting rid of electronic and plastic wastes from the environment or such other similar activities. This will help give a n ew positive image for this firm in the market. Conclusion It is apparent from the discussion above that Haier can make a successful entry into the South African market with its refrigerators. South Africa is one of the emerging economies in the world and it is one of the most attractive markets for this firm. However, Haier needs to understand the external environmental forces it may face when operating in this country. It needs to understand socio-cultural environment, political and economic factors of this country that may affect its operations. This firm may also need to understand its internal strengths and weaknesses that may affect its operations in this country. Direct market entry into the South African market is the most appropriate approach for this firm, and most of its employees, especially the mid-level managers and junior employees should be South Africans. Participation in corporate social responsibility will give this firm a good image in this new market. List of Ref erence Andrzej, A Buchaman, A 2007, Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall, London. Baekdal, T 2006, â€Å"Handle change management projects more effectively,† Change Management Handbook, vol. 1, no. 27, pp. 7-57. Banutu, M 2004, The Emerging Markets in Asia and Africa, Journal of American Academy of Business, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 143-151. Bardes, R 2008, Effects of Social Loafing on Organization, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 180-197. Barker, F 2003, The South African labour market, Van Schaik, Pretoria. Binder, J 2007, Global project management: communication, collaboration and management across borders, Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 21-110. Bird, A 2007, Team structure and success as related to cohesiveness and leadership, Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 103, no. 2, pp. 217-223. Bruning, S 2002, Relationship building as a retention strategy: linking relationship attitudes and satisfaction evaluations to behavioral outcomes, Public Relations Review, vol. 28. No. 1, pp. 39-48. Chaudhuri, A Holbrook, M 2001, The chain of effects from brand trust and brand affect to brand performance: the role of brand loyalty, Journal of Marketing, vol. 65, no. 2, pp. 81-93. Chiou, J Droge, C 2006, Service quality, trust, specific asset investment, and expertise: Direct and indirect effects in a satisfaction-loyalty framework, Journal of the Academy of Marketing science, vol. 34, no. 4, p. 613-27. Clark, C 2000, Differences between public relations and corporate social responsibility: an analysis, Public Relations Review, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 363-80. Cooper, R 2009, Portfolio management for new products, Perseus, Cambridge. Coulter, M 2009, Strategic Management in Action, Pearson Higher Education, New York. Davida, F 2008, Strategic Management: Concepts, Pearson Higher Education, New York. Devellis, R 2001, Scale Development: Theories and Application, Sage, Newbury Park. Doladi, A 2007, Achieving suc cess with group, Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 103, no. 2, pp. 217-223. Goolnik, G 2006, â€Å"Effective Change Management Strategies†, Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education-TOJDE, vol. 7, no. 1, pp 10-78. Kanda, A 2011, Project management: A life cycle approach, PHI Learning Private Limited, New Delhi. Kousholt, B 2007, Project management: Theory and practice, Nyt Teknisk Forlag, New York. Letavec, C 2006, The program management office: establishing, managing and growing the value of a PMO, Ross Publishers, Florida. McCarthy, C 2010, â€Å"Ways of Managing Social Loafing within a Firm,† Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, vol. 1, no. 39, pp 20-41. Murch, R 2004, Project management: Best practices for IT professionals, Prentice Hall PTR, Upper Saddle River. Nagarajan, K 2005, Project management, New Age International, New Delhi. Pitt, L 2001, South African marketing cases for decision makers, Juta, Lansdowne. Sirkin, H Jackson, A 2005, à ¢â‚¬Å"The Hard Side of Change Management†, Harvard Business Review, vol. 3, no. 4, pp 1-18.

Impact of Being Overweight and Obese Essays

Impact of Being Overweight and Obese Essays Impact of Being Overweight and Obese Paper Impact of Being Overweight and Obese Paper Staying at a healthy weight requires balancing what a person eats with physical activity.   One of the best ways to prevent being overweight and obese is to improve eating and activity levels.   Overweight and obesity can lead to serious problems like type 2 diabetes, asthma, heart disease, sleep problems, low self esteem, and bullying (USDHHS, 2010). The obesity rates throughout the United States are simply shocking, and the harsh fact that American society grows increasingly fatter points to severe cultural problems.   These state statistics of population obesity levels from 2008, the percentage per state of very highly overweight people, are an indication of where the problems are most concentrated Parents are often the most vital role models for children.   When parents eat right and are physically active, then children are more likely to make these choices.   Getting active and eating healthy as a family helps family members to spend more quality time together.   Americans are growing heavier, and today, most adults are overweight or obese, and children are becoming heavier as well (USDHHS, 2010). When people overeat and do not exercise, the result is the problem of being overweight or obese.   Sometimes people learn poor eating and exercise behaviors at home or in their communities, but everyone is personally responsible to take the initiative to engage in health behaviors.   When people are offered large amounts of food at the homes of friends or when served at restaurants, people need to be able to say no to large portions or to share portions. Also, people have the responsibility to make exercise possible, such as walking or biking to work.   Sometimes, a biological problem, such as a defective thyroid gland, may contribute to being overweight, but typically, overweight and obese people are able to help themselves if they choose (USDHHS, 2010). People can check the status of their weight with the BMI calculator, available online, and to ask themselves if they are apple or pear shaped.   The BMI calculator can help in discovering whether or not a person is in a normal weight range, overweight, or obese.   Pear shaped people have waists smaller than their hips, and apple shaped people have smaller hips than waists.   It is important for people to be sure that the circumference of their waists is smaller than the circumference of their hips (USDHHS, 2010). Non profit organizations like Shape Up America! are dedicated to health weight for life, promoting the correct eating and exercise behaviors of people living in the United States.   This organization educates the public on the significance of realizing and maintaining a healthy body weight through the implementation of increased physical activity and healthy eating (Shape Up America!, 2009). References Shape Up America!   (2009).   Our Mission.   Shape Up America!   Retrieved on January 14, 2010 from shapeup.org/about/index_about.php. United States Department of Health and Human Services.   (2010).   Obesity.   United States Department of Health and Human Services.   Retrieved on January 14, 1020 from healthfinder.gov/scripts/SearchContext.asp?topic=592.

Can employers determine your social class by looking at your resume

Can employers determine your social class by looking at your resume This is a strange question, and one you may not have ever asked yourself when submitting a resume to prospective employers. Sure, you assume employers will size you up based on experience and college education. However, recent research has come out that suggests there is an additional factor that comes into play when employers are navigating through resumes: social class. You might ask how employers can find out about something that isn’t explicitly mentioned on a resume. Lauren Rivera, Professor at the Kellogg School of Management and contributor to Harvard Business Review, set out to answer this exact question. She analyzed  the country’s top law firms and came to a hypothesis: Everything else being held equal, people from elite backgrounds are more likely to get interviews than their less privileged counterparts. Every year, thousands of students apply for internships at these law firms. Their resumes are virtually equal. They have a good GPAs, great experience, an d are on law review. Who gets the interview? That’s where Lauren’s research gets interesting.Despite the fact that we would like to think people earn opportunities based on their own merit and hard work, it appears this isn’t always the case. Based on prior research in the December  2016 issue of American Sociology Review, Lauren found that hiring in top professional services is indeed skewed towards higher class candidates. She conducted a field experiment using the resume audit method, which involves assigning different criteria to resumes and sending them out to employers to see the probability of the candidate being called back for an interview.The question you may be asking is a good one: how do you identify social class on a resume? The answer is via extracurricular activities. Here is a breakdown of Lauren’s resume items that she used in this field test:Can you identify which student is from a wealthier social class? Obviously, sailing, polo, and classical music are indicators of someone who has enjoyed a more privileged upbringing, whereas someone who is on track and field is less likely to be of that background. The important thing to note here is that all educational and work-related components are virtually the same. The candidates are equally qualified.This is where the results get interesting.  Lauren found that employers highly favored higher-class men compared to the 3 other groups (higher-class women, lower-class women, lower-class men). Why did this happen? To explore the issue further, Lauren and her team conducted a follow-up experiment where they interviewed 210 additional attorneys from around the country, asking each attorney to evaluate the same resumes they used in their experiment. The results showed that they favored interviewing higher-class men above all other candidates.The interesting thing about this follow-up study is that Lauren and her team were able to find out why. The attorneys saw higher-cla ss candidates of either gender as being bitter fits for the culture and clientele of large law firms. Interestingly enough, even though higher-class women were seen as good fits, they were rejected because the attorneys believed they would be the least committed to the job of any group. They cited family as being the primary reason a higher-class woman would ditch the job. Overall, the attorneys just didn’t want to take the risk.These findings tell us that despite our national myth of â€Å"hard work pays off,† there are additional factors that come into play. The social class people grow up in can greatly determine what kind of jobs and salaries they are able to obtain. While there is no simple solution to inherent bias favoring affluent men, steps can be taken to mitigate the bias as much as possible. Getting rid of the requirement to list extracurriculars and reducing names to initials are just a few of the important first steps that could make a huge difference whe n resumes are being screened- and could eventually give everyone a truly equal opportunity.

Invasion of privacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Invasion of privacy - Essay Example The article complained about the intrusion of the media into the private and domestic life and argued that gossip had become a trade, with the goal of generally informing people about other people`s intimate activities. Gradually, the courts began to recognize invasion of privacy. Today almost all the states of the U.S. recognize all four sub-torts as common law: intrusion (any form of intrusion into someone`s private space), appropriation of publicity rights (use of a person`s name, likeness or identity without consent), public disclosure of private facts and false light (publication of false, highly offensive information about an individual). We can look at this case study: Steve recently joined a church. Church doctrine required that members reveal any personal indiscretions to the leaders of the church. Steve disclosed some of his personal indiscretions to the leaders of the church. After his disclosures, these leaders informed Steve that they intended to tell other members of the church about his indiscretions because they thought the church leaders might help him overcome his problems. Steve was dismayed that this personal information might be disclosed. He told the church leaders about his intention to leave the church rather than have his problems disclosed. The church leaders informed him that their next step was to tell the members of the church, his neighbours, and his employer about his problems. In this case we can look at the sub-tort public disclosure of private facts , from the tort invasion of privacy. Steve`s personal indiscretions are true and they were consented, but they were disclosed to church members for spiritual purposes and not in order to be discussed with the other members. In no way can that information be considered newsworthy to any part of the public, and its disclosure to other church members who might help Steve overcome his problems is an entirely separate issue that

The Cold War and McCarthyism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Cold War and McCarthyism - Essay Example Social movements are, for the most part, centered on ideological shifts in society. For instance, the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s came about through fear of radical ideologies emerging from the Soviet Union and around the world. At this point in history, the Cold War produced fear from Americans, who constantly contemplated the possibility of nuclear war with the philosophically corrupt Soviets: a nation that the United States saw as antithetical to American values like individualism and market economies. Paired with political pressure to root out Soviet spies in the government, the Red Scare erupted and played out in scenes all over the country. The interaction of this public force with the arts community of Hollywood, however, produced the most interesting social dynamic of the whole Red Sca Politicians for possible affiliations with the socialist cause targeted film directors, playwrights, and other left-leaning artists of the era. This led to a portrayal of American society in a negative light in the artwork of these people, which has since surfaced as valuable and telling about this dark period in American history. As an example, the playwright Arthur Miller created a play in 1953 about the Salem Witch Trials called The Crucible, solely as an allegory to McCarthyism and as an attack on the Red Scare phenomenon.Joseph McCarthy, who is singled out more than any other figure in the history of the Red Scare,was a prominent Senator from the state of Wisconsin during the time... ed disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having Communist ties† (Black & Hopkins, 2003). Although created in 1938, a few years before the start of World War II, the HUAC gained most of its influence during the Cold War. The HUAC often wielded its power to subpoena witness and hold people in contempt of Congress, and it pressured witnesses to surrender names and other information that could lead to the apprehension of Communists and Communist sympathizers. The Committee would brand witnesses as the enemy should they ever refuse to comply in answering questions. Joseph McCarthy used this â€Å"redbaiting† style of questioning and punishment during his own investigative hearings. Although these hearings lacked substantive proof or reason, not answering questions was treated as an admission of guilt. For this reason, countless numbers of people who appeared before the Committee during the 1940s and 1950s were â€Å"blacklisted† (Black & Hopkins, 2003). The term â€Å"blacklisting† refers generally to the process of registering individuals who, for some reason, are being denied a particular privilege or right. During the Red Scare, members of the Hollywood artistic community were blacklisted for not complying with the HUAC. The public lost faith in these towering figures in the movie industry. Parents did not want their children to see a movie in which the writer or the lead actor was a suspected communist. Some film directors, writers, and actors were put into financial ruin because of their inability to work. One of these figures was Arthur Miller, a famed playwright who wrote such works as Death of a Salesman and All My Sons. Miller found himself blacklisted when he refused to testify

The Rationality of the American Voter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Rationality of the American Voter - Essay Example Can charisma alone be enough to win an election when faced with a public that is generally ignorant of the political process and the important issues at stake By improving the education of the voter, we can elevate the level of leadership in politics. In the absence of information, a candidate's charm, likeability, and charisma all contribute to an image that the voter seizes upon to make their electoral decision. A candidate's ability to project an image of almost super-human proportions resonates well with a public that is caught in times of crisis. Wars, a bad economy, depreciating social structures, and cultural turmoil all play into the hand of the charismatic leader as voters look for relief from their hardships and despair (Bass & Riggio, 2006, p.64). During these periods of political upheaval, voters are less interested in the issues and more interested in salvation from the looming dire situation. Candidates will take this opportunity to exploit the current situation or negatively characterize the opponent's alternatives. The 1992 election saw a charismatic Bill Clinton defeat the incumbent George Bush. Bush was characterized as a 'wimp' and Clinton was able to capitalize on his charming appeal with the slogan 'it's the economy stupid'. Had there been a booming economy, the American voter would have been more reluctant to change and would have been more likely to stay with the stabil ity of the sitting president (Alvarez & Nagler, 1998, p.1362). In addition, Clinton was able to portray the economy in bleaker terms than the voter understood. The slight economic downturn of 1992 was enough to create an opportunity for a charismatic candidate. The education of the voter, as portrayed by the candidate, was less important than the situation that they were caught up in. When voters are ignorant on the issues, under-informed, and generally politically naive about the electoral process, charisma can be an overriding factor. Media outlets that have a political agenda that they promote often influence voters, but offer limited information. Talk shows, pundits, radio talk show hosts, and pop culture all contribute to an air of confusion and irrationality for the average citizen. It is more likely the case that a voter loyal to a party will may make a decision based on who informed them rather than if they were informed. Therefore, the effect of charisma on the voter will be most heavily felt among the independents that will ultimately decide the election. According to Silva and Costa (2006), "rational ignorance is not to explain the behavior of the entire population of voters, but rather only that of swing voters" (p.39). Widely known figures will emphasize their accomplishments and record, but a relatively unknown challenger may have to rely on image an d charisma (Miller, 1990, p.530). Silva and Costa conclude that, "factors like the candidate's image and charisma may dominate a rigorous evaluation of his performance" (p.40). Often, uneducated voters cannot delineate between the truth and the fiction in political campaign ads. In today's climate of ideologues, characterizations, and partisanship, charisma can be a deciding factor in a close election. To rely on charisma alone to carry a candidate to victory is dependent upon a voting public, particularly the independent middle, which is

Leadership, Teambuilding and Communication Assignment

Leadership, Teambuilding and Communication - Assignment Example In this theory, shows that some people have better leadership traits than others. He concludes that there are those people who are born to lead while others were born to be led. Behavioral approach is one other form of traditional leadership style, in this leadership theory, there are three leadership styles that are distinct from each other. Their styles include; authoritarian leadership whereby, the leader maintains strong control over the group at work. In this form of leadership, motivation is by coercion, and there is no free communication between the leader and the staff. Communication comes from the leader only, and the workers are there to follow. In this kind of leadership, there is high productivity but with low self-motivation and autonomy by the workers. Democratic approach is another form of leadership style that is friendlier to the subordinate staff. In the case here, there is free communication from both the staff and the leadership. Decision-making involves everybody in the organization, and the staff seen as a whole and not as a leader. Therefore, it gives room for constructive criticism and autonomy among the employees in the organization. Lastly, there is laissez-faire leadership style, where there is little or no control from the leader (Murphy, 2005). The kind of leadership is so much of the essence in situations with poorly defined problems that need brainstorming to come over the problems. There are a number of leadership theories that include, transformational, cite suggested that leaders have the abilities to groom their followers into better leaders in the future. The grooming is achieved successfully by letting followers have the freedom to control their behaviors.  

Discuss Max Weber's concept of ideal types in political authority, Essay

Discuss Max Weber's concept of ideal types in political authority, with reference to real world examples - Essay Example Blau, P. (p.308) identifies the bases of authority of Weber. Blau said Weber believes that traditional authority is legitimized by the sanctity of religion. As such, it is viewed as something â€Å"sacred, eternal and inviolable†. The position of the leader is achieved through heredity and is believed to be designed to rule over the rest. By this, the people are bound to follow the leader by tradition of loyalty, personal dependence and sacred beliefs on the divine rights of the kings. The work of Henry, K (n.d.) collaborates with Blau in that traditional authority is established as a rule and the right to statute does not change over time. It has been socially accepted and considered as a â€Å"status quo†. As such, change of political authority is impractical. Weber states â€Å"The creation of new law opposite traditional norms is deemed impossible in principle.† In this instance, Weber considers traditional authority as being based on patriotism and feudalism. Weber regards patriarchal structure as â€Å"the servants are completely and personally dependent upon the lord†, while in an estate system (i.e. feudalism), â€Å"the servants are not personal servants of the lord but independent men† (Weber 1958, 4 cited by Henry, K.). Political Dictionary defines a patriarchal structure as a society wherein â€Å"authority was divine, descended from Adam through the kings of Israel to modern kings†. The word is also associated by fem inists who debate on the practice of giving priority to men over women. Henry, K. gathers from Weber, a description of legitimacy of authority in traditional way is based on custom handed down from the past to present, which often times is a dictatorial process. It is accepted by subordinates and is not challenged by the individuals. This type of authority is found in spiritual, sacred religious forms, a well established culture, and family, tribal or clan type structures. Weber

Comparing two story( A small good thing & The girl with the pimply Essay

Comparing two story( A small good thing & The girl with the pimply face) - Essay Example The two doctors’ communication with their patients demonstrates how different the two doctors approach their jobs. The central tenet of Williams’ â€Å"The Girl with the Pimply Face† is that doctors are human and are subjected to human emotions. Carver approaches the topic from the other side by displaying the harmful effects of a doctor who is professional, but patronizing in â€Å"A Small, Good Thing†. The primary theme of Williams’ story is the sensitivity of the doctor toward a patient. Williams’ doctor is compassionate with his patients. He speaks with his patient’s family using informal everyday language. This shows the doctor’s humanity, his caring response to a family facing several problems. In this case, he has the desire to help, gives his work freely, and possesses a genuine interest in the family. The doctor does not criticise his patients when they are not able to pay. Even after promises of payment are not realized, the doctor continues to come back. The doctor returns after diagnosing the baby of the family with a bad heart. Even though he knows that the baby’s health will decline, with or without his help, the doctor tries to ease the family’s pain with his visits. The doctor also takes it upon himself to help his infant patient’s sister with her acne and the blemishes on her legs even though he was only responsible for the baby. Williams’ story emphasises the willingness of this doctor to step over professional boundaries and help the girl with advice and money even though she was not his patient. â€Å"The Girl with the Pimply Face† also shows that the doctor’s motives are not entirely unselfish. He is attracted to his patient’s sister. Although the doctor would never compromise his position by ever making inappropriate gestures towards the girl, but his attractions is a strong motive for his interest in the family. Even after finding out that the mother is a

Discuss Max Weber's concept of ideal types in political authority, Essay

Discuss Max Weber's concept of ideal types in political authority, with reference to real world examples - Essay Example Blau, P. (p.308) identifies the bases of authority of Weber. Blau said Weber believes that traditional authority is legitimized by the sanctity of religion. As such, it is viewed as something â€Å"sacred, eternal and inviolable†. The position of the leader is achieved through heredity and is believed to be designed to rule over the rest. By this, the people are bound to follow the leader by tradition of loyalty, personal dependence and sacred beliefs on the divine rights of the kings. The work of Henry, K (n.d.) collaborates with Blau in that traditional authority is established as a rule and the right to statute does not change over time. It has been socially accepted and considered as a â€Å"status quo†. As such, change of political authority is impractical. Weber states â€Å"The creation of new law opposite traditional norms is deemed impossible in principle.† In this instance, Weber considers traditional authority as being based on patriotism and feudalism. Weber regards patriarchal structure as â€Å"the servants are completely and personally dependent upon the lord†, while in an estate system (i.e. feudalism), â€Å"the servants are not personal servants of the lord but independent men† (Weber 1958, 4 cited by Henry, K.). Political Dictionary defines a patriarchal structure as a society wherein â€Å"authority was divine, descended from Adam through the kings of Israel to modern kings†. The word is also associated by fem inists who debate on the practice of giving priority to men over women. Henry, K. gathers from Weber, a description of legitimacy of authority in traditional way is based on custom handed down from the past to present, which often times is a dictatorial process. It is accepted by subordinates and is not challenged by the individuals. This type of authority is found in spiritual, sacred religious forms, a well established culture, and family, tribal or clan type structures. Weber

Restaurant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Restaurant - Essay Example World Famous restaurant does not do this. Believe it or not, they have a selection on their menu that is priced at $2.50 which is the Grilled Chicken Taco. Now, that is a third world pricing with a lousy quality of food and ambience but this is right the beach side of San Diego in the United States. The priciest that they have is Blackened Prime Rib Bits creamy horseradish  at $9.75. One might wonder how the restaurant can sustain itself with the price of their food or that the food may be lousy considering with the price. Surprisingly, the restaurant is modestly profitable. It is able to make money despite its low price due to continuous patronage. It never runs out of customer. So it makes money by scale. Its food is surprisingly good also at its price. Of course it is not 5 star quality but it could pass for a 3 star quality at a third world country price. Service and facility is also okay, ambiance is excellent. No wonder people line up just to get a seat in the restaurant and why it is World

The current financial and economic situation Essay Example for Free

The current financial and economic situation Essay During my analysis of the current financial and economic situation, I uncovered how the effects of the situation are still being revealed. It is imperative to recognize that the situation is complex in nature and that is why we must comprehend how this dire situation came to be. We must also comprehend why we are seeing the consequences unfold, the various impacts of the financial bailout, and lastly how we might fix the situation. My research paper shall discuss in depth the effects of our ‘financial crunch’ on financial markets, such as on banks, credit unions, the stock market, the mortgage industry, and retail sectors. Because these key aspects of our culture have been negatively affected by the credit crunch, the middle class is feeling doubts about their capability to overcome this new harsh financial sphere that now exists. This paper shall carefully examine how the financial crunch has affected these individuals and thus the retail and sales industry. It shall also look at some top financial companies which require the bailout money in order to survive; for instance, Lehman Brothers, Bears Stearns, and AIG. Furthermore, we shall correlate how individuals unwittingly began to rely on credit as a means to obtain more expensive items that might otherwise be outside of their price range. In fact, we shall see that people began living beyond their means due to relying on credit versus cash purchases and this has lead to the financial mess that we are in today (http://www. economist. com/opinion/displayStory. cfm? source=hptextfeaturestory_id=11885697). In addition, I shall pin point key aspects of the financial bailout that were proposed to aid individuals in returning to their safe spending habits and thus aiding the financial retail markets. Our government is seeking to rectify the situation via the financial bailout and such governmental driven policies might in fact be essential for the development of new successful businesses and our infrastructure. The paper will need to distinguish if such policies and procedures can positively or adversely impact the financial and credit crunch situation that we find ourselves in. Towards the conclusion of the research paper, I will attempt to suggest how perhaps in hindsight we could have warded off this recession at an earlier time. My suggestions will holistically analyze how vital it is to see the â€Å"big picture† as a long term development and not simply focus on the short-term details of our dilemma. My in-depth analysis includes ‘re-valuing’ the American dollar, holding our politicians responsible for how they are spending or investing our tax dollars, absolutely educating people in how to stop relying on their credit cards for purchases, considering organic produce, and how â€Å"turning green† in the long run will be beneficial for everyone. Look more: problem and solution essay Our failure to tackle the beginning signs of the recession has indeed played a negative role in where our financial perspective lies today. Hopefully, the federal financial bailout that we find ourselves in having to come to terms will can help us learn from this experience and prevent it from occurring once again in the future. For these reasons the bailout became a pressing necessity (http://www. usnews. com/blogs/the-home-front/2008/10/3/5-reasons-the-house-passed-the-bailout-bill. html) What led to Our Current Financial Problems? The bottom line: It was the misuse of our money, risky endeavors of the mortgage and banking industry, and individuals turning to credit for the chance to procure non-essentials without paying upfront. Honestly, the true origins of this financial problem were due to being more careless with other people’s money than we are with our own money. This predicament was entirely supported by credit card companies and the mortgage industry seeking to make an easy buck. These entities were satisfied in granting high credit lines to individuals who they knew via trend and marketing analysis would be unable to pay their bills on time. This led to those corporations receiving millions based upon late fee charges and finance charges. As our public began to depend more and more on credit cards, they found themselves unable to surmount the incredible amount of debt that they had created (Velshi 16-18). Now with this situation, these individuals began to declare bankruptcy because they were unable to pay their bills and wanted the collection agencies to stop badgering them. This act was not something the credit card companies, banking industry, or mortgage companies had the foresight on how to handle. http://www. economist. com/finance/displayStory. cfm? source=hptextfeaturestory_id=11 885272 We saw that as prices rose, including oil prices, people were under pressure to meet their basic necessity payments, and began to make minimum payments on their credit debts. The fallout reflected in their credit ratings and scores dropping due to outstanding debts and responsibilities. This financial distress was seen early on by economists who were ignored businesses such as banking giants and mortgage entrepreneurs were busy making bucket loads of money. This was also shown in the economic bubble perspective, that consumer spending was slowing down because they were seeing their home values decreasing. The public had become used to the real estate market booming and decided to refinance their homes to lower their monthly mortgage payments. By doing this, they drew the equity out of their homes at the same time and spent this money in the retail industry. The retail industry saw such actions becoming common place and developed more lines of credit opportunities to compel people to get further and further into debt. The retail industry focused on charging late charges and finance charges to draw money out of people in this vicious cycle. The subprime mortgage industry and banking industries were similarly practicing unethical procedures. They used lax lending standards so they could make the most money as the home valued at higher levels and their return customers spent more to refinance to lower rates. When the introductory interest rates reverted back to the regular interest rates, individuals were faced with the impasse of either making their higher mortgage payments or trying to refinance on a home which they now owned more than it was worth. Such individuals were also weighed down with other debts, such as student loans, car loans, rising oil prices, increased costs in the retail sector, and the increase in the cost of living in 2001, which made it difficult to make timely payments. In the United States, we saw that home sales and prices fell sharply in March of 2007. Americans were also seeing high unemployment and the foreclosures began on homes. Overwhelming debt led to this severe economic situation and the recession that people were seeing. The stimulus and bailout is expected to help people face these problems. (http://money. cnn. com/2009/02/17/news/economy/obama_stimulus_meas_success/index. htm) For people overextended in their vicious debts, they now faced financial pitfalls as they had to select between making payments to debt collection agencies versus providing food for their families (http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/business/7523234. stm). The Aug 7, 2008 article, â€Å"Home Truths: A housing slump helped cause the credit crisis. But its effect on spending may have been exaggerated† the Economist illustrates that when the housing bubble burst, new homeowners were suddenly faced with the opportunity to purchase homes at much lower prices. This made it more affordable for young Americans to obtain homes at lower prices if they could qualify through the banks. This article shows that for current homeowners and landlords, this difficult economic situation leads to them cutting back on their spending in order to overcome this â€Å"loss of wealth. † (http://www. economist. com/finance/displayStory. cfm? source=hptextfeaturestory_id=11885272) As this housing and mortgage bubble has burst it has also cracked the illusion that debt was the answer to obtaining more material items. We arrived at this recession because of lax loaning practices and standards. We can see that the financial sector cared about making money versus the right decisions about who to lend money to or even how much money should be lent. This is why the financial bailout has arrived. Historically we have seen that past causes of a recession can be either external or internal in nature. For instance, internal causes include high interest rates, high taxes, high spending, mistakes by the fed to curtail financial concerns, corporate fraud, and investor reluctance to invest. On an external front, some past causes of a recession include global stock market falls such as in Asia or Europe, wars, and other such financial mayhem in the world. Overall, opinions are often divided as economists tend to disagree about when and if we are in a recession but currently they all agree that our economy is in bad shape and it has been for some time. While they hesitate to say what has toppled our economy and caused stagnation, they are certain that a variety of facts has led to our current financial predicament. Both the internal as well as external causes have resulted in a global domino affect around the globes financial and retail spectrum. The best reference we have for this situation is the Great Depression were economists saw a sharp decline in international trade . During the Great Depression large businesses were unstable and the governement via the New Deal was charged with the task of limiting how much power businesses had and giving more power to labor unions. Regulations were put into place which increased the amount of taxes paid by large corporates which generated revenue for the government and helped the government lower trade tariffs which had caused international markets to sell less. As people decided to save more in the face of those economic hardships they wound up actually saving less because businesses saw retail expenditures drop. They then decided to balance out there budgets they needed to layoff workers. As the article, â€Å"Causes of the Great Depression Political Perspectves on Causes and Cures†, states, â€Å" The increased savings (reduced spending) †¦. contributed to price deflation, perpetuating the Great Depression†¦. Businesses, cut back on investment spending because they were pessimistic about the future†¦. (led to) less investment, fewer jobs, less consumption and even less reason for business to invest. † http://www. experiencefestival. com/a/Causes_of_the_Great_Depression_-_Political_Perspectves_on_Causes_and_Cures/id/4905687 Role of the Financial Bailout for Lehman Brothers, Bears Stearns, and AIG Lehman Brothers: The nation’s 4th largest investment bank, Lehman Brothers, made poor investment decisions in its real estate holdings. Lehman Brothers, was one of the first investment banks granted the rights to borrow emergency money from Fed as a loan like commercial banks are allowed to. The true issue that arose with Lehman Brothers was that it was a insolvency risk (http://www. moneyweek. com/investments/stock-markets/what-went-wrong-at-lehman-brothers-03809. aspx). They had a large number of loans related to real estate and because such assets depreciated in value with the real estate market bubble burst, the face value of such properties was marked as a financial loss (Muolo 42-43, 143-144). When the company attempted to sell itself to Bank of America and Barclays, they were faced with their potential bidders requesting government support because they didn’t know the true scope of Lehman Brother’s financial losses. The Treasury department refused to grant this support, and both banks walked away from negotiations. After this occurred, Lehman was forced into filing for bankruptcy. (http://cbs5. com/business/lehman. brothers. crisis. 2. 816615. html) http://cbs5. com/national/lehman. brothers. shares. 2. 814040. html http://www. moneyweek. com/investments/stock-markets/what-went-wrong-at-lehman-brothers-03809. aspx Bears Stearns: Unlike Lehman Brothers, Bears Stearns was unable to get banks to lend money to them. As investors lacked confidence that the company could repay the prior loans granted to it, the reputation of this 5th largest investment bank faltered. The final element that led to its demise was that investors believed that the bank would be unable to adhere to the prior complex agreements that it had with the many other financial institutions that it did business with. Because such financial relationships with other banks was precarious and if the bank failed, those relationships could send a ripple effect through the economy the Federal Reserve was forced to agree to support JPMorgan Chase’s decision to purchase Lehman Brothers (http://www. usatoday. com/money/industries/banking/2008-03-17-bear-stearns-bailout_N. htm). The Federal Reserve agreed to â€Å" fund $30 billion of Bear Stearns assets that would be difficult to sell quickly, raising the possibility that taxpayers could be on the hook for part of the bailout†¦. As far as Wall Street securities houses go, Bear Stearns wasnt too big to fail, says Steve East, chief economist for FBR Capital Markets. (FBMC) It was too interconnected to fail. This collapse was the direct result of the bursting housing bubble. Society saw that home prices rose and fewer people could afford to purchase, so lending banks created new types of mortgages to qualify people who would not have qualified otherwise for the traditional 30 year fixed mortgage. These subprime mortgages allowed banks and brokers to charge fees for the closings which gave them substantial profits but no risk once the loans were sold to Wall Street. Investors, such as Bears Stearns, purchased these bulk complex securities packages and remained profitable on the interest generated from these packages. But when the housing market started to crash, borrowers became unable to refinance and select to default on their mortgages. With more defaults piling up, companies like Bears Stears were left with assets which were reflecting as devaluation. AIG The situation with AIG (American International Group) is a precarious one. As of Sept 16, 2008 this globally based company underwent a liquidity crisis due to its credit rating being downgraded; thus, AIG was forced to post collateral promises with its trading counter parties. When the company sold its CDS to meet collateralized debt obligations it endured a sharp decline in their value. The Federal Reserve was then forced to financially prop up the company so it did not collapse; which would have caused financial ruin for the global economy as other companies would have also collapsed. The Fed then created $85 billion in a secured credit facility for AIG, and took over 80% of AIG equity stake (Velshi 18). This bailout was by far the largest U. S. government bailout of a private company, but it was smaller than the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which occurred earlier in Sept 2008. After this occurred, the share prices of AIG fell more than 95% in value to $1. 25 from its prior $70. 13 per share. Investors found that AIG valued the types of securities that it held at Alt-A and its sub-prime mortgage backed securities at 1. 7 to 2 times more than the rates used by Lehman Brothers, the largest bankruptcy in U. S. history. The following month on Oct 9, 2008 the company forced to borrow an additional $37. 8 billion as a second secured asset credit facility initialized by the Federal Reserve (http://money. cnn. com/2008/09/17/news/companies/aig_explainer/index. htm? postversion=2008091715). The defaults for the next months were increasing steadily which shows that the company itself was facing a big collapse. Then on Nov 10, 2008 the U. S. Treasury heralded that it would be acquiring $40 billion in newly issued AIG senior preferred stock, under the power of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Acts Troubled Asset Relief Program. Federal officials indicated that its $40 billion investment in AIG would enable the government to decrease the total risk exposure to AIG to $112 billion from $152 billion (http://news. yahoo. com/s/ap/20090302/ap_on_bi_ge/aig_rescue). During this financial bailout mayhem, the public learned that AIG executives squandered bailout money at an exquisite California resort. This â€Å"vacation† using bailout money cost $444,000 and included spa activities, festivities, and golf retreats. In addition, these executives also used $86,000 on a hunting trip to England; this with the Fed giving them additional loans of $37. 8 billion! They also used $343,000 on trip to Phoenix Arizona for an exotic resort there. So when does this bailout money end! Attempting to sell their assets, AIG has been unsuccessful in paying off its government loans. With the global economy taking hits in insurance businesses, AIG is being protected by the Fed from falling into bankruptcy. This financial support by the government has lead to the Fed writing off some of its loans as losses and further devaluing the U. S. dollar. Recently as of March 2, 2009 AIG reported a 4th quarter loss of $61. 7 billion dollars for the last three months of 2008. This loss impacted Europe and Asian trading markets as well. Financial Problems and How the Financial Bailout is Hoping to Address Each Point: Effects Both Here at Home and Abroad †¢ Problem: increase in unemployment as companies downsize Bailout Solution: $39 billion will be spent on health insurance for the unemployed who can use this money to pay for cobra coverage or Medicaid. In addition $43 billion will be spent to enable them to increase their unemployment benefits and receive job training for new positions. †¢ Problem: credit tightening and lending standards inflexible Bailout Solution: rescinding the requirement that a $7,500 first-time homebuyer tax credit be paid back over time, and giving loans to companies and new procedures to ensure that lending continues so that student loans, car loans, etc†¦would be easier to obtain (http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2009/02/01/GR2009020100154. html). In addition, changes to how mortgages were granted occurred http://useconomy. about. com/od/criticalssues/a/govt_bailout. htm) †¢ Problem: retail industries closing as public demand decreases, and infrastructure concerns Bailout Solution: $31 billion: Construction and repair of federal buildings and other public infrastructure along with water projects and mass transit projects. For retail industries and small businesses the government will double the amount they can write off for capital investments and vital business related purchase. (http://www. glennbeck. com/content/articles/article/198/20639/) †¢ Problem: decrease in global expansion efforts and trade between countries which affects emerging economies which depend upon the U. S. and U. K. for big and small purchases and exports in order to continue growth and expansion Bailout Solution: n/a. If the U. S. economy can get back on track this would coincide with other countries being less impacted by our poor financial situation. †¢ Problem: failure of the mortgage and real estate industries due to being unable to aid individuals with in refinancing or making new purchases because banks are refusing to lend money Bailout Solution: aid to struggling home owners, but not listed in bailout bill †¢ Problem: growth projections declining from 4. 9% in 2007 to 4. 0% in 2008 Bailout Solution: $275 billion in tax relief ($1,000 tax cut for families, $500 tax cut for individuals through SS payroll deductions) along with $20 billion spent to increase the food stamp benefit over 13% so as to help ease the rising food costs. †¢ Problem: inflation increases in oil, commodities, and food prices and energy issues Bailout Solution: $32 billion is destined for funding a smart electricity grid in order to reduce waste, and $16 billion is geared for research and development on energy related work, energy tax cuts, and credits (http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2009/02/01/GR2009020100154. html). †¢ Problem: individuals recognizing that the federal and state governments are over extended in war funding and not tending to our financial crisis in a timely or appropriate manner Bailout Solution: efforts to bring troops home, but not listed in bailout situation †¢ Problem: value of the American dollar and reputation has turned drastically negative Bailout Solution: n/a. Efforts to fix our tarnished reputation but the American dollar is devaluing even more due to the bailout. †¢ Problem: Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Bear Stearns, and IndyBank also being key examples of financial companies which all required immediate aid from the federal government in order to collapse (http://www. imf. org/external/np/speeches/2008/032108. htm) Bailout solution: Continued support of such institutions to ensure that they do not fail How Should We Fix the Regulation? As voting citizens, we must should insist that the government account for its spending habits and they must be made responsible for spending more than it can obtain via revenue. For companies like AIG which receive bailout money and spent it frivolously on expensive resorts they must be held responsible and the board of directors held accountable or given jail time. The cost of war has also been unaccounted for, so our new regulations need to decrease the amount of spending on that front. As the bailout takes our hard earned money it needs to be used on improving transportation, education, medical requirements, and even social security. Poor lending standards and practices must be better regulated for those seeking to get good refinance rates or purchase new homes, cars, or even student loans. As we are seeing a sharp rise in unemployment and off-shoring of jobs, it is improper that businesses which hire individuals in the United States are forced to pay unemployment taxes; whereas, companies which elect to outsource their labor force are not required to pay these same taxes. This means such companies have more money in revenue due to the fact that they are paying their employees less overseas and adding to the unemployment that we see here at home. This action is counterproductive because from a financial perspective organizations might save more money by outsourcing and not having to pay the additional taxes, but it also means that unemployment will continue to rise in the face of such activity. A fair technique would be to increase the taxes on companies with large profits, and grant a fair marginal credit to companies which employ workers in the United States. This activity would put money back in the hands of American workers who can then turn around and use their paychecks in the economy and ease the financial crunch. This would also allow them to learn how to manage debt more practically and not take the equity out of their homes to pay debt off. I suggest that we better educate ourselves in managing our finances and saving versus running ourselves into the ground in insurmountable debt. References: Amadeo, Kimberly (2009). What Exactly is the Bank Bailout Bill. 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Lynch (3/15/2008). USA Today. Red flags in Bear Stearns collapse. Retrieved on March 1, 2009 from http://www. usatoday. com/money/industries/banking/2008-03-17-bear-stearns- bailout_N. htm