Morality vs. Obedience

â€Å"If you can’t give a good reason for believing what you believe, then it’s not your belief; it’s someone else’s. † Morality vs. Obedience How would someone tease apart this blanket statement and how would they compare it to morality and obedience in less than three pages? Well, this is how I would. First, I’d start by making clear that belief is different from knowledge. Knowledge can be defined as â€Å"a clear perception of a truth or fact, erudition; skill from practice. A belief can be defined as â€Å"an assent to anything proposed or declared, and its acceptance as fact by reason of the authority from whence it proceeds, apart from personal knowledge; faith. † So, to be clear, knowledge is dropping a ball and knowing that it will fall to the ground because of prior experience and the perception that the existence of gravity is a fact. Belief would be dropping the ball and believing it will float because your older brother t old you it would. Next, I would establish that this statement is not staking claim on any measure of truth as it relates to beliefs or knowledge.Beliefs and knowledge are both dynamic concepts on all organizational levels of the human experience, from the individual to the global. Lets take for example the statement, â€Å"The Earth is flat. † Five hundred years ago, this statement was knowledge. Today, it’s knowledge that this statement is false. Knowledge changes based on the information and evidence available to us at any point in time. This is also true of beliefs but in a different way. When most of us were young, we believed in the Tooth Fairy. Why? Because someone told us she was real.However, this belief changed as we began to mature and rely more upon our own abilities to discern truth from fiction. Thus, we have established that both knowledge and belief are subjective but for different reasons. Belief requires no evidence, while knowledge requires evidence a nd/or experience. I would now like to make a comparative argument regarding morality and obedience. Simply put, morality is ‘doing what’s right, regardless of what anyone says’ and obedience is ‘doing what your told, regardless of what’s right. One can think of many examples regarding these concepts as they are defined but I will leave this to the reader’s imagination. There is a simple truth to defining obedience and morality in this manner that I find directly comparable to the examined quotation. Neither belief nor obedience require an individual or group to actively engage in an activity or thought process independently. There is no critical thinking involved and one must put their faith in the ‘rightness’ or ‘truth’ of another’s belief, knowledge or otherwise. Both knowledge and morality require active engagement.One cannot possess knowledge without having evidence to back it up and one cannot act morally without understanding what it is that makes a situation right or wrong in their eyes. This is especially true when acting morally requires someone to go against social norms or established laws. The point of this paper is to shed light on the fact that we are all responsible for ourselves to the extent that we can be. No one person can know everything about everything, so belief and obedience are often useful and easy fallbacks. For example, I don’t snowboard on black diamond slopes.This is not because I have knowledge of how hurt I will get but because I belief the sign posting and obediently board within my level to avoid possible injury. However, in every decision one makes there should be a component of knowledge and morality applied. In application to the snowboarding example, I know, from experience, that my snowboarding skills are not on par with a black diamond. I choose not to risk my health and the resources of first responders by making the moral decision to stay o ff of it, despite my desire to challenge myself.

Are the Classical Functions Put Forward in 1949 Still Valid?

Academics for years have been pondering the effectiveness of classical approaches to newer conceptualizations within management functions. Are the classical functions put forward by Henri Fayol in 1949 still valid and true today? , or are the theories put forward by other academics such as Mintzberg more valid? , or would the scientific type management concepts be more fitting?. To answer such questions this report examines two Journal journals, â€Å"Are the classical management functions useful in describing managerial work? † (Journal 1) and â€Å"Some effects of Fayolism† (Journal 2).By analyzing the different arguments put forward, I aim to conclude which theory is more appropriate to management study today. In journal 1, Carroll and Gillen examine newer conceptualizations of a manager’s job, and compare its findings to that of Fayol’s classical approach. The basis of this evaluation is to determine which approach is more useful in determining the rol e of management for the purpose of management education. Journal 2 draws on Fayol’s theory of a set of activities that are common to all organizations, to prove the developed management functions.It then evaluates and compares’ this notion with that of Fredrick Taylor with reference to management fashions to determine which theory is more accurate and relevant to managerial conceptualization today. Journal 1 merits Fayol’s theory, in referring to the significance it has had in studying management. In examining 21 books published from 1983 to 1986, he found that all books mentioned Fayol’s functions to some degree. Fayol’s four classical management functions (POLC): Planning, Organizing, Leading & Controlling, have been adopted as the foundation for management study for a long time.Upon evaluating Fayol’s theory, empirical studies expanded Fayol’s functions to eight functions, now known as the PRINCESS factors (planning, representing, investigating, negotiating, coordinating, evaluating, supervising and staffing). In support of Fayol’s claims, such functions apply to ‘all’ forms of management. The author refers to a number of studies and experiments to show that time invested in the classical functions have brought positive results in areas such as organization performance, unit performance, managerial mobility and higher production records.Upon the empirical studies, there is sufficient evidence to merit the classical approach in its functions being used by managers. However Mintzberg did not agree with Fayol’s theory. Mintzberg felt that â€Å"Fayol’s fifty year description of managerial work is no longer of use to us† (Mintzberg, 1971 pp 39). Mintzberg proposed a different model consisting of ten work roles; interpersonal roles (figurehead, leader and liaison), informational roles (monitor or nerve center, disseminator and spokesman) and decision-making (entrepreneur, d isturbance handler, resource allocator and negotiator).However this model came under scrutiny by competing theorists. The author used many examples and refers to experiments done by other academics to criticize Mintzberg’s theory. McCall and Segrist (1980) limited the number of roles Mintzberg claimed, on the basis that certain roles overlapped each other and could not be called separate. Lau, Newman and Broedling (1980) limited the model to four factors (leadership and supervision, information gathering and dissemination, technical problem solving, and executive decision making) upon the findings of their experiment.The flaws within the Mintzberg Model rose due to the ‘observable physical’ approach taken. The journal stresses the importance of analyzing ‘neurophysiological activities’, as measuring physical managerial activities alone does not provide a comprehensive understanding of the managerial role, as it is rather a prominent ‘mentalâ₠¬â„¢ role. Non classical conceptualizations of managerial work (Mintzberg, Stewart etc. ) help define the nature of managerial work.However Fayol’s classical approach best conceptualizes management functions and a manager’s job, so it is the best source to be used for educational purposes. Journal 2 addresses two perspectives of management to evaluate the concepts of management fashion and its management recommendations. There is a logical supposition that organizations must strive to be unique in their business operations to have a fair chance of success, within competition. However the idea of management states presumes resemblance in all businesses, which calls for the profession of ‘managers’ to exist (Brunsson, 2008 pp33).This journal also recognizes the merit of Fayol’s theory in molding Management conceptualization. Furthermore recognizes the success of management recommendations listed by other theorists such as Mintzberg and Kotter, who ref er to Fayol’s functions to a respected degree. However the journal does not recognize any relationship between Fayol’s functions and organizational performance. Brunsson refers to Fredrick Taylor’s ‘bottom-up’ view to address this issue. Discussing managements recommendations in terms of fashions imply; â€Å"dissatisfaction ith the existing recommendations, and ambition to improve these recommendations, a sentiment that efforts at improvement, at least some of them fail, and some management recommendations should not be seen to belong to any management fashion. † (Brunsson, 2008 pp33) The journal promotes general management as a system of defining and classifying in order to improve organizational decision making. However empirical studies of managers shows an ‘mish-mash’ of those activities, implying Fayol’s theory of management has taken precedence of importance over the reality of management activities.This evidence ha s raised a new idea, that Fayol’s approach is no longer valid and â€Å"management order varies depending on the situation of a manager, and the position and personality of the manager† (Brunsson, 2008 pp42). If Fayol’s approach was scrutinized and his notion of general management was questioned, then Taylor’s scientific management concept may have prevailed and taken precedence. Both journals express the relevance and importance of Fayol’s classical approach to the development of Management study to date. However journal 1 implies that Fayol’s classical approach is more useful than other conceptualizing theories put forward.Journal 2 implies that the Fredrick Taylor’s scientific management principles are a more suitable and effective notion to define Management over the classical approach. In my opinion, Fayol’s classical approach holds the most credibility in studying management. I believe the depth to understanding manageria l concepts has no boundaries, due to the complexity of its study. As a result many theorists have attempted to understand this subject, and have criticized each other’s work, which proves there are no set guidelines to follow, it is rather subjective to its audience.However in my opinion Fayol’s four functions, cover the basis of activities involved to perform managerial duties. This statement is supported by the fact that it is a widely accepted approach and is used in all management textbooks. Fayol’s theory helps identify the functions clearly and distinctly. Managers are faced with decision making processes that have high impact on organizations. They are put into that role in the competitive industry, due to their understanding of managerial roles, so they can perform to their level best, and benefit the organization.Therefore as Fayol stated, it is important for managers to undergo training. Other theories put forward such as Mintzberg’s model, Kott er and Taylor’s scientific management approach, help us understand certain management functions in depth. I do not agree with some elements in Taylor’s scientific approach as to the difference in managerial work to Fayol’s theory which consists or a system of order. I believe that even in the ‘mish mash’ of overall managerial activities, there is a system of order and a logical process followed for each activity performed.However it is clear, that these theories are a product of evaluation on the initial Fayol’s classical theory. Therefore I believe Fayol’s classical approach still holds precedent, for purpose of managerial study and educational purposes. ? Reference list Brunsson, K. H, (2008), Some Effects of Fayolism, Int. Studies of Mgt. & Org. , 38, (1), 30-47 Carroll, S. J & Gillen, J. G, (1987), Are the Classical Management Functions useful in describing Managerial work? , Academy of Management review, 12, (1), 38-51

Discussion on Motivation Enhancing Performance and Role of Self Essay

Discussion on Motivation Enhancing Performance and Role of Self Management and Organizational Behavior - Essay Example So the self managed work terms are being implemented for the some of the past decades. The motivation and self management help the employee as well as the employer improving the organization. The former can be organized by the management and the later depends on employee. By self motivating employee should try to improve the productivity of the company. Hence the target should be to attain the goals of the company (Mitchell, T. R. 1973). Goal setting is important for attaining and according to Rousseau DM (1997), the competitive environments translate into a new focus in organizational research. Hence organizational behavior is important in employee and employer relations thus managing the performance. The employee-employer relations need self management, discontinuous information processing, organization learning, organizational change as well as individual transitions. The implementation of change for work-non work relations also adds to the above-mentioned activities of organizational behavior. One of the important aspect is to extend the traditional concepts according to change to attain goals after their setting (Rousseau, D. M. 1997). The challenges regarding goal attainment give rise to application of employee self-management through teams known as self-managing teams.

Project managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project managment - Essay Example Organization â€Å"Y† is a small company with 15 employees working in the financial sector and providing financial services to organizations, businesses, and individual customers. The company was established in 1999 and since then has been gradually expanding its presence in the financial services market. The organization constantly increases the range of available financial services and provides its financial advisors with additional workplace opportunities. The company seeks to increase job satisfaction among its employees and considers job satisfaction as the critical component of its business success. The topic of job satisfaction is not new. In the current system of organization studies, job satisfaction occupies one of the central positions. Job satisfaction is defined as â€Å"feelings or affective responses to facets of the situation† (Fichter & Cipolla, 2010). Here, facets of the situation imply the workplace situation and environment in which employees are bound to perform, while feelings and affective responses may vary from the quality of workplace performance to the emotional and cognitive balance that result of the workplace pressures and overloads. The â€Å"facets† of job imply intrinsic and extrinsic features of particular jobs and the extent to which they influence the level of job satisfaction across various professions. Since the end of 2006, the organization adopted a new strategy, aimed to expand its market presence, to change its approaches to brand management, and to attract new customers. The strategy has become the determining feature of the organization’s success, and more and more customers came to develop cooperative relations with the professional financial advisors working for the company. Since that time, however, the company management noticed that financial advisors displayed lower motivation to work and did not always cope with their basic workplace obligations. Work absenteeism rose dramatically,

UK financial services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

UK financial services - Essay Example This in turn led to a sequential inductive effect on other countries’ economies, which eventually caused a global financial crisis. This shows the power that that the United Kingdom’s financial services sector wields. This paper will discuss various aspects of the financial services sector in the UK, including the main financial services product types and their functions; financial advice; UK taxation and social security systems; and inflation, interest rate volatility and other relevant socio-economic factors. By the end of this paper, I hope to have examined, evaluated, and discussed the United Kingdom’s financial services sector with regards to these aspects. Key words Financial services; interest rate volatility; inflation; social security systems i) The Main Financial Services product types and their Functions Banking UK banks are generally public limited companies (plcs) that are owned by shareholders.The banking sector in the UK has the second largest asse ts in the world ($11 trillion). It offers borrowing and lending services, corporate financing, financial advice, and other financial services. The Bank of England regulates lending and borrowing rates by setting interest rates. By doing this, it also regulates foreign exchange services, cost of goods and services, the money market, and the cost of doing business. When it comes to international banking, the UK is the largest individual market for bank borrowing and lending. Approximately 20% of cross-border trading and 22% of borrowing is organized in the UK. The county also has a long tradition of well-developed systems for processing complex transactions, as well as a strong regard for corporate activity. The UK banking industry is very diverse, and this is shown by the presence of over 551 international banks in London alone in 2007. By comparison, New York has 250, Paris 271, and Frankfurt 280 (British Invisibles 2009, pg. 22). The UK also has very dynamic money markets which cat er for institutional/corporate customer activity in forward and spot markets as well as the proprietary trading activities of banks. In April 2009, the United Kingdom estimated to have a 36% share of the total worldwide foreign exchange turnover with around $1.7bn daily. Local retail banking is entrenched in the UK, with 5 big banks leading the way. These are Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays, HSBC, Santander, and RBS Group. Together, these banks control around 65% or more of the total retail banking market in the UK (Copperfield 2010, pg. 27). There are about 52 building societies which complement banks. The largest of these are Yorkshire, Skipton, Coventry, and Nationwide. There are also a couple of retail groups (Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’s) which provide a variety of financial services products ranging from current accounts to credit cards and insurance (Copperfield 2010, pg. 33). Capital Markets Securities trading and issuance (including trading of commodities an d derivatives) is done by more than 170 firms headquartered London, and is dominated by international banks like Barclays Capital, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and JP Morgan. It is a sub-sector that is also consolidated since 60% is controlled by the top seven entities. The UK accounts for about 25% of the total banking fee revenues in the Europe, while London

Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Accounting - Essay Example It also caters to a wide variety of financial services like short and long term financing, credit cards, working capital, etc. UPS was founded in 1907 and has its origin in Atlanta, Georgia (United Parcel Services, Inc. (UPS) n.d.). Companies, big or small need to analyze how their business is faring. With big organizations like FedEx Express and UPS, whose operations are from continent to continent, the need to inform its creditors and stockholders how their respective financial operations are faring is essential to attract more solid investments in order to maintain overhead costs, increase yearly profits and gain the public trust for a better flow of business. To identify and project a company’s financial condition, financial ratio analysis is often used to evaluate the financial stability of a certain entity. Financial ration analysis falls into the following categories (Credit Research Foundation, 1999): By taking a look at the above sample computations for FedEx Express and UPS, the ratios indicate that both companies are adequately liquid and could cover up for any financial loss without losing their creditors’ investments. Using financial ratios to directly compare the financial standing of companies using a different accounting method or flow different accounting practices is not feasible. However, there is no world wide standard for calculating the data But if investment is to be made, a good investor would not only look at the financial statements and calculate ratios. Other factors must be taken into consideration like how long has the company been around, the stock value of the company and the coverage of its operations. Given the history of FedEx and UPS it could be seen that United Parcels Services, Inc. has been around longer being founded in 1907 while FedEx was found in 1971. However, investors also look at the fluctuation of stock prices of the company shares. The stock

Introduce the telescope Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Introduce the telescope - Essay Example The computerized object locator is thus gives the IntelliScope Dobsonian telescope a ‘brain.’ This object locator is equipped with an LCD display screen that shows information about the object selected, including the type of the object, common name and magnitude. The computerized object locator works by first plugging it into the base of the IntelliScope Dobsonian telescope (computerized controller port). The object locator is then powered on and the telescope is pointed vertically. The user will align the IntelliScope on two different stars. Once the IntelliScope is aligned, the user selects an object to be viewed from the menu buttons. These menu buttons allow for the selection of the objects based on type or catalog number. Once the desired object has been identified, the user presses the Enter button on the locator. The LCD screen of the object locator will display arrow-based directions that help the user to adjust or train the telescope to the selected object. Once the telescope has been trained to the desired object, the object becomes available for magnified observation. This is a good telescope I can recommend to anyone. First, the computerized object locator has a big database that allows the user to choose from a wide range of objects to view. Secondly, by using this telescope, the process of locating and observing these objects is easy because of the computerized object locator. Therefore, the telescope can be used even by those people who are new to telescopes. Finally, since the telescope allows for faster viewing of objects, a user can view many objects in a given

History of Kiribati Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of Kiribati Culture - Research Paper Example The essay "History of Kiribati Culture" analyzes the culture of the country Kiribati, the factors that influenced on eating habits and choice of food. The country was originally called the Gilbert Islands when it was still under British rule. The local natives, later on, joined Kiribati from the name â€Å"Gilbert†. Today, the country has a population of slightly over 100,000 (U.S Department of State, 2012). The majority of the island’s inhabitants are of the Kiribati descent, and they practice Micronesian culture. It is believed that the first inhabitants of the islands arrived there more than three thousand years ago. Later on Samoans, Togoans and Fijians invaded the islands and brought with them elements of Polynesian and Melanesian culture into the area through intermarriages. British explorers, however, discovered the island much later during the 18th century. The islands were named after one of the two British explorers, Gilbert. More islands were later found to the north, and these took the name ‘Marshalls’ after the second explorer. One resoundingly unique element in the Kiribati culture is the free-spirited nature of daily activities unconstrained by time pressures. In Kiribati, life takes on a pace that is natural and unperturbed about the future. Most economic practices aim to sustain the daily livelihood of families and the community in general. Communal, social events also take on a prominent role in the people’s lives. Some of these communal, social events are dances and martial arts contests.

The Land of Enchantment by Marian Russell Essay Example for Free

The Land of Enchantment by Marian Russell Essay The book titled â€Å"Land of Enchantment† by Marian Russell (1845-1936) is an account of her travels along the Santa Fe Trail as a child during the 1850s and 1860s. The book is addressed to her daughter in law, Miss Hal Russell, to whom she dictated it in the 1930s. But, the aim of the book, according to the author is â€Å"to preserve to posterity the truth and the warmth of an unforgettable period in American history; the stirring decades in which sturdy pioneers blazed trails across a strange and wondrous land of prairies, plains and mountains†. Hence the book may be considered as addressed to all future generations of readers who are fascinated by the American West and in particular the Santa Fe trail. It was published in a limited edition in 1954 and due to high ratings by leading critics, the demand for the book far exceeded the stock. The Santa Fe Trail was historically a popular route in New Mexico that was used for commercial travel across the West. As such it was used more frequently by merchants than by emigrants. It was rare to find women on the Santa Fe Trail and this makes this account by Marian Russell a very special one. It is one of the few firsthand accounts by a woman of life on the Santa Fe Trail. The book brings to life nineteenth century New Mexico from the eyes of a seven year old girl. Adding more color to the accounts are Mrs. Russell’s memories of several well-known western figures.   This book is truly a historical account of the Santa Fe Trail. The book is a first-person account of the author’s travels and hence the book is highly authentic. Moreover, the meticulousness of the details included in this travel account provides the book with a high degree of value as a historical book. Marian Russell was the third and last child of William and Eliza St. Clair Sloan, who were of Scottish ancestry. She was named after Lady Marian Wallace whose tragic story touched her mothers heart. In this book, the author traces her life story from 1848 to 1936. During this period, she moved from St. Louis to California with her mother. The travel took her across the Santa Fe Trail – the historic nature of which is best brought out through Russell’s words: â€Å"It led from our eastern seaboard to the waters of the blue Pacific. If we could but measure it by the tears and the smiles it has known we would never be able to trace its way through American history†. The style of writing is very simple but very colorful. The author uses descriptive words to bring the scene before the readers: â€Å"†¦as we bore westward, the deer and the antelope bounded away from us. There were miles and miles of buffalo grass, blue lagoons and blood-red sunsets and, once in a while, a little sod house on the lonely prairie-home of some hunter or trapper†. She also includes minute details such as the freight charges during that period in time.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The freight rate to Santa Fà © was $10.00 per hundred pounds. Teamsters and drivers were paid $25.00 per month plus rations†. The narrative is partly child like and partly adult in perspective as this is an account of the experiences of a small child dictated in an adult voice. The author talks about the dangers due to native Indians on the Santa Fe Trail. She recounts with horror the night when the Indians attacked the camp she was staying in and stole a herd of two hundred army horses. During this account, the author also gives deep insights to the culture of the people she met. The Indians she noticed valued some relatively small worth articles such as charms and disposed easily of some things of real value. These charms could be in the form of a war bonnet or a breech clout or even just a smooth pebble from the river. But charms were never for sale. Apart from Indian culture, she also gives accounts of the animals and plants along the route: big spiders, centipedes, scorpions, spiders, rattle snakes and lizards. There was also a variety of cactus that resembled trees, wild asters, scarlet honeysuckle, and night blooming poppies. Her poetic way of perception binds the reader’s interest in the book: â€Å"Sometimes a cactus, an old bone or a bunch of red grass caused the desert mirage to assume gigantic proportions†. Through her dialogue with Captain Aubry, Marian Russell traces the history of New Mexico. She also includes great details on Fort Union. She describes Santa Fe as a place full of â€Å"donkeys, goats and Mexican chickens†. During her stay at Santa Fe and Albuquerque, she gives accounts of Mexican food, their housing, their lifestyle, the legends they believed in, the Mexican Mandolin, their dressing style, the tragic story of Mrs. Adelaide Wilson, and the faith of the Catholic nuns. She crisply notes: â€Å"The old Mexican was pure Spanish and Indian, and often the Indian blood predominated; a class of people as colorful as the land in which they lived†. Thus, the book â€Å"Land of the Enchanted† by Marian Russell is a must-read for anyone with a fascination for Mexican history and culture. With the kaleidoscopic nature of details included, the book will be highly informative from many viewpoints: science, history, sociology, archeology, spirituality and humanity as well. Bibliography: Russell, Marian (1981). Land of Enchantment: Memoirs of Marian Russell along the Santa Fae Trail. University of New Mexico Press, 1981

Dubliners & country Essay Example for Free

Dubliners country Essay Dubliners is a book written by James Joyce and published by Penguin Classics. It has a collection of 15 short stories with wonderful plot, characters, and themes. It talks about interesting tales set in Dublin and various characters which show great love for their country in general. Readers will find themselves more than interested and glued to the leaves of the book. They will feel like they are in a roller coaster ride as the stories unfold before them, shifting from success to failure then back to success again. In her stories, the author shows a hint of his disappointments in some of the people of Dublin and the way they chose to live. The book, as a whole, presents the way of living in Dublin. Reading the stories in this book can make the reader feel that he or she is really in the setting of the story while personally interacting with the characters and sharing their lifes ups and downs with them. The author used words that catch images and achieve a clearer picture through the marvelously written words on the books pages. In addition, the use of the color gold reveals that the author associated this color to his country. It is a country full of dreams and dreamers. In the book, Joyce presented contrasting themes because there are stories about the country that will attract readers to visit the place while there are parts of the book that make readers feel to never step on that place. However, later on readers will find themselves having a deep respect for the country and all the people who live there. The story â€Å"The Dead† is one of the stories of Dubliners that is not only interesting but also gives out ideas about love, marriage and relationship. It is about a failed marriage caused by relationship full of dishonesty and deception. Keeping secrets will really ruin a relationship. However, the author still showed love in the characters even though the relationship was already failing. Joyce wanted to imply that loving someone is possible despite all the problems. Loving means accepting the imperfections and giving unconditional love. Alcoholism also plays a great role in the Dubliners. The short stories entitled Little Cloud, Counterparts, and The Dead show that alcohol is a huge part of the lives of the characters. It is used by the characters to escape from reality and the problems that they have. At the same time, it is also used to enjoy and have merrymaking. The author also used alcohol to reveal the real situation during the time that he was writing the book. In fact, at that time, alcohol and alcohol abuse was really rampant. Alcohol can make or break ones personality which appears obviously on the life of the characters in the Dubliners. The book will let readers feel mixed emotions. There are happy moments but there are also moments of distress and depression. For instance, there were citizens of Dublin who escaped from the country, only to be imprisoned later on. It gives out a hopeless scenario of life during that time and shows a stagnant impression of Dublin. The short story entitled â€Å"Mother† is depressing and less entertaining. Nevertheless, the author wanted to show that the book was not only created for entertainment. It is a book that shows moving story for all ages. Words are really powerful in the book Dubliners. The author uses words that are gentle which later turns out to be full of angst. The emotion of good and bad is also shown. First you will feel the love and later on hate. There are stories which are depressing at first but end with full of hope. Upon reading Dubliners, I find myself fastened on my seat without taking any of my attention away from the stories. I was never disappointed with the way the author narrates the lives of the Dubliners. It is worthy of the time being spent on reading. It is a highly recommendable book to be read by everyone to achieve a sense of patriotism. Works Cited Joyce, James. Dubliners. London: Penguin Classics, 1956.

Systematized Integration of Credit Reference Agencies

Systematized Integration of Credit Reference Agencies Table of Contents (Jump to) Abstract Introduction The Problem Case Studies/Examples Nigeria Tanzania Kenya Uganda Solutions/Synthesis Conclusion With unprecedented growth and an increasingly competitive global community on the horizon, Africa’s economic revolution is intimately linked to their fiscal capabilities. It is within this broad spectrum of economic expansion that businesses and individuals are directly linked to their capacity to borrow and reinvest capital into sustainable endeavors. African nationals have endured centuries of political and economic turmoil, finally reaching a precipice from which to launch a reformative program which supports internal growth and global competition. Credit reference agencies play an intricate role in this restructuring, as provision of finance is entirely dependent on their historic records and the collaborative efforts of the loosely knit African banking community. This paper explores examples of internal frailties within the credit system and proposes solutions towards overcoming inadequate resources through systematized integration of credit reference agencies. As the British and French colonists sailed away from Africa’s northern shore, they left behind their legacy, one of tumult and uncertainty. The development of Africa’s political and economic structure in the wake of colonial oppression has been a difficult and war-stricken path, one which remains uncertain and ambiguous today. Ultimately, however, in order to support some of the world’s most populated regions, the foundation for economic security and opportunity must be laid and supported. Recognizing that the incidence of poverty throughout Africa is unacceptable and consistently counterproductive, the inefficiencies within the African conglomerate system demand revision; and through dramatic reform mechanisms, sustainable industry and globally directed participation will ensure that African nationals are given an opportunity to escape their impoverished existence. Yet there remain a wide range of conflicting solutions, many of which are directly related to the very colonial heritage which placed African countries in this predicament to begin with. The future of economic growth for these citizens is directly linked to the available funding which can be proffered for development of business and expansion of industry. Currently, funding methods are limited to informal requisition stemming from the family and friends of entrepreneurs seeking materials and startup capital. As banks hoard their capital in light of the extremely high number of historic defaults which they have endured, the industry must turn to more strategic methods of evaluating the potential recipient and continue to expand their lending operations. There is a pervasive lack of credit reference agencies throughout the African continent which continues to detract from bank confidence levels and the availability of funding for activation of economic growth. Given the competitive nat ure of the global environment, inspiring industrial advances should be at the forefront of governmental strategy as in order to maintain the recent financial successes which have sustained incremental poverty reduction, participation on a global scale is becoming a necessity. In spite of the hesitation and challenges which surrounds the creation of translatable credit reference agencies, the future of the African national depends on the wealth of information which they will come to retain. As enterprise is directly dependent on available investment funds, participants continue to seek methods of revenue generation, and through well-informed credit outlets, the participative nature of expanding economics will enable entrepreneurs and businesses to expand their berth and actively compete on a much more even playing field. As Africa as a whole continues to struggle against rampant economic instability, popular theories recognize a variety of insufficiencies, including lack of available infrastructure, inadequate educational facilities and programs, and limited health care opportunities as main failures within the collaborative regime. There is, however, another piece of the African economic puzzle which has yet to evolve to meet modern competitive expectations, and that is the systematized inclusion of credit reference agencies and their foundation support mechanisms in the development of commerce and private finance. From a historic perspective, the early development of credit initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa was entirely localized to a protective function of selective credit allocation. It was within this framework that central banks and government controlled credit mechanisms were strictly regulated, leading to substantial economic decline in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s (McDonald and Schumacher, 2007). Ultimately, banking institutions were used as a domestic funding mechanism for government programs and initiatives; however, this reduction of financial resources meant a limited availability of capital for private borrowers and desirous businesses. As developing economies evolve rapidly through a structure of industry generation, perhaps the most important component is found within the definitive walls of small to medium enterprise (SME’s), and their inclusion in growth and capital contribution is essential to stabilize a burgeoning economy (Quintyn, 2008). African economies developed in spite of lackluster credit programs, as government borrowing reformed dramatically to include the much more liquid and readily available foreign capital market in addition to foreign aid. Beraho (2007) cites the colonial legacy as a direct determinant of the modern economic frailties of Sub-Saharan Africa. Ultimately, the influence of colonial overseers was immediately entrenched in the assumed economic structure during periods of instability following the post-colonial independence. The extreme poverty which accompanied post-colonial activity left African nations rich in natural resources but limited in capacity for export and financial generation. In response, domestic debt, a form of government sustenance, has been credited with substantial reduction of available capital for lending purposes. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, the ratio of debt to broad money has held constant at 40%, dramatically reducing available financial resources for financing and supp orting private initiatives (Christensen, 2004). Escaping the confines of such imbalances has been a slow and difficult process; however, as foreign aid programs and the World Bank become increasingly involved, reform is slowly achieved. Mylenko (2008) notes that given the stabilization of the African macroeconomy as well as lower inflation and improved government treasury monitoring and regulation, banks have been increasingly able to turn towards lending opportunities. Africa is represented by the world’s most rapidly growing, yet equitably expiring population, and is limited by inefficiencies in their structural systems as they are characterized as â€Å"the world’s hardest working yet least productive† people (Kolo, 2006, p. 596). It is from this inefficient system that severe poverty has overwhelmed a diverse and frustrated people and continued limitations spawn from inappropriate fiscal programs and activities. There is a sustained movement towards more supportive programs, and much of the fiscal evolution over the past decades in Sub-Saharan Africa has been regulated and guided by intra-national monetary unions. Participants in the WAEMU (West African Economic and Monetary Union) include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. Other monetary unions include the WAMZ (West African Monetary Zone) represented by Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, as well as the CEMAC (Economic and Monetary Union of Central Africa) inclusive of Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. It is extremely important to recognize these collaborative monetary efforts given the expanding nature of modern credit reference agencies, as bank collaboration intra-monetarily is a direct representation of the expansionary reality which demonstrates potential for additional corroboration. Analysis of performance in dicators over the history of these African Monetary Unions offers substantial implications for other developing nations. Comparatively, the average inflation differential equates to between 8 and 10 percentage points lower in comparison to other low to medium income nations (Gosh et al., 2006). Interestingly, researchers equate the majority of this reduction to monetary discipline, while approximately twenty percent is relative to international confidence levels given the combinative national participation (Gosh et al., 2006). The development of private finance over the past decade has occurred as a direct result of revised fiscal policies throughout the African continent including the combined efforts of multi-national partnerships. There remains, however, a significant piece of the credit market puzzle which has yet to evolve into a supportive and extensively viable practice, and that is the creation and practice of credit reference agencies. The nature of such entities is one from which both consumer and lender confidence is fully integrated into the business cycle and default is directly undermined by the framework of the system itself. Data demonstrates that the issuance of private sector credit in Sub-Saharan Africa declined in a period between 1980 and 2004 from 15.6 percent of GDP to 15.1; comparatively, growth rates in Asia more than doubled, elevating private sector credit levels to over 40 percent of GDP, and in Latin America, incidence grew by over 50 percent, elevating levels to over 20 percen t of GDP (â€Å"Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa,† 2008). There exists a pitfall of significant registry deficiency which continues to detract from the participative efforts of banks and credit reference agencies. Given the nature of Africa’s structural evolution, emphasis has slowly begun to shift towards national registries which incorporate accurate reference for mortgages and property data so as to accurately integrate collateral data into the developing structure of credit agencies (Sacerdoti, 2005). Ultimately, these registries are essential to establishing a standardized framework of collateral and credit reform. McDonald and Schumacher (2007) have determined that there is a complimentary relationship between credit issuance and the strength of creditor rights, namely the culpability and recoup potential given the incidence of default. As much of African credit heritage is characterized by default, there is little room for modern programs to allow continued systematic failures. The nature of credit reference agencies opportune an evolve structure from which to ensure compliance and stabilize a deviant legacy of poor payment history. The challenges which face Africa begin with its current lack of structural capacity, namely registration, standardized policy and legislation, and the volatile nature of government organizations. To overcome the credit crisis and define an effective program, evolution of African economic structures including opportunities for entrepreneurs and SME’s will be essential parts of the rehabilitiation. One method which has already generated support and shown long term successes is that of microenterprise and microfinance loans. Rhyne and Otero (1994) recognize that in spite of the arbitrary nature of its definition, that microenterprise is generally accepted as a company with less than ten employees and is relegated to the non-agricultural sector of the business community. Additionally, these businesses are oftentimes a source of income which arise where no alternative method for financial gain is available. Given the extreme impoverishment within the African borders, implementing s upportive programs is an essential tactic, one which will offer long term stability and positive reform mechanisms for a needy and desirous population. This paper seeks to identify some of the more prominent systematic failures within specific African infrastructures through specific case studies and devise strategy for evading, manipulating, and evolving such systems to meet financial demand and overcome the credit dilemma. Ultimately, the solutions herein recognize the necessity of credit reference agencies and through the integration of such programs, solutions can be drawn from which to prioritize their sustainability. As integrating credit bureaus and agencies into a frail infrastructure is a long term goal, identifying the key areas of potential failure prior to inception is essential to prudent and productive creation. Ultimately, the findings of this paper determine that given the nature of globalized capitalism, credit reference agencies offer a singular solution from which to pull Africa from the depths of poverty and define its prosperous multinational future. While foreign aid and government reform will assist to waylay many of Africa’s social problems, the only true option for overcoming extreme economic difficulties is through supportive initiatives which redistribute opportunities for wealth among the people who truly need sustainable financial sustenance. In order to ensure that such distribution is appropriately allocated, the historic nature of the credit reference agency will ensure that banks and credit corporations have adequate reference from which to offer the necessary funds for generation of commerce and industry. The following section represents a sample set of a diverse grouping of African participants. Each of these nations has undergone periods of remarkable recovery yet remains limited in this credit reference agency participation. While developmentally exploiting both natural and human resources to overcome the throes of poverty, these nations have yet to fully extract their legacy from the limiting factors which have undermined social and economic efforts for the past decades. Nigeria Nigeria represents a nation of over 144,700 million inhabitants of which over 54 percent currently live in abject poverty (World Bank, 2008). Endeavoring to stabilize their vacillating economy, government leaders have embarked upon a process of economic reform and consolidation over the past decade with decidedly positive results. Much of the evolution of this economy owes its legacy to the rising oil prices and increased exports in this area as demand continues to pay dividend to a resource rich Nigerian population. Unfortunately, there are other limiting constraints which continue to undermine rapid economic evolution on a broad scale, and as the population continues to grow at an annual rate of over 2.4%, there remains significant opportunity for developing internal modes of sustenance and advanced and sustainable industries to push the Nigerian economy forward (World Bank, 2008). Exemplary of the limiting factors now facing the Nigerian people, the lack of a substantial credit system, and importantly, credit reference agency, has historically undermined entrepreneurial efforts and small to medium enterprise, the keys to sustained economic growth. Before the 2005 consolidation period, over 20% of loans made by Nigerian banks were non-performing, as opposed to the remarkable decline of this negative incidence to just over 8.4% in 2007 (Corbett, 2008). It is a direct result of this negative outlook towards loan participants that the Credit Reference Company of Nigeria has been created in past years which utilizes a network of 11 banks to standardize the systematic handling of customer information and credit history. Pre-consolidation Nigerian banks could not fund long term projects due to their short term capital capabilities, in recent years, this process has now evolved to include 10-20 year loans, thereby enabling infrastructural development and social reform (Corbett 2008). As the majority of Nigerian nationals have limited desire to trust their savings to the banking system, much of the evolution over the past years has required significant adjustment in public perspective and a necessary increase in consumer confidence. In Nigeria, private sector credit and banking deposits have doubled since the 2005 banking consolidation and the number of banking branches have increased by over one third (IMF Country Report, 2008). As a testament to the efforts at financial modernization, the expansion of this banking network is a direct indication of a necessitated communication network, one which has the capacity to share consumer information and at the same time, retain the privacy of these participants. Indicative of the evolving perception regarding credit and modern purchasing methods, in 2004, Nigeria recorded less than 50,000 credit card transactions per month as opposed to the remarkable growth to over 51,000,000 per month that were recorded in March of 200 8 (â€Å"Nigeria; The Rise of the Card Payment System,† 2008). Yet these charges are not representative of an extension of credit and simply attest to the acceptance of electronic payment processing as inhabitants continue to support alternate modes of payment. Unfortunately, in spite of bank and economic reform, poverty levels are holding at approximately 55 percent of the Nigerian population, further exacerbated by limited resources available given the rising population and under capitalized infrastructural reform (IMF Country Report, 2008). It is within the incapacitated growth mechanisms that Nigerian credit reference agencies are most needed, as funding unprecedented reform requires the capabilities which can only be imbued through finance and bank funding mechanisms. Recognizing the SME’s hold a key to Nigerian development, there is continued support for credit based initiatives from which to extend financial opportunities to these developing industries. The IFC (International Finance Corporation), a World Bank affiliate continues offer its partnership as Nigeria strives to develop and maintain consumer data, their efforts intimately linked with the economic future of the nation. Tanzania Tanzania, a much smaller nation than Nigeria, is represented by a population of over 39.5 million inhabitants, over 36 percent of whom live below the poverty line (World Bank, 2008). Equally representative of the reformation efforts of developing African countries, Tanzania has endeavored to undergo structural evolution in the past few decades, actively pursuing economic opportunity for its population who continues to expand by around 2.6 percent annually. One of the most significant failures within the Tanzanian system has been the lack of property registry. The World Bank (2005) reported that 90 percent of nationals could not be located through property registry and only had six national offices at their disposal for registry purposes, each fraught with unnecessary and â€Å"irrelevant red tape.† Given this lack of registry foundation, there is little collateral leverage to be gained by participating in government registration programs, therefore, citizens do not find overwh elming motivation or desire to legalize their claims to land. Additionally, the World Bank (2005) notes that there is limited liquidity of property rights for similar reasons of registration difficulties and obscure transference policies, therefore, entrepreneurs have limited opportunity to leverage their properties and gain the initial financing needed for startup capital. Characteristic of more widespread African credit issues, only 4 percent of respondents in a recent survey claimed access to trade credit as a source of start-up finances, thereby placing all required resources directly at the informal level and limited to a partnered initiative between friends and private investors (Sharma and Upneja, 2005). This failure within the credit system is directly related to the lack of credit reference agencies and the supportive information they could provide; however, given the state of the Tanzanian recording structure, there seems to be a much more pressing issue of registry and records to overcome before such projects can become a reality. In addition to the failure to support corporate trade credit, there is an overall limitation which is obvious when considering the widespread state of Tanzanian credit. More formal data recognized private credit initiatives at 8 percent of GDP in 2005; however, comparatively Kenya’s private credit in the same period was over 23 percent of GDP (World Bank, 2005). The lack of lending directly correlates to the lack of creditor rights and available, traceable collateral for loans. As default rates continue to undermine any efforts towards credit system evolution, there remains a substantial field of doubt which overwhelms banks and their lending efforts. Given the disconnect between small businesses and reception of credit from Tanzanian banks, the ability to start and maintain a business in the modern environment is extremely limited and continues to be undermined by a lack of capital. Most concerning is that given the lack of external funding, disposable income or working capital is thereby reintegrated into the business and utilized for daily refurbishments as available. Tanzanian business owners are therefore limited by both the economic factors which drive the success of their business, and their own personal integration into the business operations through consummation of personal finance, lack of new equipment and materials, and inability to improve upon current models to evolve standards to more modern efficiencies (Sharma and Upneja, 2005). These failures are a direct result of the Tanzanian credit crisis and requite the inclusion of a well positioned credit reporting agency in order to ensure that SME’s have sustaine d opportunities for generating much needed investment capital. One of the most remarkable advances which has sustained the fleeting, but evolving stability that is becoming visible within the Tanzanian infrastructure is the adjustment of government funding from domestic lending to foreign sources and foreign aid (Sharma and Upneja, 2005; World Bank, 2005). Eliminating this form of consequential taxation on bank reserves has expanded the Tanzanian opportunity for investment and greater private funding. Unfortunately, characteristic of other African nations, a lack of any form of credit reference agency prevents broad based credit dispersion among citizens and thereby limits loans to corporations and larger scale economic participants. Tanzania currently has plans to develop and establish an operational credit reference databank by the end of June, 2009 in order to extend credit into the private sector. The extension of private credit is currently projected to increase around 22 percent per year yet is entirely linked to governmental stability and internal mechanisms of fiscal policies (â€Å"United Republic of Tanzania: Third Review Under the Policy Support Instrument,† 2008). The nature of finance is derived from available resources which can be distributed for a nominal return. Given the current state of government spending, this opportunity is more realistic today than it has ever been; however, the Tanzanian government must evade the pitfalls of internal borrowing in order to enable these funds to be distributed among industrial participants, thereby facilitating the expansion of industry and inclusion of additional commerce in the resource limited business sector. Kenya Kenya is a nation of similar size to Tanzania, boasting a population of just over 36.6 million people, yet over 55.5 percent of these inhabitants live below the poverty line (Population Reference Bureau, 2008). Most significant in Kenya’s modern history, political unrest and lacking economic growth have continued to undermine efforts of reform and population support mechanisms. Credit considerations are simply another indication of the limited capabilities which a tumultuous nation has to overcome its financial and social deficits. In 2003, over one third of all bank loans were considered non-performing (NPL’s), directly undermining the lending power of institutions, as well as enhancing the proclivity for default among participants (â€Å"Kenya: Bankers Unveil Plan to Keep Tabs on Borrowers,† 2007). In spite of the frail political economy, currently the development of a credit reference bureau is in its advanced stages, as recognizing the merits of such collabor ative information sharing, Kenyan banks actively seek to minimize risk and improve their loan to repayment ratios. Remarkably, in Kenya, over recent decades exceptional opportunities have evolved for entrepreneurial credit extension as startup capital and materials costs represent a substantial portion of business success ratios. Kenyan extension of credit is significantly higher than other African regions as over 85 percent of businesses currently have opportunity to borrow from their providers (World Bank, 2004). These surveyed corporations, while a representation of Kenyan businesses, offer an optimistic perspective on the future of industry and finance. Given the relative youth of the Kenyan population with 4 out of every 10 citizens being under the age of 15, there is substantial opportunity to ensure that financial resources are available for these growing future business owners (Population reference Bureau, 2008). Ultimately, Kenya presents a fairly optimistic outlook for the future of credit extension and opportunities for broad scale industrial financing; however, the completion and full integration of their credit reference bureau stands to offer the most reliable statistics after its inception later this year. Uganda Uganda, a nation of 29.9 million citizens, has continued to experience substantial population growth over the past decade, holding near 3.2 percent, a number significantly advanced from other referenced African nations (World Bank, 2008). Of significant concern to the development of a progressive Ugandan infrastructure, trade credit plays an intricate part in sustaining emerging business and defining industrial evolution. Current statistics demonstrate that only 60 percent of firms have access to this capital as material providers must, themselves, be supplied with the external financial means from banking institutions to extend such credit (World Bank, 2004). When firms are afforded the opportunity to borrow directly from banking institutions, the interest fees associated with such loans are oftentimes overwhelmingly costly and therefore, detract from the efficacy of such endeavors. Overwhelmingly, the inadequacies within the Ugandan credit structure can be directly attributed to a lack of credit tracking mechanisms, and thereby, the capacity for benchmarking and substantiation of creditworthiness. Researchers note that over 40 percent of all loans held in Uganda have a maturity date of one year or less; and of those firms who to receive loans, over 60 percent of all participants are required to post collateral as a loan prerequisite (World Bank, 2004). Essentially, this extreme precedence of default aversion represents an obvious inadequacy in the Ugandan credit reporting system, as given more stringent standards and a confluence of bank participants, protection mechanisms would become fully integrated with the reporting system, providing a deterrence net to reduce defaults through natural and appropriate fiscal processes. Characteristic of many African nations, the pervasive nation of credit doubt in terms of default and repayment potential is an indication of the necessity for credit reference agency construction. As lenders seek to develop new streams of available capital, Ugandan SME’s represent an expanding opportunity, however, they will require support from struc tural evolution in order to ensure their continued operation. There are extreme challenges presented by the African credit woes, most of which will not be overcome through foreign aid or current infrastructure development programs. Indicated by the nations herein, there is substantial need for integration of credit reference agencies into the structure of these modernizing nations; specifically, there is a need for support of small to medium enterprise and the merits of developing an economy through advanced and evolving industry. Ultimately, determining a singular solution to the credit crisis is impossible, however, by coupling several key zones of evolution into a targeted plan of action, the potential for sustained advancement becomes a much more plausible reality. Quintyn (2008) noted that other developing nations who have evolved through similar credit challenges have utilized a form of hub and spoke credit agency system from which to operate these units with limited startup capital required for each branch. In its â€Å"Regional Economic Outlook† (2008), the IMF recognizes that there is a need for leveraged reference agencies, specifically those who are sustained by a technologically advanced central hub yet localize their economy of scale operations in areas of public access. Given the limited nature of credit agencies, a hub and spoke system would reduced the cost of a credit report by $ 2-5 and allow firms the opportunity to extend credit more freely given the support base of their regional offices. The IMF (2008) also recognizes that current credit offerings are only 200,000 people out of every 15 million, a direct result of a lack of credit data and agency interaction within the modern banking structure. In order to overcome the geographical, political, and economic constraints which undermine the constructs of a successful African credit program, the continuity of credit reporting policies across geographic lines must be maintained. While banking unions have taken the initiative to link participants, there remain additional opportunities for broad scale communication expansion and technically advanced sharing techniques which protect both the consumer and the bank from fraud. In spite of the banking cooperatives which are integrated into the Western and Central African economic structures, there remains a difficult framework for monetary exchange outside of these conglomerates. Pervasive in widespread Sub-Saharan fiscal analysis, the necessity of a central banking structure continues to challenge unorganized methods of bank-dominated financial systems. The application of such a combinative operation is one which would assist in the integration of regional credit reference agencies with centralized control mechanisms. This transformation of the informal structure into a more systematized and coordinated pragmatism would generate synergies between monetary policy and banking oversight, thereby establishing a supervisory committee while propagating a bank dominated industry (Quintyn, 2008). The central oversight which is lacking in terms of African banks is basically a function of communicable objectives, a framework which is essential when considering the n ature of investing in economic futures. African capacity for growth is readily foreseeable, however, there must be an active pursuit of this evolution, one which directly integrates the unique partnerships of a banking network and captures communicative data which is readily available across geographic lines. There is a continued deficit within the African lending structure, one which demands reform and challenges banks to contin

Troys Ideology and Occupation in Fences by August Wilson :: essays research papers

In Fences, the main character Troy obtains an occupation that changes his value systems, his character traits, and his overall ideology. Not only did it affect his lifestyle, it eventually affects those around him. The newly found ideology Troy obtains significantly effects the development of the story's plot.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Troy has a lower-middle/working class occupation - a garbage man. In Troy's mind, this job is something that enables him to survive thus far. Growing up, Troy experiences many hardships. Escaping an abusive father, Troy corrupts his life with a passion for thievery and irresponsible actions. For example, Troy impregnates a woman; the woman gave birth to Lyons. Because of Troy's irresponsible lifestyle, he is sent to jail; Lyons grows up without a father. Upon obtaining this job, Troy thinks it is one of the most stable aspects of his life. Stability, security, and success - this occupation brings many enhancements into Troy's life. Having a steady income changes his personal ideology of what character traits an African-American male should possess; in particular, what character traits his sons should possess. Troy's son Lyons now lives as a musician. To Troy, musicianship as a career does not provide that level of stability his job as a garbage man provides. Telli ng Lyons his point of view, Troy says the following: You know why I got it? You living the fast life...wanna be a musician...running around in them clubs and things...then, you learn to take care of yourself. You ain't gonna find me going and asking nobody for nothing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (464) Troy, without the use of force, wishes Lyons, would change his ways to match his new ideology; on the contrary, Troy attempts to force Cory, his youngest son, to adopt these beliefs. In fact, Troy wants Cory to exemplify a more developed and enriched ideology than he himself has. Telling Lyons his point of view, Troy says the following: You go on and get your book learning so you can work yourself up in that A&P or learn how to fix cars or build houses or something, get you a trade. That way you have something can't nobody take away from you. You go on and learn how to put your hands to some good use. Besides hauling people's garbage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (476) Similarly, both Cory and Lyons seek careers that lack stability and security - something Troy finds unfaithful to his beliefs. Cory yearns to join a collegiate football team. To supplement the principals he obtains from his steady occupation, Troy forces Cory to desist his collegiate football career and return to his steady occupation working at the A&P.

The Effect of Politics and Race on Identity of Puerto Ricans Essay

The Effect of Politics and Race on Identity of Puerto Ricans As is present in many articles we read about Spanish rule and American rule, there were always references to race, and the mix of races that the Puerto Ricans are, and how that has affected their identity. Kristen Moran hypothesized as to what was the origin of Spaniard's need to assert their clean lineage: "The attitude of the Spaniards concerning pure lineage, which can be traced back to the Muslim occupation of Spain, further complicated race interaction in Puerto Rico." The Ferrà © novel begins with Buenaventura's arrival to Puerto Rico from Spain, who is a member of a bourgeoisie family. Immediately there are references to the importance of a â€Å"clean lineage† and books which tracked marriages to make sure that families were remaining true to their roots. Families wanted to assert that there was no â€Å"bad blood† running through the family when another bourgeoisie family is ready to marry off their son or daughter. David Bernstein expands on this idea by writ ing that, "Buenaventura preaches his racial superiority and separation from others to his children, in the hope that this will ensure the 'purity' of future generation's white blood." This is why early on the citation by Gonzà ¡lez of â€Å"returning to Spanish era† as â€Å"returning to a society in which the white and property-owning part of the population has always oppressed and despised the non-white and non-property-owning part.†(Gonzà ¡lez, p4) was utilized in the conclusion of my first paper on early Spanish rule and has not left the schema I have created in my mind of how each set of rulers viewed Puerto Ricans. Ferrà © touches on an area that I had not connected myself, nor had read anywhere yet. This realization that... ...n the Twentieth Century. 2nd.ed. (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1996). Ferrà ©, Rosario. The House on the Lagoon (NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1995). Gonzà ¡lez, Josà © Luis, â€Å"Puerto Rico: The Four-Storeyed Country,† from Puerto Rico: The Four-Storeyed Country and other essays (Princeton and NY: Markus Wiener Publishing, Inc.), 1-30. Moran, Kristen. Home page- H378. http://frontpage.trincoll.edu/kmoran2/project.htm Morris, Nancy. Puerto Rico: Culture, Politics, and Identity (Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1995). Pearson, Stacie. Home page. 10 December 1998. <http://frontpage.trincoll.edu/spearson/puerto2.htm>. Puerto Rico Herald Vol. 2 No. 25. <www.puertorico-herald.org> Rivera, Fabian. Home page-H378. http://frontpage.trincoll.edu/frivera/newpage3.htm Rodriguez, Richard. Home page- H378 http://frontpage.trincoll.edu/rrodrigu/h378p.htm

Marketing Peter Pan Peanut Butter to Canadian Markets Essay

Many U.S. consumers are not aware that there are many products that are sold in our country but are not available to countries like China or Japan. A lot of products are only for sale in the U.S. and consumers in other countries have to find other ways of obtaining those products. Some products that use to be sold in Canada have now vanished while others have never been available for purchase so many consumers have to order those products online, if possible, or possibly get some family member or friend from the U.S. to buy and ship the product to them. Some Canadians are now surprised to learn that Coca-Cola Vanilla, or Vanilla Coke, is no longer available to purchase in the supermarkets and convenience stores located in Canada. Consumers on both sides of the border and other countries responded well to these products that were launched in 2002 by the Coca Cola Company. Canadians that now want this product will have to stock up the next time they visit the U.S. Meanwhile they may be able to look forward to other products that may reach Canadian markets. As Marketing Manager of ConAgra Food’s, Peter Pan Peanut Butter, I would like to market this brand available to Canadian markets by using a marketing plan that is the core of the business. The main reason for the marketing plan is that it provides a structured approach that forces the marketing manager to consider all the relevant elements of the planning process which might be missed if a more rushed approach is adopted especially when trying to market a product to foreign markets. Peter Pan Peanut Butter is brand of ConAgra Foods and was named after the J.M. Barrie character debuted in 1928. The brand was originally produced by the Swift & Company that at the time first called the peanut butter, â€Å"E.K. Pond.† Peter Pan PB comes in 10 different varieties which include Creamy, Whipped, Crunchy, Extra Crunchy, Honey Roasted Creamy, Honey Roasted Crunchy, Smart Choice Creamy, Smart Choice Crunchy, Plus 8 (vitamin enriched). Peter Pan has been on the market for many decades and when first packaged, was marketed in a tin can. But because of metal shortages during the second World War, changed its packaging to glass and plastic jars. The product’s tagline of not sticking to the roof of your mouth is one of the reasons, other than it being just plain good, that the Canadians desire Peter Pan so much. The first step in marketing this product to one of the largest Canadian food markets such as The Superstore, Sobeys, Metro, and Safeway, is to analyze the customer value equation. â€Å"Traditionally we think that consumers choose based on the quality of the product, while really the driver of all choice is the non-cognitive relationship that the consumer has with the brand, which is entirely channeled through the brand identity.† (Wegrzyn, 2011). The matter of finding a role of the brand within a consumer’s life comes after the brand identity has accurately addressed how the brand wants to be perceived. The question for prospective buyers in most situations is not whether to make a purchase in the product category, but which product or service to buy. When a product’s price exceeds its value-in-use, the offering’s net contribution, and inducement to purchase, is negative. The customer is better off not buying the product. Whatever the customer would gain from the product itself is more than offset by what she would have to give up in paying its price. In most situations, however, a very different situation exists. In most situations, the prices charged for products and services fall far below the values-in-use that customers expect to obtain from them. In many cases, because of competition, products’ use values are in multiples of 5 to 10 times the prices at which they sell. Customers buy products to fill unmet needs and because they expect to derive some value or utility from them. Products provide customers with four types of utility or benefit. These utilities and benefits are time utility, place utility, ownership utility and form utility. What is the time utility or value to the consumer of having Peter Pan Peanut Butter available at any convenient time within supermarkets? The time utility may be of critical importance because many families may depend upon this product to satisfy the needs of small children which may take this product to school for lunch, possibly. So it may be detrimental that it is always available on the shelves by making sure that the production of the product is timely. Secondly, place utility is important. This is the value to a consumer of having the product available in convenient market locations. It may be important that the peanut butter is available at many different supermarkets especially those that are located near schools where there is a high population of children that the product would be in demand to. Ownership utility may not be an important factor for this product as is the value of transferring the product’s ownership. Last is the form utility of the product. Form utility is the value to consumers from changing the composition of the product. The form utility of the peanut butter is also fairly high. Peanut butter isn’t just for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but is also used in Peanut butter chili, peanut butter broccoli, peanut butter ice cream and peanut butter cocktails. It can be eaten with chocolate, it can be eaten with jam, it can be smeared on chicken, and it can even be used in drinks and it seems that the uses for peanut butter are endless. Peanut butter has been known to be used as an excellent lubricator on rusty old blades, for animal medicine, a butter replacement, mousetrap bait, and price tag removal. When entering foreign markets it is essential to have a clear understanding of the economic conditions of the country in order to properly promote the product in the marketing process so that the development, execution and measure of the campaign for the peanut butter run smoothly. It is important that I visit the target market because on-site, I can talk to potential buyers in order to learn everything that I need to know about competition, local rules and distribution channels. By attending trade shows and events that are specific to the industry within Canada I can learn a lot of helpful information by taking notes on products, competitors, packaging and labeling of similar products. The marketing process can be tedious and stressful in starting the export operations. I will have to make sure that I have an export plan that is similar to a business plan but instead focuses on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that my company can face within foreign markets. My export plan will help me to define my objectives clearly in order to use the right tactics to reach my goals and gain more credibility. My plan states how I can make my product adaptable to Canadian markets and will aid in determining sales price and how much time will be required to mee t my objectives. The best way to enter the Canadian markets is through efficient entry strategies which involve selling directly to end users and foreign retail markets will buy directly from ConAgra Foods. In ConAgra’s consumer goods business, there is no one factor more important than brand awareness. We are aware that if a customer recognizes my brand, they are more likely to buy it which will increase the sales of the product. The product will be shelved on stores according to the popularity among customers or the most sales. The advertising campaign should increase brand awareness amongst some of our other products in order to get better placement in other Canadian markets as well. â€Å"An effective marketing mix also includes market segmentation, targeting and positioning the product for competitive advantage.† (Food Export Association of the Midwest USA and Food Export USA, 2011). â€Å"In international marketing, it may sometimes be useful to see countries as segments. Country level segmentation may be done on levels such as geography—based on the belief that neighboring countries and countries with a particular type of climate or terrain tend to share similarities, demographics or income.† (Pernerm, 2012). Income segmentation can be a bit tricky. This is because relative prices between the U.S. and Canada may differ significantly. This is based upon purchasing power parity that measures which greatly affects the relative cost of imported and domestically produced products. â€Å"Proper execution of these procedures requires quality research and consultation from export assistance providers, export service providers and customers in the foreign market.† (Food Export Association of the Midwest USA and Food Export USA, 2011). â€Å"The Marketing mix and the 4 P’s are the controllable elements of business.† (Food Export Association of the Midwest USA and Food Export USA, 2011). For instance a company has control over what product it makes, what price it sells the product for, how it wishes to place (distribute) the product and how it wishes to promote it. Introducing new products is a very good way of achieving differentiation and enhancing a retail identity in an over -subscribed retail market, but without corporate support new products may fail or go unnoticed. Because I want to expand Peter Pan, Peanut Butter to Canadian markets I need to perform an environmental analysis at the beginning of the marketing process as well as throughout it. Political and Legal forces, Economic forces, Socio-cultural forces and Technological forces are known as PEST factors of the micro-environment. â€Å"An examination of Canada’s political orientation and environment is part of the preliminary screening stage of market select.† (Zekiri & Angelova, 2011). I have to carefully study Canada’s government structure of the Canadian markets and their political system. In addition, I must perform efficient risk assessments because of high levels of uncertainty in terms of continuity of government policies, changing political philosophies that are evident in Canadian markets. Political risk factors are divided into 4 levels, general instability, expropriation, operations, and finance. If any of the levels uncovers risk, which may be deemed unacceptable, the firm should immediately reconsider conducting business within Canada. Barriers of entry will also have to be assessed because it can also be a factor that could possibly make it difficult to break into Canadian markets. Tariff and non-tariff barriers make â€Å"companies already in the market more valuable as they reduce the risk of new competition.† (Zekiri & Angelova, 2011). These â€Å"entry barriers are imposed by governments in order to protect domestic industry or to ensure that companies entering from foreign markets conform to trade relation’s arrangements with other countries.† (Zekiri & Angelova, 2011). â€Å"Barriers to exit are obstacles to market players who realize that they will not turn a profit and would like to quit the market.† (Zekiri & Angelova, 2011). â€Å"From an economic perspective, it makes sense to produce and sell an additional unit of product or service if the revenue generated covers at least for the variable costs.† (Zekiri & Angelova, 2011). Another important variable to consider because of impacts that court of law decisions may have upon a company’s globalization attempts is its legal environment. ConAgra could face a vast amount of problems in my efforts to develop a successful strategy. â€Å"Understanding the legal environment of target countries is considered of great importance in terms of market selection, due to the detrimental impacts court of law decisions related to issues such as foreign exchange rates, expropriation and intellectual property rights, jurisdiction, patents, trademarks, licensing, antitrust and bribery, etc.† (Zekiri & Angelova, 2011). I will also have to pay close attention to the economic development and performance of Canada. Canada’s stage of economic growth will have a great impact in my foreign strategies. â€Å"Economic growth affects a countries attitude towards foreign business activity, the demand for goods and the distribution system found within the country.† (Zekiri & Angelova, 2011). â€Å"So, a study of the economic climate is important especially to gain understanding with regard to developing countries and secondly in respect to market potential and market growth.† (Zekiri & Angelova, 2011). â€Å"The existing level of economic development allows the firm to estimate the degree of market potential as well as allowing them to prepare for economic shifts and emerging markets.† (Zekiri & Angelova, 2011). ConAgra’s direct competitors of packaged foods in the U.S.are the H.J. Heinz Company, Mondelez International, Nestl, Tyson Foods, and Smithfield foods. International competitors are Gordon signature, GFS, Markon, and Trade East. Many Canadian brands believe very strongly in marketing that it’s more than simply a service offering. They believe that it starts with a clear understanding of demographics and competitive landscape. Canadian brand managers are experienced, senior level professionals with combined sales and marketing backgrounds across an impressive range of tier-one companies within their industry. But as with most marketers ConAgra’s team has built collectively and individually, vast extended networks of highly specialized and talented marketers. As ComAgra’s landscape continues to change, they are committed to learning, understanding and working in new environments in order to ensure they reach the highest potential for all of their principals. Peanut butter is in 90 percent of households and most families with kids consider it a staple and kid-friendly food.† (Ashman & Beckley, 2006). If you were to ask many people to name their favorite brand of peanut butter you may get a few different answers such as Skippy, Jif and Peter Pan. The product largest consumer base comes from families with children, preschools and K-12 schools. â€Å"While today’s harried parents can choose from an array of prepackaged lunch options, the classic PB&J remains as convenient as it is healthy and tasty.† (Gidman, 2009). â€Å"This means that the three major peanut butter brands—plus several smaller ones—will have to employ successful branding to secure a place in the American lunch box.† (Gidmanm, 2009). â€Å"Manufactures are responding to consumers’ hectic lifestyles by creating packaging that assists convenience. Peanut butter comes in squeezable packages, with jelly and as a premade sandwich.† (Ashman & Beckley, 2006). In Peter Pan’s advertising campaigns from the 1950’s they showcased â€Å"Youngsters Prefer Peter Pan Peanut Butter† within their ad. The advertisement influenced mothers shopping for their children by using a charming little blonde haired boy enjoying a piece of bread covered with peanut butter because the advertising agency knew that showcasing a motherly figure or a mother, would get the mother to associate that child with a child of her own. They also printed the advertisement using calm colors that allowed the viewer of the ad to think relaxing thoughts. Good marketing ethics affect organizational success. Ethics are the principals a person or department uses when making a decision. The truth is, the advertising ad can be a little misleading because just because that little boy in the ad likes that peanut butter, this doesn’t mean that every little child will like it. â€Å"Misleading advertising is a common ethical dilemma. Although regulation provides formal boundaries of what an advertisement can and cannot say, marketers must consider the ethical boundaries.† (Okely, 2009). â€Å"Ethical behavior by the marketing department will make the department and even the company a more attractive place to work as the company’s good reputation will transfer to its employees. Motivated, proud employees will improve performance.† (Okely, 2009). â€Å"Bad marketing ethics will destroy a good reputations which is arguably much harder to build than sales numbers.† (Okely, 2009). Marketing plans are crucial to marketing managers in providing a more structured approach in marketing products to foreign markets. Market managers specialize in targeting different parts of a customer base to increase demand for a company’s product or matches customers and different market segments to the products the firm produces. Foreign marketing is a very broad subject is importance to a country and to individual companies. I have examined the broader aspects of international trade in terms of difficulties encountered when trading I foreign markets including how countries are structured in terms of their economic development and some of the world’s trading blocks. Many problems have also been considered from a company’s standpoint and in each of the elements of the marketing mix are considered in turn in the context of how it should be manipulated when dealing in foreign markets. References Angelova, J., & Zekiri, B. (2011). Factors that influence entry mode choice in foreign markets. European Journal of Social Sciences, 22(4), 572-584. Retrieved from http://www.eurojournals.com/EJSS_22_4_12.pdf Ashmanm, H., & Beckly, J. (2006, January 7). Educating consumers about peanut butter. Retrieved from: http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2006/258.html Food Export Association of the Midwest USA and Food Export USA, (2012). Compete and succeed in the international marketplace: The export marketing mix. Retrieved from: http://www.foodexport.org/GettingStarted/Content.cfm?ItemNumber=1288 Gidman, J. (2009, January 19). Peanut Butter brands go nuts. Retrieved from: http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=460 Okely, L. (2009, June 26). Common ethical dilemmas faced by marketing departments. http://www.helium.com/items/1496496-ethical-issues-faced-by-marketers Perner, L. Ph.D. (2012). USC Marshall: International marketing. Retrieved from: http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/international_marketing.html Wegrzyn, N. (2011, December 20). The consumer value equation. Retrieved from: http://popsop.com/52197

Should College Tuition Be Based on Major

Professor Johnson EC 111H 26 October 2012 The Problem with College Tuition Every year, students wishing to attend college are faced with the steep price that comes with their prospective education. For many, the belief that it will play dividends in the long run is enough reason to pay the high price. However, college majors have a wide variance of starting median salaries, which leads to the question of whether or not tuition should be based on your field of study.Students knowing they will be making less than another student after graduating should not be required to pay the same tuition. College tuition is too high. Since the demand for an education and the supply of schools are both high, cost should be low. What we see, however, are colleges taking advantages of what people see as necessary in todays society, a college degree, and raising the prices in awareness people will pay it no matter what. Keeping the same system we have today will not fix the amount people are paying.Bas ing tuition off majors can change what universities are charging for the better. However, there is the question on what majors you raise. Many argue that the higher paying jobs should receive the increase, while others say the degrees in demand should stay the same or lower, while the other not as important majors deserve the raise. While the concept of basing tuition off majors sounds simple enough, it brings about a number of problems. The first and perhaps biggest problem is that the majors with a higher tuition receive would more funding.This leads to better professors, more resources, and an overall better education. Engineering majors, for example, have the highest average starting salary according to TIME Magazine. If their tuition was increased because of the potential monetary benefit, than the university would have the obligation to focus more on that major than a social work major, who are paid the least on average. Not only could it impact the universities allocation of funds, it could also influence people’s decisions on why they are picking a certain major.In the state of Florida, for example, they are trying to change the state’s public universities change to base tuition off of your major. Their belief is to keep the costs down of the majors that are important to the state. If the state needs more social workers or engineers, then those costs would stay low, while other â€Å"unnecessary† majors tuition is increased. Also, there is again an emphasis in the programs the state needs, meaning the funds of the college are going to the degrees high in demand.If students only focus on what the state sees as important, it could cause a lack of students in other equally important majors. Some argue it is not fair to send a drama major deep into debt and leave an engineering major well of right out of school. However, if it will stimulate the economy and add more jobs, than you can argue putting an emphasis on higher demanded degree s is necessary. Since it is our own tax dollars that they are using at these public institutions, it is in our own interest to have students who will further our economy rather than be unemployed after graduation.On the other hand, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln charges on based on starting exit salary. They charge an extra fifty dollars per credit in their business and engineering programs. They believe that since the programs are more demanding, take more resources to complete, and lead to higher salary If you look at the highest paid majors, you see it dominated by engineering and business degrees. A petroleum engineering major makes on average $98,000 out of college, while an economics degree could earn you $48,500, but $94,000 in the long run.This is attractive to many students, who desire to be making high salaries. With the high salary comes hard work, and the hard work put in is worth more. Engineers, for example, require labs and experiments that cost large amounts of m oney. Doctors have to study in hospitals and take hand on classes that also consumes university budgets. On the other hand, English majors are focused more on their books, which are individually expensive, but don’t cost universities much money.Universities should be obliged to allocate funds into the degrees that benefit them the most. They should not have to put as much money into a degree that does not make them money, as colleges are a business. There is no clear-cut choice on which way this system will work most effectively. It is obvious that both systems have their pros and cons. While one system favors government interest, the other favors university interests. Either way, people will be affective both positively and negatively. The way the state of Florida is approaching this looks stronger.If students who are going to help out the economy are rewarded by lower tuition, they will be more inclined to do so. And the degrees will start to vary, because once the need for doctors is filled, a state could now realize there is a need for economists. Also, if students are aware of what degrees business are most looking for, than there will be a better chance of them being hired straight out of the completion of there degree. College tuition needs to change, and basing it on your major is a great way to start.

Football and Soccer Compare and Contrast

Football and Soccer Compare and Contrast. Football and soccer have never been really compared before, probably because alot of people think they dont have many similarities. But they actually have alot more in common that people think they do. Having played both sports myself i can tell you that they are very different in varius ways, but also very alike. It depends in what aspects you look at it that you can see differences or similarites. Off field soccer and football share different backgrounds. On field comparisons are never talked about but they actually have somre similarities. Yes football is more of a contact sport, and soccer more of a technique sport. But football does have technique as well, and soccer contact. On the field, both teams rely on team play to move up the field and try to score on the opposing team. Both sports have a total of 22 players on the field, 11 on each team, and passing the ball to teamates is key. In both sports the offensive players take most of the glory and the spotlight, but its know that without a good defense, its hard to win. You can score all the points you want but if they score more points on you then your still losing. Scoring is very different though. On football each time you score is called a touchdown and its given 6 points plus and extra point to try to make it 7. Soccer scoring its only 1 point and its not called touchdown but its called gol. The game of football has alot more breaks during it, and it has 4 quarters. During each play you have small breaks, plus alot of timeouts and tv comercial breaks. Soccer is a non-stop sport with only 2 halfs and no breaks during each half, just the 30 minute halftime break. One of the main differences on both these sports in my mind is that football is only a sport played in the United States, while soccer is a worldwide know sport. Soccer means alot in many countries all over the world, and theres tournaments that bring every teams all over the world together. Football's major event is held here in the United States and it only it involves the one country. United States has soccer, but its one of their least successful sports economacly and physically. It has faild to reach the fan base they wanted, and the MLS (soccer league) was close to be being shut own due to lack of fans and lack of income. Soccer is like a religion in many countries all over the world and it means everything to its fans. Where im from, Argentina, soccer is bigger than anything. Alot of people take soccer even more serious than their jobs. Sometimes a little to serious. There has been a lot of soccer related accidents in Argentina and many other parts of the world. Many of the ac cidents occur during games in the stands. Soccer rivalries are very big in Argentina. Sometimes they seperate towns. Just like gangs here in United States, soccer fans fight for respect and hate towards the other team, a lot of times ending in deaths. Other incidents occur off the field. A good example to show how serious fans take the game, is the incident that occur after a World Cup, when a colombian player scored an own goal during an important game, and he was assasinated a few days later. Things like that usually never happen here in the United States. Not to say that fans are no passionate about football, but its a different type of passion. The United States understands how important soccer is worldwide, and they have tried to make soccer bigger here in the United Sates, but have failed several times. They have tried to publish soccer more by advertising and by trying to bring famous players all over the world to play here in the United States. Living here in the US, i saw that football was the major sport here. But there are alot of competing sports like basketball and baseball, and there is also college sports, which are also very big here. In Argentina, there are of course many other sports, but none come close to soccer. As a little kid, i never knew of any other sport than soccer. Every little kid growing up wants to be a soccer player when their older. And that dosn't sound like a problem, but in my opinion it is. Alot of kids growing up have â€Å"dream jobs†. Some are sports realted some are not. A lot of kids dream of being doctors, lawyers, firemans and of course start athleets. But in Argentina, most of the kids wanna be the only thing they knew growing up, a soccer player. And with most of those kids not reaching that dream, it leaves a lot of confused kids. So like most people think, there are many differences overall between football and soccer. But there are more similarities than people think there are. Maybe in the future wih the growth of soccer in the United States, we will have even more things in common. And maybe the passion for soccer here in US will one day be as big as it is in the rest of the world, but hopefullt without all the violence.