Analysis Of My Last Duchess By Robert Browning

Historically, women have been victimised and oppressed, by men and more subtly by societal constructs such as marriage. For ‘a man attaches himself to woman - not to enjoy her, but to enjoy himself’ , and this concept of a one-sided, selfish relationship is apparent in literary pieces. Within the setting of ‘My Last Duchess’, the Renaissance period, men held all-encompassing and direct control over their daughters and wives. The common practice in this era, of arranged marriage for dowry, consolidated the concept of women as a resource for they represented money and political power towards his family. Robert Browning uses this extreme perception of the Duke to commentate on male pride that was still prevalent in his own Victorian era. In the depression period of ‘Of Mice and Men’, women were demonised and sexualised. They became housewives whilst society decomposed around them, becoming increasingly unstable and violent. John Steinbeck presents Curley’s wife unsympathetically, and yet upon her death he relents that she was a product of her miserable era. In the age of ‘The Ruined Maid’, set during the urbanisation of Victorian Britain, women who turned to prostitution ‘ruined’ their social standings, but could live with a guarantee of economic stability. Yet, the poet Thomas Hardy satirizes his society’s view of prostitutes as ‘ruined’, rather suggesting that they lived among the freest and most refined of lives during his period. Furthermore, set most recently, the poemShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of My Last Duchess By Robert Browning1523 Words   |  7 PagesZografakis English Period 8 7 November 2014 Throughout history, gender roles have been an important barrier in society. Women are forced to satisfy expectations established by men and society. â€Å"My Last Duchess,† by Robert Browning, focuses on the powerful Duke establishing certain expectations of the Duchess, and attempting to control her. Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, concentrates on Laertes establishing certain expectations of Ophelia, and seeking to control her. A Room of One’s Own, by VirginiaRead More Analysis of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning Essay examples1222 Words   |  5 Pages Analysis of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning Murder mystery intrigue. All describe Robert Brownings poem, My Last Duchess. From the speakers indirect allusions to the death of his wife the reader might easily think that the speaker committed a vengeful crime out of jealousy. His flowery speech confuses and disguises any possible motives, however, and the mystery is left unsolved. The poem is a great example of dramatic dialogue, a poetic form used to narrate and dramatize. It consistsRead MoreAnalysis of Robert Browning ´s My Last Duchess1165 Words   |  5 Pagesgiven by a character within the poem. My Last Duchess is a narrative poem where the poetic persona is narrating to another the story of his late wife. He first expunges on the painting of the duchess and then digresses to her personality and all her transgressions. He then makes some startling revelations about himself that allow the reader to become intimately aware of his personality. It is clear that the poetic persona in Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess is the Duke who is narrating the poemRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem My Last Duchess By Robert Browning1370 Words   |  6 Pageshappening during their time of existence in the Enlightenment time period. Emily Dickenson; Robert Browning; and Jamaica Kincaid are three of many talented writers who along with all of the things they wrote about were the issues that woman faced throughout time in history. Em ily Dickenson wrote the poem 303 which talked about a woman who chose to empower herself; Robert Browning wrote the poem My Last Duchess about a woman who was ruled over by the same man who killed her; and Jamaica Kincaid wroteRead MoreAnalysis Of My Last Duchess By Robert Browning And A Woman s Lover 1712 Words   |  7 PagesThis analysis will look at how major themes such as, ambition, supernatural, reality and appearance, played a role in the way events occurred and how they have affected the marriage between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This analysis would also study how the author, William Shakespeare, portrayed these themes using language and historical context to affect the opinions of the audience’s perception of the two characters. As Shakespeare’s Macbeth had been written in the past, it would be of great contrastRead MoreSummary Of My Last Duchess By Robert Browning1164 Words   |  5 PagesProfessor Newberry 13 February 2017 A Reader’s Guide to Robert Browning â€Å"My Last Duchess† Title and Author Robert browning was born on May 7,1817 in Camberwell, England. To and accomplished pianist and a bank clerk. It is said by the age of five he was already proficient of writing and reading. At the age of twelve he wrote a volume of Byronic verse entitled Incondita, which his parents attempted to have published. By thirteen birthday Browning had received the rest of Shelly’s work, and declared himselfRead MoreSummary Of Porphyrias Lover And My Last Duchess1001 Words   |  5 PagesVisa Versa (An analysis of the similarities and differences of Last and Lover by Robert Browning) Robert Browning is the great poet of dramatic monologues. A dramatic monologue is described as narrator revealing characteristics about himself, while still explaining a particular series of events. Robert Browning was slow to make himself a name, but once he realized his capabilities in the literature world his career took off. Biographer, Richard Black explained, â€Å"Widely regarded for his knowledgeRead MoreRobert Browning and the Dramatic Monologue1390 Words   |  6 Pages2004 Robert Browning and the Dramatic Monologue Controlling Purpose: to analyze selected works of Robert Browning. I. Brief overview of Browning A. Greatest Poet B. Family Life II. Brief overview of My Last Duchess A. Descriptive adjectives B. Cause for death C. Description of his wife III. Definition of Dramatic Monologue IV. Comments by Glenn Everett A. Point of View B. Tone C. Audience Imagination V. Comments by Terry Bohannon A. No Christianity B. Evil Characters Robert Browning andRead MorePorphyrias Lover And My Last Duchess Comparison789 Words   |  4 PagesBrownings Porphyrias Lover and My Last Duchess (An Analysis of Comparing and Contrasting Brownings poems called Porphyrias Lover and My Last Duchess) Robert Browning was a Victorian poet. He portrayed an understanding of gender rules in his poems. Browning’s poems are similar to a puzzle, which makes the reader have to figure out what is really being said in the poem. Browning wrote two famous dramatic monologue poems called Porphyrias Lover and My Last Duchess. His poems create a high intensityRead MoreMy Last Duchess By Robert Browning951 Words   |  4 PagesMy Last Duchess by Robert Browning Robert Browning was born May 7, 1812 in Camberwell, London. His father was a senior clerk in the Bank of England. His mother was a pianist. His love for writing dramatic monologues came from his father who gave him the love Browning had for art and literature. Browning attended the University of London for half a year before returning home to read in his father s library. His first work, Pauline: A Fragment of a Confession, was first issued in 1833. It was his

American Culture Vs. American Society - 1496 Words

American Culture in comparison to Australian Culture American society is incorporated of traditions and conventions including language, religion, food, expressions and patriotism. It is accepted via scientists that almost every area of the world has impacted American culture, it is known as the nation of settlers. U.S. culture is basically moulded by the societies of Native Americans, Latin Americans, Africans and Asians. The United States is sometimes known as a melting point in which diverse societies have contributed their own different flavours to American culture. Exactly as Cultures far and wide have affected American society, today American society impacts the world. As the third largest nation on the planet with a population of more than 315 Million, the United States is the most socially varied nation on the planet. Australian society then again is altogether different to that of American society. For example, Australians are not as devoted as Americans. A portion of the patriotism could be ascribed to the noteworthy exhibit of American accomplishments that incorporates landing on the moon, taking a heading part in stopping Nazi Germany, designing the web and winning 30% of Nobel prizes. Then again, in Australia patriotism is been considered as a negative idea in a few viewpoints. However, Australians demonstrate their appreciation by directing ANZAC days for officers and many others. A standout amongst the most vital distinction that I have generally perceivedShow MoreRelatedHofstede s Six Dimensions Of Culture Essay1348 Words   |  6 Pagessuccess? Hofstede’s six dimensions of culture are an attempt to answer these questions and more. Dr. Geert Hofstede, studied employees of the computer firm IBM in over fifty different countries. When he examined his findings he found â€Å"clear patterns of similarity and difference along the four dimensions† (Manktelow, Jackson Edwards, Eyre, Cook and Khan, n.d.). The fact that he focused his research on solely IBM employees allowed him to eliminate company culture as a differentiating factor and â€Å"attributeRead MoreA Brief Note On The American Workplace Values1181 Words   |  5 PagesAmerican workplace values vary from one organization to the next. Differences can be determined by the location of an organization, including what state the organization is located in and/or whether that business is loc ated in a major city or the suburbs. Also, workplace values can be different depending on what industry the organization is in. A technical start-up company’s values could be vastly different than that of an established non-for-profit organization’s values. Workforce demographicsRead MoreCase Study 2 Hollywood1665 Words   |  7 Pages Case Study-Hollywood Influence on Global Culture 1. Most aspects of foreign culture, like language, religion, gender roles, and problem-solving strategies, are hard for the casual observer to understand. In what ways do Hollywood movies affect national culture outside the United States? What aspects of U.S. culture do Hollywood films promote around the world? Can you observe any positive effects of Hollywood movies on world cultures? 2. Culture plays a key role in business. In what ways haveRead MoreThe Second Hofstede Cultural Dimension Compared : Individualism Vs. Collectivism1643 Words   |  7 Pagesdimension compared is â€Å"Individualism vs. Collectivism† which indicates whether members within a society define themselves as individuals or associate themselves with a particular group. In Hofstede’s comparison of Japanese and American cultures, American culture scored relatively high (91) in the individualism dimension. On the contrary, the Japanese culture scored relatively low (46) which firmly categorizes the culture as Collectivist. To clarify, Americans places self over group (Individualist)Read MoreEssay on The United States Culture1208 Words   |  5 PagesUS CULTURE The United States of America being the third largest country in the world with more than 315 million inhabitants, consists of multicultural societies with ethnically diverse population. Since there are a lot of foreigners, the US culture has evolved in such a way accepting and tolerating other foreign cultures. US is very much influenced by protestant work ethics according to which people believe in themselves and their efforts to attain the goal of self-actualization and success. TheRead MoreAmerica s 5d Dimensions For Vietnam And Usa1091 Words   |  5 Pages3B. Hoffstede’s 5D Dimensions for Vietnam and USA Low Power Distance vs. High Power Distance In Vietnam there is a great disparity between those who are economically on top of the ladder and those that are below. There is virtually no middle class therefore Vietnam gets a very high power distance ranking of 70. It should be noted that in these societies that have a high power distance, trust in their managers is vitally important to sustain a good work environment. This could be due to manyRead MoreCultural Globalization: Fear of the Unknown950 Words   |  4 Pagesone national culture on another. This is perhaps more prevalent in the United States than anywhere else in the world. Although America is often viewed as the villain with regard to globalization, it is clear by the diversity of cultural groups in America, that this nation is also the recipient of global culture. With such a diverse cultural population it’s foreseeable to think there will be differences of opinion when it comes to discussion cultural importance. For every society believes it isRead Mo reThe Nature Of Organizations And The Contemporary Environment1294 Words   |  6 PagesAbstract Within every environment and business, culture plays a role in many different ways. In my reading I have found that culture is defined as the shared intellectual programming of the human mind which differentiates one group of individuals from another group. It has often been understood that statements about culture do not describe â€Å"reality†; they are all general and relative†. Often times you will find that dependent upon the person, culture can be very subjective, meaning everyone sees thingsRead MoreThe Face Of Education And The Changes It Has Undertaken Throughout History1425 Words   |  6 Pagesundertaken throughout history in the U.S. is a constant flow that thus alters the fabric of the American society. To provide an educated workforce for the future has been the job of educators for centuries, but with a greater immigration movement and presence, an educator s’ ability is limited and the fate of such children are left to suffer. Pulling from America ’s position as a â€Å"melting pot† of different cultures and people, students should not be subjugated to poverty and educational ignorance just becauseRead MoreUniversalism vs. Particularism689 Words   |  3 PagesUniversalism vs. Particularism is a concept forwarded by Fons Trompenaars, a Dutch author. Basically, this dimension asks if which is more important to you, rules or relationships. The Universalist, or rule-based, approach is roughly: What is good and right can be defined and ALWAYS applies. In particularistic cultures, far greater attention is given to the obligations of relationships and unique circumstances. Universalism vs. Particularism indicates how a society applies rules of morals

Hyperkinetic Children Essay Example For Students

Hyperkinetic Children Essay Hyperkinetic is just another word for Hyperactive. Hyperactivitydescribes children who show numerous amounts of inappropriate behaviors insituations that require sustained attention and orderly responding to fairlystructured tasks. Humans who are hyperactive tend to be easily distracted,impulsive, inattentive, and easily excited or upset. Hyperactivity in childrenis manifested by gross motor activity, such as excessive running or climbing. The child is often described as being on the go or running like a motor, andhaving difficulty sitting still. Older children and adolescents may beextremely restless or fidgety. They may also demonstrate aggressive and verynegative behavior. Other features include obstinacy, stubbornness, bossiness,bullying, increased mood lability, low frustration tolerance, temper outbursts,low self-esteem, and lack of response to discipline. Very rarely would a childbe considered hyperactive in every situation, just because restraint andsustained attentiveness are not necessary for acceptable performance in manylow-structure situations. Many parents rate the onset of abnormal activity intheir child when it is and infant or toddler. Abnormal sleep patterns arefrequently mentioned, the child objects to taking naps, he also seems to needless sleep, and becomes very stubborn at bedtime. Then, when the child isseemingly exhausted, hyperactive behavior may increase. Family history studiesshow that hypera ctivity, which is more common in boys than in girls, may be ahereditary trait, as are some other traits (reading disabilities or enuresis-bedwetting). Certain predisposing factors affect the mother, and therefore thechild, at the time of conception or gestation or during delivery. Included areradiation, infection, hemorrhage, jaundice, toxemia, trauma, medications,alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. The course of the syndrome typically spans the6-year to 12-year age range. In many classrooms, children who displayinappropriate overactivity (restlessness, moving around without permission) ,attention deficits (distractible by task-irrelevant events, inability to sustainattention to the task) , and impulsivity (making decisions and responses hastilyand inaccurately, interrupting and interfering with classmates and the teachers)are likely to be identified as hyperactive. The diagnosis of hyperactivity isusually suggested when parents and teachers complains that a child isexcessively active, behaves poorly, or has learning difficulties. However,there is no specific definition or precise test to confirm that a child ishyperactive. This syndrome is most frequently recognized when the child cannotbehave appropriately in the classroom. There are three characteristic courses. In the first, all of the symptoms persist into adolescence or adult life. Inthe second, the disorder is self-limited and all of the symptoms disappearcompletely at puberty. In the third, the hyperactivity disappears, but theattentional difficulties and impulsivity persist into adolescence or adult life. The relative frequency of the courses is unknown. The individual, accordingly,does not grow out of the disorder. As the child passes through puberty,aggression and restlessness may decrease, but most symptoms persist and may leadthe adolescent to develop a low self-esteem and a tendency to withdraw. Theadolescent may also manifest anti-social tendencies, for instance, lieing,stealing, and violence, which frequently lead to delinquency. Similarly,symptoms persist into adult life and account for social maladjustment (behaviorthat violates laws or unwritten standards of the school or community, yetconforms to the standards of some social subgroup). Attention-deficitHyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), also called attention deficit disorder (ADD), ispresently the most common condition diagnosed in hyperactive children. Thisspecific syndrome focuses on the childs inability to pay attention. Thissyndrome occurs early in life (in infancy or by the age of 2 or 3 years ) ismore common in boys and m ay occur as many as 3 percent of prepubertal children. A small proportion of hyperactive children have a definite history of injury to,or disease of, the brain that preceded a change to abnormal behavior. Thesechildren show relatively minor disabilities of coordination, reflexes,perception, problem solving, and other behaviors often referred to assoftsigns of neurological disorder (brain-injured). It has not beenestablished, however, that brain damage or malfunction is a factor in most casesof hyperactivity. Studies of many children who had difficulties at birth showno connection between such difficulties and later hyperactivity. In these otherwise, normal children, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and distractibility arevariable. The syndrome has been described for many years, and these childrenwere previously said to have minimal brain dysfunction (MBD). In the MBDsyndrome, the behaviors of ADHD (attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity)were combined with poor coordination, emotional instability, immaturedevelopment, perceptual difficu lties, learning disabilities, language disorders,and minor neurological abnormalities observed through medical examinations. Inmost cases it is not possible to find a specific cause for hyperactivity and maynot be appropriate to try. Since hyperactivity behavior is common, starts earlyand persists at least into adolescence, has hereditary determinants, and also isrelatively hard to change by psychological means, it may represent a type oftemperament rather than a psychological or medical disorder. Most authoritiesfeel that factors that interfere with the normal development of a childs brainduring pregnancy, labor, delivery, and early infancy are most significant. How To Prevent Global Warming EssayOverall, behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatments have been found to berelatively effective in the settings in which they are used and at the time,they are being instituted. There is some evidence to suggest that thecombination of medication and behavior therapy can increase the effectiveness ofthe treatment. Like the effects of medications, however, the effects ofbehavioral and cognitive-behavioral therapies tend not to be long-lasting. Apromising trend in treatment is to help the hyperactive child by teaching hisparents and teachers how to cope with his individual behavior. Hyperactivechildren need to have a relatively set routine that includes a maximum ofregularity and a minimum of surprises and interruptions. The school setting mayneed to be altered in such a way as to make additional help and provisionsavailable. The children frequently need praise, encouragement, and specialattention so that experiences that previously only lead to fa ilure may nowbecome successful and enjoyable. Unfortunately, some children may never make acomplete recovery from hyperactivity, and have a greater chance of developingalcoholism or mental health problems as adults. While the diagnostic definition and specific terminology of ADHD willundoubtedly change throughout the years, the interest in and commitment to thisdisorder will likely continue. Children and adults with ADHD, as well as thepeople around them, have difficult lives to lead. The research community iscommitted to finding better explanations of the etiology and treatment of thiscommon disorder. Category: English

Starbucks Case Study free essay sample

A Intro to Business 3/26/2013 Case Study Consumer Behavior in the Coffee Industry Did you know one franchise alone dominated an entire payment-processing market in just one year? You might have heard of this giant company by the name Starbucks. Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, had a significant role in the company’s growth. Starbucks has steadily dominated the coffee market and has even extended to being a 3rd home for many of its consumers. Based in Seattle, Starbucks had significant competition when it opened its first store in the Pike Place market in Seattle, yet still managed to become superior. Starbucks used new advertising tactics and presented a unique experience for its customers, all of which was a game changer in the business world. Starbucks was created when three friends opened a small store to sell coffee beans and roast in 1971[1]. Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowler and Zev Siegl opened their store in the heart of the unique open air market in downtown Seattle. We will write a custom essay sample on Starbucks Case Study or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Located just off the harbor, Pike place market was the optimal location and attracted many residents and tourists. After ten years of incredible growth, Jerry Baldwin hired Howard Schultz as head of management. When Schultz first started, he slowly learned the coffee industry and helped made subtle but significant changes. For example, Schultz noticed that â€Å"first-time customers sometimes felt uneasy in the stores†[2] so he developed â€Å"customer-friendly sales skills and produced brochures that made it easy for customers to learn about fine coffees†2 Schultz had the vision of making Starbucks a coffee lounge versus a bar after being inspired by eastern traditions. Even though he did not agree with the new direction, Baldwin allowed Schultz to open one espresso bar and in 2 years, Schultz was able to buy out Baldwin and equity owners with the help of investors in 19921. Howard Schultz initially saw the power of consumer behavior early on when he realized Starbucks began to be a social gathering mecca for people instead of just an espresso stand. When Schultz first noticed the ‘seismic change in consumer behavior,’ he adopted a free-Wi-Fi service and mobile payment service and noticed that Starbucks began to attract people as if it was a third home for coffee enthusiasts. Although he jokes about not getting rent from consumers, it allowed Starbucks to create an online-experience in their ‘3rd home’ which was unique to the coffee scene in the United States. With scheduled deliveries and privatized ad networking, Starbucks was maximizing its profits and allowing an experience for coffee enthusiasts that did not make them feel locked-into paying. This shift in consumer behavior was in response to the cultural need for a place between home and work. As social beings, humans thrive for an excuse to hang out and socialize or participate in a community environment. This amazing experience that Starbucks supplied needed to be fine-tuned like any business plan. Like any business, Starbucks had challenges, such as their management of spending. In an interview entitled Business Brilliant, Schultz said that too much was focused on the customer instead of the infrastructure. To improve this, Schultz developed a unique experience in the store with the paired pastry-drinks and released free Wi-Fi for customers. In addition to free-Wi-Fi, mobile payments allowed consumers to avoid lines and continue their private work in the confines of the lounge. Soon Starbucks was thriving and announced that â€Å"the opening of 150 new stores in five years significantly exceeded the 1987 business plan’s objective of 125†[3]. Like every company, Starbucks faced unique issues in their business which slowed down growth initially which in effect slowed down growth in the long run. Schultz attributed the biggest hold-back in the long run to not investing in the supply chain, technology or manufacturing. Although Starbucks was marketing their franchise extremely well, they did not invest ahead of the growth curve and the infrastructures became under-par. In the Business Brilliant, Schultz candidly admitted that Starbucks â€Å"solely accelerated growth of the company. † Moreover, Schultz said the issue was that Starbucks â€Å"needed competency well beyond the size of the company and needed the kind of capability they didn’t have. † Since their infrastructure’s efficiency in the short run was hindered by technological limitations coupled with access to capital, the entire store chains needed to be shut down. Schultz defined the event as a need to redesign their image and retrain their employees. Starbucks was losing grip on the customers and their loyalty because the experience of Starbucks was losing its unique features. All of these internal and external issues that Starbucks was facing were all connected with values and company image according to Schultz. Schultz was so specific with the Starbucks experience that when he smelt burning cheese in a store he decided to ask the workers and they told him â€Å"So what, profits are up! † Soon after this, Schultz decided to close down and retrain all stores and employees. He sent out a press release admitting that Starbucks was misrepresenting itself. Although no one had accused or criticized Starbuck’s prior to his declaration, it was a bold move which negatively impacted the financial strength of the Company. However, the action proved loyal to the consumer and enhanced brand loyalty for Starbuck-addicts. This root issue of misrepresentation in the Starbuck’s experience and the company vision was so significant to Schultz that he needed rework his company from the ground up. This road block of ‘conserving the core businesses’ and ‘pushing for relevant innovation’ made Schultz tweak and adjust the Starbucks experience constantly but effectively. While Schultz attributes the root issue for Starbucks to be company image and adapting core values, could it be possible that the vision and image were not correctly portrayed because of unwise funding? Schultz does admit the funding issues contributed to the core issue of misrepresentation of company image and values, but he does not see the two issues in separate environments. Schultz assigns the core issue to misrepresentation and the surface symptoms to be funding. However, more funding or a different funding plan with more focus in infrastructure would have changed the outcome. The core issue was funding and the symptoms of the core issues were misrepresentation because of resource allocation. While their short term fixed costs of infrastructure and labor were solved, their reserved and recurring allocation towards the upgrades of their infrastructure lacked significantly. If properly funded before and seen ahead of the curve, their growth could have been anticipated. This is evident through the need to shut down and retrain employees. It’s clear that the total fixed and variable costs exceeded their revenue initially. Like all companies, there was a start-up curve but when the curve was dealt with, resource allocation was not the focus. The best plan of action ideally would start with addressing resource allocation. Starbucks was able to stay in business and have great growth so it’s clear the management was able to properly allocate their average variable costs and fixed costs for the most part. Nevertheless, it would have been best if the costs were optimized and revenue was set aside for changes in infrastructure. Funding should have been directed at things which would have produced stability in the long run. This would have lowered their total costs and properly funded their infrastructures for the long run and short run. Schultz should have looked at the management immediately after buying out the company and properly hired people with skills that would be able to guide Starbucks through significant growth. Investment in infrastructure to avoid long-term costs would have saved Starbucks from funding issues at later times. In addition to optimizing their infrastructure for the long run, Starbucks needed to invest more in manufacturing and supply chain for the success in the long run. For example, Starbucks should have initially allocated more funding towards small upgrades in their infrastructure such as ovens versus microwaves to avoid unpleasant scents in the customer’s experience. This also connects to Schultz’s emphasis on hiring employees and affiliates based on similar values. If the decision to hire those employees would have initially been more focused on similar values in addition to management skills, the variable costs to upgrade the infrastructure in the long run would have been lower because the management would have been more motivated to deal with the issue before the CEO had to see the symptoms. Finally, the management of Starbucks needed to choose their employee’s more wisely from the start. If Schultz would have chosen his employee’s based on the similarity of their values and the company vision, little issues such as smell in the customer’s experience would have been dealt with more efficiently. This connects to optimizing their infrastructure but focuses on the employees instead of the technology. It’s important to treat both with separate solutions because Schultz reminded us that the employees can only work with the assets they are provided with. This small change in the focus of the start-up of the company could benefit the image of Starbucks very efficiently and in a cost-productive way. Schultz jokes about not getting rent from Starbucks admirers yet he also notes that the potential to plug into the social media of the internet and create the environment was more beneficial than the issue of customers hanging out inside the store. The evolving Starbucks experience caused consumers to have incredible brand loyalty over alternatives such as Pete’s Coffee and Tea and Tullies. Yet the quick and agile response of technology was exactly what Starbucks needed to put it ahead of the ‘growth curve’ in social media while its competitors struggled behind. Schultz’s solutions were effective in the short run but he still realized his long run potential was limited by resource allocation. The problem with Starbucks and consumers was not the shift in demand for coffee consumers but it was resource allocation and initial planning. Howard Schultz’s plan of action was headed in the right direction apart from the minor mix-up between the surface symptoms and the core issue. In addition to new work practices, Schultz integrated new management and had to let go many of the people he knew were limited to the knowledge of the short-term. This new resource allocation towards what Schultz called ‘the backside’ of the company, allowed the company to finally resolve its funding and allocation issues. The new plan of action consisted of hiring new employees and investing in infrastructure to anticipate growth and new forms of technology; the poor management habits of the past from would not hinder Starbucks in the future. Similar to my suggested plan of action, Schultz’s initiative consisted of new employee’s, new technology and investing in the short term. If Schultz’s would have put more funding towards infrastructure to bring stability in the long run, he would have been able to manage the shift in consumer behavior and maintain profit without the need to close down the stores for retraining. The issue for Starbucks is not losing customers but how to accurately represent the company’s values. Moreover, if the employees were chosen correctly and the infrastructure was properly optimized, Schultz plan would have worked perfectly. All in all, every company in any industry is going to face challenges and have limited resources to meet them in an efficient manner. Howard Schultz used the resources he had to best manage Starbucks and handled the big issues he had efficiently and creatively. The future of Starbucks all depends on its management and commitment to adhering to the company vision and values. After experiencing the 2000-2008 period, one can see that the values will inevitably shift with changes in management. 4] The future of Starbucks is highly dependent on how long Howard Schultz continues to be an active part of the company and in shaping its vision. If affiliates and employees are chosen intelligently and have values matched properly with the company’s mission, Starbucks’s vision should be passed down effectively through each generation of new management. Nevertheless, the rise and fall of competitors in a market is inevitable and time will tell if Starbucks will eventually be surpass ed by a competitor. Starbucks will be a primary educational focus for many business programs. It is one of the best managed franchises in history and will remain one of the most successful for a long period of time. Like any business, Schultz received criticism for extreme responses yet these responses excelled the growth of the company. Much like my suggestions, Schultz acted quickly and made extreme changes which were crucial to repairing the infrastructure. Unlike most companies, Starbucks’s major focus is promoting the company image and values instead of putting profits first. Works Cited I. Schiff, Lewis. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Coming to NYC. Inc. com. INC, 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. II. Starbucks Corporation History. History of Starbucks Corporation – FundingUniverse. Funding Universe, n. d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. III. McGraw Hill. Starbucks Corporation. Starbucks Case Study. MHHE. com, n. d. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. [1] Funding Universe, Starbucks Corporate History [2] McGraw Hill, Starbucks Case Study, Starbucks Corporate History [3] McGraw Hill, St arbucks Case Study, Starbucks Corporate History [4] Funding Universe, Starbucks Corporation History

Graphics Calculator essays

Graphics Calculator essays Where a is the pitch and b is the length of the note. Here is a list of the musical scale: So, an example of a C note would be: But wait! We havent finished yet! You also need to set the length of the note, this can be calculated by using the equation: 240 Ãâ€" Number Of Beats The Note Plays So, for example, at a speed of 130 beats per minute, a c note playing for 4 beats would be: If you want a period of silence, simply type 0 as the pitch: (In Program Editor, at a speed of 130 beats per minute) BEEP 329.14;0.54: (Play an E note for 1 beat) BEEP 0;0.54: (Be silent for 1 beat) BEEP 256.0.54: (Play an C note for 1 beat) BEEP 0;0.54: (Be silent for 1 beat) BEEP 256;0.54: (Play an C note for 1 beat) BEEP 0;1.625: (Be silent for 3 beats) BEEP 329.14;0.54: (Play an E note for 1 beat) BEEP 0;0.54: (Be silent for 1 beat) BEEP 256.0.54: (Play an C note for 1 beat) BEEP 0;0.54: (Be silent for 1 beat) BEEP 256;0.54: (Play an C note for 1 beat) BEEP 0;1.625: (Be silent for 3 beats) BEEP 237.714;0.54: (Play an A Sharp note for 1 beat) BEEP 256;0.54: (Play an C note for 1 beat) BEEP 0;1.08: (Be silent for 2 beats) BEEP 237.714;0.54: (Play an A Sharp note for 1 beat) BEEP 256;0.54: (Play an C note for 1 beat) ...

Free sample - Overpopulation and its negative consequences. translation missing

Overpopulation and its negative consequences. Overpopulation and its negative consequencesThe United States has been rated as the most populous country after China and India and is estimated to have a population exceeding 265 million. Further, statistics indicate that the country’s population is growing at 2.5 million people per year; hence the United States is one of the world's fastest-growing industrialized nations. For instance, in 1994, there were approximately 3.95 million births versus 2.29 million deaths in the United States, resulting in a net natural increase of nearly 1.7 million. Net immigration therefore stood at approximately 816,000 people. By 2050, the country's population is projected to increase by approximately 130 million people whom critics place as the equivalent of adding another four states the size of California. However, for such an industrialized country, it experiences one of the largest cases of unintended teenage pregnancies indicated by 60 percent of pregnancies and 40 percent of births. The world’s population is currently approximated to be growing at 74 million people every year and projections put forward by the United States indicate that the world’s population shall hit the 9.0 billion mark by the year 2050 assuming the projected decline in fertility rate of 2.65 children per woman shall decline to 2.05. This decline is projected under a comparative analysis since the 1950’s was double this rate at 5 children per woman. The less developed countries such as Uganda, Nigeria and Pakistan are expected to account for the largest quota of 5.3 billion with a world’s population of 7.8 billion. The United States however is an exception to this since it’s expected to grow by 44% from a population of 305 million in the year 2008 to 439 million in 2050. Global life expectancy has also increased from 46 years in 1955 to 65 years in 2000-2005 and is projected to rise to 75 years in 2045-2050. Population increase in more developed countries wil l further be boosted by high immigration rates whereby the net immigration rate is projected at 98 million. Further, deaths are projected to exceed births in developed nations by 73 million by 2050; international immigration shall play a key factor in the net population increase. By 2100, the Unite States population is expected to be at 3,145,049,297. This essay therefore endeavors to show that overpopulation is a major problem in the United States and further discusses its social, economic, political and environmental impact. There are various merits and challenges of overpopulation. The resultant advantages are however few and it has largely been detrimental to various aspects such as the environment. The large population has largely driven consumption and demand for various goods and services higher. This therefore has created a vibrant market which has boosted the country’s economy. Already, demand for beef and grain has reached staggering levels. In fact, the per capita grain consumption in the United States is four times higher than that in less developed nations. Rapid population increase has prompted the growth of megacities and rapid urbanization. By 1800, only 3% of the world’s population lived in cities. 47 percent of the world’s population had already migrated into cities by the twentieth century. In 1950, there were already 83 cities with a combined population exceeding 1 million. In 2007, this had risen to 468 agglomerations. In 2000, there were 18 megacities and conurbations such as New York City with populations exceeding 100 million. Greater Tokyo already has a population of 35 million which exceeds Canada’s entire population. By the year 2025, Asia alone shall have over 10 hyper cities each with a population exceeding 20million such as Jakarta with 24.9 million. Currently, cities the world over hold 3.2 billion of the population which is expected to rise to 5 billion by the year 2030 whereby 3 out of every 5 people are expected to live in cities. In the next 25 years, most melodramatic changes are expected to t ake place in developing countries. This however may not be positive in its totality since cities encourage the rise of shanty towns which are breeding sites for drug addiction, crime, alcoholism coupled with problems such as high unemployment rates, poverty resulting in high child and infant mortality rates and diseases due to poor sanitation, malnutrition and poor basic health care. Currently, one billion people, which is one-sixth of the world's population and a representative of one-third of the overall urban population, lives in shanty towns and is expected to rise as urbanization and the consequent industrialization sets in. There are however multiple challenges resulting from overpopulation. The greatest challenge of them all is the unavailability of adequate fresh water for domestic purposes as well as sewage treatment and effluent discharge. This has prompted nations such as Saudi Arabia to use highly energy-intensive desalination to solve water shortages. The world over, 1 billion people cannot access a clean glass of water every day. This has resulted in the starvation to death of 10 million children and 8 million adults. These water shortages have not been limited to other nations only. Contrary to popular belief of immunity to this critical problem by the United States citizens, various states have experienced water shortages. Atlanta, Georgia has exceeded its water carrying capacity in the past 4 years yet its population is expected to double from the current 8.2 million to 16.4 million. In Florida, wells have been sunk resulting to the environmental hazard of sunk holes. Yet, homes and malls are rapidly being built and the population is expected to double from 18 million to 36 million by the year 2050. This is truly absurd and uncalled for. In Colorado, 11.5 billion gallon annual shortfall is estimated in contrast to a projected population growth of 5-6 million by 2050. Therefore, Colorado’s water resources shall not only be unable to support humans but also animals and crops. In Denver, 2 million residents are expected to settle in the state by 2050.This shall also greatly strain its water resources. However, the State of California shall be worst hit with an addition net population increase of 1700 a day and 400 vehicles a week! The Colorado River is the chief source of water for desert states such as Arizona, Nevada and California but with the projected population growth rates, the environmental impact on this vital water resource shall wipe it out.A strain on natural resources has been documented in a recent study carried out by the United States Geological Surv ey. Deforestation and the loss of ecosystems which sustain the oxygen –carbon dioxide balance has been greatly tampered with. Estimates show that eight million hectares of forest are lost annually the world over. This has ultimately resulted in global warming, the irreversible loss of arable land and desertification. Over 2 billion hectares of arable land have already been lost with a projection of an annual loss of 16 million. In Nigeria alone, 351000 hectares are lost annually due to the expanding population’s activities. Research projects that the United States has lost 90 percent of its northwestern old-growth forests, 50 percent of its wetlands and 99 percent of its tall grass prairie in the last 200 years. Most mass species have become extinct or endangered especially in tropical forests due to human activities such as slash and burn practiced by rapidly expanding rural populations. It is estimated that around 140,000 species are lost annually. An IUCN Red List i ndicates that 717 animal species have become extinct during recorded human history. Fossil fuels have been largely depleted driving energy costs higher. Estimates indicate that 51% of the world’s fossils are used by China and USA. There is a higher contrast in that Americans constitute 5% of the world's population yet they consume 25 % of the world's energy. Pollution has been a key effect resulting from overpopulation. Air, water, soil and noise pollution has risen significantly in the last century. Approximately 39% of rivers, 46% of lakes and 51% of estuaries in the United States are still too polluted for safe fishing or swimming. Pollution caused nearly 20,000 beach closings in 2004, the highest level in 15 years. Already in Florida’s Boynton Beach pollution due to overpopulation has resulted in the demise of the popular Florida coral reefs. This is the United States only continental reef system which extends from Boynton Beach to Delray Beach. This is due to the flushing of water from canals which contains high nitrogen and phosphorous levels from the land and sewage. Therefore, fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides used on lawns, agriculture and golf courses ends up in the water courses. While pollutants such as ammonia may evaporate, they eventually end up in the lake through rain. This results in marine eutrophication since these substances encourage the growth of algae which kills both hard and soft corals. Consequently, tourism has declined by 25 percent. These are the world’s environmental treasures and they deserve to be protected. In 2004, 31 states had statewide fish consumption advisories in place because of toxic pollution. The EPA’s Wadeable Streams Assessment found that 42% of all U.S. stream miles are in poor condition. More than half of those found in the eastern portion of the U.S. and 40% of those in the central region are considered to be in poor condition. According to American Rivers and the website healthyrivers.org, eighty percent of streams contain insecticides, drugs, or other chemicals. During 2002 and 2003, in just Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri, pollution in rivers and streams killed 3.5 million fish. The numbers of miles of rivers containing fish that may be harmful due to pollution, increased from 2% to 14% from 1993 to 2001. Waterborne germs and p arasites cause an estimated 7.1 million mild-to-moderate cases of infectious disease in the U.S. annually. Every year more than 1.2 trillion gallons of untreated sewage, storm water and industrial waste are discharged into U.S. waters.   The Environmental Defense Fund reports that 80% of the cancer risks from air pollutants nationwide are from mobile transportation sources. As cities and suburbs continue to grow at record pace, pollution emitted by commuters will only grow worse. About 70 percent of the heavy construction equipment used in California in 2005 was old enough not to have to face any emission control regulations, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. In 2004, fine particle pollution exceeded the annual and daily national health standard at air quality monitors in 55 small, mid-sized, and large metropolitan areas located in 21 states and home to 96 million people. Therefore, overpopulation, as a way to curb pollution, needs to be taken care of. Finally, governing an overpopulated country presents a load of problems. Since the economy is stretched to the breaking point, civil wars are likely to break out over farmland. These wars lead to underdevelopment since industrialization and urbanization is greatly neglected. The government has to sell vital fossil fuels at cheap prices to raise cash in order to cover rising national debts. In Queensland, Australia, the politics of overpopulation are already boiling over. In the United States, numerous campaigns and awareness programs have already started which are also putting pressure on the government to act on overpopulation. Overpopulation is therefore a major problem in The United States and the world over. Man does not need land for standing on only as this may be the case by 2100. Major steps such as birth control, economic incentives such as those successfully implemented in China whereby women with less than 2 children are rewarded, removing tax write-offs for large families and employing birth control and family planning methods should be put in place. This shall go a long way in ensuring that Mother Earth is able to sustain her population in coming years.

Deviant behavior within cults Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Deviant behavior within cults - Essay Example According to an estimate some three thousand (3,000) of such cults have been reported to exist all over the world with a total population of at least three million people attached to them as their followers. The secret religious ceremonies in Greek were technically called the Mysteries. The history of Mysteries is traced back to the days of ancient Greece in the year 600 B.C. when in a Greek city Eleusis, the people practiced a cult of Eleusinian Mysteries. Those Greek who practiced this cult, which involved the worship of Demeter, the goddess of fertility, were promised blessings in the life hereafter. In ancient Rome the group, comprising mostly of soldiers, and belonging to the 'Mithraism Cult' also practiced Mysteries. The members of this cult worshipped the god of fire and light called Mithra. (Raitt, Jill., n.p.n.d.) It was not easy to become a member of a cult in ancient times. Before their admittance into a particular cult, people had to undergo rigorous tests of their patience and staunch adherence. Some of the steps and mechanism involving induction of new members into the cult included: 2. The new entrants then take an oath and pledge for their adherence to the cult so as to become permanent member. The members develop a sense of belonging to that particular cult whose membership they attain. The followers of the cult then begin to imbibe within them the characteristics of cult, their mentality converting into strong allegiance to the group as denoted by the phrase "Us vs Them" 3. Belief of the members: Members gradually are made to develop a belief that it is only they or their group which is on the path of truth. And the other forms of truth as described in other various divinely religions become meaningless to them. The process of operative exclusivists comes into play allowing awareness of several unrevealed dogmas and special information only to those who are interested and proved their loyalty within the group. 4. The natural outcome of this belief is the segregation of such a group from the existing society. The feelings of hostility for other members of society who are not members of such a cult are emanated from the process of indoctrination from cult's beliefs. 5. Self-negation: Cults demand sacrifice of personal wishes, desires or wishes from its members. It is through the practice of this principle of self-negation that members exhibit willingness to sacrifice their self-comfort, getting along without money, and crushing their ambitious dreams for fulfilling cults motives and the so-called salvation The Modern Cults As the time passed, the meaning of cult underwent a change especially after 1960s. The new definition

Economic Geography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Economic Geography - Essay Example These include corruption of state officials, poor management of resources, and over dependence on foreign aid, poor government policies, lack of proper education, and lack of good infrastructure. These factors, summed up with the global epidemics of global warming and climate change, lead to underdevelopment in a country. Corruption among state officials is a common phenomenon in many underdeveloped and poor countries. This was the case in Kenya’s Goldenberg Saga in which tax payers’ money was squandered in the name of trading gold and other precious stones. The power that these masterminds possess is derived from their money. These corrupt officials never got any legal punishment. The corrupt officials also fail to deploy development funds to the regions that require them, and instead pocket the biggest portions of it. The result of this greed is the lack of development in the deprived regions and the eventual poverty of the people living in these areas. Another cause of poverty and underdevelopment is the poor management of natural resources and their under-utilization. These resources include earth minerals, water bodies, agricultural land, and sources of energy. There is no much effort in tapping natural resources and using them for development. A case in check is solar power. It was hardly tapped in large amounts to power massive utilities. Instead, underdeveloped countries depended on imported petroleum products for fuel. Oil is expensive and one cannot renew it once it is used up, unlike the natural and cheap solar energy and wind energy. Agricultural land is also not utilized to its fullest. Instead, people are abandoning it and going to look for jobs in the cities, and yet these countries have no food security. Poor government policies are also another reason for underdevelopment. These poor policies fail to address the issues affecting underdeveloped countries. They include misplaced financial

Comparing blakes london and wordsworths unpon west minster bridge Essay Example for Free

Comparing blakes london and wordsworths unpon west minster bridge Essay How do the poets use Structure, language and form in the two poems to help present their visions of London? William Blakes London 1793 and William Wordsworths Composed upon Westminster Bridge 1802 stage two contrasting views of London. Having both been written in the Romantic period, the two poets use their personal experience of London to illustrate the different visions of the city. Wordsworth adopted the Petrarchan pattern (abba abba cdcdcd) to create his flowing sonnet that describes the silent, undying beauty of London; the intimacy with his description could be inspired by classical poets such as Horaz, Virgil and Ovid. Blake however hardened to use a more harsh approach, delivering his dramatic reality of the dejected city. The two poems hold an expressive passion throughout and both have a deeper inner meaning than whats seen at surface value. At a first glance, these two poems seem the complete opposite. One compliments the natural beauty of London whilst the other only states the traumatic situations faced through a sinister, dark city. This style could have been inspired by Blakes surrounding of the French revolution which was imminent over London, theres a possibility that the murder and violence could have encouraged Blake to give his reality of the capital in the 18th century. Despite the obvious differences, the techniques and narrative set out by both poets are similar. Both Blake and Wordsworth chose to underline their visions of London by using some sort of rhyming scheme and iambs to manipulate the sounds and rhythm. Wordsworths undoubted admiration of London is expressed through his constant use of elegant praises. He masters a faint use of a strange paradox through the first lines saying earth has nothing more fair which exemplifies a tranquil, natural beauty, undisturbed by the obvious industrial city. The paradox having been established at the beginning of the octave stating the impossible unity of both a natural beauty and industrial development is explained towards the end through the line, like a garment, wear. This reveals that the city is wearing the natural beauty of the morning rather than being it. This structural technique continues in his next lines completing his paradoxical image. The fact that the city is bare relates back to the first contradiction by suggesting that London wears the smokeless air that is the fair beauty. Wordsworth uses the petrarchan pattern to compliment the image of the uninterrupted London. The poets emotion filled description of a motionless London implies that he rather prefers a non-industrializing, natural capital compared to the 19th centuries bustling metropolis. In his sestet (cdcdcd) the poet emphasizes the connection of whole poem has and how it coheres well together. He does this by using the sestet- steep, deep, asleep- to draw attention to that fact that the city is invalid in the way that the commerce of London has not yet awaken but is asleep. He keeps this in mind whilst still stating that the fact of the matter is, the city is more alive through its natural presence. The way he describes the river glideth at his own sweet will gives the reader a sense of undisturbed freedom and also relates to the poets overflowing, relentless and poignant description. Wordsworth creates a more flattering image of London when he explains how the sun has lightened it perfectly, Never did the sun more beautifully steep. The line: in his first splendour, makes the poet appear to be referring to god through his supposedly absent minded mention of his but hes not because previously he mentioned that the never had the sun more beautifully steep. This makes sense as the idea of the sun steeping gracefully over London ties in with the poems overall goal to exploit the capital as some sort of wonderful place however the idle image of the originator who created valley, rock, or hill; formulate the idea that Wordsworth is talking about god as having the first insight into the capital and how it hasnt changed through his eyes, looking past the ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples. Thus creating a more colloquial style of writing; however there is the fact that this poem was written in the 19th century where everyone would have believed in god. This idea could be the underlining of the word sun. I believe that Wordsworths sole adopted style is smooth and poetic, he holds a passion for the topics he chooses to write about which flatter his nature inspired manner. Other poems by Wordsworth which support my supposition are I wander lonely as a cloud and Three years she grew in Sun and Shower. In the 4th stanza the tone of the poem suddenly changes into an ominous low mood with a lingering and menacing spell. The word most has a lasting significance in the line as it institutes the fact that prostitution is causing this wild midnight rush. The changed tone of the poem and the imagery created in this stanza stands out as a dramatic close the blatantly sorrow-filled poem. Adding to the sharpness of the bitter ending, the tone that is usually poetic with a bouncy rhythm has stopped delivering the full force of what Blake calls reality.

Grapes of Wrath :: essays research papers

The Grapes of Wrath   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Grapes of Wrath the author John Steinbeck describes the life of a migrant family who must leave their land in Oklahoma in order to find work in California. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck clearly expresses that Nature and Man are one. The family is known as the Joads and they later come to realize that fear is not only for themselves but for the sake of the people in the world. The author makes these thoughts known through the different characters in the novel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this book Tom Joad is the main character. He starts off just finishing prison for killing a man and feels he is just going to take it easy and be careful. In the beginning he comes off as if he feels no remorse for his crime and hopes to find what he wants and needs. Tom also is portrayed as if he doesn’t take any mess and one in mostly independent. During his spare time he came to the agreement with himself that one must set their personal concerns aside and have peace with one another. Another character is known as Jim Casy. He is a preacher but quite different than normal preachers. He preaches the Emersonian doctrine of the Over soul. For instance he feels that a man’s soul is breaking away from some larger soul and in death this individual soul is reunited with the larger Over soul. This belief by Casy helps him come to see that this is the only way for the migrants to succeed as a whole. Jim also inspires others to do whats right and see life from a different perspective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rose of Sharon is portrayed as ill girl who is pregnant and waiting to give birth at any point in time. She comes off as having a bad-tempered and always complaining. Her family is in Great Peril but she only fears if it affects her baby.

Religion S Function

Freud had many views on the function on why we, as humans, make a big part Of our lives connected to religion. One reason he gives is because humans need a defense for the nature for which we cannot control. Freud believes that nature is cruel. Since we have absolutely no power over it, he believes we need protection, which would be the higher power. An example of this would be a natural disaster. This would include Hurricane Strain. Since people came together to help the victims of this uncontrollable event, one might say that there must be an explanation to why this horrible event happened.The explanation would be that God (or another higher power) has caused it so people would band together to help one another. I believe Freud is right when he says that religion defends against the cruel aspects of nature. People do come together when bad things happen and I believe that they think there must be an explanation for it and that's why they re there to help. Without religion, they may not see the benefit in helping others. On the other had, do not believe that nature is entirely cruel. Nature also provides us with things that are essential to our survival.These things would include rain for our crops, sunlight for our bodies, and even the trees that provide us with oxygen. If nature were entirely cruel, it wouldn't have done this. Another view that Freud had on the purpose of religion is to abject humans to live in a civilization. He believes that individual humans are a direct threat to civilizations, but humans as a whole consider it to be a benefit. To make a civilization work, there must be a leader recognized by the mass part of it. This leader pressures people to follow the rules, laws and other institutions.This leader would be the higher power. The rest, thus keeping the custom of the civilization going, adopted this coercion to the things civilians must follow. An example of this would be baptisms. Basically everyone in the Christian church has gotten b aptized, but why? This rite of passage into any Christian church has been used since the beginning of its existence. The reason is because people have a learned feeling that if they don't or don't have their child baptized, salvation cannot be achieved. Of course, people were not born with this idea, but rather coerced into believing it.The function of baptisms are to give people the feeling of safety and also that they are involved in civilization. This â€Å"rule† of Christian civilization is the reason that millions of people are baptized and will continue to be. Freud is definitely right with this belief. Believe this because my family is a perfect example of this. I was baptized in the Catholic Church when I was a baby, yet I never go to church. My parents fell into the civilization rule made by the leader that is religion. They were brought up to believe the same belief that millions around the world believe-that it would bring salvation.I will probably do the same to m y kids one day, since I now deem it as important A very important function of religion to Freud was that it made a moral code for humans to live by. This would include religious codes such as the Ten Commandments, the Noble Path of Buddha, the Five Pillars of Islam, or others. All of these represent a code that people should live by if they want to live a good life and be worthy enough for their higher power in the after life. Because of these codes, people don't kill one another, or other bad things for the civilization, but instead try to live a good life.This good life would include, according to these codes, giving to others, believing in their God, or praying. These rules that religion forces people to live by make for a better civilization, according to Freud. These rules apply directly to human civilization n the way hat they connect to the government laws in which people live by. An example of the application of the rules into the real world is that in most countries, it is illegal to kill someone. There are serious consequences for murder. The connection between the law of a country and the law of a religion show how much religion has influenced outside civilization.The moral code that was used for religious purposed which were followed by most, had been converted into the law used by many governments today. I believe Freud was right In saying that a large part of the function of religion is to provide a moral code for people. Without it, there could be the possibility that people would be allowed to run around killing left and right. Civilization wouldn't exist if this were true, because everyone would be dead. Although this is true, I also believe that even without the code, people would still find a way to maintain order. Onto think that chaos is only averted because of the moral codes, but because humans long for an orderly lifestyle. The drive for stable, maintained life styles is an evident characteristic of all humans. No one wants to be confus ed with his or her place in life all the time. It would cause psychological instability. One way or another, I believe that we would still have laws and regulations without religion. Peter Berger is another major thinker that had his own beliefs about the functions that religion has. One belief he had was that society shapes people.Babies are born as a blank slate of a person. With no beliefs, thoughts, or feelings on any subject in the world, they learn the things that surround them. The society that they are born into has already existed for years and it shapes the way the new person can live. This creates conformity. Berger also says that a process called objectification happens; this is when people grow up in a society where they take it for granted as the right way for living compared to other societies. A great example of this would be the terrorist attacks on 9/11.As Americans, we were stricken with fear and hostility towards the people who we believed to be evil and criminal . Our society we live in does not, under any circumstance, stand for such horrible attack against our beloved country. The terrorists didn't see it that way. The A-Qaeda found it to be the right thing to do. This directly shows objectification. Americans believed this act was of terror and were hurt deeply by it, while the terrorists didn't. The efferent backgrounds that we grew up in compared to what they grew up in explain the differences in behavior.Berger was correct with his belief on objectification, because it is clear that people from different societies act different then others. Everyone is born the same way -? with no knowledge of anything but to eat and sleep. The society in which we grow up in makes the person. Adding to this, I also believe that societies change with new generations. New generations don't only follow what their parents and grandparents did, but try to improve their life. This is shown by all the new technology We now live with. We always try to advance ourselves, but don't stray too far away from what we know.Another important belief that Berger had about the purpose of religion was that it helped humans give meanings to things. People can perceive of their own experiences in a meaningful way. This is very important because it makes chaotic things have its own significance. Without religion, in Burger's eyes, people would live with madness everywhere -? death, natural disasters and other tragedies. Berger uses the term cosmos, a notion of stability that links human experience to a divine order, offering a sense that our lives are tot mere combinations of random events but instead that our experiences are linked to some larger sacred plan.If a woman were to lose her sister to breast cancer, and then devote her life to raising money for research, she may vow that the death â€Å"meant something. † People give tragic accidents, like this one, a meaning. They reject the chaos nature of death by giving it a meaning that a divin e power created it for a reason. Susan G. Someone was the dying sister of Nancy G. Brinier, who then went on to create the Susan G. Someone for the Cure. It has since risen more then $2 billion in a fight against areas cancer. The terrible death of her sister made Brinier help decrease breast cancer mortality in the U.S. Stories like this are heard all over the world because religion helps them find meaning in horrible events such as death. I most definitely believe this is the case in humanity. Without religion, life would be depressing. People die every day. Without the thought that it was â€Å"all in God's plan†, I don't think people would have a reason to live. Why would anyone want to if everyone just died them with them themselves eventually joining them? There are many things that we give meaning to, that we need o give meaning to, in order to survive this hard life.

Religion and Morality Essay

In this paper I will discuss the relationship between religion and morality. I will first address the question asked by those with religion, how are atheists moral? Then I will examine morality and its relativity to culture. Next I will explore whether those without a religion are actually more moral than those with a religion. And finally, I will discuss any possible objections to my claims. This argument is in no way saying that those that believe in God are unmoral but that those who don’t believe in God, are just as capable of being moral. Being atheist means that you choose to believe that God, or a god, does not exist. You have no faith or religion, you don’t go to church every Sunday morning, or pray every night before you go to bed. Therefore the belief is that you’re condemned to spend the rest of eternity in hell. So just because a person doesn’t believe in a God, does that make them a bad person? A common question of those with religion is, where do atheists get their moral compass from? Atheists aren’t taught by any type of ultimate superior that they can’t lie, cheat, steal, rape, or murder. So how do they know not to do it? The underlying message I interpret from this is: religion is what keeps everybody in the world moral. That the only thing stopping you from murdering someone is reading a Bible (Marcotti, 2011). Just because you don’t have a bible does it mean that you want to go around blowing up buildings and terrorizing grocery stores. It’s safe to assume that most people want to do good in the world. There is the occasional serial killer every once in a while but, the bulk of the world’s population is promoting good that exists in all forms because everybody has a different idea of whats right from wrong. Some people make incredible scientific discoveries to better mankind, that’s considered good. Others might go to countries and help those less fortunate, also good. One might reply that these are just acts of morality. And that they still don’t define a moral person. But if you think about it, nobody’s born with a perfect moral compass. Nobody is born with morals. Not even those that are born into a religion. In our society, when we’re young and we tell a white lie, we learn the consequences. Some are told by their parents, who are told by the Bible, that it is wrong. Others learn that when you deceive people, it can have many effects. Through experience and questioning, do children acquire their sense of right and wrong. Which accompanies them throughout the rest of their lives. In Louise M. Antony’s Philosophers Without Gods, she says that, â€Å"All that is lost, if there is no God, is a divine enforcer. In a world without God, there is no guarantee that the virtuous will ever be rewarded, nor that the vicious will ever be punished. We must do what is right simply because it is right,† (Antony, 2007, pg. 51). Let’s look at morality and religion from a cultural standpoint. â€Å"When used in a descriptive sense [morality] refers to codes of conduct that are actually put forward and accepted by some society, group, or individual,† (Gert, 2012). If you think about it, there are over seven billion people spread out over seven continents in our world. The majority of those people have a religion and believe in a God. But, what about the people that aren’t even exposed to the idea of a God? Let’s say a rural, very secluded tribe in the habitable regions of northeast Asia. Just because they don’t have a religion, would that make them bad people? If they lead a simple life and didn’t steal, lie, commit adultery, or murder, why should they be branded as unmoral for something they have no control over. An excellent insight into Chinese culture and religion is portrayed in the book, The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Even though this example is a fictional story, it’s based off of a real culture and the religious views of that culture in the late nineteenth century. The protagonist Wang Lung practices a religion with the Earth. When his crop is well and thriving he pays homage to the Earth God and when his crop is poor he resents the Earth God. At a point in the book, Wang Lung kills his newborn daughter because of her sex. During a time of famine, he steals gold coins from a wealthy family. And after he encounters money and prosperity, he spends his time in a tea house with a concubine instead of with his dying wife (Sparknotes Editors, 2012). But, in this story the main character does feel guilt for the things that he did. Knowing that it wasn’t right, and that it didn’t feel right to kill his newborn child, Wang Lung still did it and the act was perfectly acceptable according to their culture. When he stole the gold from the wealthy, he knew morally that it was wrong but, his family needed the money therefore his motivation was to provide for them. And when he purchased a concubine, Wang Lung was complying with the cultural norm of wealthy Chinese men. Whereas in our culture, and its predominant religion, the idea of adultery and lust is considered unmoral. It is even arguable that those without a religion are more genuinely moral. For example, the Christian religion. The whole belief is that you don’t sin and therefore are rewarded with eternal bliss. If you do sin then you will be forever damned. The motivation for all the good that they are guided to do is to have a better afterlife, selfish isn’t it? Well one who has no religion, has no belief in the afterlife. All the actions and choices that they make in this physical life are all they have. They live for today instead of living for tomorrow, metaphorically. When you do the right thing, like not lie, cheat, steal, then your life will reflect upon that. If you rape someone then our judicial system will lock you up in a concrete cell for a few decades and then you just wasted half of the only life you have. From this you could say that an Atheist has more to lose by not being moral. For this argument, well known atheists, Ricky Gervais said, â€Å"Forgiveness is probably the greatest virtue there is. But that’s exactly what it is - ­ a virtue. Not just a Christian virtue. No one owns being good. I’m good. I just don’t believe I’ll be rewarded for it in heaven. My reward is here and now. It’s knowing that I try to do the right thing. That I lived a good life,† (Gervais, 2010). A possible objection brought upon by these claims would be simply that God made morality and it’s not something we acquire. And for those that have faith in God, in all honesty why should they believe any differently? Their faith is what allows them to believe without having any need for reason, and that is extremely commendable. Many people aren’t capable of providing that much trust in the existence of a supernatural being. In this case, there are two sides to the story and it really does come down to which side you are on. Those that have a religion would say that their morality has come from the teachings of that religion. But, they wouldn’t know any otherwise. Even if they came to religion later in life, the bible provides written, physical guidance. An atheist would have a clean palette, not influenced by any ideas or direction. So the question of their morality is perfectly understandable. Its like saying if I had a candy bar, how could somebody else conjure that candy bar and experience the same sensation of it. In this paper, I explored a few concepts that argue the relationship between religion and morality. First by arguing where morality comes from, I said that it is something that we acquire through society. Next I said that morality is related to the religions amidst a culture. Last, I put forward that those without a religion are actually more moral than those with a religion. I Finished by providing objections and a point of view for those with a religion. The examples from literature that were used supported the claims made in the paragraphs. With these arguments, I believe that the relationship between religion and morality was effectively exposed. That it is not necessary for one to have a religion and be moral. References Antony, L. (2007). Philosophers Without Gods’ . Oxford University Press Gert, Bernard, â€Å"The Definition of Morality†, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2012 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed. ), URL = . Gervais, Ricky (2010) â€Å"Ricky Gervais: Why I’m an Atheist† The Wall Street Journal [Online] Available at: http://blogs. wsj. com/speakeasy/2010/12/19/a-holiday-message-from-ricky-gervais-why-im-an-atheist/ Marcotte, Amanda (2011) â€Å"10 Myths Many Religious People Hold About Atheists, Debunked† AlterNet [Online] Available at: http://www. alternet. org/story/152395/10_myths_many_religious_people_hold_about_atheists,_debunked SparkNotes Editors. (2003). SparkNote on The Good Earth. Retrieved October 25, 2012, from http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/goodearth/Ã'Ž

Communication And Race Essays - Discrimination, Racism, Hatred

Communication And Race Essays - Discrimination, Racism, Hatred Communication And Race The most critical aspects of media performance with regards to race and ethnicity are issues that relate to the quality of its representation of the lives of people of color. Accuracy and diversity are aspects of media performance that will allow for a careful evaluation of how it represents people of color. Evaluating media performance is important because of the utilization and reliance on the mass media for much of society's reflexive monitoring and evaluation of reality. The performance of mass media is important in regards to race and ethnicity because the mass media are the primary source of indirect or mediated experiences that reinforce racial attitudes and beliefs that are integrated into cognitive structures (Gandy, 1998). Thus, mass media can be viewed as places where reality is constructed and racism may be reproduced. Accuracy Accuracy is an important aspect of media performance to consider in assessing the quality of its representation of the lives of people of color because of its assumed consequences of developing self-image and personal identity and its reflection of social reality that informs social policy (Gandy 1998). Shan and Thorton (1994) state that previous research of minority groups has shown that minorities are sometimes depicted as being violent, primitive, and politically unsophisticated. Furthermore, they postulate that certain types of behaviors among minorities may be understood by whites as pathological or deviant because of how the news media represent them. This representation is inaccurate because it ignores historical context and structural explanations for social trends. In addition, Shan and Thorton state that newsmagazines reproduce racism by perpetuating a racial hierarchy carried out by mainly whites and consumed by mainly whites that positioned blacks at the bottom. Entman (1990) found that local news stimulated the production of modern racism. Violent crimes committed by blacks was the largest category of local news. Of the eight times in which blacks were subjects of lead stories, six described violent crimes. In addition, blacks were shown as being more dangerous than whites. Entman states that accused blacks were usually illustrated by glowering mug shots or by footage of them being led around in handcuffs, their arms held by uniformed white policemen. Salwen and Soruco (1997) state that images of Mexicans in the press reflect racial stereotypes. The researchers point out examples in US press where Mexicans were labeled as wetbacks and associated with causing destruction by introducing one of the world's most destructive insect pest. Gandy (1998) states that blacks are often portrayed as violent criminals. If they are portrayed in human-interest stories, these stories rely upon negative stereotypes. Like Entman and Gandy finding that minorities (blacks) experience inaccurate portrayals of being violent, Salwen and Soruco also report that Hispanics were framed in crime stories more frequently. Astroff (1989) conclude that mass media tends to reproduce or participate in the reproduction of inaccurate representations, stereotypes, of Latinos. US Latinos were transformed into Spanish Gold through the redefinition of (not the elimination of) traditional stereotypes. These stereotypes of Latinos were reinterpreted for the use of explanations of consumer behavior yet there was not any significant change, moving to a more accurate depiction, in the representation of Latinos in mainstream media. Diversity The concept of diversity is a multidimensional one. The FCC sought to promote diversity under two headings: one of maximizing consumer choice; the other of serving the public interest by ensuring an appropriate range of service from broadcasting and fairness in giving access and attention to minority groups. Diversity of program content, accessible to all segments of the audience, is necessary to insure quality representation of the lives of people of color. One of the goals of the media should be to represent or reflect the prevailing differences of culture, opinion, and social conditions of the population as a whole. The degree of correspondence between the diversity of the society and the diversity of media content is the key to assessing media performance. Diversity must be at the media content level and at the media system level and must promote racial proportionality and representation. Entman (1990) demonstrated that blacks were misrepresented in local news coverage. So-called bad news was often thought more newsworthy than good news and ethnic minority members were differentially more

The Story of the Septuagint Bible and the Name Behind It

The Story of the Septuagint Bible and the Name Behind It The Septuagint Bible arose in the 3rd century B.C., when the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, was translated into Greek. The name Septuagint derives from the Latin word septuaginta, which means 70. The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible is called Septuagint because 70 or 72 Jewish scholars reportedly took part in the translation process. The scholars worked in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 B.C.), according to the Letter of Aristeas to his brother Philocrates. They assembled to translate the Hebrew Old Testament into the Greek language because Koine Greek began to supplant Hebrew as the language most commonly spoken by the Jewish people during the Hellenistic Period. Aristeas determined that 72 scholars took part in the Hebrew-to-Greek Bible translation by calculating six elders for each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Adding to the legend and symbolism of the number is the idea that the translation was created in 72 days, according to The Biblical Archaeologist article, Why Study the Septuagint? written by Melvin K. H. Peters in 1986. Calvin J. Roetzel states in The World That Shaped the New Testament that the original Septuagint only contained the Pentateuch. The Pentateuch is the Greek version of the Torah, which consists of the first five books of the Bible. The text chronicles the Israelites from creation to the leave-taking of Moses. The specific books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Later versions of the Septuagint included the other two sections of the Hebrew Bible, Prophets and Writings. Roetzel discusses a latter-day embellishment to the Septuagint legend, which today probably qualifies as a miracle: Not only did 72 scholars working independently make separate translations in 70 days, but these translations agreed in every detail. Featured Thursdays Term to Learn. The Septuagint is also known as: LXX. Example of Septuagint in a Sentence The Septuagint contains Greek idioms that express events differently from the way they were expressed in the Hebrew Old Testament. The term Septuagint is sometimes used to refer to any Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. Books of the Septuagint GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuthKings (Samuel) IKings (Samuel) IIKings IIIKings IVParalipomenon (Chronicles) IParalipomenon (Chronicles) IIEsdras IEsdras I (Ezra)NehemiahPsalms of DavidPrayer of ManassehProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SolomonJobWisdom of SolomonWisdom of the Son of SirachEstherJudithTobitHoseaAmosMicahJoelObadiahJonahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiIsaiahJeremiahBaruchLamentations of JeremiahEpistles of JeremiahEzekialDanielSong of the Three ChildrenSusannaBel and the DragonI MaccabeesII MaccabeesIII Maccabees

Legalizing Marijuana Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Legalizing Marijuana - Research Paper Example Marijuana use has over time been seen as a danger to society as a whole thus pushing for its prohibition and due to this, it has been included in the war against drugs. However, the benefits of medical marijuana, particularly its economic benefits are eye catching and if properly channeled can be beneficial to the society today. Marijuana is the most used illegal drug- a product of the hemp plant, cannabis sativa. Cannabis is an anal flowering herb with palmate compound leafs that are used in making marijuana. Marijuana has walked with history since then, with the first recorded use of cannabis dating back to 7,000B.C. The Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used this drug for its medicinal values since it healed stomach ailments cramps and pain.(Caulking et al 35). This drug originated from Asia and speculations have it that Napoleons troops sneaked Marijuana into Europe after discovering there was more to it than medicinal value. The Mexican immigrants then helped spread this drug across America where it was introduced for medicinal purposes. The curious Americans discovered its recreational ability when alcohol was banned and prohibited. Once the federal government imposed a ban on alcohol, marijuana became an alternative and its usage soared. In the year 1930, the U.S government and the media both collaborated in demonizing marijuana sighting it as a devil with its roots in hell. This led to the prohibition of marijuana with the government and the liquor industry formulating a movie aimed at discouraging people from the use of marijuana (Dudley 105). It is evident that the propaganda emerging about marijuana were not well researched, causing tension among its users and the government. Instead, it created problems that were more serious. Small drug offenders filled prisons to overcrowding. Besides, alleviating the problem of overcrowding jails, if marijuana were legalized and properly regulated, its users would be

Outline and discuss the different kinds of barriers to learning and Essay

Outline and discuss the different kinds of barriers to learning and participation faced by disabled children and young people wi - Essay Example However, there are calls to improve the deaf education by addressing the various challenges deaf children and young people come across. Schools, governments and the society have working towards better deaf education in most countries. The deaf education has been improving over the years, but the challenges are still there for deaf children and young adults in their quest for education, and only time will tell whether the current calls for more improvement and addressing challenges will be successful in making their education even better. The deaf education can be credited to an Italian physician, Geronimo Cardano who was born in the 16th century in Milan Italy. Geronimo claimed that the deaf were as smart as the hearing people only that they could not communicate with the others. He proposed that the deaf be taught just like the hearing people. Rather than normal communication, Geronimo proposed that the deaf be taught to use symbols and signs as a way of communicating their feelings to the others. This proposal was well taken by Juan Pablo de Bonet who created the first ever sign language book in 1620. This made the deaf education to spread fast across France leading to the establishment of the first deaf education school by Charles Michel de L’Eppe. ... Deaf people continued to be taught how to communicate to the rest of the society using this sign language. This has continued to the current times. School, colleges, experts and government alike have started appreciating that deaf education is important to the people with hearing problems. Parents with deaf children are advised to take their children to these special schools (Winzer and Mazurek, 2000). Though deaf education is yet to be like main stream education, at least there are some improvements. There have been significant events in history that have really impacted the deaf education. They are; Abraham Lincoln signing in to law the enabling act which was meant to improve education of the deaf. This was followed by the opening of the National College for the deaf and dumb in 1864. The invention of the electrical hearing aid in 1892 to allow the deaf to communicate with the other people in the society, phone for the deaf invented in 1964 and the signing of the disabilities act i nto law which was meant to ensure that the disabled have right to education, employment and equality (Rotatori, Obiakor and Bakken, 2011). Lack of enough funding for deaf education is the great threat to the deaf people. A cross check in several countries shows that deaf schools are closing. According to the National Association of the deaf, most states in the United States are cutting funding for deaf education. Most of the national and state governments across the world are focusing on cutting their expenses. They are removing what they deem not necessary as the world has been a recession. Deaf education programs are some of the items that are not a priority for most governments. The

In class Exam 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

In class Exam 2 - Essay Example The company set a number of financial goals in order to meet its goals and objectives. In fact, the financial policies created by the organization enable it to adhere to the firm’s strategic plans as well as control the growth of the company. This financial policy determines whether the earnings of the company increases or decreases within a given financial period or fiscal year. The financial policies also incorporate a global product strategy whereby it leaned out its manufacturing operations in order to create a flexible manufacturing operation that saved on the costs of operations as well as resulted in the faster development of its products. In addition, this global product strategy also led to development of efficiencies in the delivery of the company’s new technologies especially within its core markets. This is majorly due to the worldwide integration of the automotive industry, which greatly influenced a variety of policies, practices and strategies that the Fo rd automobile Corporation undertakes in order to succeed in its operations and business ventures. The company also shapes its functional strategies in consideration of the environmental policies adopted by the United States of America. The US has growing concern over the protection of the environment by instituting development of policies that are more inclined to the conservation of the environment. ... In fact, the company even stated on its website that it relies on a sustainable technology that advances to alternative fuel plans, as well as, lay out constructive plans in order to improve fuel efficiency in its products. In addition, the company also advances towards usage of bio fuels and electricity in designing their products. Strategy implementation at the company adopted incorporates the six sigma strategy whereby it follows a set of techniques, as well as, tools, which are handy in the improvement of processes of operations. Jack Welch became famous from his development of the six-sigma model, as it was his central strategy of implementing his business motives and processes. Jack Welch succeeded through the application of this model in his business strategies while at the controlling seat at the General Electric Company in 1995. The six-sigma model is a good way of creating synergies across the organization in order to increase the probability of the buy-in mission of the co mpany, as well as, create an effective alignment of resources that would lead to increased productivity in the company. The alignment of resources as well as development of other concerned factors will make the business improve its functions and performance. The six-sigma model enabled the former chairperson as well as the chief executive Officer of the General Electric Company (GE) to turn the productivity of the company from 1981 to 2001. This transformation was very magical as it dramatically changed the productivity of the company by increasing its market value from a market value of $ 14 billion to $ 410 billion during the tenure of Jack Welch, all thanks to the use and application of the

The Transformational Leadership Style Business Essay

The Transformational Leadership Style Business Essay This assignment describes the development and transformation process of State Trading Organization Public limited (Here Onward STO). STO strived to provide to Maldivian market, products ranging from staples (like rice sugar and flour), medicine, quality merchandise, and improved construction material, oil and state-of-the-art consumer goods as well other general trading products. Due to newly established democracy and regulations, innovation imported by FDI and service level challenges STO to fundamentally rethink their business and reformulate their strategies. The nation was growing, and so were the nations demands. The organization is established in the year 1964. For four decades STO was known as the market leader. However, it lasted till the industry was opened for foreign and domestic competition in 2005 under economic and political reforms in 2001. Hence, STO foreseeing the competitive and political challenges, the organizing aimed a broader transformation towards becoming a market oriented company. This paper will cover mainly two sections. Firstly, the paper has studied the company background as the introduction of this assignment. Secondly, it has attempted to understand why change is important for organizations to adopt in todays business environment. Therefore, through highlighting on the external factors such as political, Economical, Social and Technological factors (PEST factors) that are as drivers of change, has been given importance as the literature of the subject. Consequently, the main part of the paper: finding the facts, assessing the findings, discussing and analyzing the situation which will help in understanding the strengths and weakness of the subject being studied in this assignment was thoroughly evaluated as the primary component of the paper. In addition, it has given insights into the importance of leadership in bringing changes effectively and explains the opposition and challenges faced by STO. Thus, causing STO to reconsider and reformulate in various business strategies like Leadership, people engagement and change management methods to become customer friendly and improve its image. This assignment will highlight various future challenges awaiting STO and recommendation for actions. INTRODUCTION Company Background The beginning of State Trading Organization Plc, (formerly known as (ATA) Athireege maafannu Trading Agency) is a registered organization. The roots of State Trading Organization PLC, dates back to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦(website) 1964 when it was opened to finance the purchasing and importation of essential food items needed for the Maldivian community in bulk. Today STO has sustained this important responsibility to oversee the food security concerns of government and diversified into many other areas of importance such as energy needs of the country which has now become part and parcel of STOs mandate. Within the framework that includes these two areas, STO has diversified and is also competitively engaged in trading in other areas including Consumer Electronics, Home appliances, Medicals, Canned foods, Health foods and a range of other high quality products. This has been achieved by direct procurement and distribution as well as forming joint ventures to effectively trade in areas where STO might have been at disadvantage had STO not been able to do so, while still maintaining a strong hold with the Government as the primary trading partner of choice. State Trading Organization plc with its subsidiaries, a joint ventures and associates is a nationwide leader in the business sector. It has significant and focused interests in petroleum, construction materials, electronic items, cooking gas, cement, roofing sheets products, home appliances, super markets and insurance. The company is geographically diverse, with operations and developments in Maldives and Singapore. Diversification is the one of the most important strategies in STO. Therefore STO is entering different business sector like, Tourism, aviation, oil business, construction, agricultural produce and real estate business. METHOD OF INVESTIGATION Most of the information about the various strategies utilized by STO to face competitive challenges was acquired through numerous interviews with managers and employees of STO. Other pieces of information were also gathered through the companys website and local media. The websites and publications of the governments numerous ministries and departments are considered the main sources of information on topics related to the governments policies, regulations and laws. Information regarding trade regulations and policies are taken from the Ministry of Economic Developments annual reports, as well as from the statistical reports that they periodically publish online. In addition to these sources several pieces of information were also acquired through STOs annual report of 2011 and the Quarterly report of 2012 LITERATURE REVIEW The liberalization of Maldives economy and trade regulation has led to market widening , attraction of new foreign investments in well known companys and competition that has led to reduced prices, latest and innovative services, quality products and better customer care. As is suggested by Bortolotti, Bernanrdo, Juliet DSouza, Marcella Fantini, and DomenicoSiniscalco(2002 cited in SilivioContessi 2004 p.3)1the infrastructure investment fosters market interaction and competition through three channels direct market selection, restructuring and entry. As is the theme of this paper, how leadership and people engagement transformed and restructured STO to a market oriented firm to confront the competition from FDI. However, the liberalization was not fully effective due to the certain exclusivities provided to STO such as Government major share. Recent changes in political platform and FDI regulation STO need to be able to adapt different leadership style like, autocratic, democratic leadership Style and other shifting circumstances and cope with those changes (Moment, 2007)2.   Every organization needs leaders who can change as fast as market conditions do (Newcomb, 2005, p. 34)3.   Business needs can change rapidly and employees look to their leaders to guide them through change.   Uncertainty in leaders can lead to a lack of faith by employees. Good leadership is critical to a successful school. Success comes from aiming high with the clear vision, ethos and communication that good leadership brings. We will act to support high quality school leadership and inspired ambitious school communities. (Ambitious, Excellent Schools Our Agenda for Action, Scottish Executive, 2004, p5)4 Research into transformational leadership in organizations has found links to improved employee commitment (Barling,webberKelloway ,1996)5,heightened trust in leadership (Bass B.M.,1990),and stronger connection with the vision (Howell and Shamir,2005)5 and thus alignment of effort with the (change) goal (Shamir,House, Arthur,November 1993 ) cited in cited in Sherry Scully 2008)5. Based on the research results it could be concluded transformational leadership may be more appropriate for STO undergoing transformation where motivation of employees and commitment to change comes from their intrinsic motivation. Future leaders and employee engagement will need to be conversant in doing business internationally and conceiving strategies on a global basis. Globalization will intensify the requirement that senior leaders deal effectively with a complex set of constituencies external to the organization. (e.g., responsibility for managing the companys interface with trade, regulatory, political, and media groups on a wide range of issues). Leadership development is rapidly moving to include substantial components involving international markets, world economic trends, and focus on particular regions such as the Asia Pacific rim (Cacioppe, 1998)6. Kotler and Heskett (1992 Cited inRezaGharoieAhangar 2009)7 identify successful leaders as those who repeatedly communicate their vision, allow people to challenge these messages and stimulate middle managers to take up the cause and provide leadership themselves, characteristics similar to transformational leadership. Likewise leaders foster an environment for building intellectual, managerial and leadership capabilities. The whole concept of transformational leadership linked with HPW is a process by which leaders and followers raise one another to a higher moral and motivational level Burns (1978 Cited in Reza 2009)7.Through this process senior managers share organizations vision to intellectually inspire, stimulate and empower the subordinates. (Bass and Avolio, 1994 cited in Reza 2009)7. 4.0 FACTS, FINDINGS Political Environment In year 1964, Maldives was a very peaceful and stable country. After 2008, the market has become volatile characterized with higher degree of uncertainty and complexity due to our political environment and reform movement. On average new regulations and laws are passed and enacted every month. Along with the democratization process came various legal changes to the economy including the introduction and changes to several laws and regulations, notably, the business profitability tax, Good and service tax, Tourism Tax, Tourism Land Rent, Bank Profit Tax, Duty Free Royalty, Foreign Investment Royalty, Fuel Re-Export Royalty and re-export tax directly influencing the STO business. The fact was highlighted in the STO Annual Report (2011 p.3) as a risk. The newly elected president in 2008 resigned half way through his term and claimed he resigned duress. Many believe its a coup. Therefore, our political environment is at very high risk. This volatile and serious political environment is affecting each and every business of this country. The political situation influenced the business strategies of STO. Hence, most of the decisions were politically driven instead of the business motive. Economical: Global recession hit badly along with the rising fuel prices. It had adversely affected the company in two ways. Firstly, recession has led to fall in income, so consumers are spending less on Home improvement items (like Electronics, kitchen appliance) resulting in decrease sales and increasing storage cost and thus in the drop in company profitability. The unexpected plunge in exchange rate of Rufiyaa against US Dollar, coupled with the continuing problem of foreign exchange shortages caused major impact on the business performance. This was highlighted in the STO annual report (2011 p.7 MDs Message).The depreciation of the Maldivian Currency (Rufiyaa) following the introduction of the exchange rate band in April 2011. Shortage of foreign currency reserve (US Dollar) is affecting STOs business. Because STO is importing most of the items from Singapore, Japan, Dubai and chain. Due to the change in government in 2008, changes to the trade policy and the implementation of new tax laws and regulation brought many challenges to STO in terms of foreign currency transactions. Social: Image of the company: Over the past few decades STO has been one of most leading and reputed company in Maldives (price and Quality).Due to recent changes in political and economic environment, STO is facing many challenges to maintain its reputation. STO is participated and contributed to a number of social activities that are designed to positively contribute to our socio-economic development and towards protecting our natural environment. These activities are in line with the company policy of being an exemplary leader in corporate social responsibility.(annual report 2011p.07) Due to the extensive government intervention on STOs business decisions, STOs reputation and image are affected According to daily newspaper (Haveeru daily) STO is engaging in corruption and fraudulent trading in Singapore. This created bad publicity and tainted the image of the company. Technology: STO understands the importance of developing its technology infrastructure and considers continuous changes in business environment and advancement in technology. In line with this, STO management team decided and implemented the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to improve productivity, reducing operational cost and improving internal control and monitoring. This system provides day-to-day information to make decisions which will facilitate to transform the future of STO and employee engagement. STO has implemented the human resources module of the ERP system, which will facilitate more efficient management of payroll and other staff related matters(Annual Report 2011 p.07). EFFECTIVELY An organization cannot run without proper vision and guidance of a leader. In todays changing world the role of leadership is even more essential, to show direction towards change, convince employees and finally to set a strong foundation to successfully carrying out change. Faced with Political, Economical and Foreign competition, STO underwent recent changes where by its major strategies were rethought strengthening the whole strategic process through integration, bundling, Diversifying and focusing new industries like, Tourism and Real estate (Annual Report 2011, p.25) .STOs major shareholder the government as well as shareholders have to evolve and transform with the changes to the business environment to achieve a successful future for STO. Hence, the following part gives insight into the topic precisely. Transformational leadership style Developing vision After these major changes in business environment, STO is moving forward to achieve its vision. STO had a vision to become the most successful and the most efficient parent company (of a diversified group of subsidiaries) in the Maldives by the year 2014. Investing on tourism, real estate and aviation (Annual Report 2011, p.25) would allow STO to achieve its corporative goals. Therefore, it has to be noted that STOs vision is in accordance with one of the cores of transformational leadership. Finding the way deal with this dramatic changes STOs Board and Management team has charismatic personality which drives people to believe in leadership and that can influence people about change like how it is embedded into STOs slogan evolving with. Thus, a charismatic leader like the newly appointed Chairman and directors (appointed 2012) has used their personality leadership style to enhance the business by setting clear values and supportive culture for the employees as well as for the company. Due to major changes in political environment and the economy in Maldives, leaders must confront and take bold steps rather than being in the background even after changes in order to set an example for others and to ensure long term success of change plan as the external environment is very uncertain. HUMAN RESOURCE AS STRATEGIC ASSET STO promotes itself as employees are the most important asset in the organization with HR best practices. To promote HR strategy, implement the human resources module of the ERP system, which will facilitate more efficient management of payroll and other staff related matters. Among these STO has stated its HR strategy as follows: Selective hiring , retention and extensive development of employees STO promotes itself as an employees brand and this perception by the public has given STO distinctive benefits in terms of better attraction of necessary and new skills, employee retention and engagement making it easy for STO selective hiring and retention. STO strives to attract and retain a productive and an enthusiastic workforce. The Company ensures its remuneration packages are competitive. In order to motivate staff to attain higher levels of productivity, employees are given an incentive bonus of 3% of the net profit for the year if the company exceeds its annual profit targets(Annual Report 2011, p.27) Recognizing Employees commitment STO is able to create commitment among their employees. STO realizes that commitment is ultimately personal. To recognize employees hard work, shields of appreciation are given to those who serve more than 15 years and best employees (Annual Report 2011, p.27). Training and development of Employees Oakland, CA January 16, 2012 Bersin Associates, the premier research and consulting firm empowering Human Resource (HR) organizations to drive bottom-line impact, today announced new research that shows spending on employee development rose 9.5 percent to an average of $800 per learner in 2011, as organizations moved to combat the current skills gap in the labor market. During the year, STO conducted many short-term training programs, and provided career deployment opportunities to its employees in many different professional are as (Annual Report 2011, p.27). Employees engagement Most of the organizations are facing new challenges due to development of social media such as twitter and face book. Organizations need to have employees engagement strategy to overcome the challenges. Employee engagement plays a vital role in motivating the performance levels of the workforce. A motivated employee will seek out ways to accomplish a task. Employee engagement illustrates the commitment and energy that employees bring to work and is a key indicator of their involvement and dedication to the organization. Employees who are engaged are more productive, content and more likely to be loyal to an organization. When organizations put sound HR practices in place, they are more likely to discover that employees feel satisfied, safe and will work to their full potential .Therefore STO recognizing, values, support, feeling in different situation like, providing financial support through staff loan, discounts and awarding long service staff every year. Striving to attract and retain a productive and an enthusiastic workforce, STO recreation club (STORC) conducts many sport events to help foster camaraderie and team spirit among staffs.(Annual Report 2011, p.28). Performance management According to the University of California, Berkeley is committed to a performance management system that fosters and rewards excellent performance. Effective performance management aligns the efforts of supervisors and employees with departmental and campus goals, promotes consistency in performance assessment, motivates all employees to perform at their best, and is conducted with fairness and transparency. (Cited in http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/performance-management). STO has also been taking measures to evaluate and manage the performance of both individual employees and departments through performance auditing on HR and also through a performance evaluation at the end of every financial year. HPW and Employee Engagement STO is adopting high performance working practices through SAP ERP system. The system helps to align a complex set of organizational elements including Strategy, vision, Mission, and goal, management practice, organizational structure, work practices and process human resource and other systems such as technology. Continuous high performance work systems have been cited by STO and the company is now transitioning to a high performance working system. This will require the development of a strong communication system and organizational restructuring. CONCLUSION Transforming whole business environment in Maldives (PEST) factors are affecting STO business. Domestic and international competition STO has managed to retain its market position. As new challenges emerge the change process will be an ongoing process to maintain market position. As now STO has completely lost its remaining exclusivities it will face new challenges from Multinational chain like (ACE hardware) over retaining customers. Excellent HR practices and efforts retain existing employees as well as new. To tackle the future challenges STO is developing its human resource, redesigning organizational structure, using latest technology and innovative software to efficiency and effectiveness of its operation. To achieve organization mission and vision, STO is adopting high performance working practices, increasing employee engagement, review STO pay package and career development opportunities. Furthermore investing eco-friendly products and engaging CSR to transform the future challenges. Therefore STO come to a decision to diversify its business into different area like, aviation, real estate business and tourism industry to improve its financial performance. This will attract more investors and shareholders as well as all stakeholders. So this strategy will bring more opportunities to the business as well as public in future. RECOMMENDATION Dynamic and complex business and Political environment STO is facing many challenges as well as opportunities in future. Therefore STO needs to be more proactive to these changes, which can be perceived by the knowledgeable among the corporate: Even though STO is government owned company (Major Shareholders), too much of government influence and political motive decision may not be business and profit oriented. It should be balanced in terms of politics and profit or business. As STO faces new challenges due to implementing EPR system, lack of trained employees. Therefore STO need to Investing in training programs helps employees develop personally and professionally to adopt this incremental changes in its processes and operation especially the way HR works, good and services are delivered to the end customer for this transformational change alone will not do. STO need to implement more monitoring and control mechanism to employee recruitment, Conflict resolution at workplace. STO need to developed HR Policies and procedures and communicate the values of its organization and provide everyone fair and transparent promotion and rewarding system. 9.0BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Sung, Johhny and Ashton, David.High Performance Work Practices: linking strategy and skills to performance outcomes. s.l.  : Department of Trade and Industry, UK, 2005. 2. Schuler, A J. [Online] 2003. [Cited: 3 November 2011.] http://www.schulersolutions.com. 3. Recklies, Dagmar. [Online] 2001. [Cited: 4 November 2011.] http://www.themanager.org. 4. Canterucci, Jim. [Online] 2001. [Cited: 3 November 2011.] http://www.corpchange.com. 5. Nickols, Fred.Four Change Management Strategies. s.l.  : Distance Consulting LLC, 2010. Mike Millmore Philip Lewis Mark saunders, adrian Thornhill Trevor Morrow(2007) Strategic Human Resource Management contemporary issues Jon M. Werner and Randy L. Desimone (5th Edition) Human Resources Development Post :GauravAkrani Date : 12/27/2009 08:52:00 PM IST Comments (2) Lables : Management, Study Notes Craig W. Fontaine, Ph.D.(August 2007) NortheasternUniversity College of Business Administration A Critical Factor for Organizational Effectiveness and Employee Satisfaction Charlotte RaynerDerekadam-Smith, Managing Leading People (2nd Edition, chapter-9) Recruitment Selection Employee-engagementmaximizing-organizational-performance PERSONAL EXPERIENCE Throughout the work for this Assignment, I have learned how organizations operate and the challenges they face. I understood from this work that, regardless of how smooth and successful an organization is, changing and adopting leadership style are always needed. It may be in the target market, management, human resource or technology used by the organisation. For these reasons, if handled carefully with the right tools, change can be smooth and successful. I m confident, that I will be able to apply the techniques that I have learned from this work in all stages of my career.