Leisure Time Essay

In the mid-1800s Americans started to receive a lot of extra time in their hand and had more time to do fun activities. Businesses declining working hours was a major reason for the rise of leisure time but what also had a huge impact was installation of the electric lighting in the city’s streets which made Americans have more time to perform activities at later hours (Lund). So what did Americans decide to do with this time? The recommendation of physical exercise as a way to relive of all the stress raised the importance of physical actives and to also attend spectator sports became part of the leisure activities in the United States. Vaudeville, dance halls, and motion pictures became popular, while new modes of travel allowed Americans to go visit the mountains, seaside resorts and county fairs (Lund). To begin with after the Civil War, the popularity of sports as leisure activities grew as people began to see the importance of exercise to health. While initially only the wealthy could take part in most sporting events because the middle and lower classes couldn’t afford most of the activities .The opening of public available gymnasiums, courts, and fields allowed the middle class to participate in those activities as well (Lund). Athletic clubs such as the New York Athletic Club were organized and the YMCAs began to institute sports programs. These programs mostly focused on track and field events, introduced by communities of European descent, and gymnastics, heavily influenced by German athletics. Gymnasiums, which included exercises using Indian clubs, wooden rings, and dumbbells, were opened in many Eastern cities which helped expand exercise. Also With the extra time Americans gained American sought out to find new ways to keep themselves occupied and entertained. Americans began to seek out new ways to distract themselves so they started to experiment in making new activities to do. As a result of Americans seeking for a new past time they invented Americas greatest past time today, baseball. Different types of Baseball have been played throughout time and before the 1800s but the rise of the sport didn’t come until after the civil war (Bluett). While at war the soldiers had a lot of extra time in their hands the soldiers from New York introduced the game to their comrades from their camps and soon the game also spread to other camps over the north and south. It was said that because of this baseball expanded from the north to the south baseball was recognized more after the civil war ended. After all the soldiers from the camps were taught how to play, they went back home and introduced their sport to their families and friends which helped expand they name of the game (Bluett). In 1870 the first professional team were founded but didn’t last for more than five years. In 1876 the first major professional league that was formed was the National league of baseball clubs which still exist today. Another sport that was created by Americans in the 19th century which they invented to perform as a leisure activity was Basketball. The game was created from the mind of James Naismith in 1891, while he was an instructor at the School for Christian Workers, later called the International YMCA Training School, in Springfield, Massachusetts (McComb). The YMCA was an international organization that focused on the idea that physical as well as religious training was important for humans. Naismith had graduated from McGill University, and after leaving a Presbyterian seminary jo ined the YMCA school in Massachusetts. When he arrived the director of the YMCA name Luther asked Naismith if he could design an interesting indoor sport for physical activity in a gymnasiums Americans can exercise while having fun in the winter when it was cold and couldn’t be outside (McComb). He thought that people were bored of just working out with weights and running around without a purpose. James considered the thought of throwing a ball into a box, like the warm-up exercise he had used when he played rugby but only this time the box was ten feet up and had to dribble the ball (McComb). The game was a success Americans all over the country were playing it and it even expanded internationally. In the 1880s women didn’t really perform any  sports but after they were introduced with basketball they were so fascinated that it became one of women’s favorite sport in the 1880s. Furthermore although men performed the majority of sports activities around the 19th century. Opportunities for women beg an to appear as the century ended. Some of the most popular sports for women in the 19 century were basketball and lawn tennis. Also by the end of the century schools began to offer even more sports activities for females, such as gymnastics and basketball. One of the most popular sports for women was basketball. Girls’ and women’s basketball flourished in the early years of the game. Two days after the invention of basketball, some female teachers who had heard the shouts of players coming from the gym, asked Naismith to instruct them (Woolum). Naismith did so and the women became very fund of the sport. In 1892 after the women new the game better the YMCA hosted the first tournament for women (Woolum). The game for women spread and they even got to play in college, in 1896 the first intercollegiate game was played in Berkeley between the University of California and Stanford. No male spectators were allowed at the Berkeley match because it was considered improper for male viewers to attend (Woolum). Also the other sport the women were very fund of was lawn tennis. Mary Ewing Outerbridge has be en credited with introducing lawn tennis to the United States in 1874. When she went to Bermuda she watched as British Army officers were hitting a rubber ball with spoon-shaped paddles strung with catgut across an outstretched net. Fascinated by the game, Outerbridge brought a box of the tennis equipment with her and returned to New York (Woolum). When she got home she introduced the game to her friends and family. The game rapidly got popular and became very popular not just with women but with men as well and rapidly spread throughout the Northeast as a favorite national pastime (Woolum). In addition Americans didn’t just past their times with sports they also enjoyed other activities like attending vaudeville shows. Within cities, people attended vaudeville shows which would include many acts. The vaudeville shows were usually watched by the middle class, the shows often ran for many hours so the people could come and go whenever they wanted (Ushistory). In the Vaudeville shows the viewers could enjoy a performance consisting of Shakespeare plays, acrobatics, singing, dancing, and comedy (Lund). Vaudeville shows weren’t just for entertaining they also talked  about economic and ethnic situations. Other popular shows of the time included circuses and Wild West shows, one of the most famous plays was Buffalo Bill Cody’s by William F. Motion pictures also served as entert ainment during leisure time for urban audiences. Initially the movies were originalities in kinescope viewers, until they became acts in their own right on the vaudeville stage. As motion pictures became longer, they moved into storefront Nickelodeon theaters and then into even larger theaters (Lund). Finally another activity Americans did as for their leisure time was to go on vacations. Some people wished to go further afield on their vacations and leave the city now that they invented a new way to travel faster which was by trains (Ushistory). Many with limited budgets went to the countryside or the beaches which mostly included the lower and middle class. Towards the late nineteenth century resorts opened in the outskirts of cities, such as the beach area of Asbury Park in New Jersey which was founded in 1870 (Lund). Amusement parks opened in places like Coney Island in New York was founded in 1897.the Park offering rides, fun houses, and scenes from foreign life, and the latest technological breakthroughs, such as motion pictu res. National parks were created by the federal government to preserve nature and many began to tour these areas on vacation (Lund). One such example was Yellowstone Park where people camped or stayed at the hotels, the park was built there in the late 1880s. World’s fairs and expositions held in different U.S. cities offered Americans a chance to tour the world in one place. The fairs celebrated progress and featured exhibits of science and technology, foreign villages, shows, rides and vendors. The first major one was the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876 (Lund). All in all Americans in the 19th century performed a large variety of activities for their leisure time. Men performed many different physical activities especially when clubs like the YMCA was introduced which helped more Americans become more active, also American performed sports like baseball and basketball in their leisure time. In the late 19th century even women were starting to take place in the sports a nd other activates. Another major activity Americans did for leisure time was to go to vaudeville shows which had all sorts of acts from Shakespeare plays to comedy acts. Finally after traveling was easier Americans started to go on vacations outside the city and go to resorts and world fairs for their leisure time. Bibliography 1. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awlhtml/awlleis.html a. Leisure after the civil war b. Lund, Karen C. â€Å"America at Work / America at Leisure, 1894-1915.† America at Work / America at Leisure, 1894-1915. Memory.loc.gov, 01 June 2000. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. 2. http://www.pacivilwartrails.com/stories/tales/baseball-and-the-civil-war a. Baseball and the civil war b. Bluett, Terry. â€Å"Baseball and the Civil War.† Welcome to the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails. Civil War Trails, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013. 3. http://www.elibrary.com/elibweb/elib/do/document?set=search&dictionaryClick=on&secondaryNav=&groupid=1&requestid=lib_standard&resultid=1&edition=&ts=FA9DBE62F456E22634A15DC6F7B76C44_1385528175587&start=1&publicationId=&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B171337845 a. The Great Spectator Sports of North America b. McComb, David G. â€Å"ELibrary: Login.† ELibrary: Login. Proquest, 01 Dec. 1998. Web. 18 Dec. 2013. 4. http://www.ushistory.org/us/39b.asp a. Leisure time b. Ushistory.org. â€Å"39b. Sports and Leisure.† Sports and Leisure [ushistory.org]. U.S. History Online Textbook, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013. 5. http://www.elibrary.com/elibweb/elib/do/document?set=search&dictionaryClick=on&secondaryNav=&groupid=1&requestid=lib_standard&resultid=3&edition=&ts=FA9DBE62F456E22634A15DC6F7B76C44_1385528175587&start=1&publicationId=&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B28013995 a. Women in America sports b. Woolum, Janet. â€Å"ELibrary: Login.† ELibrary: Login. Elibrary, 05 Aug. 1992.

Drug Testing in a High School Setting: Pros and Cons

Taking steroids to enhance athletic performance has become widespread among athletes worldwide. This practice not only violates athletic regulations and the intent of fair competition but also damages many of the body's major organs. Drug testing has therefore been implemented in many collegiate and professional sports and some high school athletic programs with the goal of maintaining competitive fairness. Drug testing is the method that has been chosen to identify those athletes who use banned drugs to enhance their sports performance at the expense of the athletes who do not take drugs.Almost any athlete competing above the high school level, and increasingly at even high school level too, is subject to drug testing. There are almost as many drugs used by athletes as there are sports. Some athletic performance enhancers are not drugs at all. Some performance-enhancing techniques use human hormones (or synthetic derivates thereof), and other use the athlete's own blood. Some of the se techniques are presently undetectable by urine and blood samples. Drug testing alone will not be enough to stop the use of steroids and other drugs.While drug testing is the first line of defense at the collegiate and professional levels of sport, athletes, parents, and we coaches and trainers must bear the greater responsibility for keeping the playing field level at the junior high and high school levels. The use or possession of alcohol and illegal or controlled substances by students is reaching epidemic proportions. Along with traditional education and drug-resistance programs in the schools and the community, proactive prevention and deterrence measures must be in place and publicized to all students.Drug testing is part of a much wider picture. Curbing drug use and implementing drug testing policies are significant concerns of parents, administrators and us coaches. The important pros of mandatory drug testing within a high school sports setting are:Greater deterrence to d rug use.Promoting fairness in sports competitions.Helping drug users relinquish their drug dependency (punitive aspects need to be minimized)2. A brief history of drug testing Drug testing of humans began in the late 1950s, when, after several European cycling and track races, evidence of drug use was observed.In 1965, procedures were developed which were capable of detecting a number of different stimulants; these were used to test participants of the Tour of Britain Cycle Races. The fist formal testing for nonsteroidal drugs occurred at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games though there still was no official testing for steroids. The development of complex radioimmunoassay (RIA) screening procedures as well as analytical advances in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques led to the introduction of tests for anabolic steroids at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games (Yesalis, Cowart 75).The test method of determining whether or not the testosterone in an athlete's body came from illegal use by the athlete was developed by Donike et al. in 1983. In 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, the IOC laboratory reported the detection of several banned drugs in the participating athletes. High resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) analysis was introduced in the 1996 Atlanta Sumer Olympic Games. In recent years, Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS) is being used in drug testing laboratories because it has several advantages over traditional GCMS technique.In the future, LCMS will become increasingly more important in the drug-testing laboratories because of its ability to confirm the presence of most drugs, including natural hormones (HGH, EPO, etc. ). Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) is a relatively new technique that is being proposed for verification of testosterone positives. Three decades have passed since sports drug testing became part of the Olympic Games. Drug testing is now part of professional sports, collegiate sports, and to a smaller extent, high school sports.The technology of drug testing has made significant advances; at the same time, cheating methods have also evolved and grown more sophisticated.3. The efficacy of drug testing in high schools Surveillance for drug use employing a random drug-testing model is currently receiving significant attention and consideration by high school administrators and public officials. In fact, random drug testing has been implemented in a number of school districts for students engaged in extra-curricular activities and is being considered for use with general student bodies.It is understandable that use of drug testing is being considered as a prevention tool with student-athletes since both NCAA and many professional sports employ this methodology. Further, many if not all NCAA Division 1 university athletic programs employ random drug testing at some level in response to concerns about drug use among collegiate athletes and because of potential NCAA sanctions for drug test failures . Hence, high school athletic programs are typically viewed as an aid to deter and to detect use. The efficacy of this tool in curbing drug use has yet to be thoroughly evaluated, however.Results to date have been rather equivocal with assessments both providing modest support for efficacy and indicating no effects. Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, the SATURN (Student Athlete Testing Using Random Notification ) project was designed to evaluate whether a nonpunitive, compulsory, random, suspicionless drug testing policy deterred drug and alcohol use among high school student athletes in two Oregon schools. Participation was required for all students and was a mandatory prerequisite for athletic participation.Results showed that a policy of random drug testing surveillance significantly reduced self-reports of recent performance-enhancing substances and, to a lesser extent, common drugs of abuse but did not produce long-term changes in sub stance use and associated high-risk behaviors use among adolescent athletes. Further, neither tobacco or alcohol use was altered. This result suggests at least limited efficacy when targeting a specific drugs that may be associated with well-documented harm potential to student-athletes.The authors of the investigation caution against over-interpretation of results suggesting efficacy of testing as adequate intervention (OHSU).4. Privacy – the fundamental issue At the heart of drug-testing controversy in schools, however, is not efficacy but privacy. Public schools are state actors; thus, the constitutional protections apply with respect to students and employees of public schools systems. As public institutions, public schools must follow the dictates of the Fourth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution as well as any particular provisions form the state constitutions that apply to them.In essence, the Fourth Amendment protects people and their houses, papers and effects agains t unreasonable searches and seizures. Such protection is vital to the privacy protection of all citizens from unacceptable conduct on the part of the government or its officers or agents. If a search is conducted, and a drug test is considered a search, the search must be reasonable and the intrusion of the test on an individual's privacy must be weighed against the government's interest in conducting the test. Reasonableness will depend on the circumstances.However, in most cases, suspicion is not required in order to perform a test. Because the use of certain performance-enhancing drugs is illegal according to federal statutes, many institutions have attempted to implement drug testing policies in order to deter their students from using drugs and also to detect drug use. Such a measure is deemed necessary in order to either provide assistance to those who do no understand the dangers involved in drug use or to provide information to law enforcement official in order that they may become involved to rid the institution of drug users.At the high school sport level, officials realize that drug use can be particularly dangerous to the more susceptible bodies of growing children. However, many times the athletes forced to submit to a drug-testing program do not do so willingly.They feel that the drug test infringes on their privacy rights as protected by the federal constitution and that they should not have to submit to the test. These individuals are typically not drug users; instead they are participants who find that if they do not submit to the testing, they will not be able to continue participating in the sport or activity of their choice.Beginning in the 1980's, these individuals sued the institutions who developed the drug testing policies so that they could avoid being tested as a requirement of participation. Until 1995, institutions who attempted to implement drug-testing policies were often unsure as to whether their policies would be upheld in cour t of law. However, 1995 the U. S. Supreme Court finally dealt with the issue. In the Vernonia School District 47J v. Acton case, the Supreme Court reviewed the constitutionality of a drug testing program applied to student-athletes at the high school level.In the mid 1980s, teachers and administrators in the Vernonia School District, Oregon, noticed a sharp increase in student drug us and an increase in disciplinary problems at the school. The school district also found that student-athletes were both users and leaders of the drug culture (Imber, Geel 159). The district implemented a drug testing policy that applied to all students participating in athletics, requiring each student to sign a form consenting to the random urinalysis testing policy before being allowed to participate in sports.During the test, the student would enter a locker room with an adult monitor who would check the sample produced for temperature and tampering. In 1991, Seventh grader James Acton refused to sig n the consent form and was not allowed to play football. His family sued claiming that the drug testing policy violated the Fourth Amendment. After a long process of examining the case, the court finally ruled that students who are in athletics and other highly visible extracurricular activities have a diminished expectation of privacy.Schools may carry out certain suspicionless searches, such as random drug tests of athletes, the court ruled, because such tests are mandatory only for those who choose to participate in those voluntary activities.While general drug testing can been seen as unreasonable, specific drug testing has to be allowed – especially, when it is limited to extracurricular athletics. The Vernonia School offered considerable discretion to school officials in their effort to control student behavior. According to the court ruling, individualized suspicion was not necessary before submitting students to random urinalysis drug testing.The court ruled that scho ol officials exercised their duties as state actors, an authority that was â€Å"custodial and tutelary, permitting a degree of supervision and control that could not be exercised over free adults. † The Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalie, who wrote the opinion, also said that athletes have less of an expectation of privacy because they change clothes and shower together. The Court also said that since athletes can be role models, it is especially important to be sure that they do not use drugs.The reasoning in Vernonia has been extended to include all other extracurricular activities. Since 1995, numerous other court decisions have ruled in favor of school districts that conduct the random drug testing of student athletes, although the testing of other students is still conditioned on â€Å"reasonable suspicion† by school administrators.Many developments since 1995 indicate the growing extensiveness of drug testing within the schools of the United States. For instan ce, in 1995 the Dayton County, Ohio, school district implemented a program to conduct random drug testing on student athletes.In September, 1999, the 6th U. S Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the legality of Knox County, Tennessee, program designed to test teachers, principals, and other school employees. Harlan county, Kentucky, during the 1999-2000 school year, initiated a random drug-testing program for all teachers, principals, and administrators. From time to time, the various attempts of school authorities at implementing drug testing programs are seen as violating students' privacy rights when they require students to submit to blood or urine tests.An Arkansas Court, for example, ruled that there were less obtrusive (and intrusive) ways to determine rule infraction. In another development, a New Jersey school policy was rebuffed. The school board required students to have annual exams that included a urinalysis. If a student tested positive for drugs, then district officials notified the student's parents, hoping that the parents would then get treatment for the student. The court ruled this procedure as unreasonable.And although various school districts across the country are now testing employees and student athletes, a private high school in Memphis, Tennessee, has initiated random drug testing on its entire student body, a program endorsed and financially supported (to the tune of sixty dollars per test) by parents. Students refusing to submit to testing are to be expelled from school. Thus, drug testing on the entire student body may often raise several complicated issues. However, within the context of high school sports competitions, drug testing is very essential to ensure fairness.There are few cons to drug testing in high school sports, as long as such programs are executed in right spirit. The concern for fairness easily overrides the concern for privacy in a sports setting, as the landmark Vernonia case rightly concluded.5. Deterrence, not punishment Several other court cases in the subsequent years brought out the need for and the advantages of drug testing in high schools. In 1998, the Federal Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an Indiana school's random drug-testing of high school athletes and cheerleaders.In this case, the Court found the school's policy was reasonable under the Fourth Amendment. The school did not require observed specimen collection, a positive test did not result in expulsion, and privacy concerns of students that were required to disclose any medication they were taking were adequately addressed by the school. Additionally, students were give the opportunity to challenge positive test results by taking a conforming test at no expense to the student. Deterrence, safety and the health of students performing in athletic events constituted the basis supporting the court’s judgment.The Court reasoned that the school system has responsibilities as guardian and tutor of children entrusted in its care and that deterring drug use by students is a compelling interest. The Court also noted that the school's program was designed to deter drug use, not to punish users. As coaches working in school setting, we must always strive to remember to lay stress on deterrence and not on punishment, only then the pros of drug testing can be maximized and cons minimized.The aim of drug testing is not to trap and punish students who use drugs. It is, in fact, counterproductive simply to punish them without trying to alter their behavior. If drug-using students are suspended or expelled without any attempt to change their ways, the community will be faced with drug-using dropouts, an even bigger problem in the long run. The purpose of testing, then, is to prevent drug dependence and to help drug-dependent students become drug free. (Office of National Drug Control Policy 22)

Managerial Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managerial Decision Making - Essay Example Retribution: The first R is by far the most detrimental; the managerial application of retribution is little more than threatening. Managers in some situations resort to direct threats of punishment to create coercion. They may also utilize indirect threat’s to create an implied rather than stated punishment or coercion; this is a common form of intimidation. The major pros to utilizing retribution are the immediate effect and delivery of the manager’s task as specified. On the Con side retribution almost always creates resistance, resentment, & alienation. It also within the organization stifles innovation. Effective managers should very rarely resort to retribution as a tool; it should be reserved for crisis situations where direct action is required. Reciprocity: By definition reciprocity is nothing more than compliance by satisfying the needs of both parties. Reciprocity allows the manager to get results without creating resentment. The major pros revolve around mutual benefit. This enables the manager to achieve objectives without having to bargain or justify the objective with the employee. The Cons are the very basic prerequisite of trust and the inevitable negotiation process with the employee. From the stand point of the organization reciprocity undercuts group commitment. From the management standpoint it takes time to initialize and cannot be used effectively in a crisis situation. Reason: Reason creates a rational articulation of the management concept; subordinates recognize the value of the plan and are more supportive and positive about the manager’s task. The pros are seen as a higher group compliance and greater commitment to team principle. While reason is the most positive management tool it takes the longest period to initialize and requires the cohesion of a unified group trust and belief in the individual manager. Superiors usually rate managers that utilize reason as highly effective. Unfortunately,

Apple Computers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Apple Computers - Essay Example Yet, as we look forward to a happy ending, earnings taper off and it appears as though the saga may be over after all. However, a feeling of quiet confidence gradually takes over the observer, as both Apple Computers and Jobs negotiate through each downturn with aplomb. Must a company's journey through time be so turbulent This document tries to draw lessons from the Apple experience and to suggest stable ways for commercial firms to manage their planning and operational processes. There are two over reaching factors that seem to have influenced strategic change at Apple Computers. The first is the frenetic pace of technological change. No other industrial sector has witnessed the continuous and rapid improvements in processor speeds, storage capacity, transmission options and software development. This has been a source of strength and an opportunity for the entrepreneurial culture of Apple Computers, but it has proved to be a handful for people such as Sculley who labored so hard to bring a semblance of order and discipline to the highly individualistic style of functioning to which die-hard company employees have become accustomed. A second factor which has affected strategy in this company has been the tumultuous and disorderly change of guard at the top. There is no precedent for such a striking founder to leave his creation while remaining in the business. Even more unusual has been the return of Jobs as a mere consultant to the company which he once owned. These moves, and indeed the manner of Sculley's departure have posed special challenges for the company. Strategy Review Systematic and regular environmental scanning seems to be a lacuna in the planning process at Apple Computers. Every enterprise needs a deep understanding of the values that its products and services deliver in an environment of global competitiveness (Ohmae, 1991, 61-74). The success of Jobs to see the opportunity in the graphic user interface which Xerox apparently missed, did not repeat itself when the company invested resources in Newton. It leads one to suspect that iPod may have come about by chance more than by a designed set of steps to understand dynamic customer needs. Environment scanning is an important and integral part of formulating strategy. We do not know if Apple Computers made the effort to reach out across the world, as for example IBM has always done, to weave market realism and new trends in consumer needs in to they way it thinks and works as an organization. The genius of Jobs could have been a drag for the company he founded, for he is clearly a person who th inks way ahead of his time. The story of Apple's strategy could be seen in the light of essential differences between a University Research Department and the function in a pharmaceutical concern which creates solely for profit. Jobs seems to have erred in mixing business and more visionary roles in a manner that continued to haunt the company long after he had left. We do know from the case that Sculley tried hard to rectify matters, but perhaps his 'sugary water' background prevented him from managing the environmental scanning process with the technological orientation it deserved. This is reflected in IBM and even prime rival Microsoft making good business use of some key Apple innovations! Overall, every business needs sound and

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Research Paper Example William Faulkner wrote during the twentieth century and mostly chronicled the mentalities of the American South and the ways in which they had changed following the abolition of slavery as a social institution. The collective mentality of the South forms the story of much of Faulkner’s works. There is thus, a dark tone that he employs throughout his work. There is also an examination of the individual psyche being a symbol of the collective in Faulkner’s works. Faulkner also looks at the absurd elements of daily life and how they may after a point of time, due to habit, not appear absurd to a society anymore. This dark tone arises from the analyses of the human psyche that Poe attempts to effect in his work. In Poe’s world, it is the absurd that appears normal, thus destabilizing the world of the reader and presenting him with no clues as to what to expect after a certain point of time. Through an analysis of different aspects of the story, this paper shall argue that the society and its larger forces form the party of the victimizers rather than the characters Montresor and Emily. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† presents the story of two men, Montresor and Fortunato, who are interlocked in a struggle of petty power, even though Fortunato is unaware of the same. Having been insulted at a certain point of time by Fortunato, Montresor seeks to take revenge upon him through murdering him. With this in mind, he leads him through an underground hallway at the end of which he promises a rare cask of Amontillado. When they reach the end, Montresor chains Fortunato, leaving him to die there and the reader is made aware of the world’s ignorance at the end of the story. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† talks of a family of the American South which has died leaving just one member alive- Emily. She is very introverted and prefers to stay alone in the house without even paying her taxes and as a result of this, the town is surprised when she starts an affair with a man named Homer Barron. He is thought to leave her and life continues for Emily with the support of nobody but an African American servant. Her death however, reveals the decomposed body of Homer and makes the town aware of the entire history of the woman that they thought of as a symbol of stability amidst the great changes that were happening in their society. The narrative styles of the two stories are not completely similar and this has a lot to do with the fact that the change in the person of the narrative. The figure of the narrator in â€Å"A Rose for Emily† has been a subject of great critical debate since the publication of this story (Nebeker 3). The narrator changes roles quite frequently throughout the story. He or she masquerades as an all-knowing omniscient third-person figure for a large part of the story. Later, however, the readers are made to know that the narrator does not possess the knowledge that conventional third person narrat ors possess. This can be seen from the end of the narrative where the existence of the decomposed body of Homer is a new knowledge for the narrator as well. Thus, the narrator too morphs into a native of the town that the story is set in. this has implications for the kind of writing styles that are adopted by the two writers. While Faulkner writes stories that have long sentences, Poe writes using both long and short sentences. The long sentences are used while describing Fortunato

Human Freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Freedom - Essay Example From this stance, freedom and responsibility becomes two sides of the same coin that are simply inalienable. Three of the most astounding quotations of Sartre with direct bearings to my thesis will be discussed in detail with the aim of setting a clear pattern that will not impede the coherence of my discourse as the paper advances. They are as follows: A quick analysis of any of the above quotations individually reveals the exclusive attributes of the message being portrayed by Sartre in one breadth and a striking presence of complementary interconnectivity as they converge to give credence to the core values underpinning the existentialist ideology. In the first quote for instance, like Plato he asserts to the principle of the object in man1. Sartre argues that any essence in life will primarily take root from a fore existence. Contingent with the above idea about man's absolute freedom, it can be said that this "freedom" is packaged in a complex paradoxical guise. He proves that freedom without determinism is terribly misplaced. It further does not exonerate the individual from being accountable for his actions and inactions, mindful of the fact that this freedom is highly pervasive because it is able to generate multiplier effects. Its effects are lumped in the various sub-categories of anguish, forlornness, bad faith, despair and authenticity. The third quote illuminates the challenges man is confronted with in his quest to exercise the discretionary power bestowed on him to make choices. His main difficulty has to do with the fact that his free choice also places a burden of responsibility towards other people directly unto his hands. For this reason man's individual choices as contained in his freedom is of universal significance. Global terrorism a twenty first century political and security challenge to the American people can be used as a sufficient illustration to drive home this point. The scale of the problem has left America in a position that makes it impossible for her to claim ownership of the war to overcome all forms of extremism and Semitism. It is for this reason that America is leading the global war against terrorism with the support of her allies as well as international security establishments like NATO. Viewed from another angle, it is a war that the terror organizations and their sponsors are determined not be vanquished, which makes the war a collective all encompassing war. On the question of responsibility, Sartre makes it known that being responsible towards oneself transcends individuality to include an extension into the wider community of the human family. Indeed, America's responsibility in the war is explained by her security and foreign policies and the extent to which these policies have affected other nations positively or negatively prompting extremism. Implicitly or explicitly, the war has had its fair share of criticism which includes among other things the US government mistakenly

Manufacturing Planning and Scheduling Techniques Assignment

Manufacturing Planning and Scheduling Techniques - Assignment Example The company also offers value creation solutions by improving productivity and reducing costs of operation through service solutions such as cutting, custom making, and kitting (Top Cable 1). The initial process of manufacturing a conductor is the process of wire-drawing. This process involves the reduction of the diameter of the copper wire slowly to its final diameter. Wire-drawing process increases conductivity and ductility of the communication cables and wires. The copper wires usually arrive at Top Cable from the foundry in huge coils each measuring 5 tonnes. This copper is known as â€Å"wire rod† in technical terms and measures 8 mm. The wire drawing method performed in these wires takes place in two methods: drawing and further reduction or annealing. Top Cable thereafter takes the wires through wiring stage where the engineers make conductors with differing cross-sections. Top Cable takes the copper wires to the next process of insulation. Insulation involves covering of the conductors to ensure that current leakages do not occur. Top Cable uses different insulation materials depending on the features of the communication cable it needs. The company considers heat resistance and insulation capacity to determine the insulation quality, and the quality of the resultant insulated cables. In some communication cables, Top Cable uses high heat resistant insulation materials to allow the wires from the previous stage to transmit a lot of power as compared to other wires that have low heat resistance. Top Cable adds the insulating material by an extrusion process that involves high temperature. This method ensures that no leakages of current occur. Various materials used in insulation include EPR, PVC, and XLPE. Once the insulation process ends, the manufacturing process subjects the insulated cables to voltage tests to make sure that the layers of insulatio n do not have any fault. Phase

Write a statement about what the correct decision should have been and Essay

Write a statement about what the correct decision should have been and why - Essay Example By approving the production of the Pintos, the top-level managers acted only to satisfy their personal interests. The decision to produce Pintos was wrong because there were serious wrangles and disagreements among the top managers. Before the production of the car was commenced, the top manager should have ensured that all grievances that were being raised were addressed effectively. The consequences of poor communication strategies were interdepartmental conflicts and lack of coordination between different sectors, an aspect that led to errors in the production units. The decision to compare the lives of people in monetary value and the cost of remodeling the fuel tank was wrong. Even if it’s possible to compensate people who lose their friends and family members through accidents, it is more costly to mend the damage that the accidents will have to the reputation of the business in the market. Therefore, the decision should have taken into consideration the long-term strategy of the

Chemical dependency Essay Example for Free

Chemical dependency Essay Group Structure: Type of group: This meeting was a â€Å"Narcotics Anonymous Open Sharing Meeting†. This component, where anyone attending had the opportunity to share. There was no direct feedback from the other participants during the â€Å"share†, thus only one person spoke at any given time during that portion of the meeting. Organizational affiliation: Narcotics Anonymous as a group has no affiliation outside of Narcotics Anonymous. As a group they have no opinion on outside issues,† including those of politics, science, or medicine, and do not endorse any outside organization or institution. The fellowship does not promote itself, but rather attracts new members through public information and outreach. Narcotics Anonymous groups and areas supply outside organizations with factual information regarding the Narcotics Anonymous program, and individual members may carry the Narcotics Anonymous message to hospitals and institutions, such as treatment centers and jails. Narcotics Anonymous as a group base their public relations policy on attraction rather than promotion. Physical environment: This meeting was held in the recreation room in the basement of a church. There was an oblong table at the head of the two rows of chairs placed in a 360 degree circle. Participants: There were roughly 40-50 participants ranging in age from mid teens to late 50’s. There were only 5 females in attendance. This group’s ethnicity was about 85% Caucasian, 10% African American and 5% Latino. Leadership structure: In different areas the work is divided differently, and the particular jobs are sometimes called different names. At this particular meeting the leadership structure was as follows, ranking from top to bottom in hierarchy. Chairperson, Co-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and Group service representative (GSR). Process: What the group does for a person’s first visit? First time visitors and newcomers to this meeting were asked to introduce themselves by first name only. These individuals were welcomed by all the participants at the meeting. These individuals were given a hand shake, a hug and a white key tag (by a presenter) that said welcome on one side and on the other side had the Narcotics Anonymous logo. How members’ contribute to the group’s leadership? Members who attend the same meeting on a regular basis to establish a recovery network and reliable routine understand this to be their â€Å"Home Group†. These group members are able to participate in the group’s business, and play an important role in deciding how the structure, leadership and the group’s meetings will be conducted. Each member has a vote in this process and the majority vote rules. Activities that occurred during the meeting. There were no physical activities during this meeting but certain individuals read inserts from the â€Å"Basic Text Book† of Narcotics Anonymous pertaining to that week’s format and agenda. Address the following questions: How did the group begin? The group began by the Chairperson knocking on the table to gain every ones attention, then announcing them self, followed by stating the name of this group (Dead Man Walking) then reciting the Serenity Prayer. How was the purpose of the meeting communicated? The purpose of the meeting was indicated by preamble which was read by the Chairperson also by the reading of the secretary’s report, which was read by the C-Chairperson, this stated the purpose of the meeting and the rules in which the participants were required to oblige by. How was the meeting’s agenda established? The agenda varies in whatever way seems to best suit the personality of the group and the needs of the addicts in the community. This meeting’s agenda and format was established by the governing members (from the Home Group) and varies from week to week but was mostly based on the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions of Narcotics Anonymous. Techniques used to encourage people to participate. It was announced to all those attending the meeting that participation was optional. What extent were these techniques effective. There was no pressure on anyone which made the atmosphere very comfortable. What are participants’ responsibilities for the meeting process? Anonymity of the group’s participants and process were the main responsibilities from all those attending and keeping the sharing time between 3-5 minutes and not interrupting the person who was talking. How were these responsibilities explained? These responsibilities were explained to the group in detail during the reading of the secretary’s report. How did the group demonstrate interest, acceptance, etc. in those attending? The participants showed interest by paying close attention to the individual who was sharing and when those who shared finished, everyone in the group (at one time) thanked that person for sharing their story. What emotions were observed? There were a couple of times when an individual who was telling their story began to cry. Other times there was some laughter from the group when certain individuals identified their own story with the one the person was sharing. How did the participants respond to expressions of these emotions? The participants expressions showed true concern and empathy for those who were sharing their experience, strength and hope. Were there any decisions made for future events or meetings? It was stated in the secretary’s report that all meeting events and decisions are discussed and made during the group’s monthly business meeting. The business meeting for this group is held on the second Saturday of the month. Describe any observation of any therapeutic factors. The therapeutic value of one addict helping another gave each participant the feeling of acceptance and familiarity. There were a lot of similarities between the structure of an Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meeting. A major difference I witness at the Alcoholics Anonymous meeting from the Narcotics Anonymous meeting was, at the Narcotics Anonymous Meeting it was suggested that those who was sharing not to acknowledge or mention there drug use. At the Narcotics Anonymous meeting it was clearly stated that â€Å"Narcotics Anonymous does not distinguish a difference between substances, they are all inclusive, â€Å"Alcohol is a drug†. It was also stated at the Narcotics Anonymous meeting that anyone from the other fellowship (Alcoholics Anonymous) was accepted at this and all Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

Asses sociological explanations for ethnic differences in educational achievement Essay Example for Free

Asses sociological explanations for ethnic differences in educational achievement Essay Ethnicity refers to shared cultural practices, perspectives, and distinctions that set apart one group of people from another. That is, ethnicity is a shared cultural heritage. The most common characteristics distinguishing various ethnic groups are ancestry, a sense of history, language and religion. Modern Britain is said to be a multicultural society made up of many different ethnic groups. Achievement within education is very varied across cultures, with some such as Chinese and Indian students performing above the average, and African-Caribbean and Pakistani students performing well below average. There are many factors which can reduce a child from an ethnic backgrounds attainment. For instance, Material deprivation. Material deprivation focuses on income inequality and the material problems that are associated with it. An example of such a study is J. W. B Douglas, The Home and The School (1964). He argued that an interlocking network of inequalities existed which operated against many working class students. This included, differential effects of regional and variations in educational provision and expenditure. Also, housing and environmental factors. Which led to chances of access to good primary schools. Therefore, hindering the chance of access to top streams. As a result, minority ethnic children are more likely to live in low-income households. This means they face the problems that Douglas highlighted, the material factors, such as poor quality housing, no working space and even possibly bad influence of peers. One other reason for differences in educational achievement between ethnicities is the basic family life. African-Caribbean communities have a high level of lone parenthood. Actually, it is estimated 50% of African-Caribbean households have a lone-parent . This can mean that many face financial problems, this can lead to lower achievement in school (Douglas’ material factors). Conversely, single mothers can be a positive role model or influence for many young girls, meaning they perform better in education. Another explanation for ethnic differences is Language. For many children of an ethnic minority English is not their primary language. This can be a disadvantage because they may not understand exams as well as others. Also they might struggle to express themselves with limited English. Finally, some teachers may mistake poor English for a lack of intelligence, when actually this could be completely untrue, meaning that a clever child may be let down by the teacher who might not push the student to their full potential. However, you could argue that Chinese and Indian students first language isn’t English, on the other hand in these two cultures it is the norm to learn English as a strong second language. Therefore, they are not hindered by the second language barrier, as opposed to Bangladeshi’s for example. Language was such a big issue that Bernstein (1973) categorised students into two groups. Elaborated and restricted. In the case of an elaborated code, the speaker will select from a relatively extensive range of alternatives. However in the case of a restricted code the number of these alternatives is often severely limited. Bernstein’s work was not always praised. For instance, Labov (1974) argued that young blacks in the United States, although using language which certainly seems an example of the restricted code, nevertheless display a clear ability to argue logically. Their lack of knowledge concerning the subject may reach further than just the exams they have to take. For instance, due to the large amount of failing black Caribbean’s and Bangladeshi’s (a combined total of 41% managed to get 5 A* C grades), teachers may be subconsciously prejudiced against ethnic minorities. This can lower the students attainments in many ways, one is that the teachers give the student lower grades. Another way is that the teacher negatively labels a student of ethnic minority which can lead to self-fulfilling prophecy. Racism can also lead to conflict between students and teachers, making learning a much harder task. Lastly, racism can lead to low-self esteem among ethnic minorities. A researcher who studies this was Howard Becker (1971). Becker Interviewed 60 Chicago high school teachers. He found that they judged pupils according to how closely they fitted image of â€Å"ideal pupil†. Their conduct appearance influenced judgement. Middle class was closest to ideal, working class furthest away labelled as badly behaved. As a result you can see, if teachers labelled students on how they look, you can imagine how they would label a whole ethnic race. Another factor for ethnic differences in educational achievement is the ethnocentric curriculum. There are several reasons why ethnic minorities may struggle due to this curriculum. One is that the subjects often focus on British culture; naturally White British students will have grown up with this culture, so they might have a greater understanding of the content than students who grew up in a different culture. Another reason is that the content of the curriculum could lower ethnic minorities self-esteem, this is because often the white character is seen as â€Å"good† and superior whilst the ethnic minorities are seen as â€Å"not as academic†. However, it is crucial not to forget that every ethnic minority underachieves at this level. In fact, in the UK, Chinese and Indian pupils score better grades than the â€Å"White† ethnic race. One of the main reasons for this is the support of the parents. Research has shown that some parents of ethnic minority, such as Chinese and Indian, take more interest in their child’s education, they also encourage their child more than other in other cultures. This obviously leads to higher achievement for the child. Not only the parents play a part. Some teachers may stereotype some ethnic minorities to be intelligent and hard-working. This encouragement and sort of support can aid a student in raising their grades. To conclude, there are many sociological explanations for the ethnic differences in educational achievement, from language barriers to family life at home. However, it is important to remember not all ethnic minorities to underachieve. Rafi Kentafi Lindill 12P.

Marketing Needs And Challenges Of Small Businesses Marketing Essay

Marketing Needs And Challenges Of Small Businesses Marketing Essay Introduction This essay deals with the marketing needs and challenges of small businesses, with particular regard to the differences in these areas between small and big firms. Small businesses are steadily increasing their contribution to the economies of the developed nations. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) currently provide employment to more than 33% of the UK labour force and account for just about less than 50% of the countrys total private sector business turnover (Longenecker, et al, 2005). The small sector is for all practical purposes driven by the energy, motivation, and drive of entrepreneurial owners, rather than by the abilities and skills of appropriately educated and trained professional managers (Odaka Sawai, 1999). Small business owners are driven to establish their organisations by reasons like entrepreneurial zeal, the desire for independence in working and decision making, craving for wealth, and the need to exploit original and innovative ideas and concepts for products and services (Odaka Sawai, 1999). Such entrepreneurs play vital roles in the economies of their nations, assume various operational and financial risks, and face difficult business challenges in their quest for business success (Odaka Sawai, 1999). One of their most important challenges lies in the area of marketing. All businesses need to successfully sell their products and services to customers in order to achieve business success and competitive advantage, and small businesses are no exception to this rule (Pelham Clayson, 1998). Whilst marketing success is imperative for the operational and financial success and growth of small and entrepreneurial firms, such organisations face numerous complex and difficult challenges in the pursuit of such objective (Pelham Clayson, 1998). The marketing environments and challenges of small firms are significantly different from those of larger organisations. Such differences arise on account of various reasons like product range, geographical distribution, pricing considerations, customer segmentation, and availability of funds (Pelham Clayson, 1998). Much of the success of the owners of small enterprises stems from their ability to recognise and overcome such challenges and formulate appropriate and effective marketing plans and strategies for their products and services (Pelham Clayson, 1998). This essay examines the important differences between the marketing challenges and options of small and big firms, the various dimensions of the marketing environments of small firms and the various challenges they are likely to encounter in the course of their business. The study also investigates the ways and means that can be used by small organisations to effectively market their products and services, and attempts to recommend the best ways and means for small entrepreneurs and business owners to improve the effectiveness of their marketing efforts and enhance their competitive advantage. The Importance of Marketing for Small Businesses The establishment and growth of small businesses is driven by the zeal and enthusiasm of individual entrepreneurs (Odaka Sawai, 1999). These individuals wish to develop and build independent enterprises and often feel that they have product or service with unique and specific attributes that will appeal to customers (Odaka Sawai, 1999). Such entrepreneurs are characterised by their optimism, enthusiasm and belief and conviction in their ideas, as also by their confidence in their ability to achieve their objectives. They however operate with numerous constraints that stem from factors like scarcity of physical and financial resources, limited workforce, absence of experienced and specialist executives, and lack of established markets (Casson, et al, 2006). Few, if any of these entrepreneurs establish new organisations with firm and ready customers. Even operating small businesses work in similarly difficult and challenged circumstances (Casson, et al, 2006). Whilst it is undoubtedly appreciated by all small business owners that the ultimate operational and financial successes of their enterprises, as also the maintenance and enhancement of competitive advantage, is significantly dependent upon their marketing sales performance, very few of such business people are able to effectively locate, focus upon, and exploit market opportunities through the formulation and execution of appropriate marketing strategies (Sadler-Smith, et al, 2003). The intentions and plans of small entrepreneurs and business owners to enhance their marketing effectiveness and sales performance are constrained by numerous challenges and obstacles, some of which occur because of internal weaknesses and others on account of environmental circumstances (Sadler-Smith, et al, 2003). Small and large businesses differ in numerous ways. Large businesses, even if they are recently established, are supported with strong financial resources from individual stockholders and financial institutions (Voss, et al, 2002). Other established and older large businesses furthermore have numerous organisational strengths that stem from extensive and developed production facilities, high quality organisational talent, research and development abilities and expertise, access to specialist advisers and consultants, extensive product range, established working processes for maintenance and improvement of quality, economies of scale, greater market reach, operations in different geographic locations, established market name and image, and well known brands (Voss, et al, 2002). Whilst all large organisations may not possess all these strengths and attributes, it is difficult to conceive many of them would have achieved significant growth in size and scale and still continue to be without many of these features (Welsch, 2003). Such strengths and attributes combine to provide large organisations with exceptional marketing advantages in terms of existing customer base, strong customer relationships, greater range of products and services, good product quality, attractive pricing, geographical reach, and brand recall (Welsch, 2003). Small businesses are comparably disadvantaged on many fronts (Weinrauch, et al, 1991). Most of them have restricted product ranges and whilst their operational costs are lower than those of larger businesses, they are unable to access economies of scale and sustain prices that are truly competitive and attractive (Weinrauch, et al, 1991). Such businesses also suffer from lack of uniform and appropriately designed working processes and quality control procedures, which often result in the generation of products and services of variable and occasionally doubtful quality (Weinrauch, et al, 1991). The absence of skilled management talent compels the owners of such businesses to personally supervise numerous and varied operations and makes it difficult for them to truly focus on marketing requirements, strategies and plans (Weinrauch, et al, 1991). This often results in ad hoc or inappropriately formulated and implemented marketing initiatives (Welsch, 2003). The lack of financial resourc es on the other hand constrains such businesses from engaging in expensive advertising and brand building strategies (Welsch, 2003). Such constraints, singly and jointly, make it extremely challenging for small firms to compete effectively in the market place, not just with larger competitors, but also with the many small firms that clutter most business sectors that do not ask for substantial investment of capital, technology or other resources (Welsch, 2003). Whilst small businesses, when compared to large businesses, do suffer from numerous internal and external disadvantages, which in turn challenge their marketing and sales efforts, they also have certain attributes that can, if effectively used, help them in the market place (Casson, et al, 2006). With small businesses largely being owner driven and having short chains of command, their decision making processes are often significantly faster than those of large businesses (Casson, et al, 2006). This enables them to be much more nimble in the market place and enables them to respond swiftly to marketing and customer needs (Casson, et al, 2006). The major strength of small businesses emanate from their owner managers, the majority of whom are entrepreneurial in nature and possess a number of traits that can help their organisations in various ways in the market place. Douglas Griest, (2010), found in the course of a review of 23 studies on comparisons of large organisation managers wit h small company entrepreneurs that such entrepreneurs were more likely to be creative, innovative, and open to new ideas than managers of larger organisations (Griest, 2010). Griest also found that entrepreneurs were expected to be more confident, tough, demanding, driven by needs for achievement and recognition, and aggressive in the market place. Entrepreneurs are also more likely to engage in environmental scanning for location of opportunities, develop strategies for the exploitation of opportunities and adapt to change, operate with flat management structures and make use of informal networks than large company managers (Griest, 2010). Many of them also have creative minds and are able to develop truly innovative and need fulfilling products and services (Griest, 2010). It is apparent from the preceding discussion that the marketing challenges and environments of small firms are significantly different from those of large firms. Whilst the market competitiveness of small firms is seriously affected by the lack of different types of organisational resources, skills and strengths, they have the advantages of low operational costs, swift decision making abilities and the inclinations and tendencies to move with agility in the market place in response to customer needs. Suggestions for Marketing Strategies for Small Firms Owner entrepreneurs, as well as managements of small companies must essentially understand the importance of marketing for the performance, growth and competitive advantage of their organisations. Small business owners, as stated earlier, are often challenged by various responsibilities and the need to oversee different operational functions like production, finance and accounts (Wolff Pett, 2006). They also have to regularly cope with the compliance needs of various legal and regulatory authorities. These pressures thus lead to a dissipation of effort, dilution of focus from important activities and confusion over prioritisation of managerial tasks (Wolff Pett, 2006). Emergent issues in areas of production, HR and environmental management often consume substantial chunks of available managerial time (Wolff Pett, 2006). It is, in these circumstances, essentially imperative for managements to realise that marketing constitutes one of the most important of organisational areas, especially so in smaller organisations that have to constantly face competition from various small and large organisations in their business sectors and are otherwise constrained by a range of internal and external issues (Voss, et al, 2002). The managements of small firms must realise that effective marketing is important for increase of consumer demand, better consumer relationship management, improved organisational image, development of organisational and product brands, enhancement of sales and growth of profits (Voss, et al, 2002). Lack of attention to the marketing function can prove to be devastated to such organisations and result in reduction of consumer base, lack of consumer awareness, reduction in sales, profits and cash flows, lessening of competitive advantage and finally even to organisational decline and demise (Voss, et al, 2002). It is thus critical for small company owners to understand the importance of marketing for organisational health and wellbeing and prioritise their activities accordingly (Voss, et al, 2002). It is thereafter important to focus on marketing and develop appropriate marketing plans that address the immediate and midterm strategic and marketing objectives of individual organisations (Welsch, 2003). Marketing plans are complex exercises that entail critical evaluation of external environmental conditions, competitive evaluation and analysis, market analysis and customer segmentation with the use of various tools like Porters Five Forces analysis, examination of organisational strengths and weaknesses and finally the development of appropriate marketing mix and marketing budgets (Welsch, 2003). Owners of many small organisations feel such exercises to be too detailed, elaborate and essentially suited for large organisations (Welsch, 2003). Such attitudes are however fundamentally erroneous and lead to the development of organisational and marketing strategies and action plans that are often impulsive and heuristic in nature and taken without information and analysis of importa nt environmental and organisational factors that could strongly impact the working of such organisations (Welsch, 2003). It is important for small organisations to engage in marketing analysis and develop marketing plans, even if they are conducted with lesser detail and greater simplicity than in large organisations (Pelham Clayson, 1998). Such an analysis will help managements to understand the different environmental variables that can affect their business, the strengths and weaknesses of their competitors, their own strengths and weaknesses and available opportunities and potential threats (Pelham Clayson, 1998). Such analysis will enable them to ensure that their marketing strategies do not run counter to environmental forces and that they can use their strengths to exploit market opportunities (Pelham Clayson, 1998). The development of an appropriate marketing mix is one of the most important objectives and outcomes of a properly executed marketing plan (Longenecker, et al, 2005). The marketing mix essentially details organisational strategies in areas of product placement, pricing, distribution and promotion (Longenecker, et al, 2005). The development of a marketing plan will help small business owners to focus on these individual elements and take appropriate decisions after consideration of the actions of their competitors, environmental conditions, consumer needs and available resources (Longenecker, et al, 2005). Many small organisations again feel the development of a marketing plan to be superfluous and irrelevant and engage in decisions that are primarily based upon hunches, perceptions and attitudes (Maritz, 2008). Such attitudes are, as stated before fundamentally erroneous and can lead to the overlooking of important issues and lead to adverse operational, marketing and organisational outcomes (Maritz, 2008). Greater stress on pricing and lesser emphasis on distribution and advertising is a common mistake of most small business owners who work on the assumption that the offering of cheap prices is the most important marketing strategy (Maritz, 2008). Such an attitude could however lead to lack of awareness about the product or service and its unavailability to customers who are willing to try them out (Maritz, 2008). The development of a marketing plan also may compels small business owners, not only to realise and understand a range of marketing issues but also builds an appreciation of the differences between small and large organisations in different operational and marketing areas. Small entrepreneurs and business owners must realise the completely different marketing challenges that face large and small organisations and adopt appropriate marketing mixes that are customised for their individual circumstances and organisations (Pelham Clayson, 1998). Small business owners must focus individually on each separate element of the product mix. The first element of the marketing mix concerns product positioning and placement (Pelham Clayson, 1998). Michael Porter in his theory of generic strategies states that business firms essentially need to decide between following a strategy of low cost or of product differentiation (Porter, 1998). Whilst Porters theory of generic strategies has been critiqued extensively with experts showing that it is possible for organisations in certain situations to differentiate their products as well as offer attractive prices, its tenets by and large hold good for small companies (Porter, 1998). Owners of small companies often feel th at they can achieve competitive advantage because of their lower overheads. Such a concept is however fundamentally fallacious because it is difficult for such companies to truly achieve the scale economies that are possessed by larger organisations (Odaka Sawai, 1999). Increased focus on reduction of costs thus leads to corner cutting and ultimately to lower product quality. It is thus eminently advisable for small business owners to position their products differently from those of their competitors through the adoption of appropriate product differentiation strategies that could stem out of unique product features or specific quality attributes (Odaka Sawai, 1999). Marketing experts feel that small businesses are ideally placed for the development of small marketing niches that allow them to focus on one specific segment (Van Der Hope, 2008). Niche marketing is primarily an extension of the differentiation strategy advanced by Michael Porter. It is ideal for small companies because it allows them to concentrate their organisational, operational and marketing resources on one specific market segment and develop a product that is different from others and services the needs of a specific segment (Van Der Hope, 2008). Whilst niche marketing is particularly suitable for small companies, it does have the risks of small market size (Van Der Hope, 2008). Demand in such circumstances is sustained by loyal customers rather than growing target segments, it is also not very conducive to achievement of scale economies (Van Der Hope, 2008). Small businesses, apart from focusing on the positioning of their products and services must also formulate strategies for distribution and promotion (Hills, et al, 2008). Both distribution and promotion are expensive operations and concern numerous external agencies like distributors, retailers and advertising agencies (Hills, et al, 2008). Small businesses must carefully look at the implications and costs of various distribution and promotional strategies to ensure optimisation of organisational spends and efforts (Hills, et al, 2008). Many small organisations refuse to face these problems squarely and end up operating within very small local areas and without any effective promotional activities (Hills, et al, 2008). Whilst such constraints were undoubtedly true to some extent in the past, the advent of the internet and its progressive proliferation across the world has changed the distribution and promotion opportunities of small firms beyond recognition (Mohan-Neill, 2006). Online marketing provides various opportunities to small organisations to distribute and promote their products (Mohan-Neill, 2006). Numerous small organisations across the world provide a range of services in different areas of life that are delivered online across the internet to different areas of the world (Mohan-Neill, 2006). Many organisations that do not have products that can be distributed online use the internet to take orders and payments and thereafter deliver products and services through physical means like mail and courier (Mohan-Neill, 2006). The internet has also opened up numerous promotional avenues, not only through optimisation of website traffic through use of search engines but also through the use of numerous social networking alternative like facebook, my space, twitter and YouTube (Maritz, 2008). Owners of small businesses should carefully formulate, develop and implement distribution and promotion plans in order to take maximum advantage of the various physical and online options that are available in the contemporary age (Maritz, 2008). Marketing plans should be integrated, make use of different marketing communication options like advertising, physical promotions and PR and most importantly make substantial use of online facilities (Maritz, 2008). Conclusions This essay deals with the marketing challenges of small businesses, the ways in which these challenges are different from those faced by large organisations and the ways in which small businesses can optimise their marketing strategies and efforts. Small businesses are challenged by a number of marketing and environmental factors and are constrained by the various limitations of size and resources. Such factors are significantly different from those influencing the options and alternatives of larger organisations and need to be comprehensively examined and analysed for formulation and development of appropriate strategies for achievement of business success, organisational growth and competitive advantage. Whilst small businesses do face numerous constrains and difficulties in marketing their goods and services, numerous opportunities have developed in recent years in areas of niche marketing and in distribution and promotion of their products with the use of online channels. It is important for owners of small businesses to carefully assess their environmental and organisational circumstances, identify businesses opportunities and make the best possible use of modern facilities for marketing their products, reaching customers and building strong customer relationships. Recent years have witnessed the phenomenal growth of small business start ups in the online domain. Whilst small business owners do face numerous difficulties and challenges thoughtful analysis of marketing conditions, prioritisation of work and effective use of available facilities can certainly help them in growing their business and achieving organisational success.

Wesels Night - The True Test in Faith :: Elie Wesel

All around the world people lose their faith in God for many different reason, either they or a love one has been diagnose with and deadly disease or an unexpected death occur in there family, they need somebody to blame, so most of them God. In Elie Wisel novel "Night" Elie explain how his faith in God was tested throughout the book, as he was force to leave his home, separated from his family, observe how many was being killed all around him, and witness children being thrown into huge ditches of fire, alive! Elie felt abandon, betrayed, and deceive, the God that he knew was an loving and giving God, it was then he started to doubt his existence. The unexplainable events that occur forever change Elie feelings for God. As Elie try hardly to hold on to his faith, his life was flashing right before his eyes, leaving his home to live in the ghetto, then as his and other lives was getting back normal they was then force out the ghetto, to either be put to death or live in an Concentration Camps, “Not far from us, flames huge flames, were rising from a ditch. Something was being burned there. A Truck drew close and unloaded its hold: small children. Babies! Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes… children thrown into flames. (Is it any wonder that ever since then, sleep tends to elude me?)" Everything around Elie was happen very fast, he couldn't believe it, on how a benevolent God could be part of such depravity, "Why did I pray?... Why did I live? Why did I breathe?" Elie prayed because he believe, he live and breathe to worship thee Almighty. The holocaust forces Elie to ask horrible question, question that doubted God’s ability. It became clear to Elie that God di dn’t have any intention to help, so why should Elie Pray before God, “How could I say to him: Blessed be Thou Almighty, Master of the Universe, who chose us among all nations to be tortured day and night, to watch as our fathers, our mothers, our Brothers end up in the furnaces?

Oil In America Essays -- essays research papers

Oil in America America has many problems with it's environment. The facts are clear that most corporations won't take the blame for them. These companies try to find ways out by stating that they are not the ones responsible for these problems. They try to protect themselves from the mistakes they made in the oil industry and the country. The facts are clear that there have been disasters in the oil field industry in the past ten years and they stand out in history. The article "Myths We Wouldn't Miss", by the Mobil Corporation, states that there hasn't been a major off shore oil disaster in past years. That may be true and it tries to get Mobil out of a jam but the underlying fact is that there have been oil spills and pollutants put into the environment and that cannot be excused. There have been facts which prove that there have been decreases in the fish population and in the aquatic life in the regions where the oil companies have been. The negligence of these companies can be shown in different fields. There have been many incidents in the oil field industry dating back to January 28 1969, in Santa Barbara. This may have been a long time ago but this was a disaster this country has never seen. On the 28 a well burst on the Santa Barbara Channel. It "raged for ten days and killed 3 crewmen".(Easton,10) There were major problems stopping this rig and no matter what happened there was already enough damage done. On February 23, the well erupted again. The environmental consequences were evident. As the oil spilled down towards the south the numbers were staggering of how much oil actually was pouring out into the ocean. By the month of march 3,000,000 gallons of oil escaped into the ocean.(Easton,251) Here is where the story is corrupted by the oil companies. Union Oil, the company responsible for this stated that their facts "only showed 250,000 gallons".(Easton,256) There were presidential tests and discovered the oil company was wrong. The most damaging evidence to theses oil companies was the discovery that was made when the government sent a diver under the spill to investigate the well. The source showed that more oil leaked than the oil co... ...panies realize the impact they have on the public and realize they all need the business of the American public. The companies act irresponsibly and do not use the appropriate machinery which is not up to standard. In my own opinion these companies know the consequences of using what they have. There is no excuse for the problems that they have. Human error is not calculated right and there is a disaster. We know the kind of damage that is done in the marine life. Why do we insist on doing this then? Is there any other way to get the oil here and back? Why do the oil companies also try to cover up for the damage that they have done? The Mobil Corporation states it's facts well. Every company shows that their facts make sense and gets them out of any trouble that they might be in. They have cited sources in research books and in the article mentioned in the beginning. These sources are all well and good and they dug up these facts to protect themselves from the truth. It is not something we can pull out of by excuses, but by facing it head on and making it easier on our planet and those who will be there for years to come.

Flare Case

Subject: Flare Fragrance Recommendation Background: Flare was founded in 1955 as a small manufacturer of women’s fragrances. Over a period of time, Flare has dominated the fragrance market, generating 9. 5% of the total women’s fragrance market and had grown in to a No. 4 player in the U. S women’s fragrances market. Flare has released 6 brands in the market namely Loveliest, Awash, Summit, Essential, Swept Away and Natural. Economic crisis has impacted Flare’s market share. Sales in 2007 were 12% and by 2008, the estimate was only 2% growth.Flare’s goal for 2009 was to generate $7. 5 million in incremental revenue and reverse declining sales trend. Recommendation: Flare should promote Natural with loveliest umbrella in 18-34 years age range and expand its efforts in the drug store channel. Rationale: 1. Natural fits Flare’s portfolio, both financially and strategically. Promoting Natural with loveliest umbrella will benefit Flare to meet its target sales numbers for 2009. Loveliest brand was introduced in 1975 and it still holds a strong equity in the market.It is positioned as a classic scent in the older age group. These customers will serve as evangelist and contribute to the promotion of Natural brand. As a result of the focus group sessions (ex 5), Projected sales for 2008 for Natural is $9. 1MM(ex 1). Based on forecasted numbers in table1, expected sales for 2009 could be $10. 15MM. Keeping the same communication budget from 2008 of 2. 7 MM to Natural in 2009 (exhibit 4), the expected revenue from Natural would be around 7. 45MM (table 2). 2.Natural is a recent launch under the loveliest umbrella and it is reaching slightly younger demographic, who are looking for the environmentally safer products or so called â€Å"green product† (page# 2). Natural is currently positioned as a chic brand in the younger age group (ex 3). 18-34 year age group women are highly brand aware with sensitivity to premium and pre stige brands and word of mouth is influential for this age group(ex 5). Promoting Natural in the slightly younger age group will benefit Flare’s overall sales. 3.Arlmont’s review of current recession era (page#3), shows that mid-tier and premium brands will be increasingly available in the mass channels. Market development strategy can be used to expand Natural in the drug store. As a result of the focus group sessions (ex 5), 20% of customers shop at the drug store. Flare’s sales at the drug store do not mirror overall market and there is a potential for expansion in that space. Drug store chains have evolved over time and some of them also have high end features like on-site aestheticians to assist shoppers in selecting a particular brand.With the current economic conditions, customer with 18-34 yrs age group would get directed to the drug stores in search of cheaper prices. Placing free samples of Natural in the drug stores and Natural testers in the point of purchase will generate trial. Based on the information from table 3, after increasing the % allocation in drug store for Natural from 0. 5% to 2. 5% in (ex 1), the flare factory sales for 2009 will increase from 9. 1MM to 11. 3 MM. Additional 1. 15 MM can be spent on promotional budget for point of sale samples, expected revenue from natural can be 7. 45MM. Risk: 1.Drugstores would typically sell only Flare’s highest turnover items, which might damage Flare’s relationship with other retail accounts. 2. It can be difficult to position Natural in the 18-34 age group with the loveliest umbrella as women in this age group can perceive loveliest as a classic brand. Table 1 | Natural brand Sales forecast| 2006| 2007| 2008| 2009| 7|   Not available| 9. 1| 10. 15| 2009 sales figures are forecasted based on the % sales increase from 2006 to 2009. Table 2| | Natural brand| 2009 – expected factory sales(MM)| 10. 15| 2009 – communication budget(MM)| 2. 7| Incremen tal revenue| 7. 45| Table3

Situation Evaluation

Maria also states that n her department, she stand alone as the only individual of Latin descent as well as the only individual of color and the only female. And also adds that her mediocre job assessments were culturally bias because her immediate supervisor is a White male just as Alex. Maria also offers that her immediate boss told her that her accent is a cause for concern as it pertains to any potential client of the company. She explained that he was fearful that the clients would not understand her because of her accent.Maria was furious so she lodged an additional complaint against the company for displaying discriminatory practices. Maria's upper management reports that she possesses a fair quality of work, however she frequently exhibits a brash and hostile attitude when dealing with her co-workers and supervisors. She has been reprimanded on a few occasions by her immediate boss for lateness and absences. She astutely combated each reprimand with an excuse of family issues . Maria would always defend that when or if her family is in trouble, she would have to attend to their needs.When the topic of her accent was brought up, it was explained that the accent was a significant factory in obtaining the particular position therefore, no discriminatory raciest were conducted by the organization. Maria habitually spoke very fast, and when she spoke in such a manner, comprehending what she was saying due to her accent was almost impossible. The company declared that the ability to communicate clearly was an essential aspect of the job in question. The purpose of the paper is to discover if there are indications of organizational or personal discrimination or prejudicial attitudes involved in Maria's complaint.Also, if there is any suggestion that Maria was unjustly or unlawfully treated. And if the company has a legal basis to expect Its employees who converse specifically with customers to speak accent free English. This paper also will offer some approache s to take which can proven any such events from transpiring in the future. Prejudice and Discrimination As Maria is the only female of Latin decent in her department, the existence of prejudice and discrimination due to race and gender could be an issue. To substantiate any such claim, prejudice and discrimination has to be defined.Prejudice is an unjustified or incorrect attitude towards an individual based merely on the individual's race, gender, or creed (McLeod, 2008). It may be directed toward a group or an individual of that group. Discrimination is an unfavorable action, behavior, outcome, or treatment directed against and individual or group (McLeod, 2008). The difference between the two is that prejudice is a belief or mindset and discrimination is the manifestation of tall belief or mindset. Prejudice in the case would be very difficult to prove unless a discriminatory act has been committed.Hypothetically speaking, if Maria was called employee X and Alex employee Y and ea ch of their performances and evaluations were examined, employee Y would be considered for the promotion over employee X hands down. Therefore, an investigation would most likely determine that there is no conclusive evidence that shows organizational or personal prejudice or discrimination towards Maria. Moreover, a statement from a possibly disgruntled employee would not be enough to prove unjust or unlawful treatment toward the employee.Unaccented English To totally satisfy Maria's complaint, the question, â€Å"Is the company violating any lawful regulations because it expect its employees who converse specifically with customers to speak accent free English† must be answered. According to Title VII of the Act of 1964, a company can put an individual's accent under scrutiny when the individual's accent directly hinders the individual from performing a specific job (EEOC, 2014). This consideration is contingent upon the explicit responsibilities for the duty to be performe d and the magnitude of the individual's accent influencing the capacity to conduct business.Although Maria has been with the company for 10 years and her accent was not a hindrance to her current position, her accent could cause confusion for the clients if she is in the position in question. Since the company acknowledged that a requirement for the position was to speak fluent English, and according to the National Origin & Employment Policies/ Practices under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the company is within legal rights. The company is under no legal law to promote Maria into the position in question.The company can however promote her into a position with the same prestige as the other and this position will not require her to interact directly with the clients. This will create a win-win situation for everybody. Consequences of Prejudice and Discrimination Although no wrong doing by the company was proven, the mere mention Of discriminatory practices could cause a company to falter. The productivity of the employee in question as well as other employees have the possibility to diminish.This reaction alone may trigger a downward spiral for revenue, which could chase away potential investors who may have been interested in the business. Not to mention, the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), U. S. Department of Labor, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFFICE) and Wage and Hour Division (WAD) will have a scrutinizing eye on every business practice the company may implement (Mayhem, 2014). No organization want to go through anything like this.That is why it is imperative for every member within a company to be well abreast that diversity is very prevalent in almost every organization in today society. Furthermore, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, people who are discriminated against can initiate court proceedings towards a company. And if substantiated, the complainant can recoup money for any dam ages rendered by the company as it relates to discriminatory practices (Scott, 014). This can open the door for others who may have felt discriminated against to file complaints, which could lead to a very messy situation for a thriving organization.Solutions to Prevent Discrimination in the Workplace Education: everyone must be aware of cultural diversity in the workplace, which simply means understanding that people are different and should be treated as such. There is a well-known saying, â€Å"team work makes the dream work,† which means to work well with a person, one must know and trust a person. If equal and fair treatment is not practiced, discrimination will not be reverted it will be just getting started.Confrontation: anyone witnessing any signs of discrimination should openly acknowledge it and â€Å"nip it in the bud,† in essence, stopping it before it gets started. Research has shown that making people aware of a discrepancy between their discriminatory b ehavior and their egalitarian self-concept can lead to self-dissatisfaction and subsequent reductions in discriminatory responding (Divine, Mennonite, Suzerain, and Elliot (as cited in Good, Raisin, and Sanchez, 2012)). Music: as music can sooth the savage beast, it can also sooth the souls of people who possess rejoice and discriminatory attitudes.In fact, Mark Cliches, a psychotherapist in New York City and the author of Healing from Family Rifts offers, â€Å"music can be a salvation and antidote to most psychological challenges: that's why people sing in the shower and while driving the car, or simply listen to music that's inspiring and distracting from emotional upset† (Cliches, 2008). No matter if discrimination or any unfair treatment was found to substantiate Maria's claim, the company in question can and will prosper through the implementations of the aforementioned solution to prevent discrimination in the workplace.Top managers within an organization must play an active role in interacting with the employees as it relate to cultural differences. This will promote cultural harmony and bring an understanding to all that everybody has to Stay mindful Of the other guy. Conclusion In the cultural diverse environment, someone will feel discriminated against for one reason or another. Fifth truth is told, it may be next to impossible to please everybody all the time. This could lead to alienation, frustration, separation, and termination. Unfortunately, prejudice and discriminatory thoughts as well as actions of such do exist in the workplace.Organizations can and will go tumbling down which could cause a lot of innocent people some unnecessary hardship. It could be a horrible feeling to think a person cannot advance because someone may not like them just because they are different. Nothing good can come from a company that overlooks prejudice and discriminatory behavior exhibited by the members within that company. Let us stamp out this ugly form a degradation before it ever gets started. It is going to take education, confrontation, and annihilation through music to rid or prevent this unspeakable form of injustice which is known as workplace coordination.

Human Nature In Society

The roots of human nature are sunk deep into our history and experiences. When in our own lives we are to find the basis of our human nature, we must look to our early years, the formative years. Now take for example if we placed a newborn in the wild or in a high-class, well-mannered, wealthy family. The human nature of the newborn in the wild will be exactly that, wild and chaotic. While on the other hand the newborn in the well-mannered society will be well mannered and moralistic. Human nature is defined by the values that are taught and the values that society defines, if there are no societal values, human nature is doomed and lessened to that of wolves. Society defines the values and morals for its people to live by, common values. These values affect human nature and affect the way an even slightly self-conscious person behaves. An example of one of these societal values is table manners. Society has defined over hundreds of years of history to eat accompanied by utensils. Society also has set the value and that eating with your bare hands is un-civilized. Another example of a moralistic standard is not to steal. This value is taught by our parents and members of the society, the human society. So human nature has a conscience because of social morals and values. The formation and situation of human nature is dependent on these guidelines. Some peoples human nature may be to steal, maybe to survive but most humans have this as a wrong. Most people have developed a database of right and wrong. Although without society or modern civilization, human nature is reduced to a mind-frame of everyone for themselves and to basically survive. Without civilization Human nature is the same as the instinctual behavior of any human, eat drink, and sleep. Human nature is what separates humans from monkeys. Human nature as a balance of good and evil, humans can use their brain power for good or evil. Some aspects of human nature I encounter are events such as to decide between right and wrong, cause and effect. Human nature forms its basis of teachings at an early age. If you and I are taught good and right early on then our nature will be more knowledgeable and perhaps better. General human nature is different than individual but not by much. Generally, humans are a species that thrive to better their own lives and if possible others lives also. Human Nature also inhibits the qualities of greed, ambition, pride etc. The job of humans is to conform, to an extent, to society and its standards and values. Humans control or do not present these negative or positive aspects. Individually speaking, some people are more greedy than others, some more kind. Even though human nature includes many different aspects, most civilized humans, their nature is to an extent abide by widely accepted moral values. On simple value would be to live and let live, and if possible help. A societal value I am faced with everyday is to be kind and generous or at least to be polite to other fellow human beings. We can think of human nature to follow a kind of moral code such as many religions encourage. Encompassing all, human nature is not the pursuit of humanitarianism but the pursuit of once again, control or present certain qualities of ones characteristics and do this within the guidelines of society or on a larger scale humanity. Human nature is defined by the values that are taught and the values that society defines, if there are no societal values, humans are no different than animals in the wild. Human nature has aspects including love, greed, and ambition which dogs do not. But at the crux, humans do attempt, basically, to survive. Human nature is very complex in the task of approximating individual traits but when speaking of humanity all together its nature is different than animals in that we use our unique characteristics. Humans have wants and desires and also are capable of helping others in need.