Lee Harvey Oswald’s Motives for killing President John F....

There have been many papers, books, and articles written on Lee Harvey Oswald’s motives for killing President John F. Kennedy. No one knows for sure exactly what motivated him in this horrendous act, but there has been some speculation that a fatherless upbringing or his mental health led the way in making him the most famous assassin of the twentieth century. Lee Harvey Oswald had a rough childhood. He grew up without a father figure in his life so he was lacking direction from the most important source (Biography: Lee Harvey Oswald ). His father died two months before Oswald was born, leaving his mother with three small children. As a result, â€Å"his mother would frequently neglect and leave Lee with various babysitters† (Diamond). These†¦show more content†¦Oswald could be very violent at times and at one point â€Å"Oswald had spoken about shooting an American President† (Oswald’s Motive). His friend that he had talked to about this said tha t he didn’t say it jokingly. He was a very violent person and the Russian à ©migrà © community from Dallas reported that â€Å"There is also clear evidence that Oswald...had a history of wife battering† (Oswald’s Motive). During one fight, he actually tried to kill his wife by strangling her. What he was trying to achieve through his violence was a warped form of control. While Oswald was a violent person, there are also signs that he was also emotionally and mentally unstable, and even his wife was scared for his mental state (Oswald’s Motive). Dr. Steven Diamond says that Oswald most likely could have been suffering from psychopathic narcissism† (which is the constant need to be admired) and that would have caused him to do â€Å"what most of the young men who commit such very public crimes seek: facile infamy† (Diamond). This most likely was caused by his overwhelming feeling of rejection from his parents and caretakers. Most likely all he wanted was for someone to notice him and to gain â€Å"immortality† (Diamond). Another theory that is put forward is that Lee Harvey Oswald was merely a patsy in some bigger conspiracy. Most conspiracy theories follow along the lines that Oswald didn’t commit the horrible crime, and someone else did. When the authorities caught Oswald, he was going into aShow MoreRelatedA Brief Look at John F. Kennedy835 Words   |  4 Pagesquote spoken by a U.S President whose term of office was cut short by a belligerent man. John F. Kennedy or JFK would grow to become one of the United States’s smartest and youngest Presidents in history. Unfortunately for JFK his life and term as President was cut short after being assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. Although JFK did not serve a full term as President he affected our nation in many positive ways and was on the best presidents we ever had. John Fitzgerald Kennedy also known as â€Å"JFK†Read MoreThe Assassination Of President John F. Kennedy1376 Words   |  6 PagesLee Harvey Oswald and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy November 22, 1963 (Jennings), a day that changed American history, and a day that’s events still haunt the nation of freedom and liberty. Whether it be Jacqueline Kennedy’s pained cries or the hoodless limousine, a piece of this day in history lies in every American’s mind. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States of America (Bugliosi 11), to this day has several conspiraciesRead MoreLee Harvey And The Assassination Of Jfk2462 Words   |  10 PagesLee Harvey Oswald and The Assassination of JFK On November 22, 1963 United States President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas Texas. In September 1964 the Warren Commission, appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, presented an official report documenting the details of the assassination. This report concluded that Kennedy was killed by a man named Lee Harvey Oswald, and that Oswald acted alone. Ever since then there has been speculation concerning the validity of the Warren CommissionRead MoreWho Is to Blame for JFKs Assassination?748 Words   |  3 PagesWho is to blame? John F. Kennedy, the youngest elected and first catholic president was campaigning for a second term when he was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. The accused shooter Lee Harvey Oswald, was first arrested for killing a police officer at point blank. It was shortly after the shooting when he was arrested with a gun in his possession at a nearby movie theater. He was then later accused of killing President Kennedy. The evidence presents that there could be alternativesRead MoreJohn F. Kennedy s Assassination1739 Words   |  7 Pages John F Kennedy grew up in a wealthy and very political family. His assassination was a shock to many. It was a time of Cold War and the peak of US involvement in Vietnam. It is important to understand the John F. Kennedy regime including both its national and foreign policy. You also need to look into his personal life. This would help to create motives, and find the primary aspect to consider when looking into any homicide, assassination or m urder. He was the first president who was a Boy ScoutRead MoreDefining Moment Of The Twentieth Century : The Assassination Of John F. Kennedy1829 Words   |  8 PagesA defining moment of the twentieth century: the assassination of John F. Kennedy.   On November 22nd, 1963, the president of the United States of America was travelling in a motorcade down the streets of Dallas, Texas, when three loud shots rang out through the air (Summary).   In an instant, President Kennedy had been brutally shot and killed, startling people worldwide.   At the time, such a gruesome attack was unheard of-- after all, who would want to harm the man who gave the country hope? (ABC)Read MoreEssay on The Assassination of John F. Kennedy4698 Words   |  19 PagesThe Assassination of John F. Kennedy On a clear sunny day in Dallas Texas, November 22, 1963 to be exact, at about 12:30pm, the Presidents car rounded the curve in front of the Texas School Book Depository building and proceeded on to Main Street throughout Dally plaza. Shots rang out and the President was rushed to the nearby hospital and was declared dead at 1pm. The Vice President took the oath of office and flew back to Washington with the slain leader. The accused assassin was arrestedRead MoreJFK Assasination Conspiracy Theories Essay3168 Words   |  13 Pagesthe day of the depletion of the American peoples trust in their government. It also marks the beginning of one of the biggest conspiracies still being investigated by conspiracy theorists. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, our 35th, youngest elected president, was killed that day. Many say Lee Harvey Oswald was the shooter but I think Oswald never even pulled the trigger. Oswald was just an easy mark to pin the crime on, he was set up, most likely by the CIA who he was speculated to beRead MoreThe Many Theories of the JFK Assassination Essay example3041 Words   |  13 PagesThe Many Theories of the JFK Assassination Introduction There are many theories that have been introduced to people surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The assassination of the 35th President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, occurred on November 22, 1963. Kennedy was fatally shot while riding in the presidential limousine through the streets of Dallas, Texas. The projectile that struck his head shattered the right side of his skull. During an interviewRead MoreEssay on The J.F.K. Conspiracy941 Words   |  4 PagesThe J.F.K. Conspiracy Time after time again we are told in our schools, our homes, and by our media that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy. How can this conclusion by made about a case that was never completely solved? If we as Americans accept the government given truth, such as in this case, without questioning how they came to their conclusion, then what would stop the government from altering other truths given

Sarbanes Oxley Act - 1322 Words

Sarbanes-Oxley Act The Sarbanes-Oxley is a U.S. federal law that has generated much controversy, and involved the response to the financial scandals of some large corporations such as Enron, Tyco International, WorldCom and Peregrine Systems. These scandals brought down the public confidence in auditing and accounting firms. The law is named after Senator Paul Sarbanes Democratic Party and GOP Congressman Michael G. Oxley. It was passed by large majorities in both Congress and the Senate and covers and sets new performance standards for boards of directors and managers of companies and accounting mechanisms of all publicly traded companies in America. It also introduces criminal liability for the board of directors and a requirement by†¦show more content†¦There is much more of an emphasis on training and certification of auditors to understand and be able to design processes that are in adherence to the SOX requirements (Michelman, Waldrup, 32, 33). These changes in accounting processes are just the beginning of the much broader and much more pervasive changes at the fundamental business level within companies. The changes required by SOX also force entirely new approaches to managing, reporting, sorting, and accessing financial information, often requiring new IT systems and processes as well. The coordination of IT systems and processes, accounting and reporting, and the definition of entirely new business processes are all happening at the same time in many publicly-held companies in the U.S. through even 2009. The exponential growth of Indian outsourcing companies who have expertise in Business Process Management (BPM) have correspondingly seen an increase in their business, as many smaller American publicly-held companies do not have the people or the expertise to get their processes, systems, IT plans and accounting and reporting functions in compliance with the SOX standard in any meaningful period of time (Radtke, et.al.) As a result, many accounting professi onals also must manage outsourcing contracts with companies who specialize in BPM and SOXShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act3143 Words   |  13 PagesAnalysis of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act Abstract The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was enacted in July 30, 2002, by Congress to protect shareholders and the general public from fraudulent corporate practices and accounting errors and to maintain auditor independence.    In protecting the shareholders and the general public the SOX Act is intended to improve the transparency of the financial reporting.    Financial reports are to be certified by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Financial OfficerRead MoreEssay on The Sarbanes-Oxley Act852 Words   |  4 Pagestoday that are using the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) legislation that helps to safeguard their company and their financial records. The Sarbanes-Oxley act began in 2002 and the purpose behind this act was to protect organizations, it had a major impact on accounting and record keeping. Because of Enron, they passed this act for publicly-traded corporations to better implement control to their enterprise data. â€Å"Named after Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Mic hael Oxley, who also set a number ofRead MoreSarbanes Oxley Act and the PCAOB Essay1661 Words   |  7 PagesThe Sarbanes-Oxley Act Overview: The development of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) was a result of public company scandals. The Enron and Worldcom scandals, for example, helped investor confidence in entities traded on the public markets weaken during 2001 and 2002. Congress was quick to respond to the political crisis and enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which was signed into law by President Bush on July 30 (Edward Jones, 1), to restore investor confidence. In reference to SOX, penaltiesRead MoreSarbanes-Oxley Act Research Paper1097 Words   |  5 PagesSarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Karla Azcue ACC 120-09 Mr. Donald Senior The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is one of the most important legislations passed in the 21st century effecting financial practice and corporate governance. This act was passed on July 30, 2002 thanks to Representative Michael Oxley a republican from Ohio and Senator Paul Sarbanes a democrat from Maryland. They both passed two different bills that pertain to the same problem which had to do with corporations auditing accountabilityRead MoreSarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesSarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ACC/561 Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 Following a number of discovered fraud scandals committed by well-known corporations and in order to restore public confidence in the stock market and trading of securities, the United States congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the year 2002. As a result of the act endorsement by the New York Stock Exchange and the Securities and Exchange Commission, among many other national overseeing committees, a number of rules and regulationsRead MoreSarbanes Oxley Act Research Paper1787 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿Sarbanes Oxley Act Research Project Brielle Lewis MBA 315 March 6, 2014 I. Abstract The purpose of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act is to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures made pursuant to the securities law, and for other purposes. (Lander, 2004) The Act created new standards for public companies and accounting firms to abide by. After multiple business failures due to fraudulent activities and embezzlement at companies such as Enron Sarbanes andRead MoreSarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) Essays1756 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction In July of 2002, Congress swiftly passed the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investors Protection Act at the time when corporations like Arthur Anderson, Enron and WorldCom fell due to fraudulent accounting practices and bad internal control. This bill, sponsored by Mike Oxley (R-OH) and Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), became known as Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX).It sought to restore public confidence in publicly traded companies and their accounting practices, though the companies listed aboveRead MoreThe Implications of the Sarbanes Oxley Act on the Accounting Profession755 Words   |  4 PagesThe Implications of the Sarbanes Oxley Act on the Accounting Profession Abstract On July 30, 2002, the Sarbanes Oxley Act (also known as SOX) was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 is a federal law that set new or improved standards for all U.S. public company boards, management and public accounting firms. Covered in the eleven titles are additional corporate board responsibilities, auditing requirements and criminal penalties. ThisRead MoreEssay on Overview of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)1342 Words   |  6 PagesThe Sarbanes-Oxley Act, frequently known as the SOX. The act was passed on in 2002 as a federal United States law. The law was drafted in response to the numerous numbers of financial scandals performed by high profile corporations such as Johnson Johnson. The action has created a new company standard of responsibility in order to protect the valued stakeholders, as well as the public, from the deceitful practices of various organizations. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act Read Mor eEssay on Benefits of the Sarbanes Oxley Act893 Words   |  4 Pagesproblems for the company and its investors down the road. The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 is what enforces such internal controls of companies. This Act requires all United States companies to follow internal control guidelines and standards. Many argue that the egregious scandals such as Enron, Tyco and WorldCom gave Congress the impetus to pass such an act that has strict consequences if bypassed. Violators of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) can be subject to large fines and even imprisonment

Business communication the organizations - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Business communication the organizations. Answer: Introduction: Business communication refers to the sharing of information amongst the organizational employees and the other parties involved with the organization, which results in organizational success. A business communication, can either be conducted from the downward level to the upward level or from the upward level to the downward direction. A downward communication, generally involves the transmission of information from the higher authorities to the lower levels whereas the upward communication involves the transmission of information from the lower levels of the organization to the higher authorities. There are various ways, by means of which information can be transmitted from one level of organization to another. The most commonly used methods involve the use of social media, video conferencing, reports, presentations, telephone meetings and various others. Social media provides various types of online communication options that enable the users to participate in the communication pro cess and give feedbacks. Social media enables an organization to improve its interaction with the customers and save costs. Employee communication is an important part of business as the internal communication among the employees determines the organizational culture and productivity of an organization. The more effective employee communication policy a company has the higher will be the growth rate of the company as a positive work environment increases the productivity of the employees. The businesses use social media in order to target a large number of customers as approaching the customer individually is not possible for any organization. Business communication is also useful in improving the relationships among the organizational employees (McFarland Ployhart, 2015). Business communication via social media is not only useful in improving business to customer relationships but is also effective in improving business to business relationships. Thesis or hypothesis: Employee communication has significant impact on the organizational performance and success. Effective and proper employee communication can help the organization as well as the employees to avoid confusion and conflict. The absence of confusion as well as conflicts helps in the creation of a positive work environment, which directly influences the productivity of the organization("Forbes Welcome", 2017). The second significant impact that the process of effective employee communication can have on the work environment is that it can help to overcome one of the most commonly faced problem at workplace, namely, the problem of cross-cultural miscommunication. Effective employee communication can help in overcoming the problem of cross-cultural miscommunication and helps in the development of an understanding between the different employees of an organization (Kinloch Metge, 2014). The process of intercultural communication, can be used by some companies to create an effective shared u nderstanding about the objectives as well as the goals of the company to its various employees. This gives a clear idea to the employees about the job roles as well as the expectations that the company desires from them. Ideas to support thesis: Bovee, Thill Raina (2016), assessed the impact of employee communication on the organizational performance and claimed that employee communication has a huge impact on the organizational strategies of the organizations. The paper mentioned that there has been a recent change in the trend as internet has gained huge popularity. More than 50% of the world population has an access to internet and internet has become the backbone of more than 70% of the organizations in the world (Jin, Liu Austin, 2014). Social media has helped the organizational employees to effectively interact with each other and create positive working environment within the organization. On the contrary, many a times, improper use of the social media platforms tend to hamper the performance of the organizations. Therefore, proper care is to be taken, so that the medium used for the employee communication process provides effective benefits to the organization and does not becomes a cause of concern to the organiza tion or the company. According to Jussila, Krkkinen Aramo-Immonen (2014), the use of social media enhances the relationship between the organizational employees as it enables them to develop personal relationships with each other, which leads to effective employee communication within the organizations. This tends to enhance the bonding between the organizational employees and the team members, which also helps improving the team performance. The more is the mutual understanding between the team members, the more becomes the efficiency of the organizations. This also helps in overcoming the problem of cross-cultural miscommunication, which is a major problem faced by companies as well as the organizations all over the world. In the present world of globalization, it is often noticed, that the major companies or organizations of the world tend to employee deserving employees from all over the world to increase their productivity(Goetsch Davis,2014). It is here that the concept of effective employee comm unication becomes the most important as the removal of this communication barrier will enhance the individual as the collective performance of the company as well as the organization. To overcome this problem, most of the companies resort to the use of social media sites, where the employees can bond among themselves despite their different cultural as well social backgrounds (Ward, 2016). The most popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have helped the organizational employees to come closer to each other. However, there have also been several negative impacts of social media on the performance of the employees. Many a times, the employees neglect the work while using social media, which hampers the productivity of the organization or the company. This has negative impacts on the organizational performance (Vernuccio, 2014). According to Aral, Dellarocas Godes (2013), the changes in the technologies and the use of social media by the organizations enable the employees to increase their knowledge regarding the functioning of the organizations. It enables them to interfere in the necessary activities and share their opinions. The shared ideas of the employees enable the organizations to commence its activities accordingly. However, excessive interference of the employees in the daily activities of the organizations, hamper the productivity and efficiency of the operations. Therefore, it is necessary for the organizations to determine the level up to which the organizations shall permit employee communication within an organization. However, this process also offers an opportunity to the company as well as the organization to make the objectives as well as the goals of the company, clear to the employees. It helps in channelizing the collective energy as well as the efforts of the employees in a proper dir ection, which helps the company as well as the employees in accomplishing their individual goals as well as the goals of the company. Context: An organization where employee communication has been successful is Google Inc. Google has been an excellent place to work in because of its excellent organizational culture. The organization values the suggestions and opinions of the employees and ensures that there is an excellent employee communication within the organization. This has enhanced both employee- employee relationships as well as employee- employer relationships. Figure 1: Impact of employee communication on growth of Google Inc. (Source: Vernuccio, 2014) Facebook is another company, which uses social media for the process of effective employee communication. The company has its various overseas branches in almost all over the world and at the present moment the company employs roughly around 23,165 and most of these employees rarely gets a chance to go to the main office of the company. Therefore, the use of social media becomes paramount for various reasons. Firstly, it helps in the process of effective transmission of the goals as well as the objectives of the company to the employees. Secondly, it also helps in the process of social bonding among the employees of the company working in its various diverse locations all over the world. The use of other forms of communication like presentation, video conferences, telephone and even social gatherings organized by the company also helps in the process of effective social bonding among the employees of the company in its diverse locations. These policies of the company is one of the ma in reason for the steady growth of the company in the last five years- Year Total Revenue(in million USD) Net Revenue(in million USD) 2012 5,089 53 2013 7,872 1500 2014 12,466 2,940 2015 17,928 3,688 2016 27,638 10,217 Figure 2: Growth of the company Facebook in terms of revenue in the past 5 years. Source: "Facebook - Home", 2017) Outline: The proposal introduced employee communication in business context. Nowadays, employee communication via social media platforms is an important part of the determining organizational strategies and a tool used for enhancing the relationships between the organizational employees. Social media has also been an effective instrument for enhancing the relationships employee relationships, which has resulted in the overall efficiency of the organizations (Schivinski Dabrowski, 2016). However, social media has both positive and negative impacts on the employee performance and efficiency. The proposal mentions the possible hypothesis and the ideas that support the hypothesis. However, after analyzing the impact of employee communication on the organizational performance, it can be mentioned that the efficient use of employee communication has huge impact on the organizational performance, which can be classified into both positive and negative impacts. The positive effects of effective comm unication, can be summed up as the benefits, which the company receives from the process of effective employee communication like the creation of positive working environment, good understanding between the employees of the company from different cultural as well as the social backgrounds. The negative impact of the process are the disadvantages that the process of effective employee communication cause to the company, like if the employees spend more amount of time on the social media sites rather than focusing on their work then the overall performance of the individual employees as well as the company will get hampered(Bovee, Thill, Raina,2016). The impact of employee communication through social media on the employee performance depends upon the extent up to which the organization uses social media and permits the use of social media within the organization. The organizations must ensure that the social media has a positive impact on its growth and performance. The organizations must ensure that the employees do not misuse social media. The increase in the trend of using social media has a significant influence on the performance of the employees and the team performance. Employee communication has also been effective in improving business to business relationships. Social media not only helps in improving the communication process between the organizations and their customers but also enhances the communication process between the organizational employees. Employee communication enables the organizations to learn about its organizational efficiency and identify the ways in which the efficiency can be further increased. Social media enables the employees to share their feedbacks with the organizations, which in turn enables the organizations to take appropriate corrective actions. Social media has been an effective tool for the organizations in gaining organizational efficiency. Social media marketing is the most cost effective and economic way of increasing the brand awareness of the organizations. The organizations are able to establish their business as an industry expert and expand their professional network(Armstrong et al., 2015). The proposal m entions Google as the most efficient organization in successfully using employee communication in enhancing the organizational performance. Therefore, it can be concluded that social media plays a vital role in enhancing the employee communication and the overall organizational performance. Conclusion: Therefore, from the above paragraphs it becomes apparent that effective employee communication forms an essential feature of business communication and if effectively utilized it leads to the overall growth of the organization or the company. However, the process also consists of some limitations, which if not properly taken care of can directly affect the company or the organization. It, thus, becomes very necessary to weigh all the advantages as well as the disadvantages of the medium intended to be used for the process of employee communication before its implementation. Recommendations: A company or an organization can increase the level of employee communication by the effective use of different kinds of communication method. The overdependence on one medium for the purpose of employee communication can prove to be harmful to the company or the organization itself in the long run. Therefore, it is advisable that the companies used various other kind of means like video conferencing, telephone meetings, presentation, social official gatherings and other mediums for the purpose rather than solely depending on just one type of medium. Limitations: The process of employee communication consists of some weaknesses as well. It is often seen that people from countries like Australia, New Zealand, USA and other places are very individualistic and thus they do not feel comfortable working in groups or socializing in the work place. The system of effective employee communication thus becomes ineffective in those circumstances. Then there is another factor that might be considered as a weakness of the process of employee communication, namely, too much communication in the work reduces the overall productivity of the company as the focus of the employees tend to become divided and this leads to a decrease in the level of productivity. References Aral, S., Dellarocas, C., Godes, D. (2013). Introduction to the special issuesocial media and business transformation: a framework for research.Information Systems Research,24(1), 3-13. Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., Brennan, R. (2015).Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Bovee, C. L., Thill, J. V., Raina, R. L. (2016).Business communication today. Pearson Education India. Jin, Y., Liu, B. F., Austin, L. L. (2014). Examining the role of social media in effective crisis management: The effects of crisis origin, information form, and source on publics crisis responses.Communication research,41(1), 74-94. Jussila, J. J., Krkkinen, H., Aramo-Immonen, H. (2014). Social media utilization in business-to-business relationships of technology industry firms.Computers in Human Behavior,30, 606-613. McFarland, L. A., Ployhart, R. E. (2015). Social media: A contextual framework to guide research and practice.Journal of Applied Psychology,100(6), 1653. Schivinski, B., Dabrowski, D. (2016). The effect of social media communication on consumer perceptions of brands.Journal of Marketing Communications,22(2), 189-214. Vernuccio, M. (2014). Communicating corporate brands through social media: An exploratory study.International Journal of Business Communication,51(3), 211-233. Bovee, C. L., Thill, J. V., Raina, R. L. (2016).Business communication today. Pearson Education India. Facebook - Home. (2017).Investor.fb.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017, from https://investor.fb.com/home/default.aspx Goetsch, D. L., Davis, S. B. (2014).Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Forbes Welcome. (2017).Forbes.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2016/08/12/best-practices-for-effective-internal-communications/#40b5ff877292 Kinloch, P., Metge, J. (2014).Talking past each other: problems of cross cultural communication. Victoria University Press. Ward, J. (2016).Keeping the family business healthy: How to plan for continuing growth, profitability, and family leadership. Springer.

Postmodernism Essays (2635 words) - Anthropology, Postmodernism

Postmodernism With the end of colonialism and the emergence of a seemingly new world order, there raised a demand that research be useful and relevant, indicating that knowledge for its own sake was insufficient. As a result of this, what emerged was a new focus on 'development' and 'modernization' in the form of postmodernism. In these changing times, anthropology has come into contact with a variety of evolving concepts, including hybridity, montage, fluidity, and deconstruction. The question remains, how these concepts reflect the social, cultural and political changes that are occurring in study of anthropology today. Postmodernism is an intellectual movement that promotes itself as the 'antithesis' of modernism, resulting from the intensification, radicalization, or transformation of the processes of modernity. (Barfield, 368) The term was introduced in the late 1940's, however, the turn towards, if not the origin of postmodernism in anthropology, can be traced to a single publication: Writing Culture (1986). It consisted of contributions from nine scholars, edited by Clifford and Marcus, and attempted to sketch out the basic premise of the postmodern perspective. (Harris, 153) Anthropologist are forced to contend with the changes created by postmodernism in a variety of ways, beginning with the challenge to anthropological authority. It is felt by many that it is incredibly arrogant for anthropologists to assume that they have both the capacity and mandate to dissect, interpret and describe the lives of people in other cultures, given the power and wealth imbalance of the colonial past, leaving the 'other' unable to speak for him/herself. This argument finds itself in the whole 'West vs. Rest' spectrum, claiming that because of the nature in which traditional ethnologist where carried out, ex. Colonial, anglo- whites, ect.., that today, despite the multicultural and ethnically aware world that we live in, that anthropologists are not capable of unbiasedly and accurately producing ethnographic work. In part, there concern is founded. To my knowledge, there rests no undocumented peoples on the planet, as such, ethnologies today focus on sub-group structure and societal dynamics. Depending on the position that ones takes the results can be very different. An example of this is the anthropological work that is done on Arab women. Arab women in the west are often perceived as voiceless victims of violence and inequality. Though some do not enjoy the same level of 'social polices' that women in the West do, and in some cases women remain voiceless victims of violence as do some in the West, they maintain a strong family network which in many cases for over sees concerns about old age pensions and food stamp programs. There has also been the increase in dialogical and polyvocal approaches, insisting that ethnologies become a joint venture, with the anthropologist relinquishing their voice to provide equal room for the voices of the 'other'. Ethnologies therefor, when done correctly, should act as a hybrid, joining the words of the ethnologist with the voices and experiences of the informants and observers. Despite the increasing acceptance of ethnologies as pieces of research, another feature, is the emergence of the ethnography as a piece of fiction. (Barrett, 152) One of the more significant developments of postmodernism has been the focus on ethnography as a product of writing, which should be looked at as fictional, not in the sense of make believe or fairytale, but in the sense created or fabricated. Thus, a result of being written from the perspective of the ethnologist, perception takes away from reality and fact, leaving interpretation and in some case, fictitious misrepresentations. Next, postmodernism shifts the anthropological focus on interpretation and meaning rather than causality and behavior. Culture is seen as a system of ideas and symbols, with a complex of meanings, and deally, it is the job of the anthropologist to join forces with the 'other' and interpret it. This is where deconstruction and hermeneutics come into play, as discussed by Derrida By helping in the break down structures to illuminate hidden dimensions, this enables the investigator to comprehend the manner in which natives decode and understand their own texts. More specifically, deconstruction involves breaking down 'essences' such as the family, female, and male into their individual components in order to illuminate the embedded dimensions of ideology

Frank Mccourt Essays - Limerick, Angelas Ashes, Frank McCourt

Frank Mccourt Informal Essay on Angela's Ashes Angela's Ashes is a moving book full of poverty, suffering, and death that shows that no matter how difficult things seem, the hard tines can always be overcome. Angela and Malachy McCourt, both Irish, were married in America after a passionate night together that ended up producing their first son, Francis(or Frank as introduced to the reader). Later, the couple had another son, twins, and a daughter while living in a small apartment in New York. Margaret soon died and the family moved to Ireland where their lives were only worsened. Angela had two more children that lived, but the young twins died. Malachy was an alcoholic who rarely held a job and spent his wages at the pub instead of on his family. They were forced to beg for food and other necessities because relatives were cruel and selfish. This novel tells the tell of young Frank having to endure extreme poverty, starvation, and a broken family with strength and courage. He eventually raises enough money to go to America and break free from his depressing childhood. In my opinion, the theme of this book is that no matter how bad things seem to be, anyone can survive and become successful through perseverance and determination. For example, Frank grew up in just about the worst environment possible but was determined enough to get himself to America and eventually become the author of a Pulitzer Prize winning novel! Frank achieved his goals by taking any extra jobs that he could find and saving every penny possible until he could finally afford his passage to America. Because his father never brought home any money, Frank supported the family with what little wages he earned at his job and was determined to make a good life for himself, his brothers, and his poor mother. Frank learned to depend upon no one but himself and his determination to succeed won him a new life in America where he now lives happily married. I noticed numerous literary devices present throughout the book. One such device is the use of apostrophe. Apostrophe is used continuously when Frank speaks to the angel on the seventh step and also when he and his parents speak to the dead children such as Eugene, Oliver, and Margaret. The story is told from the point of view of Frank as he grows from a young boy of about three or four to a young man at nineteen. This point of view is especially effective because it shows how he feels about his experiences as he ages and how he felt at that exact time. His views change as he grows and his naivete vanishes. He becomes a stronger, smarter person with the reader following along. I also noticed frequent use of imagery. Frank describes his eyes when they are infected with ?red and yellow oozing? out of them. Vivid images are also used to describe the putrid smells in their house next to the lavatory that was used by the entire street to empty their chamber pots. McCourt also chooses to write very often in the diction of the old Irish language. This word choice adds to the mood of the book and attempts to bring the reader into Ireland. The book is also packed with humor. For instance, when the boys were playing outside, McCourt said that the women stand because ?all they do is take care of the children, clean the house, and cook? but the men sit because the spend their time ?discussing the problems of the world and wondering what to do with the rest of the day?(107). This is a humorous, almost satirical look at the traditional male-female roles in a family. Humor is also used while Frank waits for the angel on the seventh step and his naivete as a young boy. McCourt's novel is filled with wonderful, descriptive images that help to shape his fascinating tale from poverty to success. Biographies

Strategic Analysis of Honda Motors The WritePass Journal

Strategic Analysis of Honda Motors EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Strategic Analysis of Honda Motors EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:INTRODUCTIONCONCLUSION:REFERENCESRelated EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Being founded in 1948 in Japan by Soichiro Honda, the organization has come a long way from motorcycle manufacturer at the early stages to manufacturing high power electronic items and technologically sound automobiles, trucks etc. in a short duration after its foundation, Honda motors became the leading automobile industry, standing not only in the top market players in its native market but leaving behind the regional competitors and competing at the global level with automobile giants like GM, Ford, Mercedes Benz and Chrysler etc. Being the first amongst the Japanese manufacturing companies to expand its operations globally, Honda faced numerous challenges in making its products acceptable by the European and American customers who were used to big, fuel consuming expensive cars. Honda played it beautifully by presenting low cost, high quality less fuel consumption vehicles, and now with majority of its sales volume generating outside the native region and approximately half of th e manufacturing facilities outside Japan, the basic principle remains the same i.e. technologically advanced low cost vehicles. With more than 400 subsidiaries and sister concern around the world, Honda has managed the famous Japanese management theory of JIT (just in time), also the management systems and decision making processes applied by the organization has brought quite a stir in the management theorists of the west, who found it imperative to study these and make comparison with those applied in their region. Though, Honda has also shifted from time to time to some of the western management concepts but with some modification, the organization still adheres to the basic Japanese management systems of giving human relationships most importance and doing collective decision making and sharing responsibilities down the line. In this case study, it was studied how Honda motors handles various managerial dichotomies in organizational hierarchy, new product development, JIT system supply chain, product strategies like designing and positioning, and planning intra-organizational and inter-organizational relationships. It has emerged by this study that Honda has managed and reconciled these dichotomies successfully though some failures were also faced but the overall performance of the organization can be termed successful. INTRODUCTION The today’s highly advanced and technologically sound global automobile industry has evolved successfuly from a humble origin of wooden craft in 1890s to engine based vehicles’ mass production in 1910s and the highly popularized lean production methods of 1970s (Gopal, 2006). The industry has made speedy advancement to stand amongst the world’s top industries in terms of value and the leading industry in terms of its RD expenditures (Gopal, 2006). Due to such rapid growth of this business sector Peter Drucker (1946) termed the world automobile indutsry the ‘industry of industries’. Today, the global automobile industry has growth plans keeping view the low cost, high quality, less fuel consumption engines, innovation and modern techniques. Though the current reccession has marred the growth rate of the industry like other sectors, the global wutomobile industry is fighting hard to retain its profitability and higher shareholder value. The global industry was initially dominated by the US and European manufacturers, but the post world war II Japan started to challenge the big giants of the sector in the world market and penetrated the purely European and American automobile market successfully during 1970s and 1980s (Mair, 1999). The Japanese manufacturers like Toyota, Nissan and Honda shcoked their western competitors in producing low cost vehicles to enter thier segments. Honda was most innovative, challenging and strategically sound an\mongst all its Japaenes counterparts and not only successfully captured the western markets but also succeeded in opening its manufacturing sites both in the Europe and USA and achieved economies of scale. Today, a large portion of its sales volume (approximately 77%) is generated from these foreign markets with 46% of its manufacturing facilities present off-shore (Mair 1997). The analysis that is going to be presented in this report is how Honda succeeded to achieve its present market positiong and how it tackled various obstacles in terms of management or strategical policies procedures. Table 1: World’s top car manufacturers (2008) Group Unit Production General Motors 9000 8926 Toyota 9000 8083 Ford 7000 6268 Volkswagen Group 6000 5685 Honda 4000 3670 PSA 4000 3357 Nissan 4000 3223 Chrysler 3000 2545 Source: http://auto.indiamart.com/cars/car-statistics/international-statistics.html Renault 3000 2492 Honda has built its procedure of strategic management on a very special thinking i.e. to reconcile the dichotomies or to resolve the issues successfully, which means that Honda chooses to take advantage of all the dichotomies or in other words, the contradictions of strategic concepts such as individualism-collectivism, vertical-horizontal structure, vertical integration-market relationship, sequential-simultaneous development, cost-differentiation strategy and load more. Reconciliation refers to an approach in which the two poles are somehow made in harmony with each other. Honda’s approach to reconciling dichotomies is an exemplary innovation in management. Honda has contributed significantly in teaching today’s managers the best ways to resolve some of the hardest management dilemmas. It is also a great reference for management students all around the world (Mair, 1997). Keywords: a) Global corporate Strategy: Andrews K (1971) has defined the corporate strategy as the   pattern of minor objectives, purposes or goals and essential policies or plans for achieving those goals, stated in such a way as to define what business is company in or is to be in and the kind of company it is or is it to be. In today’s global village, organizations develop strategies to cater internal as well as off-shore customers to achieve the competitive advantage. b)   Managerial dichotomies: When one thing is divided in two or more different parts or opposite opinions, we said that a dichotomy occurs1. When we talk about managerial dichotomies, it means clash of different strategic concepts that are contradictory to each other in a business run. c)   Japanese vs. Western style of management: in view of Wickham (2009), the comparison of these two thinking of management could well be defined as â€Å"To do the Right Things or do Things Right?  The What and the How. At one hand, if Japanese management style focuses more on human relations and team working, the western style is more inclined towards hierarchy i.e. it is more top-down style which gives CEOs more importance and rewards whereas, Japanese emphasize more on advanced manufacturing technologies, just in time theory and TQM (total quality management), their western counterparts believe on trade-offs between cost quality and individualism group etc (Wickham, 2009). d)   Corporate Governance: It defines the relationship between all the stakeholders in a company. This includes the shareholders, directors, and management of a company, as defined by the corporate charter, bylaws, formal policy and rule of law (Investopedia). It is also defined as â€Å"the set of processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions affecting 1answers.com/topic/dichotomy#ixzz1MVzwuwMt the way a corporation (or company) is directed, administered or controlled†.(Barron’s Accounting dictionary). e) Corporate Ethics:   It is the study and evaluation of the decision making by the businesses according to moral concepts and judgments. Ethical questions range from practical, narrowly defined issues, such as a companys obligation to be honest with its customers, to broader social and philosophical questions, such as a companys responsibility to preserve the environment and protect employee rights (Paluszek, 2005). f)   Corporate Social Responsibility: When an organization recognizes what are its corporate social responsibilities, it imposes a self regulation upon itself and its management system and the business model. This regulation enables the organization to monitor business practices to ensure that these practices and activities are in alignment with the law, ethical standards and international laws (Wood, 1991). Question 1: a) ‘Planning’ vs. ‘Learning’ For the success of any business, it is imperative that the organizations resolve some of the dichotomies that run in the business. Honda used to introduce their products by considering the geographical differences and cultural variations and it yielded them good results in their business as well. The dichotomy of whether an organization is a planning organization or learning one is very difficult to resolve (De Wit, B. and Meyer, R., 2004). Honda has handled and reconciled this dichotomy successfully; in view of Mintzberg (1987) Honda is a company which epitomized in a very exemplary way that it’s a ‘crafted’ organization rather than a ‘planned’ one. Pascal (1984) is also of the opinion that the mangers at Honda got the firsthand reaction on their automobiles by driving their own products and learnt after making simplest of the mistakes till they struck the right formula while entering the US motorcycle market. During the whole course of this entrance , they learned and made it a part of their system. Mintzberg (1989) has hailed Honda by declaring it as a company with some common sense, not overly-rational, but which learns from different markets and do not try to impose distant corporate views. It can be extracted from the case that the under discussion organization is learning one but with strategies planned with such detail and accuracy that the organizational system first learn then adjust itself to the changes in business environment easily. Honda case reveals the necessity of ‘emergent learning alongside deliberate planning’ Mair (1999), also Mintzberg (1991) is of the opinion that though both planning and learning are necessary , the leaning should come first, he has also argued that the rationale thinking on part of Honda would not have helped the organization sell its motorcycle in USA. Honda is strategically active organization with a well thought of and planned strategic system that is why it has been able to resolve this dichotomy successfully exchanging both planning and learning with each other. b)   ‘Positioning’ vs. ‘Developing internal resources’ It is very difficult for an organization to choose between deciding the positioning strategies of its product or to develop its internal resources in such a way that would automatically position its products better in minds of customers, Honda also faced this difficult scenario and got through it successfully again, though failures are inevitable part of this paradox, but the organization got through them as well. Many reasons could be cited to determine the rationale behind this success, Hamel and Prahalad (1994) are of the opinion that this was not to any significant part of its management of the dealers’ network, rather on the difference of driving the Honda experiences over its competitors. They have also stated that ‘Honda’s ability to produce some of the world’s best engines and power trains does provide customers with high valued benefits’. A large portion of company’s global sales comes from the conservative and simple brand like Civic and Accord, which is in contrast to the general opinion about Honda being the producer of mainly the sporty and technically innovative cars, these sales figures show how customers perceive its products, i.e. as a combination of high quality vehicles with low prices and this concept is based on Honda’s core capability of product and process designs. Also, the RD of Honda is stronger than its competitors mostly the Americans, as it introduces innovative products more frequently in the market (Hamel and Prahalad,1994), it presented Honda NSX was presented as a replacement of the Ferrari but at a fraction of the cost. It conducts research ad is able to identify customers’ and presented products which they wanted to have but didn’t know it themselves (Hamel and Prahalad, 1994). Yet today, it is making huge investments in strengthening its core capability of technological advancements, low – pollution power sources e.g. electric or solar power and less fuel co nsuming engines, so that a potential breakthrough in the market position could be achieved. Thus, Honda is integrating both these functioning successfully in attaining the competitive advantage in the global automobile industry. c)   ‘Product-related core competencies’ vs. ‘ Process-related core capabilities’ The technological edge that Honda enjoys over its competitors enables the organization to produce its well known internal combustion engines which in a way reduces pollution and the latest technology they introduced in their product is CVCC. Though the new models introduced by Honda are less in comparison to its competitor GM Ford, the quality of these new products helps it to gain the competitive advantage. This innovative technology is then also used in other product lines as well (motorcycles, automobiles and other power products). The technology developed for the power trains and engines is also transferred to other products such as cars, tractors, generators and marine engines (Mair, 1999). The manufacturing concerns depend heavily on their process related core competencies, which represent the quantity in contrast to the product related core competency which represents quality. Honda has acquired both competencies and is successfully utilizing them simultaneously by producing at a large scale and specializing in low polluted and less fuel consumption auto and power engines. As the organization believes on the right-first time principle, the outcome is the right one without with errors (Mair, 1999), enabling the organization to save time which would otherwise spend in resolving the errors if there are any in its products. Errors increase the operational cost and lead time for product availability, which would force shift in customers’ preference from their brand to other. Honda has developed another competency, i.e. built-in-quality, gained through various sub transformational tasks in operations and determines its effectiveness via observing customer satisfactio n. Thus, it proves that Honda has created an amalgam of both dichotomies by incorporating its core competencies both the products and process successfully. Whereas, Western manufacturers view their businesses and operations only with the perspective of the manufacturer, Honda views them both from manufacturers’ and customers’ point of view. Question 2: ‘Japanese management model’ vs. ‘Western management model’ Western organizations are more inclined to the managerial class in their enterprises, Japanese on the other hand, prefer the worker. As Hofstede (1993) has stated that, ‘the Japanese are controlled by their peers rather than by their managers’. Western organizations believe in â€Å"large lot mass production’ in manufacturing helping in reducing the cost and time, with few options in the hand of the customers, Japanese enterprises contrarily are based on the flexibility of production in which more importance is given to innovation (Mair, 1999). The recruitment in the Japanese firms are mainly made from the school levels on the basis of the general characteristics of the incumbent, they also believe in long-term relations with their employees rather than a short-term relation as are usually seen in the western organizations which break-off in the downslide periods. Also the western firms view the technical skills of the new entrant most important (Hofstede, 1993). Practices for the progress in the career of the employees also differ in both styles, Japanese give seniority most importance while western organizations view merit as the sole criteria.   Same is the case with remunerations paid in both systems, where Japanese prefer seniority while considering wages the western organizations give efficiency most importance. Human resources are the most important fixed assets in the Japanese organizations which in their counterparts is considered to be a semi variable asset. Japanese prefer working in teams and have open offices while in the western organizations offices are filled with cubicles and employees work individually. Group decision making is the charter of the Japanese organizations while western ones believe in the individualism with employees stick to the tasks given to them in western organization in contrast to the more independence given to workers in Japan. In Honda factories, they are performing free flow of assembly line system where employees are taking decision to send the product to the next level (Mair, 1997). Trade-offs between product quality, cost and delivery, with high quality costing more and vice versa are common thinking in the western style, Japanese model, on the other hand, follows â€Å"Right-First-Time† in which all the errors are removed during production. Priority is given to built-in-quality which in turn reduces production costs and also reduces product delivery time. Western enterprises practice centralized management where all decisions taken by the top management and implemented by the other staff in lower hierarchy, Japanese on the other hand, practice decentralized management which is characterized by the round table discussions. Thus western organizational structure is vertical and Japanese is horizontal (Mair, 1997). There are no doubts in the effectiveness of both the management styles, both are successful in their own capacity and also have their own shortcomings as well. An edge is obtained by the Japanese style due to better maintenance of and participation of employees in the decision making processes, customers could choose from various choices so quality is given the priority. Due to specific hierarchical system of management in Japanese organizations, the responsibilities are shared which brings out the best from all the employees. Question 3: ‘Corporate governance’ vs. ‘Corporate social responsibility’ Nowadays, CSR (corporate social responsibility) has consumed all focus of the managers in the world, an old thinking given new dimensions in the management function each organization is expected to exhibit some â€Å"ethical behavior and moral management†. Recently, the organizations have made it imperative to practice â€Å"corporate social responsibility† (Carroll, 2000). Automobile industry is the largest industry of the world after construction and grocery industries on capital and investment ratios with topping the list on technological perspective. Though Flores (20010 agrees that the main objective of this industry is to produce more cars with profitability, he is of the opinion that the profit should be made but not on the expense of ignoring responsibilities towards the community. Every organization makes CSR an imperative part of its corporate strategy as they have certain obligations towards the society from which they are generating their profit and of which they themselves are the part. Demands of organizational stakeholders are also met via CSR, through which the customers make notice of such organizations as a good one. CSR has a large horizon with social, economical and environmental aspects as its integral part. However most of the organizations try to avoid social and environmental aspects and cope up with economical aspects only (Aguilera, 2008). Honda strictly shows its commitment towards society by taking initiatives regarding environmental issues. Honda Civic, a new model of Honda was introduced with clear air test using Muskie Law and it was to follow the American environment regulations2. Crane, Matten and Laura (2007) stated that â€Å"CSR should not be considered as an ethical add on to the existing business, but it should be considered as a part and parcel of corporate strategy itself. Adoption of CSR activities eventually leads to prosperous company and society†. It helps organization building good name for them in the minds of customers, good relationship with employees, clients and other stakeholders which ultimately improves the organizational performance and profitability. If CSR is not being followed, the organizational business is affected as the firm’s good name will are destroyed in the customers’ minds. Thus, 2topgear.com/uk/honda/civic, organizations need to practice CSR, as it is vital in building a good rapport with the customers and increase business. By the introduction of environmental friendly engines with low pollution helped Honda to increase their revenue. It created a good name among its consumers as well. Apart from the financial aspects, non-financial aspects of an organization are also get affected by CSR, like selection and recruitment process of organization, employee motivation and employee retention and the innovation. Also, the environmental factors and ethical factors force the organization to come up with innovative products and these innovative products increase company’s overall profits as well and assist them to sustain in market for a long term by making better quality cars for their customers, it ultimately increases the reputation of the company. CSR enables the organization to get rid of risks and errors from their production and operations by realizing the upcoming issues. CSR are thus result in giving more competitive advantage and profit by marketing positions. As automobile companies are going greener and environmental free, cost of production may reduce and it will improve their performance in the market (Hill and Knowlton, 2006) Toyota Prius is a new model which is a hybrid car which runs using electricity and gas. Even though it is not fuel effective, it is sold in great numbers as they are eco friendly. Honda too introduced Hybrid cars and it attracted more customers as well. Thus it shows that companies who are following CSR can generate great profit. Toyota showed their CSR when one of their hybrid car models faced brake failure in the market and the same thing happens to Ferrari in the year 2010 as one of their model exploded. Honda was chosen as the top CSR Company in UK during the year 20063. CONCLUSION: It is evident from the study of this case that the managerial dichotomies in the organizations are well handled by our focused organization i.e. Honda. Despite some failures in the course of these applications, the overall performance of Honda is satisfactory and can be called successful, creating an example to follow for other organizations on how to perform specially in the period of downslides. Honda handles these dichotomies with precision, applying a web-like organizational structure i.e. the combination of both vertical and horizontal systems of hierarchy levels in the management, implying teamwork and individualism simultaneously and developing both formal and informal relationships within the organization and also outside with other business organizations or the stakeholders. As the managerial dichotomies that exist at the business and corporate levels and are more complex and multilayered as compared to those present at the operational levels, they should be handled with gre at care and planning and Honda has been very successful in achieving this target. This handling of these dichotomies has attracted global management and strategic theorists to shift their focus from studying the strategies adopted by the western organizations to those adopted by their Japanese counterparts mainly Honda. Western management thinking of â€Å"trade-offs† between various vital functions 3marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_contenttask=viewid=672 Like product quality cost, cost product delivery etc are challenged by Honda by developing â€Å"build in quality process†. The firm is also focusing in manufacturing high quality technological cars to attract customers who go for the quality with low cost rather than other aspects. Honda has also left behind its competitors in the field of product development, with continuously bringing in new products with less fuel consumption engines, a core competency of the organization, power engines not only for heavy vehicles but for product lines of motorcycles and cars as well. The introduction of new products in the market are also made at sufficient intervals and with great care, planning and RD, when the consumers are desperately start looking for more advanced and sophisticated products / models. The organization avoids re-launching its existing brand with only some face-lifts done to the previous models. REFERENCES A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   B. Carroll (1979), A Three Dimensional model of corporate performance, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 4. pp. 497-505 Andrew Mair (1997), Reconciling managerial dichotomies at Honda Motors Andrew Mair (1999), Learning from Japan? Interpretations of Honda Motors by Strategic  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Management Theorists Bob De Wit and Ron Meyer (2004) â€Å"STRATEGY Process, Content, Context an International Perspective† (3rd edition), Thomson publishers, New York Business Reference Services Fall 2004. Chithra Gopal R.S. (2006), Global Automobile Industry: Changing with Times D Wood (1991), Corporate Social Performance Revisited, The Academy of Management Review Richard T. Pascal (1984), Perspectives on strategy: the real story behind Honda’s success, California Management Review. Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad (1994), Competing for the Future, Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Geert Hofstede (1993), Cultural constraints in management theories, Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 7, No. 1. Henry Mintzberg (1987), Crafting Strategy, Harvard Business Review, July – Aug, pp. 66 – 75 Henry Mintzberg (1989), Mintzberg on Management, New York: the Free Press Henry Mintzberg (1991), Learning 1 Planning 0: Reply to Igor Ansoff, Strategic Management Journal, 12: 464 – 466. Intelli Zen,   intelli-zen.com/?p=9 John Paluszek (2005), Ethics and Brand Value: Strategic Differentiation, Business and Organizational Ethics Partnership Steve Wickham (2009), Leadership Vs Management Dichotomy honda.com/newsandviews/article.aspx?id=20010103000988 http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/11/auto_industry_bailout_may_be_w.html marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_contenttask=viewid=672 forbes.com/2002/04/09/0409autos.html answers.com/topic/dichotomy#ixzz1MVzwuwMt topgear.com/uk/honda/civic,

Antitrust Law Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Antitrust Law Case - Essay Example The antitrust laws are enforced by the public and private sectors. The United States department of justice antitrust division and the federal trade commission divide the responsibility for investigating and litigating cases under the Sherman act, and they also consider potentially anticompetitive merges under the Clayton act. In the private sector, any person that is injured in his business or property by a violation of antitrust laws is at liberty to bring an action in court. A prevailing plaintiff is entitled to recover treble damages, costs of suits and also attorney’s fee. The private parties are sanctioned to obtain injunctive help to prevent threatened damages or losses. Most antitrust lawsuits are mostly by private litigants in search of damages for breach of federal and state antitrust laws. The Sherman act is not explicit about the prohibited conduct. On the Other hand, the Clayton act is a bit particular about activities that may be illegal. However, only when such c onduct substantially lessens competition or leads to the creation of monopoly in any line of commerce neither of any that it is defined in the status. The selling gasoline for less than cost violates the act because, Section 1 of the Sherman act contracts, partnership or conspiracies in restraint of trade, prohibits every contract, combination, in the form of trust or otherwise or conspiracy in restraint of trade or commerce among the several states or with foreign nations. A restraint of trade can be defined as an agreement between two or more individuals or entities that affect the process of competition. On the other hand, under this approach also contracts for the purchase and sale of a single

EEC discussion 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EEC discussion 2 - Assignment Example Caring for a child with ability differences may put the primary caregiver and family at a certain level of strain. To avoid this, parents will be needing the support of early childhood professionals in order to address behavioral child problems and foster effective child guidance skills. It is essential that we discuss ways on how to give them communication and support, patience, understanding, and encouragement. Parents might be shocked at first to learn that their child has ability differences; thus, give parents an ample time to accept the situation and aid in the experience of overwhelming emotions. In addition, parents must also be advised for early identification and treatment. Miller suggested the following ways in dealing with parents of children with ability differences, namely: (1) â€Å"pushing† to carry out tasks as some of them cannot proceed on their own phase; (2) careful and regular observation; (3) positive, assertive guidance; (4) making them feel safe, supported, and valued; and (5) putting them in inclusiveness to develop a better understanding of the real world environment and to allow their peers to realize that children with ability differences are real people with real feelings whom are deserved to be treated well (135). Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees that persons aged 3-22 determined to have an ability difference fitting the IDEA definition of a "disability" will have an educational program best suited to their needs (Miller, 145). Individualized Education Program (IEP) and Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) assure the realization of the IDEA by designing different learning activities which are fit to meet the specific needs of the child and to nurture teamwork among family members, professionals, and government/private institutions. IEP is team composed of parents, teachers, other school staff, and the child. As a team, they will share their commitments in providing the child his/her unique needs.

Organization within its environment Essay Example for Free

Organization within its environment Essay Organization exist as part of a wider environment Or part of society and as such their influence by the environment in which their operate. It is usual to consider the environment through form of analysis known as pest analysis which has 4 main categories ; political this looks at the government involvement through legislation that they provide outlining the legal frame work within which every business must exist and taxation policy which are dependent on company success and therefore their profit ECONOMIC Factors affecting the financial functioning of the organization and value of money in the economy which will affect the ability to purchase as well as produce goods n services . It looks at the potential growth in a economy and how the value of money changes as well as trade SOCIAL This refers to factors affecting the population and supply of labour by looking at the influences on individuals whether their are employees or customers . It will look at the taste n preferences of plp in society, culture of plp the profile of the workin population nn the number of plp in the job market which influences expectations and behaviour at work TECHNOLOGICAL Factors affecting the processes of production such as changes in computer technology and communication and new manufacturing processes MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS Management involves creating and internal environment in a business which makes use of the inputs or factors of production to be transformed tp create outputs of goods and services .it is therefore the responsibility of management to create conditions that allows people to perform to their best ability to be efficient and effective. MANAGEMENT is able to do this through their basic functions of planning organising directing amd controlling the organizations resources in order to achieve the goals of the company MANAGEMENT THEORY Organisations considered to be employee oriented so they are likely to be  more productive and as a result become more profitable. Similarly employees who are mistreated are more likely to reject the policies of the organization. Based on this o.b helps to analyze how and why employees behave in a particular way and the schools of management thought provide different theory used for the of management. Each school of thought IS based on different assumptions about people and the organization for which they work and understanding of the developments of management thinking will help to understand the process of management that offer good employee benefits and have proper working conditions.

Dualits Marketing Strategy Analysis

Dualits Marketing Strategy Analysis Over the next three years the market for kitchen products and appliances is expected to grow by up to 17.6% (Datamonitor, 2009). This growing market makes it the ideal time to be the manufacturer of these goods.   Consumers of these goods are looking for products which are both stylish and built to last.   Dualit has created a product with has incorporated both these key elements; the Dualit NewGen toaster. Dualit is a British company which designs and manufactures toasters and other kitchen appliances.   Founded in the early 1940s (Dualit, 2010), Dualit is portrayed as a company which offers high quality and well-engineered products. The first Dualit toaster to be made with a timer and manual eject button was created in 1952 and ever since Dualit has continued to produce toasters based on the original design (Dualit, 2010). In this essay Dualits marketing strategy will be assessed using the 4Ps framework.   This framework allows product, place, price and promotion to be considered (Marketing Teacher, 2010).   As well as looking at the companys marketing mix, their targeting, positioning and segmentation will also be evaluated.   By considering all of these aspects, alternatives can be suggested on how Dualit can improve their strategy.   All the information used for this essay will come from secondary sources. Dualit want to be considered as a company which offer high quality products which are superior to their competitors (Dualit, 2010).   This is illustrated in the way in which they target their customers.   Dualit use a differentiated marketing strategy to target their consumers.   Using a differentiated marketing strategy allows them to target several markets and design a separate offering for each market (Armstrong et al, 2009).   Products which use a differentiated strategy tend to be valued by customers and customers perceive the product to be better than or different from products of the competition.   Also, according to Michel Porters model if a company has a corporate reputation for quality and innovation like Dualit does, then they will usually use a differentiated strategy (QuickMBA, 2010). Dualit segment their market using psycographic segmentation, this allows Dualit to divide its buyers into different groups based on social class, lifestyle or personality characteristics (QuickMBA, 2010).   Dualits 2 slice NewGen toaster will appeal to people with a high disposable income that will pay a lot to get a stylish product like the NewGen toaster but who also care about the environment, as the NewGen has a control which allows only one slot to be heated.   Whereas, the 4 slice NewGen toaster appeals more to the commercial users such as cafes and restaurants, who might need to make several slices at any one time.   By targeting more than one target market it allows Dualit to increase its market share. After considering their target market and deciding how to segment them, Dualit can then consider all aspects of their marketing mix and how the different aspects work together. Dualits NewGen toaster can be split into three product levels.   These three levels are the core product, the actual product and the augmented product.   The core product is the benefits the customer will receive (Kotler et al, 2008).   Buyers of the NewGen toaster range will benefit from a product which makes toast but at the same time is compact and stylish and comes in over ten colours meaning it will complement almost any kitchen.   The core benefits are offered through the components that make up the actual product (Armstrong et al, 2009). The actual product includes styling, features and design.   The extra wide slots on the NewGen toaster that allow for nearly every type of bread to be toasted can be seen as a core benefit.   The augmented product is built around the core benefits and the actual product by offering additional customer service (Armstrong et al, 2009).   Dualit offer a two year guarantee on the elements in the toaster and a one year guarantee on al l other parts.   Customers are also given a users guild to allow them to see other ways to use their toaster, this guide is also available from their website.   The Dualit NewGen toaster also has replaceable parts meaning that if it breaks it doesnt need to be thrown out, it can be fixed.   This means it will last significantly longer than any other toaster. There is no obvious improvement that Dualit could make to the NewGen toaster as it has more features than every other toaster currently on the market. Dualit make some of the most expensive kitchen appliances on the market.   The NewGen toaster ranges in price from  £135 to  £195 depending on the size of the toaster and how it is finished (John Lewis, 2010).   Dualit appear to use two pricing strategies.   They appear to use product line pricing, where a company prices different models within a range at different prices (Armstrong et al, 2009).   It is more expensive for a 4 slice NewGen toaster than it is for a 2 slice NewGen toaster; this is a perfect example of product line pricing.   However, Dualit also appear to use value based pricing as a way of pricing their range, whereby buyers perceptions, not the sellers costs are key to pricing (Armstrong et al, 2009). Dualits toaster may be highly priced but the consumers perception is that the high price means it is high quality.   Unfortunately for Dualit many of its competitors offer a similar product in a similar style for a fraction of the price that is sold by t he same retailer.   Although they dont have as many features as the NewGen toaster, they still do the same job so potential customers may feel it is unnecessary to buy a toaster that costs  £135 and purchase a rival toaster instead.   Dualit may need to consider lowering their prices if it begins to affect them in the future.   The Dualit NewGen toaster hasnt been highly publicised.   The only advertising that Dualit does for the range is on their own website.   Any other advertising is mostly done by the individual retailers that sell the product.   John Lewis currently offer a five year guarantee with all NewGen toasters, this may act as an incentive to potential customers as they feel they are getting more for their money and their product is protected longer.   Dualits lack of advertising may be a way to reduce costs but in the long run it could cost them potential customers.   The NewGen toaster is currently sold out on one of its main retailers website so their lack of advertising doesnt currently seem to be affecting their sales but in the future it could, so to increase publicity Dualit may consider taking part in a joint advertising campaign with a premium bread company such a Warburtons or Hovis, which are both popular brands.   This would allow Dualit to target a wider market which ma y, as a result increase their market share. Dualit currently sell their product on their own website and through high end retailers such as John Lewis and House of Frasers, which are as reputable but expensive department stores.   This enhances Dualits image of being manufacturers of high quality products.   Department stores carry a wide range of product lines (Armstrong et al, 2009) which can attract a larger range of customers, so by selling their product they may increase their market share.   Dualit may want to appeal to a larger target market.   They could do this by selling their products in large supermarkets such as Tesco or Asda because thousands of people go to these shops every day.   Although this would allow them to reach a larger target marker, it may put off existing customers as they may feel that it takes away from the brands high end reputation.   If Dualit did consider this they would have to decide if they would rather gain new customers or risk losing existing customers. After having analysed all the aspects of Dualits marketing mix, it can be seen that although there are a few improvements which they could make to their marketing strategy such as more advertising or vary where they sell the products overall their current marketing strategy is working well as their products are sold out on retailers websites.   With the market for kitchen appliances set to largely increase, Dualit may have to consider altering their marketing if they wish to dominate more of this increasing market.   If Dualit do decide to change their marketing strategy in the future it should be for the better as long as they continue to make high quality products that out perform their rivals. References Armstrong, G.; Kotler, P.; Harker, M. Brennan, R. (2009) Marketing An Introduction. 8th Ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Dualit (2010) Dualit Our History. Available at: http://www.dualit.com/our-history (Accessed: 12 February 2010). John Lewis (2010) Search Results NewGen. Available at: http://www.johnlewis.com/Search/Search.aspx?SearchTerm=NewGen (Accessed: 13 February 2010). Kotler,P.; Armstrong, G.; Wong,V. Saunders, J. (2008) Principles of Marketing. 5th Ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Marketing Teacher (2010) Marketing Mix. Available at: http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_marketing_mix.htm (Accessed: 11 February 2010). QuickMBA (2010) Market Segmentation. Available at: http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/market-segmentation (Accessed: 12 February 2010). Datamonitor (2009) Kitchen Appliances Global Industry Guide, Special Report, London, The Data Monitor Group

Characteristics of Modern Drama

The essence of this paper is to list and discuss characteristics of modern period drama. These characteristics are realism, naturalism and interaction between characters and the readers. They will be discussed along with Henrik Ibsen’s ‘Ghosts’ and Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Sales man’. Realism and naturalism are considered to be the cornerstones of modern drama as we know it today. They are the major influencers of the modern drama. Henrik Ibsen is considered to be the founding father of these two movements. It is crucial to note that characters in these two movements represent themselves as normal human beings and this aid to the readers to interact and analyse the play to make their own judgements which is a feature of modern drama. Realism in literature was first developed in France in the mid-nineteenth century. Realist writers sought to narrate their plays from an objective, unbiased perspective that simply and clearly represented the factual elements of the play. They became masters at psychological characterization, detailed descriptions of everyday life in realistic settings, and dialogue that captures the idioms of natural human speech. The realists endeavoured to accurately represent contemporary culture and people from all walks of life. Ghosts capture the issues that concern us in everyday life. They are real issues that concern us in the contemporary world. The fact that they are real and not shielded they led to the play being rejected when it was first produced in1891. What Ibsen was saying was the truth which was took place in the society before 19th Century and was concealed. By revealing issues such as sex, sexual transmitted infections, incest, and infidelity he hurt the society since such issues were not openly discussed prior the 19th Century. The reason why ‘Ghosts’ was rejected is that it dramatise those secret issues. â€Å"Daily Telegraph leader is perhaps the most damning, describing the play as: ‘an open drain; a loathsome sore unbandaged; a dirt act done publicly; a lazar house with all its doors and windows open’. Ibsen, (2002: xxvi). In reality matters such as promiscuity does happen. Captain Alving represents this issue and in turn it is concealed at first because the only time Mrs Alving mentions it is in Act 2 after Osvald made sexual advances to Regina at the end of Act 1. Pastor Manders not to believe it but she tells her that she confirmed it from Johanna, who is Regina’s mother. And also sexual transmitted does affect children. So it was of no help to conceal reality because at the end of everything it will bounce back ith its consequences having to be addressed. At the end Mrs Alving had no choice but to tell the truth though it is late at Osvald’s side because his syphilitic condition its already in the advanced stage for being cured. In ‘Death of a Sales man’ we see Willy Loman concealing the reality that he is no longer doing well in travelling sales. He claims that he is doing exceptionally well though he is in the habit of borrowing money from Charlie pretending it to be his weekly wages. He also claims to be well liked yet he is fired shamelessly in his job. He taints Biff and Happy by saying that being well liked is the key to success yet he is not successful himself. Now we can see how realism present itself in these two plays. On the other hand naturalism is a movement in theatre, film, and literature that seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality, as opposed to such movements as Romanticism or Surrealism, in which subjects may receive highly symbolic, idealistic, or even supernatural treatment. Naturalistic writers were influenced by the evolution theory of Charles Darwin. They believed that one's heredity and social environment decide one's character. Whereas realism seeks only to describe subjects as they really are, naturalism also attempts to determine â€Å"scientifically† the underlying forces (i. e. the environment or heredity) influencing these subjects' actions. They are both opposed to romanticism, in which subjects may receive highly symbolic, idealistic, or even supernatural treatment. Naturalistic works often include uncouth or sordid subject matter. For example, Emile Zola's works had frankness about sexuality along with a pervasive pessimism. Naturalistic works exposed the dark harshness of life, including poverty, racism, prejudice, disease, prostitution, filth, etc. They were often very pessimistic and frequently criticized for being too blunt. Naturalism applies to ‘Ghosts’ and ‘Death of a Salesman in the sense that it sees human fate as the result of the environment they find themselves in. As Sigmund Freud said ‘man‘s basic instincts are sexuality and extent that he was a highly promiscuous man who ended up impregnating her maid. Looking at Charles Darwin also we find that the environment is the primary cause of everything that man does therefore man has no control over his actions. This will backup Captain Alving for being promiscuous. By making sexual advances to Regina, Osvald is also the victim of the environment and heredity. Furthermore in ‘Death of a Sales man’ the reason why Willy Loman find himself in the situation he is in it is because of the environment. He wants to conquer new territories thus he refers to himself a New England man. He also says if one is well liked he will never want yet he is an unknown character. The fact that he commits suicide at the end of the play is the causality of the environment. The environment he occupied could not let him to achieve the values by which lives. According to naturalists he has no control all over things that happen in his life. Moreover the interaction between the readers and the characters is a characteristic of modern period drama. It is captured by the fact that these two plays are realistic. The characters in ‘Ghosts’ and ‘Death of a Salesman’ represents themselves as normal human beings. The issues that they capture are known and their consequences to the characters are mirroring what is happening in the society at large. The readers feel what the characters feel and also sympathize with them as in the real life. In ‘Ghosts’ the readers feel pity for Osvald for having acquired syphilis from his father. This situation also reminds us of the babies who are born HIV positive today. It is indeed a sad situation for an individual to find themselves in. Also in ‘Death of a Sales man’ as readers we wish Willy Loman could think otherwise in order for him to escape the fate he is in. We wish he could realise that the frontier was reached by those who arrived there first. And that he could teach his sons that being well liked and personally attractive has nothing to do with success at all. This is never achievable because the play was written to portray the reality of natural fate such as death. As human beings we do not have a control over these things. In conclusion realism and naturalism and the interaction between the readers an the characters are the characteristics in modern period drama. The plays portrays the real issues of life and also the natural part of life which human beings have no control over. Also we find that the readers are able to interact with the characters because what is going on in the play is the same as what is going on in life. REFERENCESIbsen. H, (2002), Ghosts, London, Nick Hern Books. Miller. A, (2000), Death of a Salesman, Great Britian, Penguin Group. e. Notes. com,Realism Introduction,(2010), http://www. enotes. com/realism/, retrieved 21-04-2010UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA FACULTY OF HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH SHALANI GOBIFELWANG 200602865MR SEDA MODERN ENGLISH DRAMA ENG 482 21-04-2010Using any two plays that you have studied in this course list and analyse any three characteristics, features or conventions of drama of the modern period.

Family and Old Woman

Once upon time in one small village, lived an old farmer with 3 sons. The first one was strong, and the second one was fast, and the third one was clever. They were always arguing about who is the best son and never help each other. One day the farmer became sick so they called a doctor. Father and Doctor Father: hi my friend. How are you? Doctor: Hi my friend, I am fine. I haven’t seen you long time. How are you my sick friend? Father: how do know that I’m sick? Doctor: I’m a doctor, why would you call me then? Father: I’m not sick but I just want to show my sons that they must stay together and help each other.Please tell them that I’m sick and I need medicine so they must go to witches highland together to find that medicine. Doctor: So you just pretend that you are sick, I don’t like to lie but since you are my old friend I will do it for you. I hope your sons will understand that they must help each other. Doctor really wants to help his friend so he goes to talk with farmers sons†¦ Doctor and the three sons Doctor: Hi, lucky that I met all of you here, your father is sick and he needs the medicine. Clever son: where is that medicine? Doctor: it’s far away in the witches highlands.Fast son: how far is that place? Strong son: how hard is the way? Doctor: The way is very long and difficult so you must go together as soon as possible. I will look after him while you will have a journey so don’t worry and leave†¦ Fight for who is going to get the medicine Strong son: I’m stronger the both of you and better then you I will go get the medicine alone I don’t need your help. Fast son: I’m fastest one, I will go and comeback faster than you and we don’t have enough time. Clever son: let him go he is really stupid, I’m sure that he will comeback without the medicine.So after long discussing and fighting, they decided that the strong son will go first to this journey to find the medicine. On the way he met an old woman that looks very strange. Strong son _old woman dialog Strong son: I look for a way to a â€Å"witch’s highland† do you know how can I go there? Old woman: why you want to go there, it is very far and dangerous place, no one come back from there. Strong son: my father is sick and I need a medicine that can be finding only there. Old woman: if you want to go there I will show you the way but you have something to do for me. Strong son: what should I do?Old woman: there is a tree that is 10 meters high. From here till the tree is more than 10 days way, but you have to go there less than 2 hours. He couldn’t do this so he had to return home without any medicine. Three sons Clever son and fast son: Laughing to strong brother. Clever son: I knew that you will comeback without the medicine. Fast son: now it’s my turn to go to get the medicine. After that the fast son went to find the medicine . He also met the same old woman on his way. Fast son and old woman Fast son: hey, grandma’ do you know how can I get to the â€Å"witches highland†?Old woman: I’m not your grandma’ and why do you want to go there? Fast son: I want to get a medicine for my sick father. Old woman: Before you come here someone came asking for the same place, and if you want to go there you have to answer my question first then I will show you the way. How many hairs on your head? He try to count a long time but he can’t answer to her question, he also couldn’t pass the river, so he a returned to home without the medicine. Clever son: Laughs on his fast brother when he came back without the medicine.Clever son: I will get the medicine that the both off you couldn’t get. Then the last boy went to find the medicine. He met the same old women again. Clever son old woman Clever son: hi I came here to find a medicine for my sick father before I come here both of my brothers c ame looking for it and they couldn’t get it. Old woman: Yes, I met them before you, but I will you want to go there and find the medicine you must do something to for me. Clever son: what should I do for you? Old woman: nothing special only I want you to pass the river and get for me that laptop there.Because I want to check my face book I didn’t check it for a long time. He couldn’t do it too, so he returned home. When he come back to home doctor call them and ask what happened. Doctor: You see you don’t listen to me and didn’t go together, you just waste all of your time to argue who is better and still haven’t got the medicine that your father needs. Tell me why you all return without it? Clever son: I met the strange old woman and she told me to pass the river but I couldn’t because it’s it was hard, so I come back†¦ Strong son: I can pass the river but she told me to go somewhere very fast.Fast son: I can go anywhere very fast but she asked me a difficult question that I couldn’t answer. Clever son: I can answer to any question. Doctor: So you must go together and do all her tasks . Who is better is not important you must help your sick father. Help each other and get the medicine I’ll be waiting for you†¦ Finally they went together to find the medicine. They met the old woman again. 3 Sons_ old woman _dialog Old woman: why you come to me again when you can’t do everything that I want? Clever son: now, we are together so we can do everything that you want.Strong son: just say anything that you want we will do it. Fast son: what is the question? Where is the river? How we can arrive to tree? Old woman: at fist you have to answer me, how many hairs on my head? Clever son: as much as users of facebook. Old woman: You must pass that big river and bring me the laptop from other side; also you should bring me an apple from the big tree. Acting. Fast son run and bring the appl e, strong son bring the laptop. The strong and fast sons bring the laptop and an apple to old woman and she gives them a medicine.They took the medicine from old woman and return to home. Doctor and 3 sons’ scene: Doctor: I am glad that you come back, finally you understand that you must help each other and stick together. Don’t worry your father is not sick, you are all together now as he hopes, so go tell him about your adventure and leave him. Help him and each other and everything will be alright. Three sons never argue or fight again with each other, they do everything together and they live happily with their father. The end