NATCO Brand

NATCO is an acronym for the initial†s National Confectionery Co. It is a very popular brand name in England, which tries to satisfy the needs of the Asian community it is often mistaken that NATCO is the name of the company; but this is not true. NATCO is only a brand name for an international trading company, a specialist in Indian foods, -T. Choitram & Sons. T. Choitram & sons is the largest chain of supermarkets in the U.A.E., a confectionery manufacturer, a wholesaler, a cash &carry operator, and the manufacturer and packer of more than 250 products marketed and distributed in the UK under the NATCO brand. Some of the other brands of the company are Papa – lentil and spices, Leone – tea, Koto – medicated products, Family – tissues, NATCO – sweet and biscuits. NATCO was their first and is their main brand, and NATCO sells more than any other of their brands does. This is why we also have emphasized more on the NATCO brand in our report. NATCO is called the lucky brand for the company, as they believe that this brand has led to them towards success. Topics, which will be discussed in the report, are the management structure, their company history, manufacturing process and facilities, inventory control, quality control, just in time and forecasting. The helpful staff of NATCO kindly provided this information. T.Choitram although an Indian migrated to West Africa in 1942. At the age of 17, he began his enderpreneurial career by selling seeds fruits magazines. He was a man who was always motivated with the dream to be a very successful businessman. He saw his future in the food industry and so he began his own supermarket and named it after himself. As years passed by he gained tremendous success and due to this he launched a brand name i.e. NATCO for his trading company in the year of 1968. In London, T. Choitram & sons, a packaging firm has been in the competitive market of packaging and distributing foodstuff, spices, and confectionery for over 40 years. The owner of company has come a long way from a small grocery store in Sierre Lonne to one of the biggest distributor of foodstuff in London. With his unique managerial style he succeeded in bringing up his trading company to be one of the best in the world. T. Choithram & sons is located at Wembley. The factory and warehouse together under one roof occupies around 25,000-sq. ft. in area. NATCO has employed over 150 skilled and unskilled labor, and has a staff of around 50 people, which adds up to a total of 200 people employed at NATCO. NATCOs team of highly experienced buyers is regularly traveling the Four Corners of the globe to source the best quality crop for export to their Wembley factory to be packed under the NATCO label. They guarantee premium products at the best price, ensuring that NATCO is excellent Value of money. The NATCO brand was first launched in the UK in the early 60s, catering to the needs of the Asian communities. The extensive product range includes Spices, Lentils, Beans, Flours, Nuts, Dried Fruits, Basmati Rice, Canned Products, Butter Gee, Betel Nuts, Pappadums and much more. NATCO brand today is known for its superior quality standards. NATCO products are exported through a network of distributors to U.S.A, Canada, European Community, Middle East, and West Africa and they are continuing to develop these export markets. Papa is the other brand name for NATCO. T. Choithram and sons came up with this other brand name because in many countries, government regulations allow only one agent for a brand for the whole country. This limits the sales in those countries. To increase the sales in these countries they planned to have more distributors. They could not introduce Papa into the other countries as a brand of T. Choithram as it would be an illegal activity. To legalize it they came up with a plan, which would help them to sell the Papa brand in the countries where NATCO already exists and it would not be illegal at the same time. They established a new company Orient Foods. Papa is a brand name for this new company and sold in outside market, which helps NATCO compete with other similar product. This move has helped the company as its sales have increased in foreign markets. The mission statement for NATCO is we shall strive to produce the very best product and materials available, when and where they are wanted and at a price that represents good value at every stage of the trading process, from the harvest to the shelf, to the factory to the home. The organization of NATCO is based mainly on the three function called Finance, Marketing, and Operations. Each of these functions has its own managers or directors. Finance is the lifeblood of commerce and industry. The finance department of NATCO has the responsibility of ensuring that enough funds are available for the smooth operations of the organization. Mr. R.D.Rajwani, the managing director of the company, also commented on the finance department that it is concerned with budgeting activities of the other departments. He also mentioned that this department also operates the cost and budgeting control system by gathering and analyzing cost and other financial data, before the redistribution of information in the form of performance report. Mr.Rajwani also talked about the other activities dealt with this department, such as handling accounts of income and expenditure, payment of wages, pricing decision, etc. It also involves the function of banking. Banking involves depositing cash, withdrawal of cash, taking loans, discounting of bills. Marketing function of NATCO comprises of number of sub-function such as publicity and advertising, sales promotion, samples and coupons, fairs and exhibitions, public relations, distribution and marketing resources. It is the function of the marketing department to advertise and price the product. The marketing department closely works with operation and production department, so that the changes could be administered from time to time as per the result of market research. The sub-functions under marketing are very essential for the business. They sub functions are explained as follows: — 1) Publicity and Advertising– Advertising has become an indispensable function in the modern business due to the competition and mass production. Publicity brings forth production to the knowledge of the consumer and helps both in creating and maintaining demand for the goods produced. It persuades people to buy goods and services again and again. It helps to create regular demand by smoothening out seasonal and other fluctuations. Without publicity, goods may not be taken note of and in the absence of demand; production of those goods may have to be stopped. It creates a good image of the company and reputation of the products. It adds to the goodwill of the enterprise. 2) Sales Promotion- Sales promotion includes all those activities, which are directed towards the promotion of sales such as organizing publicity, introductory sales. It also includes personal as well as innovative selling. Though the ultimate aim of sales is to increase sales and profit, but it is different from advertising and personal selling in approach and technique. 3) Samples and Coupons- Distribution of free samples of smaller size of the product is an effective device of sales promotion, especially to introduce a new product. Samples may be widely distributed or given only to selected customers. Customers can test the product before purchase. Premium or prizes may be given to the buyer on the purchase of some specific product e.g. one Lux toilet soap for the purchase of an economy pack of Surf. In some cases coupons are issued to prospective buyers through newspapers. Sometimes clearance sales, off-season sales, reduction. 4) Public Relations- Public relations aim at securing favorable opinion and good of the public towards the enterprise. A business enterprise price must build up a good image of its own to have better sales. It must maintain cordial relations with the clients and always look after their welfare. It must go on informing the public about the improvement in packing, the quality or the new uses of the products and influence their decision to buy the product. It must give prompt attention to their suggestions and to the redressal of their complaints. It must take note of the bias or the special prejudices of the customers and try to win over their support. 5) Fairs and Exhibitions- Business enterprises always like to participate in fairs and exhibitions to promote their sales. Some of them organize their own exhibitions of their own products. Fairs and exhibitions are held on local, regional or international level. Trade Fair Authority of India organizes various exhibitions of different kinds at various places in the country. This department of NATCO consists of all the activities concerned with the production of food and services. The operation function is dependent on the finance side for its financial needs and on the marketing department for further research and development of the products. The operation function of NATCO is concerned with transformation of various inputs into desired outputs. Manufacturing organization is usually beuracratic in structure. The word beurocratic is not used despairingly but rather in true sense, which implies division of labor into bureaus or departments. The organization structure of NATCO is a typical pyramid type structure, each post at one level subordinate to a post at a higher level. After our visit to the company we observed that each person is responsible to only one-person level, which is a sign of an organized company. The division of labor in the company allowed the advantage of specialization to be obtained. To be precise, each person had specific and often unique task to perform. As seen in most of manufacturing firms, the labor force is divided into skilled and unskilled labor, NATCO also has this kind of mix. The labor strength existing in the company is around 150 of whom the majority is skilled. The staff employed at NATCO is about 50, which add up to 200 people working for the company.

Lawrence Joseph Ellison: On Leadership Style Essay

As the article recounts, Lawrence Joseph Ellison, Larry to many, is an adopted child of a Russian emigrate when his unwed mother left him to them. He used to be a mediocre in his class. However, with his self-confidence and goals set in mind, he conquered all the discouragements he got from the people around him and proved them wrong when he started to work on a database project for the Central Intelligence Agency. As of the moment, Larry Ellison owns 23% of the $18 billion-worth Oracle Corporation which is a producer of database softwares being used in thousands of giant business companies all over the world. The success of the organization and of ensuring to bring about innovation is largely dependent on Larry’s notion on leadership. Leading is said to be a human activity and being such, one has to be familiarized with the styles, traits and characteristics of a leader to become an effective one. A leader is mainly focused on influencing people to follow the directions set by him such as goals, perspective and attitude towards work. He or she is also tied up with a set of â€Å"standard† proficiency in decision-making where the executive aspect of being a leader is taken into account, in problem-solving where the analytical aspect is being considered, in managing problems where one should be well-able to handle pressure and stress, in managing power and influence in which the proper control of a leader is being exercised and in building trust to be able to get a sound faith from his subordinates (Nacamara, 1997). As can be seen, Larry spends not much time in Oracle, rather, he is more inclined in yacht-racing. He does not even have his own office. He leaves the tasks to his senior partners. He has an aptitude for delegating tasks all over his team and this type leadership skill is of delegation type. This type of leadership based from Heathfield (1997) is situational such that the style is dependent on the task, the capacity and knowledge of the team or the individual, the time and the resources available and the results which are aspired for. For Larry, he empowers his employees by delegating them with tasks that allows them to contribute their best efforts and to further succeed. As the founder of his own company, he has an attitude of wanting total control over it. He still has a great confidence in his self and, with a trusted, bright-minded people as his staff that dutifully and faithfully follows him, succession planning is yet far from his mind. Larry, in his style, also has trimmed down his company of people he gets does not get along with. He fires people which he thinks wants to rise up in his company and claim to be the next heir or when his executives start to give him advices on how to run his business. Moreover, with his perceptive yet impulsive trait, he puts his capital to dying companies and older versions of programs and works into unifying them. For some people, Larry’s moves are too risky in this age when technology and software companies are fast-emerging. Though he is good at delegating in tasks in his company, he should already have by a clear plan on who’s going to be his successor. If he has a good faith in his employees that they have learned great competence from him, he should also be open to the idea that one day one of his executives will be an heir to his company. Leading his company forever is possible not physically since he also has to retire in his job. Yet, his leadership skill which may have been a legacy for his employees is what is going to be intangibly forever. Daly (2003) asserted that leadership skills can be studied and learned and for that, people are expected to constantly improve their ability to lead. Being such, he would be more confident that his company will be in good hands after he steps down from his throne and spend more time to his family and yachts. References: Barret, VM. , (2006, August 14). Irreplaceable? Retrived, February 22, 2008, from http://www. forbes. com/forbes/2006/0814/082. html Daly, NR. (2003, January 1). Characteristics that count: nine leadership traits that translate to on-target actions. Retrieved February 22, 2008, from Healthfield, S. M. (1997). Delegation as a Leadership Style. Retrieved, February 22, 2008, from http://humanresources. about. com/cs/manageperformance/a/delegation. htm. McNamara, C. , (1997). Overview of Leadership in Organizations. Retrieved, February, 22, 2008, from www. managementhelp. org. mht.

Acquisition is a High Risky Strategy

In the literature, several motives for takeovers have been identified. One is the desire for synergy. That is, similarities or complementarities between the acquiring and target firms are expected to result in the combined value of the enterprises exceeding their worth as separate firms (Collis and Montgomery, 1998). A second motive involves the expectation that acquirers can extract value because target companies have been managed inefficiently (Varaiya, 1987). A third motive is attributed to managerial hubris the notion that senior executives, in overestimating their own abilities, acquire companies they believe could be managed more profitably under their control. Agency theory motive is the anticipation that firm expansion will positively impact the compensation of top managers since there tends to be a direct relation between firm size and executive pay. Contemporary specialists contend that managerial ownership incentives may be expected to have divergent impacts on corporate strategy and firm value. This premise has been recognized in previous studies. For instance, Stulz (1988) has examined the ownership of managers of target companies and has proposed that the relationship between that ownership and the value of target firms may initially be positive and then subsequently become negative with rising insider ownership. Moreover, Shivdasani (1993) empirically shows that the relationship of the ownership structure of target companies with the value of hostile bids is not uniformly positive. McConnell and Servaes (1990) have likewise analyzed the relationship of equity ownership among corporate insiders and Tobins q. Their results demonstrate a non-monotonic relation between Tobins q and insider equity stakes. Wright et al. (1996: 451) have shown a non-linear relationship between insider ownership and corporate strategy related to firm risk taking. Ownership Incentives and Changes in Company Risk Motivating Acquisitions An agency-theoretic motive for acquisitions has been used to explain managerial preferences for risk-reducing corporate strategies (Wright et al., 1996). The implication is that both principals and agents prefer acquiring target companies with higher rather than lower returns. In that, shareholders and managers have congruent interests. The interests, however, diverge in terms of risk considerations associated with acquisitions. Because shareholders possess diversified portfolios, they may only be concerned with systematic risk and be indifferent to the total variance of returns associated with a takeover. Senior managers may alternatively prefer risk-reducing corporate strategies, unless they are granted ownership incentives. That is because they can not diversify their human capital invested in the firm. In the literature, it has been argued that agency costs may be reduced as managerial ownership incentives rise. The reason is that, as ownership incentives rise, the financial interests of insiders and shareholders will begin to converge. Analysts conjecture, however, that such incentives may not consistently provide senior executives the motivation to lessen the agency costs associated with an acquisition strategy. Inherent is the presumption that the nature of executive wealth portfolios will differently influence their attitudes toward corporate strategy. The personal wealth portfolios of top managers are comprised of their ownership of shares/options in the firm, the income produced from their employment, and assets unrelated to the firm. Presumably, as senior executives increase their equity stakes in the enterprise, their personal wealth portfolios become correspondingly less diversified. Although stockholders can diversify their wealth portfolios, top executives have less flexibility if they own substantial shares in the firms they manage. Hence, if a significant portion of managers wealth is concentrated in one investment, then they may find it prudent to diversify their firms via risk-reducing acquisitions. In the related literature, however, takeovers and risk taking have been approached differently from the described approach. Amihud and Lev (1999) have contended that insiders employment income is significantly related to the firms performance. Thus, managers are confronted with risks associated with their income if the maintenance of that income is dependent on achieving predetermined performance targets. Reasonably, in the event of either corporate underperformance or firm failure, CEOs not only may lose their current employment income but also may seriously suffer in the managerial labor market, since their future earnings potential with other enterprises may be lowered. Hence, the risk of executives employment income is impacted by the firms risk. The ramification of Amihud and Levs (1999) contentions is that top managers will tend to lower firm risk, and therefore their own employment risk, by acquiring companies that contribute to stabilizing of the firms income, even if shareho lder wealth is adversely affected. Consistent with the implications of Amihud and Levs arguments, Agrawal and Mandelker (1987) have similarly suggested that managers with negligible ownership stakes may adopt risk-reducing corporate strategies because such strategies may well serve their own personal interests. With ownership incentives, however, managers may be more likely to acquire risk-enhancing target companies, in line with the requirement of wealth maximization for shareholders. The notion that at negligible managerial ownership levels, detrimental risk-reducing acquisition strategies may be emphasized, but with increasing ownership incentive levels, beneficial risk-enhancing acquisitions may be more prevalent is also suggested in other works (Grossman and Hoskisson, 1998). The conclusion of these investigations is that the relationship between insider ownership and risk enhancing, worthy corporate acquisitions is linear and positive. Some experts assert that CEOs personal wealth concentration will induce senior managers to undertake risk-reducing firm strategies. Portfolio theorys expectation suggests that investors or owner-managers may desire to diversify their personal wealth portfolios. For instance, Markowitz (1952: 89) has asserted that investors may wish to diversify across industries because firms in different industries. . . have lower covariances than firms within an industry. Moreover, as argued by Sharpe (1964: 441), diversification enables the investor to escape all but the risk resulting from swings in economic activity. Consequently, managers with substantial equity investments in the firm may diversify the firm via risk-reducing acquisitions in order to diversify their own personal wealth portfolios. Because they may be especially concerned with risk-reducing acquisitions, however, their corporate strategies may not enhance firm value through takeovers, although managerial intention may be to boos t corporate value. The above discussion is compatible with complementary arguments that suggest that insiders may acquire non-value-maximizing target companies although their intentions may be to enhance returns to shareholders. For instance, according to the synergy view, while takeovers may be motivated by an ex-ante concern for increasing corporate value, many such acquisitions are not associated with an increase in firm value. Alternatively, according to the hubris hypothesis, even though insiders may intend to acquire targets that they believe could be managed more profitably under their control, such acquisitions are not ordinarily related to higher profitability. If acquisitions which are undertaken primarily with insider expectations that they will financially benefit owners do not realize higher performance, then those acquisitions which are primarily motivated by a risk-reducing desire may likewise not be associated with beneficial outcomes for owners. Additionally, it can be argued that shareholders can more efficiently diversify their own portfolios, making it unnecessary for managers to diversify the firm in order to achieve portfolio diversification for shareholders. Risk Associated with HRM practices in International Acquisitions There are a number of reasons why the HRM policies and practices of multinational corporations (MNCs) and cross-border acquisitions are likely to be different from those found in domestic firms (Dowling, Schuler and Welch, 1993). For one, the difference in geographical spread means that acquisitions must normally engage in a number of HR activities that are not needed in domestic firms such as providing relocation and orientation assistance to expatriates, administering international job rotation programmes, and dealing with international union activity. Second, as Dowling (1988) points out, the personnel policies and practices of MNCs are likely to be more complex and diverse. For instance, complex salary and income taxation issues are likely to arise in acquisitions because their pay policies and practices have to be administered to many different groups of subsidiaries and employees, located in different countries. Managing this diversity may generate a number of co-ordination and communication problems that do not arise in domestic firms. In recognition of these difficulties, most large international companies retain the services of a major accounting firm to ensure there is no tax incentive or disincentive associated with a particular international assignment. Finally, there are more stakeholders that influence the HRM policies and practices of international firms than those of domestic firms. The major stakeholders in private organizations are the shareholders and the employees. But one could also think of unions, consumer organizations and other pressure groups. These pressure groups also exist in domestic firms, but they often put more pressure on foreign than on local companies. This probably means that international companies need to be more risk averse and concerned with the social and political environment than domestic firms. Acquisitions and HRM Practices: Evidence from Japan, the US, and Europe In contemporary context, international human resource management faces important challenges, and this trend characterizes many Japanese, US and European acquisitions.   From the critical point of view, Japanese companies experience more problems associated with international human resource management than companies from the US and Europe (Shibuya, 2000). Lack of home-country personnel sufficient international manage ­ment skills has been widely recognized in literature as the most difficult problem facing Japanese compa ­nies and simultaneously one of the most significant of US and European acquisitions as well. The statement implies that cultivating such skills is difficult and that they are relatively rare among businessmen in any country. Japanese companies may be particularly prone to this problem due to their heavy use of home-country nationals in overseas management positions. European and Japanese acquisitions also experience the lack of home country personnel who want to work abroad, while it is less of an impediment for the US companies. In the US acquisitions expatriates often experience reentry difficulties (e.g., career disruption) when re ­turning to the home country: This problem was the one most often cited by US firms.   Today Japanese corporations report the relatively lower incidence of expatriate reentry diffi ­culties, and it is surprising given the vivid accounts of such problems at Japanese firms by White (1988) and Umezawa (1990). However, the more active role of the Japanese person ­nel department in coordinating career paths, the tradition of semi ­annual musical-chair-like personnel shuffles (jinji idoh), and the continu ­ing efforts of Japanese stationed overseas to maintain close contact with headquarters might underlie the lower level of difficulties in this area for Japanese firms (Inohara, 2001). In contrast, the decentralized structures of many US and European firms may serve to isolate expatriates from their home-country headquarters, making reentry more problematic. Also, recent downsiz ­ing at US and European firms may reduce the number of appropriate management positions for expatriates to return to, or may sever expatri ­ates relationships with colleagues and mentors at headquarters. Furthermore, within the context of the lifetime employment system, individ ­ual Japanese employees have little to gain by voicing reentry concerns to personnel managers. In turn, personnel managers need not pay a great deal of attention to reentry problems because they will usually not result in a resignation. In western firms, reentry problems need to be taken more seriously by personnel managers because they frequently result in the loss of a valued employee. A further possible explanation for the higher incidence of expatriate reentry problems in western multinationals is the greater tendency of those companies to implement a policy of transferring local nationals to headquarters or other international operations. Under such a policy, the definition of expatriate expands beyond home-country nationals to en ­compass local nationals who transfer outside their home countries. It may even be that local nationals who return to a local operation after working at headquarters or other international operations may have their own special varieties of reentry problems. Literature on international human resource practices in Japan, the US and Europe suggest that the major strategic difficulty for the MNCs is to attract high-caliber local nationals to work for the company. In general, acquisitions may face greater challenges in hiring high-caliber local employees than do domestic firms due to lack of name recognition and fewer relationships with educators or others who might recommend candidates. However, researchers suggest that this issue is significantly more difficult for Japanese than for US and European multinationals. When asked to describe problems encoun ­tered in establishing their US affiliates, 39.5% of the respondents to a Japan Society survey cited finding qualified American managers to work in the affiliate and 30.8% cited hiring a qualified workforce (Bob SRI, 2001). Similarly, a survey of Japanese companies operating in the US conducted by a human resource consulting firm found that 35% felt recruiting personnel to be very difficult or extremely difficult, and 56% felt it to be difficult (The Wyatt Company, 1999). In addition to mentioned problem, Japanese acquisition encounter high local employee turnover, which is significantly more prob ­lematic for them due to the near-total absence of turnover to which they are accustomed in Japan. The US, European and Japanese companies admit very rarely that they encounter local legal challenges to their personnel policies. However, in regard to Japanese acquisitions large   amount of press coverage has been given to lawsuits against Japanese companies in the United States and a Japanese Ministry of Labor Survey in which 57% of the 331 respondents indicated that they were facing potential equal employ ­ment opportunity-related lawsuits in the United States (Shibuya, 2000). Conclusion This research investigates whether corporate acquisitions with shared technological resources or participation in similar product markets realize superior economic returns in comparison with unrelated acquisitions. The rationale for superior economic performance in related acquisitions derives from the synergies that are expected through a combination of supplementary or complementary resources. It is clear from the results of this research that acquired firms in related acquisitions have higher returns than acquired firms in unrelated acqui ­sitions. This implies that the related acquired firm benefits more from the acquirer than the unrelated acquired firm. The higher returns for the related acquired firms suggest that the combination with the acquirer’s resources has higher value implications than the combination of two unrelated firms. This is supported by the higher total wealth gains which were observed in related acquisitions. I did however, in the case of acquiring firms, find that the abnormal returns directly attributable to the acquisition transaction are not significant. There are reasons to believe that the announcement effects of the transaction on the returns to acquirers are less easily detected than for target firms. First, an acquisition by a firm affects only part of its businesses, while affecting all the assets (in control-oriented acqui ­sitions) of the target firm. Thus the measurability of effects on acquirers is attenuated. Second, if an acquisition is one event in a series of implicit moves constituting a diversification program, its individual effect as a market signal would be mitigated. It is also likely that the theoretical argument which postulates that related acquisitions create wealth for acquirers may be underspecified. Relatedness is often multifaceted, suggesting that the resources of the target firm may be of value to many firms, thus increasing the relative bargaining power of the target vis-a-vis the potential buyers. Even in the absence of explicit competition for the target (multiple bidding), the premiums paid for control are a substantial fraction of the total gains available from the transaction. For managers, some implications from the research can be offered. First, it seems quite clear from the data that a firm seeking to be acquired will realize higher returns if it is sold to a related than an unrelated firm. This counsel is consistent with the view that the market recognizes synergistic combinations and values them accordingly. Second, managers in acquiring firms may be advised to scrutinize carefully the expected gains in related and unrelated acquisitions. For managers the issue of concern is not whether or not a given kind of acquisition creates a significant total amount of wealth, but what percentage of that wealth they can expect to accrue to their firms. Thus, although acquisitions involving related technologies or product market yield higher total gains, pricing mechanisms in the market for corporate acquisitions reflect the gains primarily on the target company. Interpreting these results conservatively, one may offer the argument that expected gains for acquiring firms are competed away in the bidding process, with stockholders of target firms obtaining high proportions of the gains. On a pragmatic level this research underscores the need to combine what may be called the theoretical with the practical. In the case of acquisitions, pragmatic issues like implicit and explicit competition for a target firm alter the theoretical expectations of gains from an acquisition transaction. Further efforts to clarify these issues theoretically and empirically will increase our understanding of these important phenomena. Bibliography Sharpe WF. 1964. Capital asset prices: a theory of market equilibrium under conditions of risk. Journal of Finance 19: 425-442 Markowitz H. 1952. Portfolio selections. Journal of Finance 7: 77-91 Grossman W, Hoskisson R. 1998. CEO pay at the crossroads of Wall Street and Main: toward the strategic design of executive compensation. Academy of Management Executive 12: 43-57 Amihud Y, Lev B. 1999. Does corporate ownership structure affect its strategy towards diversification? Strategic Management Journal 20(11): 1063-1069 Agrawal A, Mandelker G. 1987. Managerial incentives and corporate investment and financing decisions. Journal of Finance 42: 823-837 Wright P, Ferris S, Sarin A, Awasthi V. 1996. The impact of corporate insider, blockholder, and institutional equity ownership on firm risk-taking. Academy of Management Journal 39: 441-463 McConnell JJ, Servaes H. 1990. Additional evidence on equity ownership and corporate value. Journal of Financial Economics 27: 595-612. Shivdasani A. 1993. Board composition, ownership structure, and hostile takeovers. Journal of Accounting and Economics 16: 167-198 Stulz RM. 1988. Managerial control of voting rights: financing policies and the market for corporate control. Journal of Financial Economics 20: 25-54 Varaiya N. 1987. Determinants of premiums in acquisition transactions. Managerial and Decision Economics 14: 175-184 Collis D, Montgomery C. 1998. Creating corporate advantage. Harvard Business Review 76(3): 71-83 White, M. 1988. The Japanese overseas: Can they go home again? New York: The Free Press. Bob, D., SRI International. 2001. Japanese companies in American communities. New York: The Japan Society.

Quality in Health Care Administration Research Paper

Quality in Health Care Administration - Research Paper Example The primary role of the Manager-Patient Services is to ensure that the needs of all patients in the hospital are successfully met by effectively collaborating with the medical departments (pharmacy, diagnostics, laboratory, medical records department, nursing, and therapy) and non medical (housekeeping, F&B, security, engineering, personnel, finance, IT and materials). The day to day responsibilities include: In order to provide quality care to external customers viz. patients, the service delivery process has to be made seamless. Both, while implementing a service for the first time, or improving existing service, based on customer feedback, the service delivery process is studied and changed. It involves defining and documenting the process, communicating and then implementing the same. This is followed by feedback to trigger control mechanism and make necessary changes to the process so that desired outcomes are achieved. 1. Define and document the service delivery process: Once a process has been identified which helps in service delivery, its is discussed with the key team members who are involved at the various stages of service delivery to understand the way the process works and brainstorm for ideas that could make it work better. It also helps in ensuring that their acceptance and willingness to implement the process is achieved without which even the best designed processes can fail. 2. Train the staff- Once there is acceptance on the process, it is documented and communicated to all team members. The staff who are the key members of the process, are then trained to work in accordance with process objectives to ensure that the desired outcomes are achieved. 3. Measure the outcomes against what was originally planned: this helps in analysing if the defined process is really working or not. Once implemented, the process is monitored and feedback is received to check whether the process is achieving its objectives at regularly defined intervals.  

Substance Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Substance Abuse - Essay Example Some people argue that recreational use of drugs is not harmful, however studies show that use of recreational drugs leads to addiction and permanent usage of drugs. People who support the recreational use of drugs favor the use of Marijuana as they feel it is not harmful for people. However, recent studies show that marijuana is also harmful for human beings. According to National Institute of Drug Abuse, marijuana users become dependent on others. They find it hard to understand different aspects of life and others assistance on every aspect. It is also important to note that illegal drug is not the only thing that creates addiction in an individual. Things like medicine, alcohol, tea, coffee etc could also create addiction which may cause problems for an individual (á ¸ ²aminer, 2010). Treatment The aim of the treatment of patients for substance abuse is to take them to a point where they are free of the dependency and habit of using illegal drugs. Although, the patients may not get rid of the problem completely, but the negative effects of the use of such drugs may be negated from such treatment. Studies show that 60 out of 100 are treated with desired results, as the dependency of drug addict patients reduces with the treatment.

Chinese Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chinese Civilization - Essay Example Both these men were subordinate only to their Emperors in terms of power and influence, and played pivotal roles in the events unfolding in China during their lifetimes. Li Si and Guan Deyu show marked differences in their backgrounds and personalities, but share many similarities in achievement, both of which are reflective of the particular period of Chinese history to which they respectively belonged. Li Si and Guan Deyu come from markedly different backgrounds of birth. Li Si was born to â€Å"a family of commoners† (Goldin, 16), and went on to become an insignificant government functionary. His vast ambition and single-minded determination to rise above his circumstances, lead him to deliberately master the skills required to â€Å"prepare himself for a more glorious political career† (Goldin, 16), using every means, ethical or otherwise, within his reach. Li Si’s political rise to the position of Chancellor, one to the two most powerful posts in Qin China, is remarkable for a man of his humble origins, and is obviously a reflection of the tumultuous times in which he lived, in which the former nobility was divested of all its power and transplanted to the capital, leaving a void that many commoners, such as Li Si and Zhao Gao, came to fill. In marked contrast, Guan Deyu belonged to a family of provincial elites, who, although they were not aristocrats, wer e distinguished government servants, and had influential social connections. Guan Deyu’s rise to power is the result of a methodical rise through the bureaucracy, and is a telling example of the changing social structure in the Tang Dynasty, which included prominent provincial families in the administration, and the well-regulated bureaucratic hierarchy, which was one of the significant causes of the prosperity which marked this ‘golden age’ of Chinese civilization. Guan Deyu was a product of the Tang Dynasty’s deliberate attempt to stabilize its rule by co-opting the services of the

What does the tree represent and what does Melinda learn from her Essay

What does the tree represent and what does Melinda learn from her creation of a tree - Essay Example The significance of the tree in the book Speak, is the growth that it symbolizes for Melinda in the story. At first Melinda is unhappy with her choice to paint a tree, but Mr. Freeman tells her that she cannot choose another option as it is her destiny. Mr. Freeman also implies that one has to be at peace with one’s self before you will be at peace with the art that you create and this is significantly shown throughout the story as Melinda struggles to be happy with the tree’s that she paints and struggles to bring her tree’s to life. It is clear to see that the author of the book deliberately chose for Melinda’s artwork to be about a tree as a tree is the symbol of life. In this book the tree first symbolizes death as Melinda seems to be struggling and wilting on the inside after the rape that she had endured. Melinda’s art also follows a pattern of death to life One example of Melissa’s painted trees reflecting her tortured mind is after th e pep rally where Melinda’s art consists of painted watercolors of trees that have been hit by lightning and is so dark that you can almost not see the trees. This is a symbol of the torment, teasing and daily struggles that Melinda faces in school from her previous friends as well as from certain teachers. The darkness also represents Melinda’s struggle to keep the secret that she is hiding in the dark as she is not willing to speak up about it. The painting of trees by Melinda and the story that unfolds in the book go hand in hand as Melinda’s painting projects her frame of mind and the turmoil inside of her. The greatest contributing factor to Melinda’s struggle is the Antagonist Andy Evans who had viciously raped Melinda at Kyle Rogers end of summer party, which forced Melinda to call the police. This incident led to Melinda being an outcast as her friends

An Analysis of the Impact of Internet on Consumer Buying Behaviour Dissertation

An Analysis of the Impact of Internet on Consumer Buying Behaviour - Dissertation Example The consumer buying process is a complex process and one of the important areas of investigation for researchers. A number of studies have been conducted to study the consumer buying behaviour. The increasing complexity of consumer buying behaviour is also brought by the online shopping. All theoretical models describing the behaviour of traditional consumers have gone outdated. Marketers have become more interested in studying the behaviour of consumers under the influence of internet. The 4Ps of marketing mix are the major controllable tools to affect the buying behaviour of consumers whereas the elements experienced by the consumer during virtual interaction are the controllable factors in the case of web consumers thereby, indicating that traditional and online marketers use different tools to influence the buying behaviour of consumers. Although a significant work has been done to study the factors which influence the consumer buying behaviour however, most of these studies give more focus on the factors that influence the behaviour rather than studying the impact of the factors on buying behaviour. The product information, the time they spent on internet and the number of daily emails, are the top factors influencing the consumer buying behaviour on the internet.... The product information, the time they spent on internet and the number of daily emails, are the top factors influencing the consumer buying behaviour on the internet (Bellman, Lohse & Johnson, 1999). On the other hand, some studies have ended up with the findings that web consumers and traditional consumers are becoming similar in their buying behaviour. The web consumers are becoming more like the traditional consumers, at least in the United States therefore, companies should create web designs for an audience that is less educated, less web know-how, less technology know-how and earning less (Lohse & Johnson, 1999). A few studies have identified some important factors that can be evaluated to study the impact of internet on consumer buying behaviour. The black box model of Kotler in consumer buying behaviour describes that the external factors including the marketing mix and demographics, economic, situational, social and lifestyle factors and buyer’s mind such as his beli efs, values and decision making process are the determinants of purchase decision (Kotler & Armstrong, 2010, pp. 161). Actually Kotler has provided two set of factors including the external factors and the internal factors which may influence the buyer behaviour. This model gives an idea that knowing the characteristics of vendors and buyers are important to study the consumer purchase decision for example, product information and pricing are the controllable factors of vendors and personal nature of buyer like his/her beliefs, social nature etc are the controllable factors of buyers. The perceived dependability of the online vendors and less uncertainty involved in online buying increase the likelihood of online purchase (Teo & Yu, 2005). The level of trust and

Domestic Violence is a Serious Public Health Issue Essay

Domestic Violence is a Serious Public Health Issue - Essay Example Thus, focusing on the theory of mindful space, this essay will illustrate how domestic violence can be prevented, if not at least avoided, by focusing on its primary victim - women. Domestic violence is a serious public health issue that often leads to fatality for victims or serious emotional, psychological, and mental problems for survivors. However as research illustrates, such occurrence is not the result of a single isolated event, but the product of a continuing pattern of abuse that usually "escalates through time in severity and frequency", such that women usually ignore lesser acts of violence until it becomes destructive and unpreventable (cited in Health, 1998, p.1468). In this respect, domestic violence can be prevented if its would-be victims can detect the lesser forms of aggression and employ effective measures even before domestic violence becomes destructive. Such approach, however, is difficult to achieve given the definition that today's literature attaches to viol ence. As Burlae (2004) points out, most definitions identify violence only after it has begun, making it difficult for victims to stop them. Hence, by understanding violence in terms of intimidation, coercion, and emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, women tend to ignore the lesser and less noticeable forms of aggression, allowing the aggression to escalate and become destructive. Such reactions from women can be attributed to today's patriarchal society where cultural norms, impose on them certain roles that make them vulnerable to these acts of violence. Using Virginia Woolf's phrase "angel in the house" description, Burlae explains that the roles women take within the family setting of being charming, sympathetic, selfless, and mindful of others illustrate "characteristics that are antithetical to the possession of one's own territory", making them vulnerable to acts of aggression (2004, p.87). Awareness, in this respect, requires more than disseminating information on what is domestic violence, but instead, re-orienting the victims', especially women, a perception of what constitutes violence. In this respect, Burlae proposes the "theory of mindful space" to help women identify cues early on and help them respond accordingly. As Burlae suggests, violence should be understood as an invasion of one's bodily, personal and cognitive spaces (2004, pp.94-97), which although not always violent per se can be damaging and destructive if left unchecked. Thus, while a husband being passive aggressive to his wife may not be violent itself, it is a violation of his wife's cognitive space, which could escalate to more violent behavior if allowed to persist repeatedly. Hence, he suggests being attentive to such violations of space and setting limits to determine when it is time to seek help, take action, or disengage from a relationship. In this respect, clinicians and social workers play an integral role in helping would-be victims identify invasions of space and craf t preventive strategies.  Ã‚  

The Economic development of Russia 1929-1945 Essay

The Economic development of Russia 1929-1945 - Essay Example 1929-1945 was possibly the greatest transformative period of time in Soviet history; partly due to the occurrence of the Second World War lasting from 1939-1945 and partly due to its leadership. During this period, Stalin combined his hold on power and was allowed to rule with liberty, establishing his â€Å"revolution from above† on the Soviet people1. His rule extended from 1922-1952 and was therefore responsible for majority of the economic transformation at the time. He substituted the New Economic Policy (NEP) instituted by his predecessor with a highly centralised planned (command) economy. This launched a period of collectivization and industrialization that caused rapid transformation of the USSR into an industrial power from an agrarian society. The initial disruption in agriculture unsettled food production and contributed to the disastrous Soviet famine of 1932–1933, which in Ukraine was known as the Holodomor2. Afterwards, in a period that continued from 193 6 to 1939, Stalin established a movement against suspected enemies within his administration - the Great Purge – during which hundreds of thousands were executed. In August 1939, a non-aggression pact was signed by Stalin and Nazi Germany that distributed their power and territory within Eastern Europe, causing the invasion of Poland later in September of that year. Germany later dishonoured the agreement and in June 1941 initiated a substantial invasion of the Soviet Union. In spite of numerous territorial and human losses, Soviet forces succeeded in halting the Nazi incursion following the decisive Battles of Stalingrad and Moscow3. After overwhelming the Germans on the Eastern Front, Berlin was captured in May 1945 by the Red Army, effectively ending the Second World War for the Allies in Europe. Consequently the Soviet Union arose as one of two acknowledged world super-powers, the United States being the other4. This aim of this paper is to analyse the events that occurred

Extreme Couponers Essay Example for Free

Extreme Couponers Essay 1. Look at the examples of extreme behaviors described in the article, then go online and find one more example of extreme consumers. Describe it in detail and discuss how you would deal with these consumers if you were a marketer for the company whose product(s) these extreme consumers are infatuated with. 2. Why do you think so many managers actively avoid or are wary of extreme consumers?  Another example of an extreme consumer is the shopper who radically values savings, specifically those achieved through the use of couponing. You may have heard about them from the television, or even waited in line behind one at the grocery store. These are people who go to extremes to save money by spending copious amounts of time clipping coupons from paper media advertisements. Often manufacturers will promote their goods by offering a limited discount if you redeem one of the coupons they have distributed through their marketing channels. It has even become something of a fad with television shows such as â€Å"Extreme Couponing,† which highlights some of these super-savvy consumers. As a marketer for one of these companies distributing these savings, I would embrace the shopper who takes the time to search for deals by offering more savings for continued purchases or even higher quantity orders. Even with a reduced profit margin, the company will see increased revenues through number of units sold. Managers may actively or even passively avoid some of these extreme consumers because they are intimidated by their product knowledge or they just don’t want to dedicate a larger portion of time to someone who has an obvious infatuation. They may dismiss these people as crazy or neurotic and simply not devote any part of their day to minding them. It would be better to encourage them and consequently heightening the consumer’s already loyal tendencies.

The Use Of Union Dues For Political Activities Essay Example for Free

The Use Of Union Dues For Political Activities Essay A union is an association that represents workers well being to running their salaries, work hours and working conditions. The workers are involved in ensuring the unions sustain their activities with its due fees to pay for their services. Workers are mandated to pay union an outstanding amount are required to know the how their money is being utilized. The organization controlling the unions must give the employees with enough data on how their money is being used. The work of these unions levy for opinionated goings on continues to be a contentious issue for both community and private sector unions. This thesis will give an impression of the lawful issues of the use of union’s dues in America for both community and private sectors. Law protects all workers a right to join and get involved in union actions. Workers can negotiate and discuss with unions over service issues that affect the join workers about their operational terms. The bargaining items include issues like salaries, supremacy and penalizing procedures are some examples. The workers join the unions for various reasons including, when they feel:- o Are unhappy about some aspects of their occupation. o Sense that they are not involved meeting the required changes. o See the joining together as an answer to their troubles. The union best friend is bad operational system. If the managers listen to workers and let them dictate in policies that influence their jobs and treat them literally, then the workers won’t need to join the union. The manager who pay no attention to their employees well being and are dictatorial in their operational style often have their companies organized. Most job providers prefer to hire workers who have not joined unions, as the unions may limit the potentiality of the managers. This relates to decisions that openly affect joint workers working conditions. In the private sector for example a company may contract out part of its operations, and this may be legal but the effect of that pronouncement has to be discussed with the union. And if the senior workers are made redundant because of the decision to contract out, the contract terms must be evaluated to see the level of harm caused to the involved workers. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW I n the beginning of the 20th century, as the American economy was building up most employers created bad working conditions for workers. Most workers were from other nations to the US and they were not trained, could not communicate properly in English and had no money to pillow their jobs. Some were from the rural areas of America and were most occupants of the towns. They were misused because people looking for jobs were many. Due to economical growth, it resulted to understanding between the employers and employees. This understanding made people to loose their jobs, thus created poverty. During this period a private sector union was allowed to operate called the Wagner act of 1935 also called (National Labor Relations Act). The Wagner Act was enacted to guard employee’s rights and enable them to form join unions. This allowed them to have a right to be involved in such activities as strikes, picketing and collective bargaining. The Act also enhanced multiple employments as illegal, as the workers can not be interfered with or persuaded in practicing their rights to engage or not to engage in combined activities, dictate or interrupt the union activities, categorize workers to prevent them joining together forming an association, expulsion or placing charges against workers who file charges against their employers and or testify against their employees according to the Act’s provision, decline to negotiate with the union . The NLRB also formed a self governing organization to enforce American labor law and its primary actions were as follows:- o To identify the actual unit for cooperative bargaining in a company. o To manage documentation elections secret ballot that decided whether the workers were to be represented by a joint group. o To avoid and deal with illegal labor Acts. ‘The Taft – Hartley Act’ was enacted and represented a delicate change in connection between the unions and employers. The legislation was formed to bind some of the authority that the unions had secured under the Wagner’s Act; also it was made to defend the rights of organization and the workers too. The Taft Hartley Act is positive towards the employees concerns against unjust labor practices. Joint organizations cannot or persuade workers in the duty of their rights as provided under the Act, insight employees to discriminate each other especially those are not members of labor union for whatever the reason. Including:- failing to pay the union levy and joining fees as required to attain membership in the union, decline to negotiate with the management after a good number of employees have decided to be represented by a certain union group, persuade the associates and members to refuse to use products by companies involved in a labor dispute, and charge workers for extreme levy as a condition of relationship in a joint group. The Landrum Griffin Act has sustained this change in lawful surroundings and creating More limits in joint groups activities. The Act was enacted to protect joint members and their involvement in the activities and presentation of their joint groups. The Act controls how unions are managed. The Act has three sections including; o Bill of rights for union members, it assures clandestine and seasonal elections to choose their joint group representatives. It also gives the group members the right to take legal action against the union if it abuses their lawful rights. o Requires complete reports to the secretary of labor concerning all economical issues of the joint group. o Controls the persons who may be used or employed as union officers. Persons who are found guilty of illegal activities or may have investment interests that may not agree with interests of the joint groups are stopped from holding office. Most of the factors affecting the employees in the private sector are same as those affecting the public sector. The legal association between public sector and private sector employees and their bosses are legally not the same at federal and state level. The government is the supreme ruler and may be compelled by law to perform certain actions and provide some services. The administration officials have the permission to take legal action and make supposed decisions to ensure performance of those activities. Negotiation involves the sharing of decision making power between the administration and the joint groups. For instance; communal workers at a national level in the most states are forbidden to strike. In America the lawful history of the communal sector organizations has gone through major reforms. The communal joint groups can be categorized as being at the national level, state employee level and local county and municipal level. The community workers have no rights under the Wagner Act, with the exception of workers of the American Postal Service. The Postal Reforms Act in America has a private agency and legalized National Labor Relations Board to decide appropriate negotiating units, oversee version elections, and put in force the unjust labor practice of the Wagner Act. THE USE OF UNION DUES FOR POLITICAL ACTIVITY F ederal employees have started negotiating over the terms of their employment. This is due to Lloyd La Follette Act. The Civil Service Act and it gives power to set wages, hours and other terms and conditions of employment. It is prohibited that national workers or their joint groups from dictating in salaries, either before congress, its committee or before heads of executive agencies. It appears that on the collective negotiating events of the community unions at both the national and state levels have more officially authorized than their private partners. The national workers have a right to organize and form unions. National workers also have a right to present their views on salaries and terms of employment to companies which h they worked for. It is an illegal practice to discriminate an employee on basis of color, race, nationality, sex, age, political status and marital status. It is also an offence to interfere with exercise of employee rights or to take disciplinary actions against a worker or categorize an employee because of union activity, or to persuade a regulation that differs with a collective negotiating agreement. An important variation in the legislation is the absence of the right to strike among the federal level employees. While the use of the unions levy for the political activity has always been frowned upon in both the community and private sectors, thus the issue of has remained a major topic of the debate. Thus, many people argue that unless closely monitored, the joint groups will continue to utilize their members levy for political activity in regardless of the lawful constraints; for example the American Supreme Court has illegalized the use of union for political activity. The Supreme Court defined the term â€Å"agency fee† and this ruling applies to both communal and private sector workers. The joint group may require all the workers covered by a union security agreement t pay an â€Å"agency fee† which is designed to cover the cost associated with collective bargaining, contract administration and grievance administration procedures. The recent presidential promotion has once again highlighted the issue of the union dues being utilized for supporting purposes. Congress and many states have enacted or tried to enhance new laws to more lawful constraints in this area. On the one hand, many argue that all that all that is needed is for the current laws as interpreted by the courts are implemented and imposed and no extra legislation is needed. If an employee does not want his or her money used for political purposes, then they have the authority to block this from occurring. Another survey focuses on the pubic sector. The results show that much has been done to make services accessible, but how typical they are across the other sectors. Websites in the US commercial sectors including airlines, newspaper, banks, supermarkets, sport, retail and telecommunications have at some percentage achieved their goals. This ending therefore suggests that the private sector not superior than the communal unit when it comes to web accessibility. ESTMATED VERSUS ACTUAL CONFORMANCE The strategy study requested the respondents to estimate the proportions of sites in each member state that already conform at various levels. Only a few people said that they had data, about the public sector versus community. The most parallel information returned related showed a conformance with the public sector, where there were six clear estimates. The most states cannot know the actual conformance of their member states and those can offers low estimates, which makes it clear that they are not coming up with good standards. If we estimate the site studies are representing the administration websites in the states, they shows that there is a recognizable gap in data and comment in between the strategy planning and actual results. Changing this data difference should improve effectiveness of all related strategy interventions. This could be realized more independently by the member states but there may be positive outcomes through union efforts. The internet accessibility observatory project may provide a mechanism for such collaboration and its main objective is to contribute to better accessibility for all citizens and to improve the standards for online services and resources. Recommendation for public policy makers is to develop response mechanisms for closing the data gap between the strategy planning and actual results may provide a mechanism for such collaboration. To produce a strategy for improving awareness throughout the nation by reviewing all the examples of engagement, shows that this study is for improving awareness of web accessibility. Most of the sites studies are those put in place to provide the administration services. They are basically the government sites which offer some degree of interaction or transaction rather than purely informational sites. Provided this situation and the general move towards greater degree of transaction in the government services and web accessibility are more complicated sites might be not easy to make and keep them accessible or create awareness. In the event there is no statistical association between the accessibility and either of the key measures used in that report for online complexity or the availability of the government data online. It is urged that the underlying administration system is in that respect for more significant number of checkpoints and help in meeting a range of others. Position of salary protection laws differ from state to state. Washington is the first state to pass the salary protection law which was supported by a majority of supporters. In other states like California and Oregon took a different position took a different position. The plan allows and requires joint groups to seek annual written permission from each member before utilizing their dues to support a political activity. Conclusion The discussion over the use of union levy for the supporting activity will continue. Even if the laws are clear that the employees can avoid their money from being used for political purposes, this issue remains contentious. It is wise to say this remains a major issue with closeness of the recent presidential election as an example we see the republicans are always in the favor of salary protection legislation while the democrats opposed. Experts suggested that the power of the joint unions as a political voice had gone down. The recent figures on the campaign contributions suggest this conclusion may not be true. Therefore it is safe to assume that this issue will continue to be debated in congress and in state legislatures to every corner of the country. References Official Title and Summary retrieved on 2nd April 2008 available at www.sos.ca.gov/elections/bp_nov05/voter_info_pdf/entire75.pdf Should we restrict political use of union dues? / Political choice retrieved on 2nd April 2008 available at www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/05/06/EDGKDCKGA01.DTL 55k Cached Similar pages Note this The Worker Paycheck Fairness Act: Ending the Involuntary Use of retrieved on 2nd April 2008 available at www.heritage.org/Research/Labor/BG1156.cfm 58k Labor Relations :: Education :: Glossary retrieved on 2nd April 2008 available at www.massnurses.org/labor/education/resources/glossary3.htm 72k

Selling Crack In El Barrio Sociology Essay

Selling Crack In El Barrio Sociology Essay Society sets standards for us to strive toward, and offers a limited set of accepted means through which we can reach these standards. Unfortunately, the means accepted by society are not available to everyone. The lack of equal opportunity in our society compels certain groups to resort to deviant behavior in order to achieve their goals, or even just to survive. Deviance or deviant behavior is behavior that goes against accepted formal and informal social norms. Crime falls into the category of deviance that goes against formal social norms, or written laws and regulations. Groups that engage in deviant behavior are generally stigmatized by society, and in turn, are subject to marginalization. One such group is the immense subculture of drug dealers. A subculture is a group that has cultural values and behavioral patterns distinctive of a particular group in a society. In his account titled In Search of Respect, ethnographic researcher Philippe Bourgois goes into the depths of this subculture and examines why drug dealers live the way they do and how their occupation is a not just a personal choice, but a product of society. In addition to illustrating the social production of blocked opportunities for residents in Bourgoiss ground breaking book, he also provides an interesting new insight into the street culture found in New York City by examining the effects of illegal drugs on a minority group. Specifically, the book focuses on the experiences and lives of Puerto Rican crack cocaine dealers and users as well as their friends, families and girlfriends, each of whom Bourgois depicts as victims of circumstance. In doing so, the author vividly details and analyzes the effects of structural inequality and social marginalization in the United States. Bourgois, with his wife and child, moved into a tenement apartment in a small neighborhood in New York City named East Harlem in 1985. To residents, this neighborhood was simply known as El Barrio. To conduct his study, Bourgois and his family spent the next five years living among the harsh realities of the ghetto streets. The purpose of this was to infiltrate, assimilate, and participate in the daily workings of the community as much as possible to gain a better understanding of the circumstances these poor and suffering Puerto Rican residents faced. As such, the ultimate goal was to gain entrance to a network of Puerto Rican crack dealers as well as their network of relatives and acquaintances. During his five year stint in El Barrio, Bourgois engaged in intensive participant observation among the informants who allowed him to penetrate the secretive culture of the underground economy. He provides the reader with verbatim narratives taken from his conversations with drug dealers, police officers (who occasionally mistook him for a drug addict), and drug users Bourgois uses the account of his subject and friend named Primo to illustrate the circumstances of drug dealers and the reasons they resort to illegal jobs. The norms of drug dealers include street sales, drug houses, violent crime, and respect associated with the status of a drug dealer. Having the identity of a drug dealer attributes a sense of power and pride to a man, even if it is just in his neighborhood. It prevents him from having to bear the humiliation of being degraded or belittled by a superior while working at a legal job. Bourgois book focuses on a relatively unexamined section of the drug industry, the local dealers, some of whom are, or have been drug users. He notes that most of them started out in legitimate work, often prematurely by truanting from school, not a difficult thing to do in the inner city. However their entrepreneurial skills have not enabled them to escape from the most vulnerable wage sector. The poorest jobs fail to satisfy them while their backgrounds make it impossible for them to sustain contact with more promising possibilities. Still they are unwilling to lie down to the system. They have made the most of their limited opportunities by finding a niche in the illegal drug market. Although nobody is more aware than they are of the ultimate hopelessness of this, nevertheless in the meantime it gives them the buzz, the status and the income their yuppie contemporaries find a few blocks away in Wall St. very well-written, as the author uses a plain, easy-to-read and understand style. He is arguing that answers to societys most pressing issues are a lot more than mere blame-the-system or blame-the-victim approaches. It is far too common for liberals and conservatives, respectively, to blame society or to blame pathological, flawed individuals for social problems. As Bourgois shows in this book, the truth is often a combination of the two. Even his informants admit that they blame no one else but themselves for the situations they are in. The book starts off with Bourgoiss own experience of how there is an apartheid present in New York working against his subjects The amount of poverty in this portion of our country is much higher than that in most other areas. Bourgois argues that this neighborhood, which is well known for high rates of violence, does not have widespread violence occurring amongst all of its members. The higher crime rate, argues Bourgois, occurs for the most part within the factions of the underground economy. Some insight into this economy would explain the reasons for higher rates of violence. This book is a summary of the events that occurred during Bourgois stay in El Barrio. The original purpose of the book was to write a first-hand account of poverty and ethnic segregation in the heart of one of the worlds largest cities. Bourgois was swept into the area drug economy because of the abundance of information from the dealers and their families who all lived within the immediate area. The problem was so prevalent that the focus of th The amount of drug dealers or crack houses is an indirect result of the lost jobs in Harlem. Bourgois states that many of the unemployed in the inner-city are not successful in finding work because they lack the skills of working efficiently with people that they dont already have an every day relationship with, something that factory jobs provided. Factory jobs that moved out of the inner-cities left the large minority groups without a collective workplace where everybody knew their task and how to complete it. The current availability of jobs within the inner-city is mostly within the service sector. These jobs are individualized jobs where independence is required rather than a group effort. The jobs pay little and arent generally respected. This tends to lead many people within this community to become involved in the drug economy. Bourgois argues that, to reduce the violence within the drug community, we should consider the decriminalization of drugs. This would force small time dealers out of business, eliminating the need for them to commit violence amongst themselves, while making the s Bourgois states that there is a strong feeling of community among the people living in El Barrio. Those people not involved in the drug market rarely encounter violence themselves because the dealers have nothing to fear from them. Bourgois states that, during the day, children are safely left to play in the streets unattended by their parents. At night, when the legitimate working force of the community is eating dinner or asleep, is when the brunt of violence takes place Bourgois portrayal of the dealers and their families makes it difficult for the reader not to feel sympathy and compassion towards them. His argument is well defined and persuasive due to the fact that he moved his family to the area in which he was studying and had the courage to get in and really interact with the people of this community. The way in which he writes also compliments his argument by drawing the reader in and making him feel like he himself were there. Many may not agree with the solution that Bourgois suggests, but everyone who reads the book will re-think their own views before discussing t This is an incredibly well written ethnography, its very accessible and could be read by anyone. Really illustrates the problems of people in ghettoised areas, with restricted access to the job market and a stigma attached to them. Stigma is a mark of infamy or reproach. Drug dealing is stigmatized because norms of drug dealing completely clash with the norms of society, most obviously by going against written laws. Consuming or possessing illegal drugs is a crime, but the The only jobs that provided enough money for the Harlemites to survive on, with out having to engage in some other illegal activity, are high risk construction jobs, which were ran by racist mafia backed unions (ch. 4 pg. 162), or entry level jobs in the F.I.R.E. (finance, insurance, or real estate) sector (ch. 4 pg.142), where the impoverished Puerto Ricans did not have enough cultural capital or the proper ethnic background to survive in the positions being offered. Although the world of the underground economy is very chaotic, it all seems to revolve around one thing, crack. Everyones daily life, that is anyone who is not a member of the poor legal working class, is organized around crack, whether one is fighting rival crews for a spot to sell, or just hanging out at the local crackhouse waiting for a handout. It is prevalent on both the violent and non-violent spectrums of the culture. Obviously, the dealers had the most respect of everyone, and were looked up at by youngsters. To survive financially outside of mainstream society, one must manipulate all of ones available resources to make a livable income. So, in the underground economy this can mean any thing, from taking advantage of the welfare office, to selling drugs, or robbing people, all of which were employed by most of the subjects in this book. The only act that stood out to me, as being a ritual was the act of getting high. While getting high served two fold, it served as a method to deal with the reality of not being able to be in control of any part of ones life, and it severed as a way of opening up the lines for communication, as most of all the testimonials occurred over liquor and some sort of drug. What caught the eye of the youngsters were their nice shoes and the respect everyone had for the dealer. So at the earliest time possible, the young kids would try and emulate what they have seen as an acceptable, and viable way to get money and respect. Selling drugs, being violent, and robbing people, all were skills that they learned at school (ch.4pg.194). Bourgois eventually found his way to a storefront called the Game Room where video games provided a cover for the sale of crack cocaine. It was the manager of this establishment, Primo, who became Bourgoiss friend and primary informant about life in El Barrio. Through this intimacy, Bourgois seeks to tell us some things about the symbols and symptoms of urban ghetto life, the Achilles heel of the richest industrialized nation in the world by documenting how it imposes racial segregation and economic marginalization on so many of its Latino/a and African-American citizens. (Bourgois: 1995a; 14) Bourgois painstakingly records and analyzes the exploits of these elements of Puerto Rican diaspora. The culmination of such fieldwork is collected in ethnography about the urban underground economy and social marginalization Speaking fluently the minority language, he lived for five years in El Barrio and also travelled to Puerto Rico to trace the connections between there and Amerikay. His analysis starts in Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island at the end of the Cuban ±Dominican chain and therefore of strategic importance to the United States. Colonization by the US has The concentration of Puerto Rican immigrants in East Harlem has access mainly to the poorest service jobs in New York City. East Harlem is a classic ghetto which no self respecting New Yorker would think of even driving through. Yet, as Bourgois notes, the majority of East Harlem inhabitants have nothing to do with crime, far less drugs. It is the removal of all local industry, e.g. garment making, which has exposed a social infrastructure that is too weak to support the present massive levels of unemployment and casual labor.

Essay --

Kosovo: How the Kosovar territory can get developing economically and culturally through its identity balanced between the ethnic strife and conflicts of interest between the Serbs, Albanians and the international community? Richmond University - London Romuald Maronese Dissertation Literature review A such unexpected and international violent struggle burst out between Serbs and Albanians in the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia over the southern Serbian province of Kosovo1. This terrible issue led to a 1999 meeting between Serbian and Albanian officials in order to make a peace resolution and arrangements. This formal and official diplomatic meeting was organized by the international community under the control of the French and the Italians so as to discuss eventual peace. The Serbs were looking for protecting the cradle of their culture, the Serbian civilization and its identity against the Albanians’ battle for an independent territory of Kosovo. When the peace agreement could not be reached, the NATO2 countries, in order to protect Albanians from a massive  « ethnic cleansing,  » launched a missile bombing campaign over former Yugoslavia on the 24 March of 1999. The bombings lasted for 78 days. And NATO’s intervention in what came to be known as â€Å"the Kosovo conflict† injured and murdered thousands of civilians. It destroyed the local factories, workplaces, schools, and hospitals. Furthermore this tense conflict has damaged the country’s energy, transport, and communications systems. It also has triggered a economic, social, and ecological disaster; and made becoming thousands homeless. It traumatized numerous families on all sides of the war, including the people in the diaspora who had fled Yugoslavia’s civil war in the e... ...ermore, the conflict provoked a high risk of be prolonged psychologically in a serious brain disturbance. It has ruined their any chances of getting rid of this trauma by compromising any of them academic future. The many children facing this â€Å"massive war traumas show evidence of Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder† (PTSD). In this present massive study on the mental disorders of the children during the war, it would be relevant to wander how could we treat the youth’s distress and unstable mental health. Are the relatives, the local doctors and professionals able to educate theses children properly in order to make them recovering theses atrocities. Another study gathering what the new Kosovo State 6 Romuald Maronese Dissertation Literature review could learn from the aftermath of the war would be a better contributor to the potential development of the Kosovar society.

The Viennese School Essay -- Musical Composers Classical Style Essays

The Viennese School   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Viennese School is the reason for some of today's most popular classical music. This school of composers started during the Classical Period, 1740-1825. At the time the Austrian capital of Vienna was the musical center for composers, which soon became reason for many of the changes that were made to musical style. Composers came from all over Europe to train in Vienna in the classical time period. One of the great composer that came to Vienna is Franz Schubert he soon started a style of music called Viennese School that made many changes to the style of music as well as changes to instrumentation. The arrangements became one form to another while keeping certain similar characteristics, music became lighter and more complex, and melodies and harmonies became more complicated with more separate parts happening all at once. The instrumentation that was popular also changed. Solos, trios, quartets, and quintets became popular, beside large orchestras.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The three composers that made the music, which are called the founding fathers of the Viennese School, are Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. These composers studied together sometimes with one taking lessons from another. Mozart took lessons from Haydn when he was a young musician, also Beethoven took lessons from Mozart. Beethoven was taught by Haydn. Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven are known for their similarities in their musical style. They all seemed to follow a set of basic rules wh... The Viennese School Essay -- Musical Composers Classical Style Essays The Viennese School   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Viennese School is the reason for some of today's most popular classical music. This school of composers started during the Classical Period, 1740-1825. At the time the Austrian capital of Vienna was the musical center for composers, which soon became reason for many of the changes that were made to musical style. Composers came from all over Europe to train in Vienna in the classical time period. One of the great composer that came to Vienna is Franz Schubert he soon started a style of music called Viennese School that made many changes to the style of music as well as changes to instrumentation. The arrangements became one form to another while keeping certain similar characteristics, music became lighter and more complex, and melodies and harmonies became more complicated with more separate parts happening all at once. The instrumentation that was popular also changed. Solos, trios, quartets, and quintets became popular, beside large orchestras.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The three composers that made the music, which are called the founding fathers of the Viennese School, are Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. These composers studied together sometimes with one taking lessons from another. Mozart took lessons from Haydn when he was a young musician, also Beethoven took lessons from Mozart. Beethoven was taught by Haydn. Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven are known for their similarities in their musical style. They all seemed to follow a set of basic rules wh...

A Comparison of the Portrayal of Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird :: English Literature

A Comparison of the portrayal of Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird and Miss Havisham in great expectations. In 'To Kill a Mockingbird' the author uses a retrospective narration, this means that we can see events through the eyes of a child, yet also has the intelligence of an adult to explain the events thouroghly. Because narrator has personal experience of what happened we have a closer insight into the details. This method of reflection means that we can understand other characters feelings more easily, and the settings and ways of Maycomb. 'Great Expectations' is similar to ' To Kill a Mockingbird' it also has shows the events of a person from childhood to becoming an adult. The story follows Pip, who is the main character in this novel; it shows him as a child, being introduced to Miss Havisham, then later on as a main person in Miss Havisham's life. Pip and Scout help us to understand the feelings of other characters.. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is set in the 1930s, in a town called Maycomb. It is a small town with a close-knit community, it has a deserted feel to it, however it is very tense, with a lot of families and rumours and gossip. Maycomb is also a claustrophobic place to be, with the identical houses, the grass on the sidewalks (unkempt), and also it is very dusty, hot and humid. The neighbours are known to be very suspicious and judgemental. It is a reserved community and it can get very dull. In 'Great Expectations', in the chapters that we have read, rather then it being concentrated on a town, it is mostly concentrated on Miss Havisham's House. Satis House, which stand for very big and satisfactory. Within this house everything is kept the way it was at the time of the wedding. With cobwebs, and dust on all the furniture. Even the surrounding of the satis house was dying; "there was a large brewery, no brewing was going on in it", this shows that everything around miss Havisham was a symbol of what was within her. It shows that she is dead within. Both Boo Radley and Miss Havisham live in seclusion, this means they prefer to be cut off from the outside world, a quote that show this is' "some of the windows had been walled up" However they both have someone to help them with life, Boo Radley has his brother Nathan, and Miss Havisham has her adopted daughter Estella. Miss Havisham acts this way because of what happened to her earlier in her life; she was left at the altar.

Boat: Symbolism in Never Let Me Go Essay

Most people have dreams of becoming astronauts, doctors or painters but Hailsham students grow up knowing that they won’t get to live a normal life. They will donate organs until they die. Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go is about a dystopian society in Great Britain. It breeds cloned children for organ donations. Ishiguro uses a unique style of storytelling in which the protagonist Kathy narrates her memories of childhood at Hailsham to Adulthood and becoming a â€Å"carer†. While describing the unique incidents, Kathy simultaneously narrates details about donations, donors and relationship, but manages to keep a sense of mystery throughout the story. In the 19th Chapter, the reader understands that the characters are organ donors and will inevitably die soon. Kathy, Tommy and Ruth take a road trip to see an abandoned boat after which the three have an emotional talk and face their fears. The boat is a powerful symbol that represents Hailsham, the lives of the donors, their past and future. To understand the symbolism in the novel, this essay will focus on the themes of death, ignorance, belief system and free will. Hailsham’s students are ignorant, and taught to ignore their fears. The boat represents a broken life, a life in which you are only permitted to dream, whereas your future is decided. The boat symbolizes the mystery of origin of the donors. Students at Hailsham are trained not to be inquisitive. Their lessons are planned and the main issue of organ donation was never emphasized enough. They are distant to feelings and brainwashed â€Å"told but not told† (74). Ishiguro’s style of writing was casual when discussing donations and life after Hailsham. Hailsham an institution run by private funding is very similar to the boat. Tommy compares the boat to Hailsham which is now closed. â€Å"Maybe this is what Hailsham looks like now† (205). It is segregated, stands alone in the marshlands just like Hailsham; Hailsham protects the students from outside world which believes that the clones are not human beings, â€Å"All around the country, at this very moment, there are students being reared in deplorable condition, conditions Hailsham students could hardly imagine† (238) just like the boat protects the sailor from the oceanic forces. A human belief system is a product to complement their respective comfort zone. Even though the girls knew that the â€Å"secret guard† is not real, they believed in Ruth  and played along, just for the sake of excitement. Ruth’s lying or Tommy’s belief in deferrals and the emotions he went through when he understood that deferral was just a myth â€Å"If the rumor was never true, then why did you take all our stuff away? Didn’t the Gallery exist either?† (237). This is symbolized by the boat; The abandoned broken boat represents a broken life, hopelessness; broken by the forces it is subjected to. All the donors are very obsessed to find their â€Å"possible†. â€Å"†¦you could tell people were fascinated –obsessed, in some cases- and so it (subject of ‘possible’) kept coming up usually in solemn arguments†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (127). Kathy’s character in the story is emotionally reserved. She finds it difficult to make decisions, and she does not speak openly about what she actually feels. Th is characteristic helps her not to think about the short life and the bleak future. She lives life with some short lived happiness. Kathy has a very original personality unlike Ruth’s, who tries to impress and act like the veterans do. Ishiguro does not discuss Ruth’s death immediately after the 19th chapter but rather lets the reader focus on Kathy’s and Tommy’s sufferings. Ruth’s death is emotional and it would overshadow Kathy’s and Tommy’s struggle. Like the donors the boat went through a lot of struggle perhaps even saved lives, yet the origin of the boat is a mystery, just like the donors who probably saved lives but no one cares about them, their origin is a mystery. The boat was once a life saver and guardian but now it is wrecked and is of no use. The donors too will face the same fate of the boat; they will save lives and die alone. Perhaps that’s why it is very popular object among the donors. The boat is a powerful symbol in the novel because even though it represents protection, and survival, if broken and abandoned it becomes a symbol of loneliness, no one cares about it, its origins becomes a mystery- even unnecessary and the forces it has faced in the ocean become meaningless. The boat represents the lives of Kathy, Ruth and Tommy. It is also Hailsham their protector in the sea; it is Tommy’s hope for survival- his absolute belief in the deferral system; it represents Kathy’s search for a possible, the boat’s origin is also a mystery. The boat projects their future that no matter how hard they try and dream- their fate is sealed. They are helpless once exposed to the ocean. They are going to die, left abandone d like the boat. No one is going to care about them.

Dangerous Sport

playfulnesss argon an indispensable part of gracious manner. However, rough are considered to be more(prenominal) than un guideful than the others. Because of the dangers those athletic contests do- nonhing lead to, many another(prenominal) another(prenominal) state believe they should be ban. In this essay, I will discuss wherefore sedate sports should not be allowed. Firstly, tender-hearted life history is undoubtedly precious. If somebody, for example, dies of a insecure sport his family would be very upset. This is in addition a loss to the society considering the position everybody has to choke twelve years on schooling.Next, sports are meant to help lot cleanse their health. For instance, performing table tennis should go out you a better level of reflection. Hence, at that place is no need to bring life intemperate sports. Moreover, dangerous sports can outcome in serious injuries. Even though the lives of the hoi polloi playing this kind of sport s can be saved, they still possibly have to get from permanent wave injuries which can come them disabled. Hence, preventing large number from this kind of sports can geld the chances of permanent injuries from sport related accidents.Finally, a ambitious sport needs not be dangerous. It is commonly believed that concourse like to play dangerous sports because they are considered to be more gainsay. However, there are many challenging sports which do not accept people to face dangers. To sum up, I would potently recommend that dangerous sports should be banned from our societies. Because they do not direct to the evolution of human life and because of the dangers people could face, safer sports should be considered as the best alternative.Dangerous SportSports are an indispensable part of human life. However, some are considered to be more dangerous than the others. Because of the dangers those sports can lead to, many people believe they should be banned. In this essay, I will discuss why dangerous sports should not be allowed. Firstly, human life is undoubtedly precious. If somebody, for example, dies of a dangerous sport his family would be very upset. This is also a loss to the society considering the fact everybody has to spend twelve years on schooling.Next, sports are meant to help people improve their health. For instance, playing table tennis should give you a better level of reflection. Hence, there is no need to have life threatening sports. Moreover, dangerous sports can result in serious injuries. Even though the lives of the people playing this kind of sports can be saved, they still possibly have to suffer from permanent injuries which can make them disabled. Hence, preventing people from this kind of sports can reduce the chances of permanent injuries from sport related accidents.Finally, a challenging sport needs not be dangerous. It is commonly believed that people like to play dangerous sports because they are considered to be mo re challenging. However, there are many challenging sports which do not require people to face dangers. To sum up, I would strongly recommend that dangerous sports should be banned from our societies. Because they do not contribute to the development of human life and because of the dangers people could face, safer sports should be considered as the best alternative.

1984 First Five Chapters Summary Essay

Readers argon introduced to Winston Smith, his documentation situation which although called Victory Mansion is not replete it is a run-down apartment complex. Readers are as well introduced to Big Brother, the governments authority sign and figurehead for the caller. The telescreen always watches its companionship Members, looking for traitors among them. Winston brings away a journal, out of view of the telescreen, because it is considered an act of riot against the Party. He writes close the films the Party makes, the brunette young lady from work and OBrien, someone he believes is against the Party.Winston believes the judgment Police will knock at his door, plainly it turns out to be Mrs. Parsons, his neighbor. Winston helps her with the Parsons plumbing and her children accuse him of thoughtcrime. Her children are upset that they couldnt go see the macrocosm hanging. He goes back to his apartment and hides the journal. Winston then dreams of his father and a sin king ship that he feels accountable for. He then dreams of a Utopia free from the Party where he is with the dark-haired girl from work. He wakes up to a whistle for the Physical Jerks, the Partys regulated physical use. Winston is yelled at from the telescreen by the exercise manager.After the Physical Jerks Winston goes to work at the Ministry of Truth where he updates Big Brothers orders and Party Records so what Big Brother says is always true. He makes up a story somewhat a fictional person, Comrade Ogilvy, as a ideal Party Man who died. Winston then meets up with Syme, another Party member who revises the Newspeak dictionary. Syme talks about the aime of Newspeak is to erase words.Winston knows the Syme will be vaporized because he is too intelligent. Parsons, Winstons neighbor, visits Winston to get their apartments dues. Parsons laughs about how his children treated Winston the previous day. The Ministry of Plenty announces an make up in production but Winston knows the i ncrease is really a lie. Winston believes he is being watched by the dark-haired girl, who he thinks is a Party agent.Chapter 1-5 Responses1. I same(p) Winston so far even though he seems very weak, which is just a result of the Partys oppression. The Party seems to be everywhere, impacting everyone. 3. The movie, The Truman Show, is based reach of the movie 1984 in the way that someone is dictatorial and watching over the protagonists lives. They have no covert or choices. 6. I was very surprised that the exercise manager called out to Winston. Up until that point I believed the Party always watching was a shirk to making people follow the Party. 7. I would care the next chapter to develop into Winston investigating the Party and nerve-wracking to rebel more against them.