Values and Ethics in America Case Study

BA 3102 – Summer 2, 2012 Video Case Assignment â€Å"End Game: Values and Ethics in America† 1. The most ethical decision is if she turns left into town and report the accident to the police. Even if she turns herself in and jeopardizes to lose her school-funding grant, she knows she did the right thing and her conscious is clean. She caused a fatal accident that killed the other driver, which means she must report to the police. If she doesn’t, then her friend should turn her in and help her for the long run. Human moral and ethical values are more important then the award for the school grant and reputation in the company.In the Deckop Chapter article-â€Å"Theoretical Bases for Analyzing the Ethics of a Decision†, it compares the utilitarianism and universalism theories. It states that utilitarianism is regarding â€Å"the greatest good for the greatest number and the ends justify the means†. It’s not ethical to disregard the law and serve the greater good. If she was killed in a deadly car accident, I’m sure she would want someone to report her death to the police who would later notify her loved ones. Running away from an accident is not only unethical, but is also a crime and there is no justification for it.The consequences of fleeing a crime scene is more severe than turning yourself in. â€Å"The pressures of a situation may cause one to apply self-serving biases that while in the short-run appear acceptable, in the long-run result in damage to one’s firm, career or self in terms of staying true to ethical principals and human morals†(Desktop, 2008). I strongly agree with this statement. If she won’t report to the police, and deny what she did, she would be living with her guilt knowing she knew what was the right thing to do, but she made the wrong decision.By knowing she is responsible for someone’s life and didn’t notify anybody, in the long run, it will destroy her emotionally (guilt, depression or even suicide). 2. I think I made the right choice for Julia because either way she would have had to face the consequences. If she turns herself into the police, most likely she would get arrested for drinking and driving. She would possibly lose her school-funding grant that all her students dependent on her. She would also lose her reputation as being a good teacher, but one thing she would be acknowledged for is that she was honest and admitted for her action.However, if she don’t turn herself in, she would have to live on the rest of her life guilty knowing she hided the truth. In the long run the truth will be revealed. Part 3 doesn’t change anything for me, because I knew that the follow-up would be that she would hide the truth in order not to damage her reputation in the school, along with not letting her students down. Running away from reality is always easier then facing the truth and admitting for our wrongdoings. Many comp anies think they can get away with fraud or unethical decision-making, until they either get caught or they turn themselves in.You need to know where to draw the line between personal responsibility and accountability. 3. My decision in question 1 is more consistent with universalism then utilitarianism because universalism focuses on ethical decision making, assuming the decision-maker is following the right morals and values. For example, Julia should report to the police and turn herself in, just as if her loved ones would like to know if she was in a fatal car accident and who is responsible for her death.Also the universalism theory states that everybody is equal and moral ethics apply to everyone no matter what background or culture you are from. Universal ethics explains which behaviors are right or wrong. These ethical standards apply to everybody worldwide. It’s something that a virtuous person is supposed to adhere to and believe in, just like manners that you learn from home. Most manners are universal, though some vary from culture to culture. As a result, I strongly agree with the universalism decision-making tool.

Bob Knowlton Case Study Essay

Attribution process in chapter 4 is referred to as the ways in which people come to understand the causes of their own or others’ behavior. Knowlton felt that Fester was brought in to take his position as project head. With all the questions and research analysis that Fester completed on his own, Knowlton felt betrayed since his friend and mentor Jerrod never took the time to explain to him what was happening. When Knowlton did approach Jerrod to question why Fester was there, Jerrod replied, â€Å"We’re taking him on [. ]†Jerrod also replied that, â€Å"I don’t know yet where he will finally land †¦I thought he might spend a little time with you by way of getting started. † I believe that Knowlton should have gone back to talked to Jerrod again. Knowlton should have got his point across about the way that he and his team was feeling about Fester questions the work that he and his team had completed over the last six months and how calling his home at 2 o’clock explaining how Link’s patterning problem could be solved among other things. Jerrod could have then explained that Fester was brought in to be the project head for another department. In 1996, my husband and I were transferred to Korea for one year by the Army and our two kids that were 15 months old and 3 ? months old stayed with my mother-in-law. Once we returned a year later, our kids had grown so much. However much importantly to me, my kids were calling my mother-in-law mommy and I had not prepared myself for that. In the beginning, I was very hurt as well as confused as to why my kids was calling their grandmother â€Å" mommy†, but I came to the realization that they were at that stage in life where they were just starting to talk and mommy and daddy were their first words. After about a week, I asked my mother-in-law if she wanted the kids to call her grandma or nana so they would get use to calling my husband and I mommy and daddy. Finding of Facts 2: Self-Esteem The letter that Knowlton wrote explained that he would be glad to come back later (he would only be 40 miles away) to assist if there was any problems with the past work. Recommendation/Justification Self-Esteem is defined as the extent to which an individual believes that he or she is a worthwhile and deserving individual. In Knowlton’s situation he felt that he deserved the promotion to project head because he had the knowledge, skills and ability to perform the job. However, when Fester came and started challenging the result that he and his team had determined, he lost his self-esteem as well as his self-confidence and felt as if he was worthless to Mr. Jerrod and most importantly to his team and that allowed him to make a hasty decision to leave the organization. I recommend that Knowlton fight for his position, his team and most importantly his self-esteem. I recommend that Knowlton think about the achievements and contributions that he has made to the team as well as the organization. Once Knowlton builds his self-esteem back up, I recommend that he talks with his supervisor Mr. Jerrod and express his true feeling regarding how Fester approach toward his team is being very disruptive. In the military, we are usually transferred to different duty stations every three to five years. This one particular time, I was transferred to Ft Bragg, NC and they were not aware that I was coming to be assigned to the unit. Since they were not aware that I was coming, they did not have a place for me to work so I was consider a â€Å"floater† going from section to section to help out where ever needed until they found a permanent slot for me. The first section that I worked in was the processing section. The section was running smoothly, and I was there for observation purposes only. However, the leader that I am, I could not stand by and allow the soldiers to continue to work long hours without giving suggestions that would allow them to work smarter. I saw the hesitation that they were giving so I called a meeting and explained my purpose of being in the section and also let the soldiers know that I was just there to assist. Once they realized that I was not there to take anyone’s job, and that I was there to help the section run more efficiently, the soldiers began to gravitate toward me for more suggests. After about a week, the soldiers saw the results of my suggestions and incorporated those suggestions into their daily routines in the office. The soldiers also requested that I be assigned to their section permanently without my knowledge and when it was brought to my attention I was very impressed and decided to stay in that section. Findings of Facts: Team Empowerment Bob always prided himself on the fact that the work of the lab was guided and evaluated by the group as a whole and he was fond of repeating that it was not a waste of time to include secretaries in such meetings. Recommendations/Justification: Team empowerment refers to the degree to which its members perceive the group as (1) being competent and able to accomplish work-related tasks (potency), (2) performing important and valuable tasks (meaningfulness), (3) having choice (autonomy) in how they carry out their task, and (4) experiencing a sense of importance and significance (impact) in the work performed and goals achieved. Bob was proud of the members of his team. No one thought that they were smarter than anyone else on the team; they respected each other and valued each other’s opinion. However, from the very first day that Fester arrived, he made it clear that he was not a team player. He thought that everyone should work individually on their portion of the project, come together to complete the project and that be it. Bob also stated that he valued everyone’s opinion including the secretaries. Every member of the team know that if they did not pull their weight on their particular part of the project they could depend on their team mates for assistance and again Fester was not a fan of that. I believe that Bob should have stepped in and expressed his feelings as to how he and his team worked together on everything. He should have expressed how he valued everyone’s opinion and that he was not going to let him or ever Jerrold tear them apart. If Fester still had concerns he should have taken that up with Jerrold however, it should have been a dead issue to Jerrold since Fester was not going to be in charge of the department that Bob was currently heading. At my last unit, I was the section chief for the Personnel Section. I had just completed my training about three weeks prior when another sergeant came to the section that out ranked me. When the other sergeant came, after one week of watching how my section and I conducted business she wanted to make changes. One day she just came in the office and started making changes without consulting me or our commander. When I arrived to the office and saw the changes that she had made, I asked to speak with her separately, and I respectfully told her that I didn’t appreciate her coming in and changing my section around. She began to say that the changes that she was making was how she had her section set up at her last unit and the section ran smooth once all the changes were complete. Since she outranked me, I had to tell her again, respectfully that this was not her section, and the commander had not approved any of her changes nor did he have any knowledge of any of her changes. We then went and talked with the commander and he had agreed with me that first he would make the final decision if she was going to be in charge of the section or if I was going to continue to run the section. Also, if he was going to put her in charge of the section any changes that she wanted to make still had to be approved by him first. So needless to say, she was not happy with me, however, about a month or so later we had a talk. She stated that she admired me for standing up for myself as well as my section. She then went on to apologize for trying to use her rank to intimidate me. After our discussion, we were able to work together in the section as equals.

Making Movies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Making Movies - Essay Example His critical analysis and great knowledge makes his book a must read for all amateurs who are learning the art of filmmaking. His book almost covers all aspects required to make a creditable film. He gives detailed knowledge about music, production, direction, props, cameras, editing, cinematography, scripts, actors etc. Â  This book provides a vision and a guiding pathway for all those who are entering this field and all those young filmmakers intending to make this vast field as their ongoing profession. In the movie The Verdict director Sidney Lumet according to me does not come up to my level of expectation as a lot more could have been done. After reading the novel I personally think direction was not as strong as it should have been for a person with so much in depth knowledge of the field. The level and the bar raised by Sidney are quite high which he didn’t sustain in this book. This clearly explains that despite the great effort and techniques involved far more could be done to make the movie a success. Apparently this movie for me was a very entertaining and a top notch courtroom based drama which had elements of tragedy, suspense, fraud, emotions and romance making it a complete story. Sidney holds this view that the script should disturb the conventional balance. Astonish the reader, entertains, intrigues and then when it is about to conclude the reader must develop a feeling that this was meant to happen. This precisely means that the script is the skeleton for any film and a good script keeps the audience awe struck. Likewise in the movie the script is one of the most complex elements, when Frank goes to meet his mom he is immensely affected by her present state which brilliantly unveiled another side of Frank. Â  Sidney believes that usually he is not thinking about the viewer might react; there are basically two perspectives when it comes to life that have a great impact, that is precisely life and death. These aspects are so intense

Letter to Prime Minister for the Problems Faced by a Chinese Immigrant Essay

Letter to Prime Minister for the Problems Faced by a Chinese Immigrant in Canada Before 1885 - Essay Example Dear Prime Minister, I am writing this letter as an immigrant worker and an affiliate of Chinese community to appeal for investigation and resolution of the problems, which we are facing as Chinese immigrant’s workers. I speak not just for myself but also for my Chinese brothers and sisters who have taken a great role in building this country. In the letter, I will also mention the happenings of the past few years that have resulted in alienation and increased suffering of Chinese living in Canada. Since our migration into Canada, life has been unbearable and we feel unwelcomed not just by Canadian citizens but by the Canadian government. We as Chinese community feel like the Canadian government is using us for their own good while we suffer silently. I am a young Chinese male, currently working in the Pacific Canadian Railway construction though I have done some other menial jobs. I thus have a clear understanding of the extent to which the Chinese migrants are suffering. I am a Chinese immigrant from Guangdong. Right from our entry into Canada, we were welcomed with a lot of hostility. It was inauspicious to be referred to as ‘sojourner’ or temporary workers while some of us were settlers. Some Canadians might have come as temporary workers, but even those who have been here for generations are not excluded from the tortures we undergo. Irrespective of the much risk we undertook to build the Canadian Pacific Railway, our efforts have not been rewarded or appreciated. Your government started portraying hostility towards us when they realized we were almost about to finish the railroad. We know that they fear that we might settle here permanently but we deserve better. We have to do the menial jobs irrespective of out competent skillfulness. I feel like I and my fellow Chinese have persevered enough discrimination and personal attacks. I do not understand why we have to pay extremely high head tax while our work is meant to benefit the Can adians and their government. I might have excused the Canadians for mistreating the first Chinese arrivals but it has been almost a whole century since then and we are still facing the difficulties they faced. I left Guangdong to escape poverty and I find it disheartening to continue suffering irrespective of the hardships I have to undergo as a railway worker to get my daily bread. Being treated as an outsider or an alien is disheartening. Chinamen or non-British alien is the name used to refer to us from Guangdong. This is discriminative and a demonstration of extreme racism, which I believe, you are opposed to. I have been a worker in Canadian Pacific Railway (C.P.R) for over a decade and I feel its time your government acknowledged that we are part of Canadian community. You must have noticed the increasing agitation as we near the completion of the C.P.R. Chinese constructors are being attacked and killed often and no measures have been taken to curb this. I fail to understand why the white, black, and native workers are paid two to three times our wage while we do similar and at times harder works than them. I agonize every day as I watch my brothers sleep hungry and come to work every day. Others die while planting explosives along the railroad construction site. I happened to work at the area near Fraser Canyon, which was the most difficult part of the construction. It was evident that the Chinese who were being paid the least wages comprised the majority of the team working in this site. Countless of them died while planting explosives or digging tunnels. Although we as Chinese rail workers are paid the least wages, we have to pay for our cooking and camping gears while other workers are provided for the above freely. Irrespective of our great role in improving the Canadian economy, we have been denied the right to vote. Additionally, were have been alienated from the political community. The move to form our own community was

Write an annotation entry consisting of a Citation, a brief Summary, Essay - 8

Write an annotation entry consisting of a Citation, a brief Summary, and a short paragraph Evaluation of the text below - Essay Example sident Obama acknowledged the fact that there is no need to have the Ferguson’s report to establish the truth that racial discrimination still exist in the current generation. Nia-Malika views that part of the speech as a way by which the president is making a call that people need to be cowards but focus on the past and not just the events of Ferguson to justify the existence of racial discrimination. Gwen reflects on the recent statement by the attorney general at the same event and asks if that is a responsibility or a burden to the first black president. In giving her response, Amy says that it is both a burden as well as a responsibility but admits that the speech by the president sought to offer hope and the realization not all is lost in the quest for a generation of impartial racial treatment. She admits that inequality still exist in the America society and it is closely tied to education and income. Gwen proceeds on another part of the speech in which the president directed his statements on close to 100 members of the Congress in the wake of their call to renew the voting rights Act. The president acknowledged the fact that the voting rights Act was one of the greatest achievement of American democracy which was as a result of the efforts by both the Republicans and the Democrats. The act was signed by various former presidents such as Reagan and Bush while they were in the Oval Office. Henderson argues that the statement has a lot of impact among the Republicans whom she considers to be a bit different from those of the past hence they are likely to show a different view of the Act. Amy considers the Act to be partially partisan in relation to geographical distribution of the various races in the Unites States. On the part of Hillary Clinton using her personal emails for official duties, Amy comments that she has to stand out on her own to defend herself without expecting the help of anyone. The interview by Gwen is very useful as it offers a deeper

Exploring University Students' Perception of Healthy Eating and Food Essay

Exploring University Students' Perception of Healthy Eating and Food Consumption - Essay Example It is widely known that about 8% of students in the university ate at least five meals of either fruits or vegetables daily (Roosen et al., 2011). This trend is even worse among the third and fourth year students at the university. There is a strong correlation between demographic and psychographic physiognomies with food consumption behaviour among university students. The dietary habits developed in the first two years at the university are carried on to later years in the university (Dunn, 2013). Student’s residences have also been found to affect their dietary habits. For instance, off-campus students were reported to take healthier foods than those living within the campus (Brown, 2014). A healthy eating habit is vital to good health throughout a person’s lifespan (Tseng, 1981). Despite the knowledge imparted in populations on the benefits of healthy eating, unwarranted consumption of food is prevalent especially among the adult population (Lindgreen & Hingley, 200 9). Previous works indicate that female students have a tendency towards fatty foods as compared to their male counterparts. However, fruit and consumption levels across both gender is the same (Shield, Mullen & Association, 2002). According to a study conducted by Tseng (1981) on the eating habits of students in California public schools, female students tend to avoid some food types especially junk owing to worries associated with body weight, beliefs and fitness. On the contrary, male students reported insignificant concern about weight and had no problem consuming junk food (Scaffa & Reitz, 2013). Therefore, it was evident that the choice of food type for male and female students was dictated by a number of... This report approves that to achieve such efforts there is need to develop projects aimed at imparting positive eating habits and creating awareness and attitudes towards appropriate diets. Such projects should aim at nurturing health eating habits among university students. Further, stakeholders owe to develop mechanisms that would ensure availability of adequate resources and healthy food types within the reach of college students in an effort to eliminate barriers of cost and availability impeding healthy eating habits. Lastly, there is need for a comprehensive partnership between the university’s catering departments with suppliers to ensure that shortage of specific food commodities is eliminated. There is also a need to create awareness regarding healthy choices of food through food exhibitions and demonstrations among the university students. This essay makes a conclusion that the findings of this research are based on the personal views of participating individuals within the focus groups. The views sampled from these groups may not reflect the views of the entire university populations. Each individual has his/her own identity and perception of food choice. In addition, identification of themes and cohesions was a big challenge in conducting this research. This was because the research was based on a relatively low sample considered. Time constraint was another challenge that faced the research process.

Structure analysis for NEA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Structure analysis for NEA - Essay Example President Barrack Obama has emerged revised policies to approach the challenges of VC fund flow structure of the country with appropriate revision of all existing norms to benefit the emerging companies. NEA environment of the liquidity of VC’s fund is described better by Porter’s Five Forces which identifies five different constraints in the fund governance of an emerging company. Firstly, the status of a company needs to be largely approved and of a huge size of operation to enter into NEA’s investment stream. Legal formalities of many of the entrants become complicated as they need to produce assurance of liquidity to the investors. Secondly, the superior power of investors over the company stands on the way of its operation. Investors are usually very selective about the choice and manner of business. This rigidness is somehow dissolved in the gradual course of longer term of the investment and illiquidity of the fund owing to low growth rate of the company’s income. Another force that suspends the VC’s fund flow is threat of substitutes. Thus the entrepreneur’s power is seized by the influence of investors as they are the decisive force behind the work. At the foremost stage, the VC fund flow was largely hit by the rapid growth in low flexibility and illiquidity which resulted in unethical entry of rival groups in the operation of similar activities. In the trial of accumulating funds, more than 650 Funded Companies, over 165 IPOs and as many as 265 Mergers and Acquisitions were drawn in favor of the venture capital stream. Thus formation of enhanced capital funding from various fields encouraged the process of forming top 100 companies aligned with an NEA found opportunity for employing over 300000 people and gathered their efforts positively generate $100bn in annual revenues. A great achievement of NEA stream was that it associated over 65 investment

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Ethics - Essay Example In a business environment, the three factors must be combined to accomplish organization’s goals through a set of relationships between organization’s management, shareholders, and other stakeholders. Structures in corporate governance are provided through which the objectives of the company are set and it acts as the means of monitoring performance and achieving objectives. Equally, an organizational structure seeks to determine how the roles, responsibilities and power are assigned, coordinated and controlled and how information will flow between different managerial levels. In a decentralized structure, the decision making power is evenly distributed and divisions and departments may have different degrees of flexibility and independence In a centralized structure most of the decision making flows from the top and it may have tight control over divisions and departments. ... Owing to innovations in information and communication technology the world has become increasingly virtual. This is a concept of people with complementary skills who are equally committed to a common purpose goal where they hold themselves mutually acceptable. The first major key to this is that the finance manager will be able to work across boundaries of time and space by making use of computer driven technology. Secondly, it enables the finance manager to interact with sub teams through interdependent tasks guided by common purpose and work across links lead by transport, information and communication. Thirdly, there is quick response to changing business environments making it easier for the manager to unite experts in specialized fields working far from each other digitally. It also provides greater degree of freedom to managers involved with development projects and it saves time and money. Although this virtuosity is effective, it is different from co-relation reasons being th at a manager must build trust differently because it is measured exclusively in reliability terms. Likewise, co-located teams benefit from facilitation of the manager while in virtual teams a manager must provide clear direction. Finally, decisions must be arrived at differently to avoid cultural bias (Kelley, 2001). Discussion 3 Barriers to Change as Depicted By Gayla Holges Organizational barriers are restrictions that rise on the eve of renewing an organization direction, capabilities and structure in a bid to serve the ever changing needs of both external and internal customers. According to Gayla Holges there are three major barriers to

Leadership Style Essay Example for Free

Leadership Style Essay My style of leadership is as a developer. Style 3 which an approach allowing people to think things through on their own, yet implementing guidelines on how to handled issues with delivering pharmacy care to our patients. This leadership technique requires the employee to exhaust all options available based on their level of knowledge and issues that require extensive research or problem solving are escalated for me to resolve. In many cases, this style of leadership empowers the employees and many employees excel in their jobs because they have a sense that they are appreciated. On the other hand, the developer as a leader does not deal well with resistance from employees. When the leader avoids conflict this can result in a loss of morale and focus on completing work-related tasks. The people-first mindset of this type of leader makes it difficult to keep employees moving along in order to meet company goals. My group was composed of Style 2 problem solver and Style 3 developer. The problem solver of the group made themselves available themselves available and part of the leadership consisted of demanding the team to stay on track and following the outline of the course. The team members all understood that each of the other members had something to offer the leadership course in the quest to finish the objectives and move on to the next class. In comparison to the developers the problem solvers lead with passion. One of the major difference between the leadership styles is that problem-solvers are more visionary and thinks about the big picture while the developer takes a an internal approach and focusing on what the team requires to accomplish their goals. I have a better understanding that as a leader I must attempt to optimize how the team’s goals are developed not just the performance required to accomplish the goals. Developing these skills encompasses a maturation of motivation and values so that as a leader I can elevate the needs of the other team members. The Developer of the team will try to identify opportunities for positive feedback and avoid confrontations that are related to performance this could esult in slower progress to reach the teams goal because the developer to approach a non-performing team member. Other leadership styles may see the Developer’s team as having a lack of direction because the leader places the well being of member’s before the completion of a task. The pitfall can build frustration to other team members who are goal or task oriented and subsequently leads to lower performance standards for the group especially to the Director and Problem Solver who wants fast results from a task driven, highly motivated team. The leaders in the team are very similar because they are sincere, people-oriented, and goal oriented. The Problem Solver and Developer worked well to motivate the team to live up to the vision and the goals of tasks. I realized both leaders are fearful of making the hard choices and possible changes needed to succeed. The leaders focus on team members’ differences while supporting individual’s needs.

Importance of Prayer Essay Example for Free

Importance of Prayer Essay An uncontrolled mind cannot progress in spiritual path unless it discovers the Self. The discovery of the Self is possible by self-control achieved through the withdrawal of sense organs from their respective objects. Yoga can be attained by striving hard to utilize the conserved energies for the Divine purposes. Yoga is the science of religion. Meditation is said to be the best among all the paths of spirituality. Meditation is a deliberate act by which the seeker strives to keep his thoughts channelized into one pre-determined line of thinking by not allowing the mind to entertain any other thoughts. It is therefore an attempt to fix the mind upon some object of contemplation. The Bhagavad Gita elucidates meditation as the final gateway to Self-realization. Renunciation is not giving up enjoyments, abandoning one’s duties and escaping to a safe sanctuary. It is this misunderstanding that has turned away genuine seekers and prevented them from accessing the benefits of renunciation. The Yogi whose mind is harmonized will see the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self. He never becomes separate from The Lord nor does The Lord become separated from him. The perfected saint acts as an instrument in the hands of God. The mind must be made to rest in God. When the mind is restrained by the practice of meditation, it realizes the Self within. It experiences such Bliss as if there is nothing else in the three worlds worth possessing. When the mind is directed towards God, with a comprehensive understanding, ones perception, attitude and desires for the world change automatically. On realizing the Self even the taste for the sense-objects ceases. Thus by experiencing the God-consciousness through continuous meditation one perceives the Unity in Diversity when all the desires come to an end. Arjuna, like us, is afraid of leaving the safe confines of his present existence to discover the unknown realm of the Infinite. He asks Krishna what would be the fate of those who commit themselves to a spiritual life but die before realization. Krishna gives a fitting reply to reveal one of the most insightful laws of life. He says, â€Å"One who is righteous will never come to grief – either now or in the future. His efforts will not go in vain. He will carry forward the credits to his future life†. Hence Live ND PRACTISE as the Gita Teaches us to Live Meditationneeds to be practiced diligently and devotedly. The essential prerequisite is a calm mind. A mind burdened with desires and attachments is unable to take off into subtler realms of concentration and meditation. Yoga brings about a disciplined mind. This can be brought about by curtailing the outgoing tendencies of the mind. It leads to bliss. Once the state of bliss is reached, all other worldly matters lose their influence over the body and mind. Such a man will feel his oneness with God. He will experience unity in diversity. Any effort towards meditation is not wasted. Raise yourself by yourself. Know what meditation is and practice it regularly. Be moderate in everything you do.

The Strategic Rationale For Outsourcing Decisions

The Strategic Rationale For Outsourcing Decisions By reviewing the relative and risks of making or buying, firms can persuade their expertise and resources for improved profitability. Combining two strategic approaches accurately permit managers to coordinate their companies skills and resources efficiently beyond levels obtainable with other strategies. 1- Concentrate companys possessed resources on its core competencies through which the company can achieve definable incomparability and offer unique value for customers. (Quinn, and Doorley, 1990) 2- Outsourcing strategically other activities of the companies consisting of many conventionally believed primary to a company which are neither special capabilities the firm nor affect critical strategic requirements. (Quinn, 1992) Substantial gains can be achieved from effective combining of the two approaches. Directors leverage their firms resources in four manners. First, they expand returns on in-house resources by focusing investments and energies on the enterprises best jobs. Secondly, if core competencies are well-developed a company can supply astounding barriers for present and forthcoming competitors that look for entering into the companys areas of interest, thus assisting and shielding the strategic advantages of market share. Third, conceivably the utmost leverage of all is the full deployment of external contractors, investments, innovations, and specialized professional capabilities that would be unaffordable or even not possible to replicate internally Fourth, in rapidly shifting marketplaces and technological circumstances, this cooperative strategy reduces risks, shortens discovery and manufacturing cycle times, decrease investments, and generates better responsiveness to customer needs. (Quinn and Hillmer 1995) Earning sustainable competitive advantage through Outsourcing Managers can combine core competency concepts and strategic outsourcing for maximum effectiveness. Managers can analytically select and develop the core competencies that will provide the firms uniqueness, competitive advantage, and basis of value creation for the future. Core competency strategies The basic ideas behind core competencies and strategic outsourcing have been well supported by research extending over a twenty-year period.[4] In 1974, Rumelt noted that neither of the then-favored strategies unrelated diversification or vertical integration yielded consistently high returns.[5] Since then, other carefully structured research has indicated the effectiveness of disaggregation strategies in many industries.[6] Noting the failures of many conglomerates in the 1960s and 1970s, both financial theorists and investors began to support more focused company concepts. Generally this meant sticking to your knitting by cutting back to fewer product lines. Unfortunately, this also meant a concomitant increase in the systematic risk these narrower markets represented. However, some analysts noticed that many highly successful Japanese and American companies had very wide product lines, yet were neither conglomerates nor truly vertically integrated.[7] Japanese companies, like Sony, Mitsubishi, Matsushita, or Yamaha, had extremely diverse product offerings, as did 3M or Hewlett-Packard in the United States. Yet they were not conglomerates in the normal sense. They were termed related conglomerates, redeploying certain key skills from market to market.[8] At the same time, these companies also contracted out significant support activities. Although frequently considered vertically integrated, the Japanese auto Industry, for example, was structured around mother companies that primarily performed design and assembly, with a number of Independent suppliers and alliance partners without ownership bonds to the mother companies feeding into them.[9] Many other Japanese hi-tech companies, particularly the more Innovative ones like Sony and Honda, used comparable strategies leveraging a few core skills against multiple markets through extensive outsourcing. The term core competency strategies was later used to describe these and other less diversified strategies developed around a central set of corporate skills.[10] However, there has been little theory or consistency in the literature about what core really means. Consequently, many executives have been understandably confused about the topic. They need not be if they think in terms of the specific skills the company has or must have to create unique value for customers. However, their analyses must go well beyond looking at traditional product or functional strategies to the fundamentals of what the company can do better than anyone else.[11] For example, after some difficult times, it was easy enough for a beer company like Fosters to decide that it should not be in the finance, forest products, and pastoral businesses into which it had diversified. It has now divested these peripheral businesses and is concentrating on beer. However, even within this concept, Fosters true competencies are in brewing and marketing beer. Many of its distribution, transportation, and can production activities, for example, might actually be more effectively contracted out. Within individual functions like production, Fosters could further extend its competitive advantage by outsourcing selected activities such as maintenance or computing where it has no unique capabilities. The essence of core competencies What then is really core? And [emailprotected] The concept requires that managers think much more carefully about which of the firms activities really do or could create unique value and which activities managers could more effectively buy externally. Careful study of both successful and unsuccessful corporate examples suggests that effective core competencies are: 1. Skill or knowledge sets, not products or functions. Executives need to look beyond the companys products to the intellectual skills or management systems that actually create a maintainable competitive edge. Products, even those with valuable legal protection, can be too easily back-engineered, duplicated, or replaced by substitutes. Nor is a competency typically one of the traditional functions such as production, engineering sales, or finance, around which organizations were formed in the past. Instead, competencies tend to be sets of skills that cut across traditional functions. This interaction allows the organization consistently to perform an activity better than functional competitors and continually to Improve on the activity as markets, technology, and competition evolve. Competencies thus involve activities such as product or service design, technology creation, customer service, or logistics that tend to be based on knowledge rather than on ownership of assets or intellectual property per se. Knowledge-based activities generate most of the value in services and manufacturing. In services, which account for 79 percent of all jobs and 76 percent of all value-added in the United States, intellectual inputs create virtually all of the value-added. Banking, financial services, advertising, consulting, accounting, retailing, wholesaling, education, entertainment, communications, and health care are clear examples. In manufacturing, knowledge-based activities like RD, product design, process design, logistics, marketing research, marketing, advertising, distribution, and customer service @ also dominate the value-added chain of most companies (see Exhibit 1). 2. Flexible, long-term platforms capable of adaptation or evolution. Too many companies try to focus on the narrow areas where they currently excel, usually on some product-oriented skills. The real challenge is to consciously build dominating skills in areas that the customer will continue to value over time, as Motorola is doing with Its focus on superior quality, portable communications. The uniqueness of Toys R Us lies in its powerful information and distribution systems for toys, and that of State Street Boston in its advanced information and management systems for large custodial accounts. Problems occur when managers choose to concentrate too narrowly on products (as computer companies did on hardware) or too inflexibly on formats and skills that no longer match customer needs (as FotoMat and numerous department stores did). Flexible skill sets and constant, conscious reassessment of trends are hallmarks of successful core competency strategies. 3. Limited in number. Most companies target two or three (not one and rarely more than five) activities in the value chain most critical to future success. For example, 3M concentrates on four critical technologies in great depth and supports these with a peerless innovation system. As work becomes more complex, and the opportunities to excel in many detailed activities proliferate, managers find they cannot be best at every activity in the value chain. As they go beyond three to five activities or skill sets, they are unable to match the performance of their more focused competitors or suppliers. Each skill set requires intensity and management dedication that cannot tolerate dilution. It is hard to imagine Microsofts top managers taking their enthusiasm and skills in software into, say, chip design or even large-scale training in software usage. And if they did, what would be the cost of their loss of attention on software development? 4. Unique sources of leverage in the value chain. Effective strategies seek out places where there are market imperfections or knowledge gaps that the company is uniquely qualified to fill and where investments in intellectual resources can be highly leveraged. Raychem and Intel concentrate on depth in design and on highly specialized test-feedback systems supporting carefully selected knowledge-based products not on volume production of standardized products to jump over the experience curve advantages of their larger competitors. Morgan Stanley, through its TAPS system, and Bear Stearns, through its integrated bond-trading programs, have developed in-depth knowledge bases creating unique intellectual advantages and profitability in their highly competitive markets. 5. Areas where the company can dominate. Companies consistently make more money than their competitors only if they can perform some activities which are important to customers more effectively than anyone else. True focus in strategy means the capacity to bring more power to bear on a selected sector than any competitor can. Once, this meant owning and managing all the elements in the value chain supporting a specific product or service in a selected market position. Today, however, some outside supplier, by specializing in the specific skills and technologies underlying a single element in the value chain, can become more proficient at that activity than virtually any company spreading its efforts over the whole value chain. In essence, each company is in competition with all potential suppliers of each activity in its value chain. Hence, it must benchmark its selected core competencies against all other potential suppliers of that activity and continue to build these core capabilities until it is demonstrably best. Thus the basic nature of strategic analysis changes from an industry analysis perspective to a horizontal analysis of capabilities across all potential providers of an activity, regardless of which industry the provider might be in (see Exhibit 1). 6. Elements important to customers in the long run. At least one of the firms core competencies should normally relate directly to understanding and serving its customers that is, the right half of the value chain in Exhibit 1. Hi-tech companies with the worlds best state-of-the-art technology often fail when they ignore this caveat. On the other hand, Merck matches its superb basic research with a prescription drug marketing knowhow that is equally outstanding. By aggressively analyzing its customers, value chains, a company can often identify where it can specialize and provide an activity at lower cost or more effectively to the customer. Such analyses have created whole new Industries, like the specialized mortgage broker, syndication, secondary market, transaction-processing, escrow, title search, and insurance businesses that have now taken over these risks and functions for banks and have disaggregated the entire mortgage industry. 7. Embedded in the organizations systems. Maintainable competencies cannot depend on one or two talented stars such as Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniak at Apple or Herbert Boyer and Arthur D. Riggs at Genentech whose departure could destroy a companys success. Instead, the firm must convert these competencies into a corporate reputation or culture that outlives the stars. Especially when a strategy is heavily dependent on creativity, personal dedication, and initiative or on attracting top-flight professionals, core competencies must be captured within the companys systems broadly defined to include its values, organization structures, and management systems. Such competencies might include recruiting (McKinsey, Goldman Sachs), training (McDonalds, Disney), marketing Procter Gamble, Hallmark), innovation (Sony, 3M), motivation systems (ServiceMaster), or control of remote and diverse operating sites within a common framework and philosophy (Exxon, CRA, Inc.). These systems are often at the heart of consistent superior performance; in many cases, a firms systems become its core competencies.(12) Preeminence: The key strategic barrier For Its selected core competencies, the company must ensure that it maintains absolute preeminence. It may also need to surround these core competencies with defensive positions, both upstream and downstream. In some cases, it may have to perform some activities where it is not best-in-world, just to keep existing or potential competitors from learning, taking over, eroding, or bypassing elements of its special competencies. In fact, managers should consciously develop these core competencies to block competitors strategically and avoid outsourcing them or giving suppliers access to the critical knowledge bases or skills that underpin them. Honda, for example, does all its engine RD in-house and makes all the critical parts for its small motor design core competency in closely controlled facilities in Japan. It will consider outsourcing any other noncritical elements in its products, but builds a careful strategic block around this most essential element for all its businesses.(13) Most important, as a companys preeminence in selected fields grows, its knowledge-based core competencies become ever harder to overtake. Knowledge bases tend to grow exponentially in value with Investment and experience. Intellectual leadership tends to attract the most talented people, who then work on and solve the most interesting problems. The combination in turn creates higher returns and attracts the next round of outstanding talent. In addition to the examples we have already cited, organizations as diverse as Bechtel, ATT Bell Labs, Microsoft, Boeing, Intel, Merck, Genentech, McKinsey, Arthur Andersen, Sony, Nike, Nintendo, Bankers T rust, and Mayo Clinic have found this to be true. Some executives regard core activities as those the company is continuously engaged in, while peripheral activities are those that are intermittent and therefore can be outsourced. From a strategic outsourcing viewpoint, however, core competencies are the activities that offer long-term competitive advantage and thus must be rigidly controlled and protected. Peripheral activities are those not critical to the companys competitive edge. Strategic outsourcing If supplier markets were totally reliable and efficient, rational companies would outsource everything except those special activities in which they could achieve a unique competitive edge, that is, their core competencies. Unfortunately, most supplier markets are, imperfect and do entails some risks for both buyer and seller with respect to price, quality, time, or other key dimensions. Moreover, outsourcing entails unique transaction costs searching, contracting, controlling, and recontracting that at times may exceed the transaction costs of having the activity directly under managements in-house control. To address these difficulties, managers must answer three key questions about any activity considered for outsourcing. First, what is the potential for obtaining competitive advantage in this activity, taking account of transaction costs? Second, what is the potential vulnerability that could arise from market failure if the activity is outsourced? Conceptually, these two factors ca n be arrayed In a simple matrix (see Exhibit 2). Third, what can we do to alleviate our vulnerability by structuring arrangements with suppliers to afford appropriate controls yet provide for necessary flexibilities in demand? The two extremes in exhibit 2 are relatively straightforward. When the potential for both competitive edge and strategic vulnerability is high, the company needs a high degree of control, usually entailing production internally or through joint ownership arrangements or tight long-term contracts (explicit or implicity). Marksk Spencer, for example, is famous for its network of tied suppliers, which create the unique brands and styles that underpin the retailers value reputation. Spot suppliers would be too unreliable and unlikely to meet the demanding standards that are Marks Spencers unique consumer franchise. Hence, close control of product quality, design, technology, and equipment through contracts and even financial support is essential. The opposite case is perhaps office cleaning, where little competitive edge is usually possible and there is an active and deep market of supplier firms. In between, there is a continuous range of activities requiring different degrees of control and strategic flexibility. At each Intervening point, the question is not just whether to make or buy, but how to implement a desired balance between independence and incentives for the supplier versus control and security for the buyer. Most companies will benefit by extending outsourcing first in less critical areas, or in parts of activities, like payroll, rather than all of accounting. As they gain experience, they may increase profit opportunities greatly by outsourcing more critical activities to noncompeting firms that can perform them more effectively independence and incentl,v In a few cases, more complex alliances with competitors may be essential to garner specialized skills that cannot be obtained in other ways. At each level, the company must isolate and rigorously control strategically critical relationships between its suppliers and its customers. Competitive edge The key strategic issue in insourcing versus outsourcing is whether a company can achieve a maintainable competitive edge by performing an activity internally usually cheaper, better, in a more timely fashion, or with some unique capability on a continuing basis. If one or more of these dimensions is critical to the customer and if the company can perform that function uniquely well, the activity should be kept in-house. Many companies unfortunately assume that because they have historically performed an activity internally, or because it seems integral to their business, the activity should be insourced. However, on closer investigation and with careful benchmarking, a companys internal capabilities may turn out to be significantly below those of best-in-world suppliers. Ford Motor Company, for example, found that many of its Internal suppliers quality practices and costs were nowhere near those of external suppliers when it began its famous best in class worldwide benchmarking studies on 400 subassemblies for the new Taurus-Sable line. A New York bank with extensive worldwide operations Investigated why its Federal Express costs were soaring and found that its Internal mall department took two days more than Federal Express to get a letter or package from the third floor to the fortieth floor of Its building. In interviews about benchmarking with top operating managers in both service and manufacturing companies, we frequently encountered some paraphrase of We thought we were the best in the world at many activities. But when we benchmarked against the best external suppliers, we found we were not even up to the worst of the benchmarking cases. Transaction costs In all calculations, analysts must include internal transaction costs as well as those associated with external sourcing. If the company is to produce the item or service internally on a long-term basis, it must back up its decision with continuing RD, personnel development, and infrastructure investments that at least match those of the best external supplier; otherwise, it will lose its competitive edge over time. Managers often tend to overlook such backup costs, as well as the losses from laggard innovation and unresponsiveness of internal groups that know they have a guaranteed market. Finally, there are the headquarters and support costs of constantly managing the insourced activity. One of the great gains of outsourcing is the decrease in executive time spent managing peripheral activities freeing top management to focus more on the core of Its business. Various studies have shown that when these internal transaction costs are thoroughly analyzed, they can be extremely high.(14) Since it is easier to identify the explicit transaction costs of dealing with external suppliers, these generally tend to be included in analyses. Harder-to-identify internal transaction costs, however, are often not included, thus biasing results. Vulnerability When there are many suppliers with adequate but not dominating scale) and mature market standards and terms, a potential buyer is unlikely to be more efficient than the best available supplier. If, on the other hand, there is not sufficient depth in the market, overly powerful suppliers can hold the company ransom. Conversely, if the number of suppliers is limited or individual suppliers are too weak, they may be unable to supply innovative products or services as well as a much larger buyer could by performing the activity in-house. While the activity or product might not be one of its core competencies, the company might nevertheless benefit by producing internally rather than undertaking the training, investment, and codesign expenses necessary to bring weak suppliers up to needed performance levels. Another form of vulnerability is the lack of information available in the marketplace or from individual suppliers., for example, a supplier may secretly expect labor disruptions or raw material problems, but hide these concerns until it is too late for the customer to go elsewhere. A related problem occurs when a supplier has unique information capabilities: for example, large wholesalers or retailers, market research firms, software companies, or legal specialists may have information or fact-gathering systems that would be impossible for the buyer or any other single supplier to reproduce efficiently. Such suppliers may be able to charge what are essentially monopoly prices, but purchasing from them could still be less costly than reproducing the service Internally. In other cases, there may be many capable suppliers (for example, in RD or software), but the costs of adequately monitoring progress on the suppliers, premises might make outsourcing prohibitive. Sometimes the whole structure of information in an industry will militate for or against outsourcing. Computing, for example, was largely kept in-house in Its early years because the information available to a buyer of computing services and Its ability to make judgments about such services were very different for the buying company (which knew very little) than for the supplier (which had excellent information). Many buyers lacked the competency either to assess or to monitor sellers, and feared loss of vital information. A company can outsource computing more easily today, in part because buyers, computer, technical management, and software knowhow are sufficient to make informed judgments about external suppliers. In addition to information anomalies, Stuckey and White note three types of asset specificity that commonly create market imperfections, calling for controlled sourcing solutions rather than relying on efficient markets.(15) These are: (1) site specificity, where sellers have located costly fixed assets in close proximity to the buyer, thus minimizing transport and inventory costs for a single supplier; (2) technical specificity, where one or both parties must invest in equipment that can be used only by the parties in conjunction with each other and has low value, in alternative uses; and (3) human capital specificity, where employees must develop in-depth skills that are specific to a particular buyer or customer relationship. Stuckey and White explain the outsourcing implications of information and specificity problems in the case of a bauxite mine and an alumina refiner. Refineries are usually located close to mines because of the high cost of transporting bauxite, relative to Its value. Refineries in turn are tuned to process the narrow set of physical properties associated with the particular mines bauxite. Different and highly specialized skills and assets are needed for refining versus mining. Access to Information further compounds problems., if an independent mine expects a strike, it is unlikely to share that information with its customers, unless there are strong incentives. As a result, the aluminum industry has moved toward vertical integration or strong bilateral joint ventures, as opposed to open outsourcing of bauxite supplies despite the apparent presence of a commodity product and many suppliers and sellers. In this case, issues of both competitive advantage and potential market failure dictate a higher degree of sourcing control. Degree of source control In deciding on a sourcing strategy for a particular segment of their business, managers have a wide range of control options the Exhibits 3 and 4 for the most basic). Where there is high potential both for vulnerability and for competitive edge, tight control is indicated (as in the bauxite case). At the opposite end is, say, office cleaning. Between these extremes are opportunities for developing special incentives or more complex oversight contracts to balance intermediate levels of vulnerability against more moderate prospects for competitive edge. Nikes multi-tier strategy offers an interesting example (see boxed insert on page 62). The practice and law of strategic alliances are rapidly developing new ways to deal with common control issues by establishing specified procedures that permit direct involvement in limited stages of a partners activities, without incurring either ownership arrangements or the loss of control inherent ln arms-length transactions. Flexibility versus control Within this framework, there is a constant tradeoff between flexibility and control. One of the main purposes of outsourcing is to have the supplier assume certain classes of investment and risk, such as demand variability. To optimize costs, the buying company may want to maintain its internal capacity at re atively constant levels despite highly fluctuating sales demands. Under these circumstances, it needs a surge strategy. McDonalds, for example, with $8billion in sales and 10.1 percent growth per year, needs to call in part-time and casual workers to handle extensive daily variations yet also be able to select its future permanent or managerial personnel from these people. IBM has had the opposite problem, since its core demand has been declining, the company has had to lay off employees. Yet it needs surge capacity for: (1) quick access to some former employees, basic skills; (2) available production capacity without the costs of supporting facilities full time; and (3) the ability to exploit strong outside parties specialized capabilities through temporary consortia for example, in applications software, microprocessors, network development, or factory automation. Strategically, McDonalds has created a pool of people available on call options, while IBM through spinouts of factories with baseload commitments to IBM, guaranteed consulting employment for key people, flexible joint venturts, and strategic alliances has created put options to handle surge needs as it downsizes and tries to turn around its business. There is a full spectrum of outsourcing arrangements, depending on the companys control and flexibility needs (see Exhibit 4). The issue is less whether to make or buy an activity than it is how to structure internal versus external sourcing on an optimal basis. Companies are outsourcing much more of what used to be considered either integral elements of their value chains or necessary staff activities. Because of greater complexity, higher specialization, and new technological capabilities, outside suppliers can now perform many such activities at lower cost and with higher value-added than a fully integrated company can. In some cases, new production technologies have moved manufacturing economies of scale toward the supplier. In others, service technologies have lowered transaction costs substantially, making it possible to specify, transport, store, and coordinate inputs from external sources so inexpensively that the balance of benefits has shifted from insourcing to outsourcing. In certain specialized niches, outside companies have grown to such size and sophistication that they have developed economies of scale, scope, and knowledge intensity so formidable that neither smaller nor more integrated producers can effectively compete with them (for example, ADP Services in payroll, and ServiceMaster in maintenance). To the extent that knowledge of a specific activity is more important than knowledge of the end product itself, specialized suppliers can often produce higher value-added at lower cost for that activity than almost any integrated company. Strategic benefits versus risks Too often companies look at outsourcing as a means to lower only short-term direct costs. However, through strategic outsourcing, companies can lower their long-term capital investments and leverage their key competencies significantly, as Apple and Nike have done. They can also force many types of risk and unwanted management problems onto suppliers. Gallo, the largest producer and distributor of wines in the United States, outsources most of its grapes, pushing the risks of weather, land prices, and labor problems onto its suppliers. Argyle Diamonds, one of the worlds largest diamond producers, outsources virtually all aspects of its operation except the crucial steps of separation and sorting of diamonds. It contracts all its huge earth-moving operations (to avoid capital and labor risks), its housing and food services for workers (to avoid confrontations on nonoperating issues), and much of its distribution (to De Beers to protect prices, to finance inventories, and to avoid the complications of worldwide distribution). By outsourcing to best-in-class suppliers in each case, it further ensures the quality and image of its operations. Important strategic benefits Strategically, outsourcing can provide the buyer with greater flexibility, especially in the purchase of rapidly developing new technologies, fashion goods, or the myriad components of complex systems. It reduces the companys design-cycle t

Yukio Mishimas The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea - Existent

Yukio Mishima's The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea -   Existentialist Views On Death    Cultures all over the world have different convictions surrounding the final, inevitable end for all humans - death. In the United States, and in most Westernized cultures we tend to view death as something that can be avoided through the use of medicine, artificial respiration machines, and the like. To us, death is not a simple passing, and usually, we do not accept it as a normal part of life. Death, to Westernized folk, is not celebrated, but is rather something to be feared, something that haunts us all in the back of our minds. However, this mentality is not held through all cultures -- in Mishima's The Sailor, a Japanese novel steeped in traditional Eastern values, death is a very proud, honorable part of life. Its inevitability is accepted and, at many times, even celebrated and brou~ht about willingly. Throughout existentialist literature, the belief is held true that death, in and of itself, is a most crucial determinant of life's meaning, or in this case meaninglessne ss. This is what Noboru and his gang attempt to construct through causing the death of the kitten, and more importantly, of Ryuji. Throughout the Sailor, our Western convictions concerning death are brutally challenged. Death, in the Sailor, was something to be proud of, something to look forward to. Our first look at death is through the eyes of a child, our absurdist hero, Noboru. He, with his gang, proceeds to kill a kitten with his gang, an attempt to find meaning in what they believed to be a meaningless, fleeting existence. "How are we going to do it?" he asked. After he killed the kitten, and the boys performed a type of twisted surgery on the corpse, ... ... end, if Ryuji had remained an "authentic person" and died as he wanted to, in a glorious death on the sea, he would not have been killed by a gang of young boys. Throughout existentialist literature, the belief is held true that death, in and of itself, is a most crucial determinant of life's meaning, or in this case, meaninglessness. With Ryuji's death, the boys attempt to find meaning, but instead, they find revenge against Ryuji for the cnme he committed - against himself. Bibliography 1. Heuscher, Julius E., M.D. Existential Crisis, Death, and Changing "World Designs" in Myths and Fairy Tales," The Journal of Existentialism, 1966. 2. Heuscher, J. Existentialism. Vol V., N. 20, p. 371, 1965. 3. Feifel, H., ed "The Meaning of Death." Mc-Graw Hill Publications, 1959. 4. Grimm, J. and W., Grimms' Fairy Tales. Ch. Thomas., Publ. Springfield, Ill., 1988.    Yukio Mishima's The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea -   Existent Yukio Mishima's The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea -   Existentialist Views On Death    Cultures all over the world have different convictions surrounding the final, inevitable end for all humans - death. In the United States, and in most Westernized cultures we tend to view death as something that can be avoided through the use of medicine, artificial respiration machines, and the like. To us, death is not a simple passing, and usually, we do not accept it as a normal part of life. Death, to Westernized folk, is not celebrated, but is rather something to be feared, something that haunts us all in the back of our minds. However, this mentality is not held through all cultures -- in Mishima's The Sailor, a Japanese novel steeped in traditional Eastern values, death is a very proud, honorable part of life. Its inevitability is accepted and, at many times, even celebrated and brou~ht about willingly. Throughout existentialist literature, the belief is held true that death, in and of itself, is a most crucial determinant of life's meaning, or in this case meaninglessne ss. This is what Noboru and his gang attempt to construct through causing the death of the kitten, and more importantly, of Ryuji. Throughout the Sailor, our Western convictions concerning death are brutally challenged. Death, in the Sailor, was something to be proud of, something to look forward to. Our first look at death is through the eyes of a child, our absurdist hero, Noboru. He, with his gang, proceeds to kill a kitten with his gang, an attempt to find meaning in what they believed to be a meaningless, fleeting existence. "How are we going to do it?" he asked. After he killed the kitten, and the boys performed a type of twisted surgery on the corpse, ... ... end, if Ryuji had remained an "authentic person" and died as he wanted to, in a glorious death on the sea, he would not have been killed by a gang of young boys. Throughout existentialist literature, the belief is held true that death, in and of itself, is a most crucial determinant of life's meaning, or in this case, meaninglessness. With Ryuji's death, the boys attempt to find meaning, but instead, they find revenge against Ryuji for the cnme he committed - against himself. Bibliography 1. Heuscher, Julius E., M.D. Existential Crisis, Death, and Changing "World Designs" in Myths and Fairy Tales," The Journal of Existentialism, 1966. 2. Heuscher, J. Existentialism. Vol V., N. 20, p. 371, 1965. 3. Feifel, H., ed "The Meaning of Death." Mc-Graw Hill Publications, 1959. 4. Grimm, J. and W., Grimms' Fairy Tales. Ch. Thomas., Publ. Springfield, Ill., 1988.   

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa Essay -- Essays on Eating Disorde

  Ã‚   Imagine starving yourself to the point of death. Imagine throwing up repeatedly after every meal. This may seem too harsh of a reality to comprehend, but between 30-60% of all United States females are on calorie restrictive diets. (Reel, 3) These diets eventually lead to obsessions about their desired weight and often result in an eating disorder. The two most prevalent disorders today are; Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Bulimia Nervosa affects 2 to 3 % of all women 15 to 40. Many young women between middle and high school develop often these bad habits to cope with the insecurities developing around them. These two disorders are affecting individuals younger and younger each year. Anorexia generally begins between 12 and 20 and coincides with the beginning and ending of high school. Recent studies have shown that Bulimia tends to affect 5% of all high school girls. (Levine, 132-4) These girls either have a serious Bulimic disorder or have routine weekly binges. Why are eating disorders so prevalent among young women? This question plagues many teachers, parents, and even friends of victims. There are many controversial causes surrounding this very question. Three major causes seem to dominate the minds of researchers worldwide. One's family factors and social scene ultimately effect one's psychological factors, which could eventually lead into the development of a serious eating disease. Each of these factors tend to effect everyone differently, but from various research they all have the same outcome; an eating disorder.    Bulimia, or "ox hunger", is a disease characterized by abnormal increases in hunger whereby an individual binges rapidly, then attempts to undo the effects by vomiting, taking laxatives,... ... Every disease can be cured with love and patience. With these eating disorder patients life has seemed to treat them wrong, all they need is some reassurance that everything will turn out fine.    Works Cited Ask NOAH about Mental Health. "Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa." http://noah.cuny.edu/wellconn/eatdisorders.html How Serious Are Eating Disorders (16 March 1999) Berg, Frances M. Afraid to Eat. Hettinger: Healthy Weight Journal, 1997. Costin, Carolyn. Your Dieting Daughter, Is She Dying for Attention? New York: Brunner/Mazel Publishers, 1997. Eating Disorders Recovery Group. "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Fattest of Them All?" http://www.mirror-mirror.org/eatdis.html (17 March 1999) Levine, Michael P. Student Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. Washington: National Education Association, 1987

Green Tea

Leeds, describes t h sec h e m is t ray of black tea manufacture Tea is the m so two I d e I yes o NSA u m De beverage in the w o r old . The economic importance of an annual w o r I d production of tea estimated to be in the region of 1-15 million tones has resulted in considerable attention being paid to the understanding of the chemical and physical changes w h I c h take place during tea manufacture.The three main types of tea, black, green and instant tea, are made by processing the y o n g shoot or flush, comprising the terminal b u d and t w o adjacent leaves of the tea plant (Camellia genesis), s h o w n opposite. Of these types of processed tea the most important is the familiar black tea, w h I c h is a fermented product, the coloring matter arising f r o m enzymes oxidation of phenol components of the tea leaf. Green tea, o n the other hand, resembles m o r e closely the dehydrated leaf, any chemical changes being non-enzymes and its brews do not contain highly colored pro ducts.Green tea is the m so t popular of r m of tea in a number of countries including China and Japan. Instant tea may be prepared f r o m both black and green tea, the process essentially involving extraction w I t h water, concentration and dehydration. The w o r I d market for instant tea, however, is small (some 5% of w o r I d tea production), indicating perhaps that satisfactory products have not yet reached the customer. The market has been further affected by the introduction of tea bags.In view of the commercial importance of black tea and the intricacy of the mechanisms of its manufacture, this product has received by far the most attention and the purpose of the present article is to outline some findings in this field. The black tea process 1 The freshly plucked tea flush is allowed to wither in air for some 18-20 hours, or for shorter periods when heated air is circulated, when it loses water and acquires a kid-glove feel. Important chemical changes have already begun to take place 2 .For example, amino acids are formed as precursors of compounds ultimately leading to the production of flavor and non-enzymes browning, the formation of kite compounds as flavor precursors and the 2 formation of caffeine. The leaf also becomes capable of acquiring a twist, rather than breaking up, when it is subsequently rolled. Fermentation is initiated by rolling when the enzyme, normally located in the chloroplast, and the phenol substrate, found in the cell vacuoles, are mixed in the presence of oxygen, without extensive damage to the outer cell wall.A three hour fermentation results in less than 10% of unchanged substrate remaining 3 . Fermentation is arrested by firing in a stream of hot air which also dries the product to some 3% moisture content. The final stage is grading. Enzymes oxidation Phenols or polysaccharides are enzymes which mediate in the oxidation of o-depletion to o-quinine's in the presence of oxygen but most of these enzymes are also capable of oxidation monopoles to o- quinine's. The tea enzyme is a polysaccharides but, unlike the ordinary for the so called fermentation are flavor components of the tea leaf.These are based on the flan structure, figure 1 . Polyphonic components comprise some 25-35% of the tea flush on a dry weight basis, of which some 20% may be found as flavor 4 . Specific flavor structures are shown in figure 2. They may clearly be divided into two groups ? the catechist and the collocations according to whether there are two or three hydroxyl (OH) groups in the right hand phenol ring. In fact, each group of compounds may be further distinguished according to the arrangements of groups around carbon atoms 2 and 3, resulting in four possible isomers.For example, the isomers of the catechisms are: (-) catechist, (+) catechist, (-) peachiness and (+) peachiness. In addition, these compounds exist as esters with Gaelic acid, figure 3. The most abundant are the collocations and specifically (-) epistemolo gically and its gallant ester (ca. 10% dry weight). In order of abundance, this is followed by (-) peachiness and its gallant (ca. 5 by weight) 4 . It is reasonable to assume that the first stage of oxidation involves conversion of Nutrition and Food Science these substrates to o-quinine's and is followed by condensation of these quinine's to dimmers and polymers.Flavor derived products in black tea The oxidation of flavors by way of quinine leads to the formation of dimmers by meaner of bonds between adjacent molecules, such that the 2†² position on one molecule, figure 2, links to either the 6 or 8 position on another in the case of catechist (ahead to tail' dimmers), and in the case of collocations the 2†² position on one molecule becomes linked to the 2†² position on another (tail to tail' dimmers). These tail to tail dimmers have been identified in black tea and are found to be derived from (-) epistemologically and its gallant as expected 5 .During fermentation carbon dioxide is evolved and this is believed to arise from an unusual but most important reaction leading to the formation of a seven member ring. Carbon rings of this size are infrequently found in organic chemistry but the essentials of this reaction are illustrated by the oxidation of paroxysmal to form purloining, figure 4. Gaelic acid, found extensively in fermented tea, can undergo a similar reaction to form purpurogallincarboxylic acid.The thyroxin grouping of the collocations can react in a similar manner to paroxysmal and it is therefore, not surprising that compounds such as paleontologist, figure 5, are found to be present in black tea 6 . It is also found that the catechist can take the place of one molecule of reactant in the purloining reaction. Thus, catechist can react with Gaelic acid to form diphtheria acids, figure 6, but, more importantly, one molecule of catechist is capable of reacting with one molecule of collocating, again in a purloining type reaction 2 .T he product is known as deflating and the structure is shown in figure 7. Deflating and its gallant esters are very important orange-red coloring matters in black tea constituting some 2% by weight on a dry basis. However, by weight, the most important group of coloring matters in black tea is that known as therapeutics constituting more than 10% 7 . Their structure is still unknown but they may also Evaluation of tea Tea is evaluated under five headings: strength, color, briskness, aroma and quality.Strength is a measure of the total concentration of deflations and therapeutics and, since they are responsible mainly for the color of tea, with small contributions from paleontologists and products of November 1979 3 TEA continued non-enzymes browning, color and strength are related. However, the assessment of color is more a measure of the brightness of the color rather than total color and so is a measure of the balance between the deflations and therapeutics, the former contributing sensory brightness and the latter the depth 8 .The extent of popularization of tea polyphony's depends on such factors as time and temperature, more extensive popularization giving rise to reduction of solubility. The polymers combine readily with caffeine and the result on cooling is known as creaming, the compounds so formed tending to separate out. This is particularly undesirable in teas intended for making iced tea. Creaming can be assessed through the cream index which is determined by deliberate coagulation with acid.The astringency of tea is largely dependent on the amount of polyphonic compounds present, the degree of oxidation of the tea flavors and particularly by the amount of Gaelic acid groups present on the flavors and their oxidation products. Caffeine is reported to improve the briskness of tea and milk or lemon Juice may modify the taste of the polyphony's 2 . The overall quality of a tea infusion may also be related to he proportions of deflating and therapeutics present and also to the sum of their concentrations.The aroma of tea is not related to tea polyphony's but is determined by the volatile components. Some three hundred compounds have been identified in black tea and recent discoveries are listed in the latest review 2 . They comprise leaderless, stones, esters, pyridine's, paralyzes, thistles, squishiness, aromatic amines, amides and other compounds. The formation of carbonyl compounds is a result of Stretcher degradation reactions between amino acids and oxidized flavors according to: usability stresses the importance of the formation of amino acids during the withering stages of tea manufacture.Tea leaves, being photosynthetic organs, also contain a significant amount of cartooned and important black tea aroma components are probably produced as a result of the oxidative degradation of carotids. The oxidation of unsaturated fats may also contribute to flavor. Conclusion The most important stage of black tea manufacture involves e nzymes oxidation of flavor substrates. Demerit flavors and particularly deflating are important contributors to tea quality together with the higher polymers known as heartburning. It is worth noting, however, that condensation does not stop when the enzyme is inactivated during firing.

Proposal for Reparations of African Americans Essay

Due to the fact that many African-Americans cannot trace their genealogy back more than three generations, It would be extremely difficult to distinguish between those who are descended from Freemen and those descended from Slaves. Therefore, although it should have some impact on reparations, we must take into account those who cannot trace their genealogy( approximately 3/4th of African- Americans). We also must remember that in essence, no African-Americans were completely free. Many blacks, Freeman and Slaves alike were lynched, falsely imprisoned, raped, murdered, and subject to sub-human treatment. It is almost impossible to estimate the economic hardship caused by slavery and the aftermath that followed. To this day the African-American family still suffers from the aftermath of slavery. We see it in the form of Poverty, under-education, Discrimination, and Black on Black crime. Consider that Blacks are seriously under-represented in many of our nations top fields. Less than .05 percent of African-Americans are CEO’s in corporate America. Blacks are also a rarity in Law, Medicine, and higher education, What follows is my estimation of the reparations needed. 1st generation descendant of slave: 500,000 of Freeman: 350,000 2nd generation descendant of slave: 350,000 of Freeman: 225,000 3rd generation descendant of slave: 225,000 of Freeman: 180,000 4th generation descendant of slave : 180,000 of Freeman: 120,000 5th generation descendant of slave: 120,000 of Freeman: 90,000 6th generation descendant of slave: 90,000 of Freeman: 60,000 7th generation descendant of slave: 60,000 of Freeman: 30,000. Additional Moneys. Family member lynched: 60,000 per family Family member raped by slave master: 20,000 Family member falsely imprisoned: 6,000 It is important to note that in the event that it cannot be determined whether a family descended from Freemen or Slaves, an average should be taken from the two. Also, in the event that a generation has no living survivors, that money shall not be awarded and is not subject to inheritance. As for Moneys for family menders lynched, raped, or falsely imprisoned, this must be a direct result of slavery and most be proven beyond a preponderance of the evidence. Therefore, each state shall appoint a committee of six members, at least three of them being African-Americans. These committees will be responsible for investigating all claims on an individual basis and awarding money. If, for example, a member of the 3rd generation starts a claim and dies before the moneys are awarded than that money shall be subject to inheritance. The committee will have a period of five years to investigate and award all moneys. In the event that a family wants to appeal their award or lack there of, their claims shall be directed to the State supreme court. The court will have three years to render decisions on all claims. In order to ensure the financial stability of the United States, these payments shall be made over a period of 15 yrs. However, in the case of persons who have been awarded moneys and are over the age of 55, they will have the option of taking a discounted lump sum of 40% of the moneys owed.

Post Purchase Evaluation Process

Post purchase Evaluation Process Carlie Higdon MAN105 March 9, 2013 Professor Dana Adams Consumer post purchase evaluation is generally affected by pre purchase expectations, The consumer usually does some sort of research to compare prices and such before making a big purchase, a house or a car for example. And the evaluation is whether they are happy or not with what they bought. What is cognitive dissonance (mental discord) you may ask?According to (businessdictionary. com) cognitive dissonance means State of psychological tension arising from incompatibility among a person's attitudes, behavior, beliefs, and/or knowledge, or when a choice has to be made between equally attractive or repulsive alternatives. It boils down to one of those â€Å"Why did I buy that for? † moments. Commonly known as â€Å"Buyer’s remorse. † Let’s see as a personal experience of me having cognitive dissonance.I guess it would be the spear of the moment impulse buys. You know the stuff they put buy the cash registers in stores. I end up getting a lot of that â€Å"As Seen On TV† things at Walmart. Last thing would have to be the â€Å"Bark Off. † Doesn’t work, the dogs just barked at it. I threw it away. But, I was like I could have used that money for something better that I could have actually used. Two products that can cause cognitive dissonance would be a house or a vehicle.Because if your not happy with your purchase that is two things that are hard to take back and get your money back. Now how can marketers and consumers reduce cognitive dissonance? One word â€Å"COMMUNICATION. † Just by the marketers’ talking to the public they can get a better idea of what the consumer wants and needs. References http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/cognitive-dissonance. html#ixzz2NCPjUHpu

A Black Family: Before and After Emancipation of the Slaves Essay

Before the emancipation of the slaves, the African-American family was hard pressed to stay together. Slave marriages were not recognized by any of the southern states in a court of law. However many of the slaves masters recognized and encouraged marriage. But is was this was only for economical purposes, not because they cared about the happiness of their slaves. When the slaves were married they would then have children, who would then in turn become slaves the their parents’ master. But even though the slave masters wanted marriages, and consequently more slaves, if the opportunity presented itself, then they would sell the slaves, and split families. Separation of family members was a constant fear for the slaves. This is why the slaves started calling themselves â€Å"aunt† and â€Å"uncle†, so that no matter where they were they would always have a family feeling around them. Emancipation allowed families to become stronger and sturdier for the African-Americans. The African-Americans who had married themselves, sought for legal marriage. Many African-Americans searched high and low for their family that they had been separated from. This happened all the way up to the 1960’s. Another key change in the African-American family after emancipation was that the roles of the husband and the wife started to differ. The African-American males insisted that their wives stay home, while they would go and work. After emancipation the African-American family chose when and where to work, instead of being told by the old white masters. See more: Analysis of Starbucks coffee company employees essay Citations: 1. Wikipedia: Thomas Sowell, Affirmative Action around the World, 2004. Basic Books. pp. 115-156 Wilder-Hamilton, Elonda R. (2002). â€Å"Uncovering the Truth: Understanding the Impact of American Culture on the Black Male Black Female Relationship†. The Black Agenda. Archived from the original on 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2007-06-03. Martin, Elmer P. (1980). The Black Extended Family. University of Chicago Press.ISBN 0226507971. 2. Faragher, John M., et al. Out of Many. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2004.

A Lies Poison As Illustrated In Billy Collins The History Teacher

A Lie's Poison As Illustrated In Billy Collin's The History Teacher What if you found out that everything you learned in school was a lie? The entire time you sat learning math, in vein, all of the facts about the government only a softened truth, the wars that were fought to make America a great country all lies. Well in this poem â€Å"The History Teacher† by Billy Collins, he shows what the consequences would be in sugar coating a serious subjects, not just in school but in daily life. Even though you’d want to spare someone the hard truth it would be best to tell them the truth. In this story the main character is a teacher, this teacher doesn’t want to introduce his students to the hard truth of History therefore he finds different ways to making things friendlier for kids as to not desensitize them, or traumatize them yet still teaching them about history. The outcome of him softening the truth, his kids go out into the playground area and pick on the kids that actually knew the real story because, they thought that the other kids were wrong, which the teacher had to deal with because he couldn’t tell the kids other wise and ruin their â€Å"innocence†. I understand how the teacher wants to preserve the kids innocence but their education isn’t something to compromise. Collins poem brings to light the harm that not telling people the whole truth, and /or keeping others in the dark can pose. I can empathize with the teacher because, as a teacher it is your job to teach kids about life, the past, present, this is also basic skills so if you don’t teach them correctly then it’ll be hard for them to learn the truth later in life. After that I realized that even though he was sparing the children their child hood he was also creating a problem for other kids that knew that what he was teaching wasn’t true because his kids would â€Å"torment the weak and the smart, messing up their hair and breaking their glasses†(Collins). These kids are now posing a threat to the other kids at the school due to their oblivious ignorance. In the end of the poem the teacher walks home thinking of new ways to lie to the kids tomorrow. The fact that astonishes me the most is that he sees that the kids aren’t learning anything, and their ignorance is indirectly harming other kids yet he doesn’t make any effort to stop it or rethink his methods. The meaning of this story is that it would be better to reveal the truth to someone rather than lying to them and letting them roam this cruel, uncompassionate world oblivious to the truth. Not telling people the truth, yea it can be sometimes for their own good, or maybe just to keep your conscience clear but eventually someone is going to tell them the truth or they are going to have to experience the hard truth and all your effort of preserving their â€Å"innocence† would be in vein there for in order to spare yourself the embarrassment and spare them the hard realization because, let’s be really real no one can stay innocent forever. Everyone has to eventually face the truth in life therefore let not one moment of truth be spared because it could be vital to their growth as a human being, to sum it all up Just tell people the truth and save others trauma and drama.

Where are you going, where are you from - Joyce Carol Oats Assignment

Where are you going, where are you from - Joyce Carol Oats - Assignment Example n the two of them, like her mother used to be the same was once and understands what she is going through, and that Connie somehow knows this and so there’s that different level of their relationship as well. Connie’s belief that her mother likes her more also suggests this. What’s more interesting though, and even a little bit disturbing, is the way that Connie reacts to Arnold Friend. Even the first time she saw him Connie was put a bit off center, and I immediately knew that he was going to play some sinister role in the story. I was not disappointed, and the scene where he comes to her house and talks to her, which is most of the story actually, gave me the chills. But at the same time Connie seems to expect things to turn out the way that they do, and there are some sentences in the story that make me wonder if that’s not actually the way she wants it to turn out. For instance, she goes out to the door and flirts with him, and even enjoys his attention, even though he has apparently been stalking her or worse and knows all sorts of things about her. His last name, â€Å"Friend,† makes him somehow seem even more evil than his speech when he talks. The way that he talks and the things that he says definitely play a big role in it, though, because he seems to be just saying things without any real understanding of what they mean beyond knowing that they are the sorts of things that a person like him should say. I almost wonder if he’s supposed to be Satan or something like that, but in the end he seems not quite as evil as that because the tone of the story doesn’t really make it sound like we’re supposed to hate him entirely. He is still a very creepy character, but the way he keeps his promises and doesn’t do anything extremely violent makes me wonder how creepy we’re supposed to find him. I think one of the main things Oates was trying for in this story is to show the confusion and the not always happy things that are involved in

Socrates, Plato, Aristotle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Socrates, Plato, Aristotle - Essay Example Despite the enigma that surrounds his life and his teachings, Socrates is today considered by many scholars to be one of the fathers of Western philosophy. His student, Plato, has done most of his thoughts and ideas that have been put down in writing because there is no record of his thought ever being written down during his lifetime. Based on this, it is very difficult to distinguish between the thought that was of Socrates and what was Plato is because it can be suspected that Plato may have put some of his ideas into the mouth of Socrates to make them seem more credible to his audience due to Socrates’ reputation. The dialectic method of enquiry can be considered Socrates’ most lasting contribution to Western philosophy, which tended mostly to be applied when dealing with moral matters such as what was good and just within the society. The dialectic method, which Socrates used, was first described by Plato when he stated that in order to solve a problem; this problem would be split into a series of questions the answers to which would eventually create a logical solution (McCall 1935 – 1936). The scientific method that is used today is heavily influenced by Socrates’ dialectic method of enquiry because a hypothesis for the solution of a problem is often the first stage in the scientific method. Socrates’ development and practicing of the dialectic method is what has earned him his place as one of the fathers of Western philosophy as well as the creator of the study of political philosophy, and moral philosophy.

Week 5 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week 5 - Research Paper Example From the output shown above, we can assess the categorical variables. This indicates that how many people gave each response. No mean or standard deviation requirement is appropriate as it does not make any sense for categorical variables, such as sex, marital status etc. From the table we can note that there are total of â€Å"537† with sub groups ranging from ‘0’ to ‘6’ along with frequency, percent, valid percent and cumulative percent. Frequency table for all other variables â€Å"number of persons living in this household, gender (male, female), helper (professional, service support, blue collar, unemployed/ Retired, student, DTS), marital status (Single, married, DTS), number of years in school(1-19yrs), ethnic(Asian, Mexican, Caucasian, black, Hispanic) and income(15000- 50,000 and above)† are similar to the categorical variable of children. The first table illustrates the gender with 325 female respondents and 212 male respondents. While the types of the problem experienced by the gender includes 229 respondents for goal disruptive, 209 relational break, 86 illnesses and 13 catastrophic. Second output elaborates that mean of the helper as dependent variable. The independent variable will be gender (male and female) and the problem experienced. The typical research question of interest is: do males and females differ significantly in experiencing problems, which problem is more among male or females? And is the influence of two variables idiosyncratic i.e gender has one effect in a particular problem, but a different effect in the different problem. There is no significant main effect for the problem as the M= - 0.2738 for Goal Disruptive , M= 0.1729 for relational break, M= 0.2742 for illness and M= 0.2672 for catastrophic. F= 12.187 and p=0.0000, a lot less than