Letter to President Pierce Essay

This article talks about the contrast between the white man and the red man not understanding one another. Indians as described in this are connected to the earth; people who are one with nature, while the white man is described as people who destroy the earth, or consumers of the earth. As one of the points Seattle has pointed out is how the two men see land. The red man views the land as sacred, of which has to be protected, while the white man see land as an object, a thing, which could be taken whenever they want it. Another comparison by Seattle is the red man being peaceful; in solitude while the white man loves chaos and destruction. Both men cannot understand the other. The red man wonders why the white man steals their horses, slaughters the buffalo that they use for food, and take the land away. Later in the article the red man, or the indian concludes that whether it may be a ‘red man’ or a ‘white man’, both are human beings, and both are connecte d to one another, and what happens to one human, happens to all. Native americans, also known as the ‘red man’ were the first people before the white men came into America, so the article tells the truth. White men intruded the red men by hunting buffalo; the Indians’ main food source so that they would move out or starve to death. White men also took the Indians’ lands, forcing them to live somewhere else, when the Indians are used to roaming the earth; the land, hunting game, free with no boundaries. The red men were forced to adapt to the life of the white man, and lived in the cities, where it is chaotic, loud and confined. In conclusion, the article tells that all men are equal, and what happens to one happens to another, which is also what other people believe. To name a few : â€Å"Do not do unto others what you want others to do unto you.† (Confucius) and also the bible states, â€Å"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.† (Romans 12:19 KJV) All men believe that there will be redemption to people who take advantage of other people for self-gain.

Huckleberry Finn Best Intentions

Best Intentions? Can people's best intentions be good enough for you? Is right for people to try to chose your path for you? In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the main character Huck goes through a long journey, using his experience to mature and grow as a person. Huck travels with the African American former slave Jim all over the Mississippi river in hope to get to a anti-slavery state, but they go through a lot of problems heading the wrong way and deeper into the southern states.Throughout the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are characters who have the best intention to help Huck but it is not the best thing for him. The widow tries to â€Å"sivilize† Huck, the new judge tries to improve Pap's moral condition to better him for Huck, and the Phelps family tells Huck to â€Å"do the right thing† and return Jim to his owners. There are characters who have the best intentions for Huck but they are not the best thing for hi m. The widow wants to â€Å"sivilize† Huck, and she wants to teach him manners under a very religious view. Huck says, â€Å"The widow rung a bell for super, and you had to come to time.When you got to the table you couldn't go right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to tuck her head and grumble a little over the victuals, though there warn't really anything the matter with them† (p. 1-2). The widow makes Huck come on time to eat supper and he has to wait after she says grace for the food they are about to eat. The widow tries to make Huck let go of bad habits, so he can fit into civilization. Huck says, â€Å"Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the widow to let me. But she wouldn't. She said it was a mean practice and wasn't clean, and I must try to not do it anymore† (p. 2).The widow tells Huck that he shouldn't smoke anymore because its a bad thing. The widow tries to â€Å"sivilize† Huck in a religious way and also by telling what is w rong and right. There are characters in the novel who have good intentions to help Huck but it isn't the best thing for him. The new judge in town tries to fix Pap's moral condition so he could be a better father to Huck. Huck says, â€Å"the new judge said he was going to make a man of him. So he took him to his own house, and dressed him up clean and nice, and had him to breakfast and dinner and supper with the family, and was just old pie to him, so to speak† (p. 6). The new judge didn't know who Pap was at first and he decided to take him in, in order to make him a better man and to be ok with himself so he can be a better father to Huck. But that back fired on the judge, Pap just ended up back in the street and drinking once again. Huck says, â€Å"they tucked the old man into a beautiful room, which was the spare room, and in the night sometime he got powerful thirsty and clumb out into the porch-roof and slid down a stanchion and a good old time; and towards daylight he crawled out again, drunk as a fiddler† (p. 7). Pap sneaked out of the house just to go get drunk and would sneak back in. The new judge wanted to change Pap's moral ways and he wanted Pap to improve in order to be a better person and a better father, but it did not work out. There are characters who try to do the best things for Huck but they never really are what he needs. Aunt Sally keeps Jim away from Huck. Aunt Sally says, â€Å"the runaway nigger†¦ they've got him back, safe and sound, and he's in that cabin again, on bread and water, and loaded down with chains, till he is claimed or sold! (p. 217). Huck tries to steal Jim back from Aunt Sally but she captures him again and keeps him. Aunt Sally wants to adopt Huck in order to â€Å"sivilize† him. Huck says, â€Å"I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilze me and I can't stand it. I been there before† (p. 220). Huck doesn' t want to be civilized, he went through a lot and experienced that civilization is just not good for him, so he can't stand it.Huck is kept away from Jim when Jim is captured by Aunt Sally which makes it difficult for Huck to be on his own and Huck doesn't want to get adopted by Aunt Sally. Throughout the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are characters who have the best intention to help Huck but it is not the best thing for him. The widow tries to â€Å"sivilize† Huck, the new judge tries to improve Pap's moral condition to better him for Huck, and Aunt Sally keeps Jim away from Huck and she wants to adopt Huck. But none of those characters intentions helped or worked for Huck. It was up to Huck to chose his own path.

Pfeffer High Performance Practices

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR HIGH PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT Report for the CEO Goncalo Correia MIB28 The Trivalor Holding The Trivalor Holding, is a Portuguese group created more than 50 years ago by a Portuguese business man, having started with two companies in the Business Services segment, and evolving over time, securing a position as the biggest services group in Portugal, owning today 16 companies and employing at times over 11. 000 workers. The areas covered by the group are, social and public food services, emission and management of services tickets, commercialization and logistics of food products, industrial cleanings, uman and robotic security, transport of values, vending machines and archive management.The main clients of the state are public administration, local city councils, hospitals, schools, and defense forces as well as prisons. Historically, the group, has always had an â€Å"employer friendly† policy, and is known for the fact of never having lay- ­? off one single worker following a â€Å"Japanese† style management. The majority of the technical and administrative workforce has worked there since the beginning of the company and there is a unity feeling that can be easily perceived amongst the workers. Nevertheless, from my point of iew, due to its size and age, it has created over the time some habits that fail to evolve from a top- ­? down to a integrative style management where workers are part of everyday decisions, fact which after reading this paper I believe could be substantially ameliorated contributing for an efficiency breakthrough needed by us to remain competitive. 2 Status Quo In an evolving business environment such as the one we live in nowadays, where there is a clear tendency of companies in the first world countries to walk towards a service driven economy, human resources are one if not the most important assets that a firm can have.This should not be ignored or by any means devalued by top management, tha t in order to retain its best individuals within the firm, must adapt, motivate and commit to people in all levels of work. In current times, polls show a high- ­? growing discontentment of people towards their professional careers. For this, workers lack motivation, not feeling aligned with the company goals, ultimately seeing the organization they work for as the â€Å"enemy†, facts that are responsible for the loss of Billions of dollars every year. Amongst the main reasons for this dissatisfaction, Pfeffer stresses out, issues like Company Trust, or in ther words how does the employee perceives to what degree the statements, relations and promises from the company are feasible and fulfilled in the future, Job Security, the prospects of maintaining their job position in the long term as well as the dependence on externalities such as economic downturns and crisis, or industry distresses;Work- ­Family relation, which is commonly perceived as a distributive issue, meanin g that a person which is good in the family- ­? relations must necessary lack of commitment to their job, and finally Poor Job conditions and environment, when people don’t feel comfortable with the workplace s well as their professional relations. Historically, the firms that have soon understood this, and practice a high commitment tactics towards all its stakeholders, were able to profit on long periods of success, and ultimately guarantee financial wealth. Taking Advantage of an Integrative Management style As our company has been in the services and utilities business for decades, from my point of view, we have gained the habit of taking a more accommodated approach in the relation with our employees, failing sometimes to take advantages from some high commitment tactics, many of which could be put in practice with little pending and effort.Our group policy has been since the beginning to offer a work for life, offering a secure position as long as the co- ­? workers comply with what it is requested from them, what accordingly to Pfeffer and proven by our success of transforming a small company in the biggest group in the country inside our industry paid- ­? off in the long- ­? term. Nevertheless, I believe it is important to express that from my analysis of the article that you as CEO asked me to read we are still lacking off on issues like training and skill development, as our R&D expenditure has been practically none over the last couple of ears. 3 I believe that by continuously training and investing in our co- ­? workers, through coaching programs, team building days, and more corporate events, more than just gaining the advantages of what they will learn and apply to our daily operations, we can make them getting involved with their work tasks what will bring a substantial increase in their performance. Nowadays I believe our relationship between employees is above average but there is still a big power- ­? distance within Trival or.This comes hand- ­? in- ­? hands with the decentralization of our daily decisions, which I believe some of these have the potential f being made from bottom- ­? up rather than following our historical rigid and traditional top- ­? down hierarchy model as in many cases it is the workers down the hierarchy chain have best knowledge of some the operational processes. Studies suggest that workers that feel their importance to the organization, and that are trusted with a great deal of information, tend to feel more involved, making better- ­? informed decisions about operational facts. Further, from an organizational behavior point of view, people tend to be concerned with affiliation within a group and the fact of feeling that they are part of something has lso a very positive effect in their performance.People do worry about their work relationships and about the other worker’s opinions on themselves. Reciprocity should be a central concept to bear in mind, defende d by Pfeffer when managing the relations between an organization and its co- ­? workers. To me, even searching in common sense, my empirical experiences suggest that people work better under devotion than obligation, and workers often tend to be much more pro- ­? active giving valuable and balanced input and new ideas when they feel a inner rush to please their superiors and the organization, rather than working n a fear oriented regime, where individuals respond by impulses. Deepened by further research I must underline my belief that by uniting all the above factors, would constitute an important milestone in the process of achieving what Professor Michael Beer identified as the three main goals in the quest for success in management.First, Performance Alignment1, the designing of a winning strategy to achieve long- ­? term goals, (by training and coaching our employees). Second, a Psychological Alignment, providing to our co- ­? workers a mindset that fosters meaning of t heir task, challenging work, a pleasant work environment nd the capacity to make a difference (through offering more autonomy, respect and conditions) and finally Capacity for Learning Change, by making everyone from the lowest level to senior places feel like part of something- ­? our company. 1 High Commitment High Performance: How to Build A Resilient Organization for Sustained Advantage, Michael Beer Hardcover, August 2009 4 Implementation Challenges Analyzing our company, it is not hard to spot some of our pit- ­? falls when it comes to high performance management tactics.When reading the points described above you might end up asking yourself, if this analysis is not just resenting facts of good sense, and that the position defended by Pfeffer is obvious. But if this is true, why do we then fail to implement the suggested changes in our organization? The first reason that can come up to your head is cost. As I am aware, mainly due to externalities like the 2008 downturn cr isis our group has been trying to cut costs, mainly changing processes (specially logistics) into a lean management style, and betting on credit recuperation, although opting always by not laying- ­? off co- ­? workers.This might seem stressful time to propose these kinds of structural changes to the shareholder, as we have een feeling pressure from upstream to retain costs. Nevertheless I would argue that even in the medium term, the results will be felt, and by implementing some of these changes would have a positive effect on our employees trust, representing a boost in the recuperation from last year hard times. Further, as our macro- ­? economic situation in Portugal is very unsure at the time, as our government is struggling to approve its deficit budget with the European Union, I believe that these measures could consolidate our firm’s image that no matter what, we keep our dynamic capabilities and do not stagnate our processes even in imes of economic downturn. This, not to mention the confidence passed to our co- ­? workers that currently face a confidence crisis triggered by the media alarmism. We must not fall in the trap of following our competitor’s measures in order to secure our market position.Also I believe that by having a single shareholder we are in a privileged position, as if we are able to expose and adopt these tactics, we do not suffer pressures from other shareholders that could eventually feel they are being putted second after the employees. Concluding, my last point resides on our company being a pioneer when it comes to rewarding ethods. It was in fact the first group in the country to implement the â€Å"American reward system†, knowledge acquired by our Shareholder in the beginning of his life still as a manager working in the U. S. Our system relies on meritocracy, and even at the lowest levels, let’s take for example a cook in one of our hospital canteen, can make up to 20% of her base salar y if there is a compliance and dedication to schedules, attendance and customer satisfaction. Nevertheless, I believe that in addition to this, there could be offered an extra remuneration to the team as a whole including the cooks, the responsible of the canteen

Explain the issues in natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies Coursework

Explain the issues in natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies that China faces and propose solutions that you feel may be - Coursework Example Again, Chinese regulations require their buildings to be earthquake-resistant. However, the collapses of schools, hospitals, and factories during natural disasters raise questions about the country’s enforcement of building codes (Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, n.d.). The Ministry of Science and Technology of China has established a few monitoring and early warning systems around Mount Ailao in southwest China’s Yunnan Province, the southeast China’s Fujian Province and the reservoir region of the Three Gorges Project on the Yangtze River. However, these structural systems are not sufficient given the vast topography of the country (Xinhua, 2011). In order to address these issues, the government of China needs to invest considerably towards the expansion of the public health system to provide shelter, potable water, food, medical care and sanitation. Secondly, the country can work in collaboration with international agencies to develop and impl ement frameworks for disaster response, risk assessment, evacuation measures and public education. Finally, the government also needs to ensure that building codes and policies are implemented within their country.

Negotiate in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Negotiate in business - Essay Example "At the business level, firms follow generic strategies: cost leadership, differentiation, focused cost leadership, focused differentiation, or integrated cost leadership/differentiation. There are three corporate-level negotiation strategies: multi-domestic, global, or transnational (a combination of multi-domestic and global)" (2). Each business must develop a competitive negotiation strategy focused on its own domestic market. Negotiation strategies have some unique features. The negotiation strategies are based at least partially on the type of negotiation corporate-level strategy the firm has chosen. Some firms pursue corporate strategies that give individual country units the authority to develop their own negotiation strategies; other corporate strategies dictate the negotiation strategies in order to standardize the firms products and sharing of resources across countries. (3) Canadians are usually independent thinkers, who are not afraid to go against the group consensus. Canadians will argue their personal viewpoints enthusiastically, though rarely aggressively when negotiating (4). Canadians have a tendency to be reasonably formal and reserved in the workplace. The business traditions can be hierarchical, although summits are usually very autonomous and all participants are encouraged to voice their opinions. (2) In recent years, strategic alliances have become a popular means of negotiation expansion. Most strategic alliances are formed with a host-country firm that knows and understands the competitive negotiation conditions, legal, and social norms, and cultural idiosyncrasies of the country, which should help the expanding firm manufacture and market a competitive negotiation product. (1) In return, the host-country firm may find its new access to the expanding firms technology and innovative products attractive (3). Each partner in an alliance brings knowledge or resources to

Investigation of 2 evidences of the climate conditions of the last Research Paper

Investigation of 2 evidences of the climate conditions of the last Deglaciation - Research Paper Example Therefore, the paper presents an investigation of evidences and uses them to make inferences about the impacts of the last deglaciation away from the margin of the ice sheets, especially the formation of Scablands. Arguments from the Documentary In the documentary, the author attributes their formation to gradual soil erosion through the actions of rivers (NOVA, 2005). It is also assumed that it was formed by the action of glaciers during the ice age. Under the assumption, enormous sheets of gradual-moving ice that originated from Canada curved new landscape as it moved down-hill (NOVA, 2005). According to Harlen Bretz’s theory that reflected the scientific convention, Channeled Scablands resulted from an overnight enormous catastrophe, which is more Bible-inspired, but not gradual geological evolution, which is more scientific, oriented (Anderson & Anderson, 2010). He seemed to be discrediting the geological or scientific beliefs that the formation of such landscape might hav e resulted from a gradual process that would last for a long time. The Use of Scientific Evidence to Reconstruct Conditions of the Last Deglaciation According to Edmiston, Scablands are some of the prehistoric features (Edmiston, 2005). He argues that Pardee was among the early geologists to offer explanation regarding the formation of Scablands (Edmiston, 2005). He was of the opinion that the features might have resulted from the actions of ice-age glaciers. Particularly, glacial erosion could be responsible for the formation of such features (Soennichsen, 2008). In fact, he argued that normal erosion could not explain the formation of Scablands. He categorically explained that the deep gorge, large portholes resembling small lakes and sharp hanging dry falls are scientific evidences of glacial erosion (Bretz, Smith & Neff, 2006). Another scientific evidence to reconstruct Bretz’s theory was the enormous discharge from glacial lakes such as Missoula could yield such great vo lume of water, which might be responsible for the formation of channeled Scablands (Geological Survey, 2010). Later, scientists, through the analysis and application of hydrological principles, discovered that open-channel hydraulics was consistent with Bretz’s qualitative observations. Therefore, Bretz got support from the scientific evidence (Bretz, 2003). The other scientific evidence was the Columbia gorge that the scientists believed had significant discharge attributable to channeled Scablands (Summerfield, 2001). Yet, in different and convincing evidence, the geologists found another large lake believed to have been formed from glacial activities (Young & Stearley, 2008). The lake is situated in the West of Montana. Evidently, it empties catastrophically due to glacial actions (Burr, Carling & Baker, 2009). Subsequently, its waters spill over into the Scablands through the channels. The Relevance of Scientific Studies Due to the nature of the Channeled Scablands, thus being deep and containing many other physical features (Young & Stearley, 2008). Therefore, the gradualist explanation offered better account of the events, which might have led to the formation of the feature (Furtwangler, 1999). The Violent and rapid assumption theory of Bretz could not have scientific evide

Walt Disney and Customer Relationship Marketing Research Paper

Walt Disney and Customer Relationship Marketing - Research Paper Example The theme parks are one of the most preferred attractions with every park exhibiting different appeal and feeling. The Magic Kingdom is based on the structure of Cinderella Castle, Epcot exhibits the structure of Spaceship Earth, Disney’s Hollywood Studio is based on the structure of the Sorcerer’s Hat and the Disney Animal Kingdom looks like the Tree of Life. It can be assumed that with different structure and appeal, Disney has been successful in attracting different customers and can be considered as a good strategy (Koenig, David (2007). However, with things settling down, same attracting structures need to add value in terms of keeping the feeling of being attracted alive. The discussion aims at highlighting the customer relationship management practices of Disney along with developing and designing new practices to address key issues like sliding attendance figures of employees and decreasing revenues along with customer’s shift of attention towards other recreational activities in the absence of innovative CRM practices. Customer relationship management is considered one of the most important management tools enhancing business prospects by earning the loyalty and trust of customers for a long period of time. The study is based on the customer relationship management practices of Disney that offered great presence, reach and acceptance in the past. However, with the change in the social and demographic factors embedded with customer preferences; Disney is facing new challenges in the form of customer turnoffs, less customer attendance and decline in the interest and urges to visit the park. The customer relationship management of the organization has been quite commendable considering the high pressure in the service industry. It included the balanced mixture of technology interfaces and human interfaces but issues were not addressed and answered creating a need for another CRM practices or program with better prospects and feasibility.

Cause and Effect of the Dread's Scott Decision Research Paper

Cause and Effect of the Dread's Scott Decision - Research Paper Example Set against the economic, social and political background of the mid-19th century, the decision was a landmark for initiating the struggle which ended in the abolition of slavery, the end of industries which relied on black labor, and the era of political struggles which aimed to put the black man at equal terms with white American citizens in the spirit of â€Å"equality, liberty and brotherhood† in the motto of the French Revolution, â€Å"Libertà ©, Égalità ©, Fraternità ©.† According to David Potter, â€Å"The main explanation for the origins of the American Civil War is slavery, especially Southern anger at the attempts by Northern antislavery political forces to block the expansion of slavery into the western territories. States rights and the tariff issue became entangled in the slavery issue and were intensified by it (42). It pitted the southern states who came earlier from early Spanish colonizers who advocated slavery and the settlers from Europe in t he northern states exemplified by the Quakers, who were against it. As the discovery and use of new technology gave rise to the Industrial Revolution of the 18th to the 19th century, major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transportation impacted on the socio-economic and cultural conditions of the times. It began in Europe, spread to North America, and the world. Its influence left an indelible mark in human history; most notably, in average income and population which exhibited unprecedented sustained growth. In the two centuries following 1800, the average of the world per capita income increased over 10-fold, while the population of the world increased over 6-fold (Madison 257). During this period America was transformed from a primitive agricultural economy to the foremost industrial power in the world, contributing to more than a third of the global industrial  output.

Labor Productivity and Wage Rate in Different Countries Essay

Labor Productivity and Wage Rate in Different Countries - Essay Example Relative wage in a certain country is evaluated through comparison with the wage in another country. Furthermore, the differences in countries’ labor productivity levels are a crucial determinant of their relative wage differences. In this case, there is a ratio derived from the relative wages based on labor productivity levels in different countries. On the other hand, decreased productivity in a given country leads to a subsequent decrease in wages. For instance, the wage rates in various countries relative to America are the same as their productivity relative America. Moreover, according to Nir (7), there is a positive relationship between the real wage and labor productivity, which is explained through the economic theory. Therefore, holding other factors constant, workers’ output leads to increased compensation, which is increased wage rate. Workers in different countries around the world have been experiencing difficulties for the past decade. In fact, a global wage report from the International Labor Organizations indicated that growth of productivity exceeded the growth of real wage in numerous economies around the world for the period 1999 to 2007 (Economist.com, 1). For instance, the inflation reduced the purchasing power of worker with dormant wages in countries such as U.S and Japan. In this case, this left workers with significant problems despite the average growth of two percent in labor productivity during that period. In a country like Germany, the recession experienced during the year 2008 caused a decrease in the level of real wages, though there was an increase in the level of productivity (Economist.com, 1). There has been a more rapid increase in the level of labor productivity in various European countries compared to the rates of wages.  

Sex and gender Essay Example for Free

Sex and gender Essay In psychology many different perspectives seek to explain the differences between males and females. In societies they play distinctive roles and are treated and viewed differently. They behave differently too. To compare and contrast the accounts of sex and gender we need to define the terms sex and gender. To examine further we need to examine the key aspects of the biological, evolutionary, social constructionist and psychoanalytical perspectives focusing on similarities and differences regarding their accounts of sex and gender. Finally need to consider the ways in which these perspectives compliment, conflict or simply co-exist with one another. Often the term sex and gender are used interchangeably. Often this usage has lead to confusion therefore we have to begin by attempting to draw a distinction between the terms for discussing psychological perspectives in this paper. Traditionally, the word gender has been used to refer to the cultural aspect of what it is to be man or woman. Womanly or manly and masculine or feminine are viewed as not being connected with a persons biological sex, but more in terms of psychological characteristics shaped by individuals experience (EPoCH CD-ROM). The term sex is used solely when referring to biological and physical traits such as primary and secondary sex characteristics or specifically to sexual intercourse. (Hollway,Cooper,Johnston,Stevens ,The psychology of sex and gender p117). It is important to bear in mind that different perspectives ask different questions and use different methods to examine the basic assumptions made by each perspective with respect to the concepts of sex and gender. In terms of the biological factors that are thought to shape sex and gender include external genitalia, sex chromosomes and genes, hormones and lateralization of brain function. Although it is important to emphasize that anatomy is not necessarily destiny but the most commonly used way to determine sex is then observation of the external (visible) genitals (Hollway, Cooper, Johnston and Stevens, 2003). To determine the individuals sex is through sex chromosomes and every human being has a pair of sex chromosomes; in females this pair normally comprises of two X chromosomes and in males an X and a Y chromosome. Another indicator  of maleness or femaleness for biological theorists are the levels of specific hormones such as testosterone (male) and oestrogen and progesterone (female) which produce primary and secondary sexual characteristics and are different in males and females. But we must not fail to say that genetic abnormalities do occur for example Klinefelters syndrome is when males inherit an extra X chromosome resulting in an XXY pattern resulting in many feminine physical characteristics. While these genetic abnormalities are unusual, they make clear that biological processes alone do not make us male or female (Hollway et al, 2003).Then again biological sex is not central to explaining what it is to be man or a woman and can be unreliable in some cases, it does offer simple explanations which can be tested empirically. Likewise the evolutionary perspective, while adopting a scientific approach similar to biological theorists, cannot be subjected to empirical testing and therefore can operate only at the level of speculation. This is due to its reliance in part on the principles of reverse engineering in constructing theoretical models regarding the origins of human behaviour (Hollway et al, 2003). Moreover evolutionary psychologists argue that genetic make-up and behavioural predispositions between males and females evolved according to the process of sexual selection. (Phoenix, 2002). They believe that reproduction is the only way for an inherited characteristic to be passed on from one generation to the next and thus their primary focus on explaining gender differences is in terms of reproductive behaviour and sexual style. In accordance to this it was found that evolutionary psychologists females generally devote more time and energy to the care of their offspring. As a result of this greater parental investment (Hollway et al, 2003) different patterns of behaviour between males and females developed. Therefore successful females in an attempt to maximise their reproductive success they are more concerned with selecting a mate that has good genes and is willing to invest in offspring. On the other hand, males devote more time and energy to finding and attracting mates and are more concerned with mating as many times as possible. Clark and Hatfield (1989, cited by Hollway et al, 2003) carried out a study in which they found that 75% of male students as oppose to no female students consented to having sex with the opposite sex. They interpreted these results as supporting the evolutionary theory that women and men evolved different strategies and consequently different behaviour, for reproductive success. So we can say that the biological and evolutionary approaches are similar in that they view sex as the foundation of gender; however, social constructivists do not see gender as determined by sex. They strongly believe that a persons gendered behaviour is always constructed through the lens of their interpretation and understanding within their own historical and social contexts and therefore cannot be explained by their biological reproductive sex status alone (Hollway et al, 2003). Social constructivists believe that both sex and gender arise in social interaction and have no existence independent of social interaction. According to this perspective we actively construct the world we live in and this is an on-going process that changes from situation to situation (Phoenix, 2002). Our knowledge of gender is so deeply ingrained that it is difficult to see it as a socially constructed category nevertheless; gender is one of the most powerful constructed categories by which individuals define themselves (Hollway et al, 2003). Bem (1994, cited by Hollway et al, 2003, Pg. 141) believes that masculinity and femininity are socially and culturally constructed dimensions that inform all the forms of our thinking, emotional experience and behaviour. In addition to historical and cultural influences on gender behaviours the media and the school curriculum portray male and female roles in gender stereotypic ways. Social construction theorists would argue that gender inequality is produced and sustained in schools (Hollway et al, 2003). Theorists from this perspective focus on the interpretation of meaning using symbolic data and subjective insider accounts, which are changeable and affected by discourses. This approach differs from the natural science principles embraced by the biological and evolutionary perspectives which are based on an objective, outsider viewpoint and are more fixed (Miell and Pike, 2003). The methodology employed in the next perspective, that of psychoanalysis, uses subjective insider accounts similar to the social constructivists. However, in contrast to the three perspectives discussed thus far, the psychoanalytic approach differs in that it stresses unconscious mental processes and turns to our inner psychological worlds. Although psychoanalysts do take into account social factors like family structure and meaning, it differs from the social construction approach in that it suggest girls and boys have predispositions for behaviour (similar to evolutionary perspective). Moreover, Freuds theory about boys and girls was based on their own perceptions about their bodies and cannot be reduced to biological or societal explanation (Hollway et al, 2003). The psychoanalytic theory proposes that children acquire either feminine or masculine traits or behaviours by identifying with a same sex parent. They believe that sex and gender relations play a vital role in self-development and that children unconsciously internalise differences between the sexes and make them their own, thus establishing their own gendered identity (Hollway et al, 2003). Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was a key figure in the development of psychoanalysis. The genital stage of Freuds theory of psychosexual development is traditionally seen as the beginning of gender and sexual identity. For Freud the acquisition of sexuality and a gendered identity is a totally psychological process in which children are born psychosexually neutral and then learn to identify with their same sex parent through having resolved their Oedipus (boys) or Electra (girls) complex. The essence of this theory is that, at around five years old, a boys love  for his mother acquires sexual connotations. He becomes a rival with this father for her love. Because his father is such a powerful figure he feels threatened and thus takes on the features of his father. Freud named this the Oedipus complex (Phoenix, 2002) The theory he produced for girls, the Electra complex, whereby she realises that she does not possess a penis (penis envy) and feels devalued, has brought about much controversy and aroused the ire of feminist writers. Additionally, Freud has been criticized for making generalisations about human nature when his evidence was limited to gender relations of a particular time (Hollway et al, 2003). Times have changed and now women are taking on more male roles and have control over their own fertility. As a result Freuds view of how the possession of a penis gives privileges and rites in the family and his failure to consider the significance of womens genitals is strongly criticized. Moreover, research has found that males are envious of womens ability to give birth (Horney, 1926, cited by Hollway et at, 2003). Due to changing times many psychologists have come to believe that most people possess a combination of characteristics that until recently have been traditionally viewed as either masculine or feminine. According to Bem (1974, cited by Hollway et al, 2003) most people are androgynous, that is, they possess both masculine and feminine psychological characteristics. Thus far we have examined four different perspectives in relation to sex and gender and clearly no one perspective can explain the psychology of sex and gender. From a methodological standpoint it is difficult to integrate the differing perspectives. Both biological and evolutionary psychologies embrace the scientific, quantitative approach whereas the social constructivists and psychoanalysts use a qualitative approach focusing on interpretation of meaning. As these methods are so fundamentally different it is most likely that, rather than conflicting, they simply co-exist with one another. The way these perspectives interact can be seen as complimentary for example, as we have discussed, it is accepted that generally individuals are sexed by biology and gendered by social influences. The psychoanalytic theory can be seem as conflicting with the social construction theory in the focus on unconscious (psychoanalytic) versus conscious experience (social constructivists). As can be seen, humans are complex creatures rarely explainable in terms of a single type of influence. The accounts of sex and gender discussed are from four diverse perspectives and it is only by exploring how these interact with one another that we can gain a genuine understanding of the psychology of sex and gender.

Role of Enron in the Collapse of California Restructure

Role of Enron in the Collapse of California Restructure The California electricity crisis or Western U.S. Energy Crisis of 2000 and 2001 was a catastrophe where the state of California had a shortage of electricity supply that was caused by market manipulations, the unlawful closures of pipelines by Enron, and capped wholesale electricity prices. Because of the crisis, California[G1] suffered from several momentous blackouts and one of the states largest energy companies collapsed. In 1993 rumors of the government looking to reform the electricity sector spread in California and naturally the three main investor-owned utilities[G2] Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Diego Gas and Electric Company, and the Southern California Edison Company wanted to protect their markets and eliminate competition so they could reduce any potential damage to their company. This conduct set the foundation for the shortfalls to come in the near future. The California Public Utilities Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission believed the state control and command regulation was lowering the efficiency in the electricity sector. These two organizations decided to undertake the role of pushing change. Before the restructuring the regulatory structure the existed did not serve all of the publics interest given the recent economic, technological, and environmental changes. The environmental community was frustrated by the delayed response by utility regulators to problems caused by the generation of electricity; independent energy producers were unsatisfied about the lack of regulatory backing for renewable energy facilities, industrial consumers were frustrated by the higher electricity rates in California compared to other parts of the United States. Private utilities were cutting energy efficiency resources and acquirement levels back by thousands of megawatts and were refusing to purchase the 1400 MW of clean cogeneration and renewables that were cheaper than utility power plants, simply because they were from competing businesses. In 1992 California has launched its gas system seeking business from[G3] large industrial customers and power generators. There was now a free market for natural gas. Large customers claimed they didnt need storage and did not want to be forced [G4]to pay the rates for it. In 1993 the CPUC disconnected storage from other gas services. This gas utility now required reserving storage for core customers but non-industrial or non-electric generation customers could not buy the storage that they wanted on their own through auction and contract processes. Large customers did not have to buy storage but could make decisions on how much to procure based on market forces, rather than regulatory approval. Small customers did not complain because at the time large customers had to have oil or propane backup to not be core customers. The electric generators that did use natural gass[G5]es were mainly utilities that would make cautious decisions to guarantee the reliability of electric supply. Re liability was not supposed to be compromised if a few industrials did[G6] not want to buy storage. So now large customers had both no storage and no alternative fuel, the gas-fired power plants were sold to new owners, and no longer owned by the utilities that put gas away to promise reliability, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission got rid of all the price caps for short-term sales of gas pipeline capacity in spring 2000. In the summer of 2001, a drought in [G7]northwestern states limited the amount of hydroelectric power offered to California. At no point during the crisis was Californias sum of actual electric-generating capacity plus out-of-state supply less than demand, Californias energy reserves were small enough that during peak hours the private industry, who owned the power-generating plants, could successfully hold California hostage by temporarily closing down their plants for maintenance in order to manipulate the supply and demand. These strategic shutdowns oft en happened for no reason other than to force Californias electricity grid managers into a situation where they would be required to purchase electricity on the spot market, where private generators could charge hefty rates. Even though these rates were semi-regulated and tied to the price of natural gas, the companies (which included Enron) also controlled the supply of natural gas. Manipulation by the industry of natural gas prices caused higher electricity rates that could be charged under the semi-regulations. In California gas storage is vital but companies gas storage was traded for financial hedges. Storing gas in the ground is good keeps Californias energy prices down. And California cant afford to pay for all of this extremely expensive electricity during the winter as it will bankrupt the entire state. The power generators were charging for electricity based on the unhedged spot market price of gas, and society was being made to pay it.[G8] Drought, delays in approval of new power plants, and market manipulation decreased supply caused an 800% increase in wholesale prices from April 2000 to December 2000. Also, the[G9] rolling blackouts unfavorably affected many businesses that were dependent on a reliable supply of electricity, and the blackouts troubled a large number of retail consumers. California had a generating capacity of 45GW and at the time of the blackouts, demand was at 28GW. A demand supply gap had now been artificially created by energy companies to create a fake shortage. Energy traders would take power plants offline for maintenance on days of peak demand to increase the price. Traders were then able to sell the power back at premium prices, sometimes 10 times its normal value. Because the state government put a cap on retail electricity prices, the manipulation of this market squeezed the industrys revenue margins, this lead to the bankruptcy of Pacific Gas and Electric Company and also the near bankrup tcy of Southern California Edison in early 2001. The financial crisis happened because of partial deregulation legislation introduced in 1996 by the California Legislature and Governor Pete Wilson. Enron took advantage of this deregulation and was involved in economic [G10]concealment and inflated price bidding in Californias spot markets. The crisis all together cost between US$40 to $45 billion.[G11] One of the energy wholesalers that became notorious for manipulating the market and reaping huge theoretical profits was Enron Corporation. Enron traded in energy derivatives specifically exempted from regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.ÂÂ   Enrons CEO Kenneth Lay mocked the California state government efforts to thwart the practices of the energy wholesalers, saying, In the final analysis, it doesnt matter what you crazy people in California do, because I got smart guys who can always figure out how to make money. The original statement was made in a phone conversation between S. David Freeman who was selected as Chair of the California Power Authority in the middle of the catastrophe, made the following statements about Enrons involvement in testimony submitted to the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Foreign Commerce and Tourism of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on May 15, 2002:[G12][G13][G14] There is one fundamental lesson we must learn from this experience: electricity is really different from everything else. It cannot be stored, it cannot be seen, and we cannot do without it, which makes opportunities to take advantage of a deregulated market endless. It is a public good that must be protected from private abuse. If Murphys Law were written for a market approach to electricity, then the law would state any system that can be gamed, will be gamed, and at the worst possible time. And a market approach for electricity is inherently gameable. Never again can we allow private interests to create artificial or even real shortages and to be in control. Enron stood for secrecy and a lack of responsibility. In electric power, we must have openness and companies that are responsible for keeping the lights on. We need to go back to companies that own power plants with clear responsibilities for selling real power under long-term contracts. There is no place for companies like En ron that own the equivalent of an electronic telephone book and game the system to extract an unnecessary middlemans profits. Companies with power plants can compete for contracts to provide the bulk of our power at reasonable prices that reflect costs. People say that Governor Davis has been vindicated by the Enron confession. However, eventually, Enron[G15] went bankrupt and signed a $1.52 billion dollar settlement with a group of California agencies and private utilities on July 16, 2005. However, because of the companys other bankruptcy responsibility, only $202 million dollars of this was expected to be paid. CEO Ken Lay was convicted of multiple criminal charges unrelated to the California energy crisis on May 25, 2006, and died July 5 of that year before he could be sentenced to jail. At the Senate hearing in January 2002, Vincent Viola, chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange advised that companies like Enron, who do not work in trading pits and do not have the same gov ernment protocols, be given the identical requirements for compliance, disclosure, and oversight. He requested the committee to impose greater transparency for the records of companies like Enron. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the FERC has had the authority to negate bilateral contracts if it discovers that the prices, terms or conditions of those contracts are unfair or unreasonable. Californias electricity restructuring plan was unsuccessful because it was incomplete restructuring. The state partially deregulated the electricity supply market, representing the utilities cost to serve, but they did not deregulate the prices that utilities could charge their customer. Specifically, a little recognized double whammy of frozen retail electric rates, coupled with the absurd notion of negative stranded cost recovery charges, played a significant role in the disintegration of the California retail electricity market and the financial evisceration of its two biggest utilities. Californias restructuring statute, AB 1890, required that retail electric rates for bundled electricity service received from the utility be frozen through Mar. 31, 2002, unless a utility could demonstrate that it had paid off all of its stranded costs before that time.11 Customers who chose to leave utility service in favor of receiving service from a competitive supplier (referred to as direct a ccess) could theoretically be charged something other than the frozen rate, but the practical reality was that the frozen rate became the benchmark, and competitive suppliers either had to beat it significantly, or provide some kind of value-added services to persuade customers to switch. The California electricity crisis was a result of companies mainly Enron trying to outsmart the system and create monopolies of over entire industries. The state of suffered from several momentous blackouts and one of the states largest energy companies collapsed over the greed large scale companies. A crisis of this scale shows that there is order to everything and outsmarting the system can only last for so long before you are caught. Bibliography Marcus, William, and Jan Hamrin. HOW WE GOT INTO THE CALIFORNIA ENERGY CRISIS By William Marcus, JBS Energy, Inc. Jan Hamrin, Center for Resource Solutions (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 28 Feb. 2017. Smith, Michael D. Lessons to Be Learned from California and Enron for Restructuring Electricity Markets. Lessons to Be Learned from California and Enron for Restructuring Electricity Markets. The Electricity Journal, Aug.-Sept. 2002. Web. 28 Feb. 2017. . Roberts, Joel. Enron Traders Caught On Tape. CBS News. CBS News. Web. 28 Feb. 2017. Sweeney, James L. (Summer 2002). The California Electricity Crisis: Lessons for the Future. National Academy of Engineering of the Nation Academies. Web. 28 Feb. 2017. Weare, Christopher (2003). The California Electricity Crisis: Causes and Policy Options (PDF). San Francisco: Public Policy Institute of California. Web. 28 Feb. 2017. Testimony of S. David Freeman. April 11, 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2004. Web. 28 Feb. 2017 Testimony of S. David Freeman. May 15, 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 13, 2002. Web. 28 Feb. 2017 [G1]Inserted: , [G2]Inserted: [G3]Inserted: h [G4]Inserted:ÂÂ   to [G5]Inserted: s [G6]Inserted: to [G7]Inserted: , [G8]Deleted:w [G9]Inserted: , [G10]Inserted: as [G11]Deleted:ere [G12]Inserted: t [G13]Deleted:bef [G14]Deleted:re [G15]Inserted: ,

I Will be an Agent for Social Change Essay -- Education Teaching Essay

I Will be an Agent for Social Change I arrived at Harvard eager for the world of experiences ahead. Yet as an Air Force Reserve Officer's Training Corp (ROTC) student, much of my academic world had been set up over the summer. My roommates poured over course guides, but my schedule was already laid out before me: math, economics, chemistry, Spanish and ROTC. My first college dilemma wasn't to find the right professor or class size, but to put together my uniform correctly. This being the case, I have had less time to stumble, but more time to focus on my other life choices. Despite working on a thesis, taking social studies tutorials, attending four-hour long weekly drill practices, doing Physical Training at dawn, and holding leadership positions within the Air Force, my calling has been community service. Through Education 4 Action (E4A), a social justice organization, I have facilitated discussions on race relations, led rallies to bring union picked grapes to campus, and engaged speakers to discuss gender issues. Also, through the First-Year Urban Program, I led incoming first-years and introduced them to public service in Boston. I derived great satisfaction from these projects and realized I wanted to do more. Community service has become my passion and is an activity I want to pursue further. So far, my journey has been twofold in nature: as an agent for social change through various nonprofits, and as an agent for my country's needs through Air Force ROTC. Today I face a choice. I must decide whether my upcoming Air Force commitment should be geared towards a lifetime career, or should be a stepping stone to the world of nonprofits. I believe the Michael C. Rockefeller Fellowship would provide the perfect oppor... ...tion of domestic abuse, and create an educational program we will implement in the community. I would also like to create an educational booklet on organizing with members of the ELC. I will use it to introduce similar youth based education programs in the other halfway houses across Trinidad and Tobago. I am committed to making this project work. With my practical background in social action and community education, I am excited for the chance to further grow, mature, and change. I want to become a public servant, but that will only be possible after I resolve my own uncertainties about my career decisions and cultural heritage. Because of the circumstances in my life, because of my experiences in college, and because of my desire to serve, I am certain that working in Trinidad under the Rockefeller Memorial Fellowship would help illuminate my future endeavors.

Free Catch-22 Essays: The Character of Yossarian :: Catch-22

The Character of Yossarian in Catch-22 The main character in Catch-22, which was written by Joseph Heller in 1960, was Captain John Yossarian, a bombardier in the 256th Squadron of the U.S. Army Air Force during WWII. Yossarian's commanding officer, Colonel Cathcart, wanted a promotion so badly that he kept raising the number of missions the men in his squadron were required to fight. Yossarian resented this very much, but he couldn't do anything about it because a bureaucratic trap, known as catch-22, said that the men did not have the right to go home after they completed forty missions (the number of missions the Army demands they fly) because they had to obey their commanding officers. Yossarian was controlled by the higher authority like the doctors restrained Joe. The whole novel was basically about how Yossarian tried to fight catch-22. Yossarian can be seen as an anti-hero. Many of his actions could be considered immoral or cowardly. For example, in the hospital, he forged and tampered with letters he censored. Whenever he was overwhelmed by the horrors of war and by memories of his friends' deaths, he created symptoms that got him admitted to hospitals. He also made repeated attempts to be judged as certifiably insane so that he could be discharged. In the end, Yossarian deserted the Army and fled to Sweden, the only place he knew to be safe and sane. However, Yossarian also possessed traits we would expect to find in a hero. He was intelligent. For example, he knew enough about world literature to identify himself with heroic loners from all kinds of classics. He had few illusions, unlike Pip and Henry. For example, in cadet training, Clevinger thought Lieutenant Scheisskopf really wanted suggestions, but Yossarian knew Scheisskopf didn't mean it. He was respected, admired, and liked by others. For example, Dobbs would not carry out his plot to kill Colonel Cathcart unless Yossarian approved. Milo admired Yossarian and asked him for business advice. The chaplain also liked Yossarian enough no to speak up when he recognized a "Washington Irving" forgery as Yossarian's. In many ways, Yossarian was also a very moral person. For example, he turned down the hero deal (his irritated commanding officers offered to send him home as a hero if he would praise them publicly). He did not sleep with a woman unless he was in love with her, unlike Odysseus who was unfaithful to his wife in order to save him and his men.

College Admissions Essay: An Meaningful Activity :: College Admissions Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When the horsehair is one millimeter over the A string is when I wonder if my cue has been strong enough. It is too late, however, to turn back. I have started the quartet, and with the ictus of my violin's scroll, the sound is released. The first seconds of connection between horsehair and metal string are the most important. I concentrate on controlling my right index finger as every inconsistency in the fluidity of my hand magnifies itself in my ears. Under my chin the wood begins the vibration that lets me know I am connected to the sound. Only I can hear the secret nervous bounce of my bow as I speed up my right forearm and the impurities in my contact with the string that are masked by the distance between my first violin chair and the first row of audience. The imperfection is what I love. Only one note has passed, but as I relax my shoulder for the reversal of my bow, I strive to make the next one more beautiful. There is a never-ending series of notes. At the conclusion of this phrase, the downbeat brings the capital letter of a new sentence. At the end of this movement, there is another.

Fahrenheit 451

This woman had a tremendous impact on Montag. She burned with her books. When he is talking with Mildred about it later, he says â€Å"There must be something in books, things we can't imagine to make a woman stay in a burning house, there must be something there. You don't stay for nothing. † (pg 51) Mildred tries to say that the woman was simple-minded and that it is water under the bridge. Montag knows that the experience will last him a lifetime. He cannot put it out of his mind. He goes on to explain that for the first time he realized that a man wrote the books He had to think them up and put them down on paper, and then he came along and in two minutes burned it all up and it was over. It seriously bothered him. montag becomes kinder: he sees the self-destructing, depressed people and is affected by them, instead of merely moving on in his life and not caring. He is so moved by his new change that he states, â€Å"It doesn’t matter what you do, so long as you change something from the way it was. he decides to stand for a real purpose: he decides to rebell against this terribly corrupted government by remembering his book. Quote: It didn't come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no! Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God. Today, thanks to them, you can stay happy all the time, you are allowed to read comics, the good old confessions, or trade journa ls. Quote: If they give you ruled paper, write the other way. Fahrenheit 451 Most people today think nothing of knowledge and take it for granted because they think it is easy to gain. In fact, many young adults tend to resist gaining knowledge and would rather entertain themselves with games, television or partying. However, authors Ray Bradbury and Stephen Vincent Benet would pity their indifference. In science fiction story, Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury tells the story of Guy Montag whose search for meaning and knowledge leads him to make difficult decisions throughout his journey. In â€Å"By the Waters of Babylon† a science fiction story, a boy, John, discovers the truth while on a journey to become a man. Both stories teach an important lesson about gaining knowledge, that it cannot be gained passively-it requires sacrifice. Primarily, both stories show that the cost to gain knowledge is to lose part of one’s old self. In Fahrenheit 451, we see the main character, Montag, doing actions that require him to abandon his old routines. He had to give up his job, his wife, and his house to gain the books and knowledge he so desires. Bradbury quotes Montag in his description stating, â€Å"You want to give up everything? After all these years of working, one night, some women and her books-,† (page 51). This quote shows that Montag wants to quit his job just for the sake of gaining books and finding knowledge so he can be happier. This is necessary to gain knowledge because it shows how he had to abandon of all the stuff he did over so many years because he can’t gain knowledge with the other luxurious life right in front of him. He needed to let it go so he won’t go back to it. Montag did not quit his job at that point (but did later) because of opposition from his wife, Mildred, but learned that he had to let go of Mildred because she did not want to gain knowledge. Similarly, â€Å"By the Waters of Babylon† is like Fahrenheit 451 when approaching this idea of losing part of one’s old self. John, the main character is on a journey to become a man. He wants to gain knowledge and truth. He must go to a forbidden land where the Gods used to live, but soon finds out that they were men before his time. Benet mentions John in the following quote, â€Å"It is not for the metal alone we go to the Dead Places now—there are the books and the writings. They are hard to learn. And the magic tools are broken-but we can look at them and wonder. At least, we can make a beginning,† (page 509). This is when John finds out the truth and decides to abandon his old life. He finds this necessary because he knew the truth and knew that he can no longer follow his old life because it wasn’t true. He wants to make a new beginning and begin right where the â€Å"gods† left off but more slowly. He wants it slowly because he knows that too much knowledge will eat anyone up. All in all, both stories show that losing part of one’s old self is necessary in order to gain knowledge. Without doing so, the journey will be more difficult. In addition, one must take risks in order to gain knowledge. not finished lost other part Fahrenheit 451 Fahrenheit 451 Most people today think nothing of knowledge and take it for granted because they think it is easy to gain. In fact, many young adults tend to resist gaining knowledge and would rather entertain themselves with games, television or partying. However, authors Ray Bradbury and Stephen Vincent Benet would pity their indifference. In science fiction story, Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury tells the story of Guy Montag whose search for meaning and knowledge leads him to make difficult decisions throughout his journey. In â€Å"By the Waters of Babylon† a science fiction story, a boy, John, discovers the truth while on a journey to become a man. Both stories teach an important lesson about gaining knowledge, that it cannot be gained passively-it requires sacrifice. Primarily, both stories show that the cost to gain knowledge is to lose part of one’s old self. In Fahrenheit 451, we see the main character, Montag, doing actions that require him to abandon his old routines. He had to give up his job, his wife, and his house to gain the books and knowledge he so desires. Bradbury quotes Montag in his description stating, â€Å"You want to give up everything? After all these years of working, one night, some women and her books-,† (page 51). This quote shows that Montag wants to quit his job just for the sake of gaining books and finding knowledge so he can be happier. This is necessary to gain knowledge because it shows how he had to abandon of all the stuff he did over so many years because he can’t gain knowledge with the other luxurious life right in front of him. He needed to let it go so he won’t go back to it. Montag did not quit his job at that point (but did later) because of opposition from his wife, Mildred, but learned that he had to let go of Mildred because she did not want to gain knowledge. Similarly, â€Å"By the Waters of Babylon† is like Fahrenheit 451 when approaching this idea of losing part of one’s old self. John, the main character is on a journey to become a man. He wants to gain knowledge and truth. He must go to a forbidden land where the Gods used to live, but soon finds out that they were men before his time. Benet mentions John in the following quote, â€Å"It is not for the metal alone we go to the Dead Places now—there are the books and the writings. They are hard to learn. And the magic tools are broken-but we can look at them and wonder. At least, we can make a beginning,† (page 509). This is when John finds out the truth and decides to abandon his old life. He finds this necessary because he knew the truth and knew that he can no longer follow his old life because it wasn’t true. He wants to make a new beginning and begin right where the â€Å"gods† left off but more slowly. He wants it slowly because he knows that too much knowledge will eat anyone up. All in all, both stories show that losing part of one’s old self is necessary in order to gain knowledge. Without doing so, the journey will be more difficult. In addition, one must take risks in order to gain knowledge. not finished lost other part Fahrenheit 451 This woman had a tremendous impact on Montag. She burned with her books. When he is talking with Mildred about it later, he says â€Å"There must be something in books, things we can't imagine to make a woman stay in a burning house, there must be something there. You don't stay for nothing. † (pg 51) Mildred tries to say that the woman was simple-minded and that it is water under the bridge. Montag knows that the experience will last him a lifetime. He cannot put it out of his mind. He goes on to explain that for the first time he realized that a man wrote the books He had to think them up and put them down on paper, and then he came along and in two minutes burned it all up and it was over. It seriously bothered him. montag becomes kinder: he sees the self-destructing, depressed people and is affected by them, instead of merely moving on in his life and not caring. He is so moved by his new change that he states, â€Å"It doesn’t matter what you do, so long as you change something from the way it was. he decides to stand for a real purpose: he decides to rebell against this terribly corrupted government by remembering his book. Quote: It didn't come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no! Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God. Today, thanks to them, you can stay happy all the time, you are allowed to read comics, the good old confessions, or trade journa ls. Quote: If they give you ruled paper, write the other way. Fahrenheit 451

Howard Schultz Essay

I. Introduction Starbucks today is widely recognized as the megabrand for coffee, and there clearly are no close competitors that have its international recognition and scope. Starbucks has grown to employ over â€Å"160,000 people and generates about 13.6 billion dollars annually† (Forbes). Much of Starbuck’s success is attributed to a man with a clear vision and drive: Howard Schultz. Howard Schultz’s passion for delivering quality coffee along with a positive cafà © experience has given him the motivational determination to demonstrate exceptional leadership traits. This paper will give a brief overview of the history of Starbucks, and will then investigate the changes that were made after Schultz stepped in. Furthermore, problems that Schultz encountered throughout his time as CEO will also be discussed, along with the key steps he took to bring Starbucks back on to a road of recovery. As a concluding remark, Schultz’s leadership style and abilities w ill be analyzed in terms of effectiveness. II. A Brief History of Starbucks  Looking at the Starbucks company today, it is difficult to imagine that a company that has over twenty thousand locations in sixty-one countries (Starbucks) was once a single small retailer that had only three employees. In 1971, three academics, Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel, and Gordon Bowker, opened a small store at Pikes Place Market based on their collective love for fine coffee-making. Baldwin, Siegel, and Bowker’s initial goals were to expose Seattle to bring a refined coffee culture that existed in the San Francisco Bay Area. The three looked to Alfred Peet, an expert coffee roaster from Berkeley, CA, who taught them the art of dark-coffee roasting. Baldwin, Seagel, and Bowker took on that knowledge to produce their own roasts and blends that were then distributed in their stores. Ten years later, Howard Schultz, then the vice president and general manager for a Swedish kitchen and housewares, visited Starbucks to see why they were placing such large orders for a particular coffee maker. Schultz was immediately captivated by the aromas and quality of coffee that was offered by the store. He, gained as much insight as possible from Baldwin and Bowker about the entire coffee production process, and later convinced them to join their team. It was not until Schultz took a trip to Italy, when he began to envision a new Starbucks. Schultz visited many espresso bars and was exposed to a new culture of coffee drinking that we wanted to bring to the United States. Upon his return, Schultz did all he could to convince the managers at Starbucks to get a full espresso bar and begin serving lattes and drinks at Starbucks. Due to many disagreements with the managers on the values and culture that Starbucks should have, Schultz mad a decision to leave and start his own cafà ©: Il Giornale. With this venture, Schultz had the executive freedom to create a culture that he passionately envisioned. Schultz’s business plan was widely successful, and within two years, he opened up â€Å"three cafes that generated 1.5 million dollars annually† (McGrawhill). With his success, Schultz acquired Starbucks to gain wider reach and growth. III. New Era for Starbucks and Problems Arising Now as the new CEO of Starbucks, Schultz faced many difficulties and challenges. The biggest problem that Schultz faced was making sure that Starbucks retained its â€Å"soul† in spite of growing into a large corporation. The biggest issues that played into Starbucks maintaining its soul was hiring the right managers and executives on his team, having consistent quality products and in-store experience for all Starbucks stores, and lastly- establishing a positive company culture for both the employees and customers. At the start of his career as the CEO for Starbucks, Schultz was faced with many obstacles to overcome. The first issue he tackled was getting the right people on his team. Lack of a Strong Core Executive Team With nine stores open, Schultz saw that Starbucks lacked professional management skills to control all the processes to grow to his plan of adding â€Å"125 stores in the next five years† [McGrawHill]. He made sure to add â€Å"A players† to his team: roasters and cafà © owners with decades of experience, a president of a profitable beverage company, and a CFO with eighteen years of management consulting experience at Deloitte and Touche. Schultz was able to see the need to recruit strong players with a lot of experience in the coffee and management industry. Early on, Schultz addressed the lack of organization management that was crucial for Starbucks to accelerate forward. Employee Enthusiasm and Commitment Another problem that Schultz faced was the issue of building a strong core of employees throughout the company. Schultz found that as the company grew, it lacked strong dedication from its employees. Starbucks had a high turnover rate, just like many other entry-level service jobs at McDonalds or retail stores. Schultz saw this as a huge problem for not only the money Starbucks lost through losing an employee and having to pay more to hire and train new ones, but also losing team members. Schultz wanted to create an environment for Starbucks employees in which they would want to stay in. Schultz had difficulties convincing Starbuck’s Board of Directors to invest in constant training, higher salaries, and rewards based on merit. He even went far enough for wanting baristas to become invested in building Starbucks into a great company, and thus offered them stock options. The biggest action step he took to really show that he wanted to show that Starbucks had a heart for their employees was fighting for providing health care coverage to all its employees. Schultz’s father recently battled cancer, and he knew that it would not only add tremendous value to the lives of Starbucks’ employees, but also allow them to have an incentive to stay. Through a particular story about the impact that Starbucks was having on its employees lives, I learned that Schultz had high emotional intelligence and the ability to put himself in others’ shoes. Schultz recalled, â€Å"I had known Jim was gay but had no idea he was sick. His disease had entered a new phase, he explained that he wouldn’t be able to work any longer. We sat together and cried, for I could not find meaningful words to console him I could not compose myself. I hugged him†. [McGrawhill] Schultz built his career from the bottom up from nothing, and his ability to demonstrate sympathy to others clearly showed great leadership skills. Having adept emotional skills is incredibly valuable for a leader because it gains the trust and approval of many people. Maintaining Consistent Product Quality and Customer Experience The last problem that will be discussed in this paper is how Schultz ensured product quality and positive store experience throughout all the Starbucks locations. Schultz could not emphasize enough how important it was to maintain the integrity of the coffee bean and the quality of the coffee throughout the stores. In order to do so, he made strict guidelines on preserving the heart of Starbucks’ history: getting good coffee to all customers. Starbucks had the option of chemically flavoring the beans, but Schultz made the executive decision to never add any chemicals to their core products. If customers wanted flavoring in their coffee, the source of additional flavoring could not come from the bean, but rather from a syrup mixed into the coffee. Another example is that he stressed the exact temperature that the milk for lattes needed to be heated to, the amount of time coffee can sit in a pot, and always compensating dissatisfied customers with a free drink. Schultz’s stringent standards on delivering consistent experiences also let him to scrapping a popular breakfast sandwich because it interfered with the coffee aroma in the Starbucks stores. III. Schultz’s Leadership Style Without Schultz trailblazing leadership styles, Starbucks would not have nearly achieved the success that it has today. The passion that Schultz exudes in terms of implementing the true Italian coffee house experience on an international scale has definitely shown through in his time as CEO. Schultz’s leadership style shows a commitment to keeping soul despite the large size of the company. Schultz’s standards for quality have never been compromised, and he continually makes the effort to ensure that his entire company is on board with delivering his goals. Aside from delivering quality to customers, Schultz’s leadership style also emphasizes treating all of his employees with respect and individuality. He guarantees that when working at Starbucks, an employee will be treated with fairness and dignity. Schultz more than anything emphasizes improving quality in terms of any experiences for whoever comes in contact with the St arbucks name. IV. Opinion on Leadership Style and Takeaway Schultz’s strong vision and keen awareness for what the Starbucks brand was very telling when he came back to Starbucks after stepping down. Schultz saw many problems, such as too many stores and below-par customer service. Schultz made a very bold move to close down Starbucks stores for three hours for mandatory training that cost the company millions of dollars. Schultz also closed down many locations. Schultz is very serious when it comes to giving a positive customer experience, and drives his motivation and actions off of that. I believe that Schultz’s ability to isolate and deliver the needs of Starbucks’ customers is his strong point. He has always been convincing Starbucks partners and board of directors to also see his standards for quality and having Starbucks retain its â€Å"soul†. His leadership style has definitely proved to be effective in building Starbucks into the behemoth of a company that it is today. Personally, I hope to be as passionate about delivering something to consumers when I take on a leadership position. To be cognizant of what exactly needs to get done to deliver a quality experience without losing focus is an important trait that can be learned through Howard Schultz’s leadership style.

Articles on the Environmental Issues Essay

The earth is in dire need of solutions to combat environmental problems. We have two great weapons that could fight environmental enemies. These are technological innovations and humans’ personal capacity and discipline. Which among these would be more effective and efficient when it comes to the battle of saving the only known living planet in the universe? It has been said that technological advances were largely responsible for the continuous destruction of nature, and so these are also the very things that can provide solutions for its restoration. One technological development being considered and being anticipated is the use of electronic paper. This would make a real paper made from tress a thing of the past. With an electronic paper, people can read newspapers, magazines, and books in the same sheet of paper. The possibility of water-powered and solar-powered cars is increasing. This would not only let people save on gas, and thus save money. It can also save the environment by reducing pollution caused by modern cars that use gas to operate. Solar energy is not only possible with cars. In fact, there are already a number of households and offices that enjoy the benefits of sun’s energy, which does not only produce heat, but also electricity. These are only a few of the top ten emerging environmental technologies from Live Science. All of these sounds good, but this kind of technology may not be practical because of production cost. Another problem would be the distribution and availability of a particular technology to people around the world. Solar-powered cars may not be used in places that do not have enough sunlight. There may be people who could not afford technological advancements such as electronic papers, and solar power collectors, because of their cost. Nevertheless, even if we are not scientists who can invent technologies aiming to save the environment, and/or we do not have the purchasing power to avail some of them, we can still opt for technology-free means of solving environmental issues. All we have to do is to take responsibility, and use our ingenuity to breathe life again to Mother Nature. One good example is to start planting trees, flowers, and other plants. These reduce carbon dioxide, which is a component of greenhouse gases, because they naturally need this gas for their food production. We could also use what nature provides. Use biodegradable products. Use paper bags, than plastic ones. Choose clothes, bed sheets and towels made of cotton. We could also choose those made from hemp. The good thing about this plant is that it can be recycled many times. Even if we do not have solar cells and solar thermal collectors, we can still enjoy solar power by using its light during the day. Besides these means, we also need to be responsible and disciplined in using and maximizing natural resources. Good examples would be conservation of water, electricity and other forms of energy. These technology-free means are hard work, and to achieve long-term and good results, these have to become established habits. Changing our ways is difficult, and takes much time. It seems that to alter technology is much faster and easier compared to changing flaws in a person’s character that has affected not only himself, but everything around him. Advancement in technology, and human ingenuity and discipline has their own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to environmental concerns. However, when they are combined, we can produce maximum results. We do not need to depend on technology solely for solutions regarding environmental issues. Since this is everybody’s responsibility, every one should also participate and be responsible in taking care of nature. It is not what you choose to do that counts. The most important thing is you choose to take a step away from apathy and do something to achieve results. Global Warning on Global Warming: Action Needed Now No matter how scientists and environmentalists do to warn people about the dangers brought about by global warming, people could not seem to care enough. Even terms used in this environmental concern do not sound alarming at all. Have you handed a reading material to someone with the title: GLOBAL WARMING AND GREENHOUSE GASES? Have you noticed their reaction? They would probably ask, â€Å"What is global warming, and what is wrong with a mere increase in temperature? † They may also add, â€Å"By the way, greenhouse gases, is it not good for plants? † Apparently, people do not seem to be bothered about global warming as much as they are worried about global financial crisis. Global warming is indeed a change in temperature caused by greenhouse gases, which have heat-trapping capacity. As long as it reach normal temperature, this is good. In fact, without global warming and greenhouse gases it would be too cold on earth that life would be impossible. However, the increase uses of cars and increase number of factories have contributed greatly to too much greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Thus, the earth’s temperature increased evidently, enough to melt the ice sheets in the Arctic. This would cause increased sea level, thus low lands would disappear to the sea. Also, heat waves would be frequent. These are just some of the dangers of global warming. Some scientists think that there is not much time to solve the problem. Immediate action could mean the difference between life and death. Here are a few ways on how people can move into action: Be interested. Have a commitment to make matters of the environment your own. Although money makes the world go round, there would no place money would be used for if we neglect what the earth needs. Be informed. No matter how global warming and greenhouse gases sound, they can be dangerous to the only planet we live in. Get information to right places. Do not assume what they are be just referring to their names. Read books, newspapers and other sources about the environment and what you can do to help. Be updated. We are so engrossed by what happens to other people –celebrities, public figures, etc. Thus, we are updated by everything that happens to them. In the same way, we have to be totally concern about the everyday changes in our environment. We have to be updated in terms of information, and in terms of ways on how we can be useful on solving this worldwide problem. If we are interested, we begin to gather information. As we gather information, we have to be updated. After all, we live in a fast-paced world. This is how one is moved to action. If a person is interested, well-informed and updated, he begins to take action. Action speaks louder than words, and this is what our dying nature needs. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, â€Å"When a man says to me, â€Å"I have the intensest love of nature,† at once I know that he has none. † Moreover, David Orr asserted, â€Å"When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves. † This is true because the earth is our only habitat, the only planet that can sustain life. If we leave it alone in its ailments, it is as if we leave ourselves to die in illness. We cannot give this responsibility to other living creatures. Our existence lies on our planet, and our planet’s existence lies in us. Global warming should really be a global warning. Now that we can still act to resolve the matter, everyone must do what he could to heed the call, because actions are needed now.

Racc

Design and Development of Strategy Processes at RACC 1. What have been the goals of the strategic planning exercise at RACC over the years? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the RACC approach? Previously all the strategic planning exercises involved a wide management participation coupled with bottom-up approach. The aim was the development of a multi-product and multi-channel strategy. In 2000-02 the emphasis of the strategic plan was focused on geographical expansion.Which were formed by participative process by including 21 senior managers from level 1 and 2 who carried out and external analysis, followed by an internal feasibility analysis. As a result, five corporate strategic priorities were identified, with expansion to the rest of Spain as the highest priority. In 2003-06 the focus of the strategic exercise was to tackle the issue of how to capitalize on the successful expansion. The middle level was given more importance in terms of participation.Significant chang es in the market had occurred in 2005 and 2006 along with diversification of RACC’s core business had initiated a change in the approach to strategic planning process to bring the business back to its shape. From a broader participative approach, RACC started practicing a top-down approach. The goal went to being the development of a multi-product and multi-channel strategy while ensuring compatibility with the ongoing and revised strategy that had already begun to be implemented.The objective of the change was to increase the profitability and secure the survival of RACC in the insurance business keeping the multi-product and multi-channel strategy as the key strategy in order to increase cross-selling opportunities and to increase the sales revenue and market share. In 2005, unexpected stagnation of the insurance businesses proved difficult for RACC to function as a result the top management had to abandon the bottom-up approach in order to quickly react to the disturbance in the core business of RACC. 007-08, the senior management deemed it necessary to trigger an update of strategic planning exercise of RACC to incorporate the impact and needs of these ongoing projects and to identify additional initiatives. This was taken into consideration to establish overall strategic coherence and help revamp projects that would ensure future financial stability. The 2008-13 exercise was to be carried out by external consultants since they would have a more objective approach along with a team of 10 top managers. The exercise reinforced the concept of service to the car driver and established ambitious growth targets for RACC in the car insurance.With more emphasis on multi-product and multi-channel strategy to expand the services for car drivers and were designed with ambitious targets. Bottom-up approach/ broader participative approach * Advantages Commitment of the RACC people towards the strategy was formed which resulted in impressive growth in terms of pr ofit, number of members and geographical growth within Spain. * Disadvantages This approach could not foresee the market. The symptoms of stagnation could not be detected which led to an negative impact. Top-down approach * AdvantagesThe strategy allowed it to operate its different business in different ways whilst producing synergies between them. The strategy also provided better customer service and fostered cross-sales as it encouraged better relationships between the businesses. * Disadvantages The current cross-selling activities needed to be improved which proved as a significant challenge as it required updating the current customer information, analysis of competitors and market trends channel mix, geographical expansion, organizational restructuring, definition of commercial supervision redistribution systems and probably many other issues that could arise. . Should RACC go through a more conventional top down approach given that a participative approach did not seem to fo resee the changes in the market? Given that the previous participative and bottom-up approach could not foresee the changes in the market, the top-down approach proved more beneficial since it was more sensible to work with external consultants because of their objective approach.The symptoms of stagnation were unpredicted and to react to such unforeseen circumstances it was required lay emphasis on the top level managers because of their exclusivity towards the strategy and the lack of time to resolve the occurrence. However, the broad participation approach had proved beneficial for a significant time as well, since it involved the organization participation as a whole, which encouraged implementation due to the involvement. But due to the urgency to take remedial action it would not be feasible to initiate bottom-up approach. . Having faced market changes and having updated the corporate level strategy, should RACC go back to broader participation for the multi-channel strategy? In terms of reacting proactively and effectively to a sudden crisis, it is best for the strategic planning decisions to be carried on by the top level along for a more professional, objective and realistic approach. Regarding the implementation of the strategy, the top level can set directions and supervise the lower levels.However, to maintain a balance and motivate the lower levels a bottom-up approach can be considered once RACC obtains a more stable position. To facilitate multi-channel strategy the integration of broader participation can enhance cross-selling with the supervision of the top level managers. Core decisions should be in the authority of the higher levels. 4. Can a participative strategy making process increase the chances of future stable profits for RACC? Yes, as long as the core strategic decisions are under the authority of the CEO and top level.A broader participative approach can be initiated once again when RACC stabilizes itself in the market since this me thod had been adopted from prior times and had in fact double profits previously because of the commitment of RACC people towards the strategy. Although this can only be opted for enhancing multi-channel strategy, since RACC has diversified itself from a broker to having its own insurance products and services and it is difficult for the lower level to comprehend the wide array of multi-products being implemented. Concentration on cross-selling can prove more viable to sustain growth.

Does Ethnicity Impact on the Way We Experience Music Essay

Does Ethnicity Impact on the Way We Experience Music - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that as a social practice music plays a significant role in the process of constructing national and regional identities and the concept of ethnicity. It has acknowledged vital attention in recent ethnomusicological and other sociological studies. One can find that the study is directly pertinent to the requirements of researchers and professionals in music, musicology, ethnomusicology and social anthropology. Generally, music is considered as the most highly planned human expressions, and it can summarize a social, cultural or ethnic group’s common beliefs and ideologies with a better clarity. The multifaceted music of African-American and Latin traditions proffers a unique opportunity to demonstrate the vibrant relationship between music and culture. Correlation between music and black ethnicity often reveals the changing nature of black ethnicity and various musical styles as they replicate cultural identity. Cultural identity and ethnicity in Sakha are connected with its Pop Music and African –American identity and lifestyle have an obligatory relationship with their music.

Compare and Analyse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Compare and Analyse - Essay Example This has been caused by a sudden advancement in times and seasons. The times when general technology as well and information technology was left for the media alone, no longer exist (Wherle, 2009, pg76). Currently, almost everyone in the world is an IT expert since people have the idea of how to use a technology. However, it should be considered that this is the main aspect of life, that has witnessed a continuous advancement, hence emergence of the term technology development. Documentaries have been made using technology. Bob Dylan’s â€Å"Don’t look back† and Michael’s â€Å"Roger and Me†, are some to the documentaries that portrays a sense of a well used technology (Pennebaker, 1968, pg65). This essay compares the two documentary’s use of technology. Where, apart from the message in the movies, technology has proved a phenomenon to put into considering when watching this movie. First, it is noted here that, the media portrays a gap between message and medium, where Dylan’s’ manager by the name Albert Grossman who is the movie producer airs his client. Many will take this incident as a bad omen, however to him; he literally does it without thinking or rather taking it as a bad omen. Notably, during the cutting and editing of the documentary, it is clear as per the presentations that Grossman’s presence is felt (Eason, 2010, pg26). As much as this might be considered as an artistic job, the truth is that it portrayed a flattering idea at the edge. In this context, it can be noted that the question of centralization became centrally framed; this is evident prior to the presentation of each character. The film is made to be viewed in a very different phenomenon. The sound of observational documentary such as Don’t Look Back is muddy that makes it difficult for a person to differentiate particular person speech and the general uproar. In essence, the quality of the sound in the documentary is wanting since it is difficult to distinguish a

Case Study Foreign Direct Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Case Study Foreign Direct Investment - Essay Example Continuous growth is essential for company’s survival in the interest of its investors and work force. Hence, this reports addresses strategy development directions in this regard. The idea of growth should be one of the business objectives. The company needs to engage in strategy development so as to create competitive advantage over its competitors. The strategy development is important as it should be difficult for the competitors to replicate. Collaboration with business partners or the stake holders such as the company’s suppliers, distributors and customers is a guarantee creating a competitive advantage which the competitors cannot easily emulate (Campbel, Stonehouse, & Houston, 2002) Different strategies to achieve competitive advantage are 1) knowledge-based strategy, 2) generic strategy 3) hybrid strategy and 4) core competence/distinctive capability/resource-based strategy. Organizations generally will select one of the strategies and incorporate value-adding activities in support of the strategy selected. These strategies are briefly explained (Campbel, Stonehouse, & Houston, 2002). ... Tacit knowledge is that which cannot be stored being mostly of individual experiences of experts. This is also not possible to be copied by the competitors (Demarest, 1997). There should be at least three types of knowledge available within firms. They are know-how, know-why and know-what referring to practical knowledge, theoretical knowledge and strategic knowledge respectively. All these combine to form core competencies of a firm. Generic strategies are the well known Michael Porter’s generic strategy frame work that explains the competitive advantage of a firm. (Campbel, Stonehouse, & Houston, 2002). Hybrid strategy is the combination of knowledge strategy and generic strategy. Lastly, the core competency strategy which is nothing but the essence of the firm’s vast experience in the tradional activity the firm has been engaged in. Ansoff’s matrix will also serve to give the proper direction for the company’ s future activity. In view of the saturated market in Europe, the only way out for XYZ Plc is to seek greener pastures abroad. Developing countries are the niche market for automobiles because the globalization has improved the standard of living for the people therein resulting in creation of demand for automobiles. Markets for automobiles in these countries has not yet saturated. These countries are attractive not only within the context of domestic market for automobiles but also the savings in wages by almost 65 per cent. The countries offering huge opportunities for investment are China and India, the world’s two largest populated countries. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) These countries have benefited a lot from the inward FDI flowing in continuously. India especially has survived the economic crisis that