Brotherly Love in Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin - 1196 Words

James Baldwin, author of Sonny’s Blues, was born in Harlem, NY in 1924. During his career as an essayist, he published many novels and short stories. Growing up as an African American, and being â€Å"the grandson of a slave† (82) was difficult. On a day to day basis, it was a constant battle with racial discrimination, drugs, and family relationships. One of Baldwin’s literature pieces was Sonny’s Blues in which he describes a specific event that had a great impact on his relationship with his brother, Sonny. Having to deal with the life-style of poverty, his relationship with his brother becomes affected and rivalry develops. Conclusively, brotherly love is the theme of the story. Despite the narrator’s and his brother’s differences, this†¦show more content†¦It was painful for him to see his daughter suffer, and now she was no longer alive. He reminisces through the following quote, â€Å"where Isabel is weeping against me seems a mortal wound† (98). This signifies that this sadness was unbearable to the narrator. It felt as though: how much more sadness could one bear in this lifetime? In fact, he feared his brother would pass away just like his little girl, yet for other unnatural causes. Hence, if Sonny did die, he would feel guilty about his death for a lifetime. Second, he recalled a conversation he had with his momma about keeping his brother safe, â€Å"You got to hold on to your brother, she said, and don’t let him fall no matter what it looks like is happening to him and no matter how evil you gets with him† (92). The occurrence of these two important events motivated the narrator to change his views about his brother. Thirdly, finding out about Sonny’s misfortune through the papers, opened his eyes to his brother’s misery, â€Å"I read it, and I couldn’t believe it, and I read it again† (83). Moments later, the narrator’s change is evident. He wasn’t disappointed anymore and did not want to intend to avoid his brother either. On the contrary, he realized he needed to preserve his word to his mother and support his brother, â€Å"I think I may have written to Sonny the very day that little Grace was buried. I was sitting in the living room in the dark, by myself, and I suddenly thought ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin1316 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Sonny’s Blues† revolves around the narrator as he learns who his drug-hooked, piano-playing baby brother, Sonny, really is. The author, James Baldwin, paints views on racism, misery and art and suffering in this story. His written canvas portrays a dark and continual scene pertaining to each topic. As the story unfolds, similarities in each generation can be observed. The two African American brothers share a life similar to that of their father and his brother. The fatherà ¢â‚¬â„¢s brother had a thirstRead MoreAnalysis Of James Baldwin s Sonny s Blues Essay1154 Words   |  5 Pagesntroduction: James Baldwin, author of Sonny s Blues, once said, I grew up with music...much more than with any other language. In a way, the music I grew up with saved my life (Session 3 Inquiry: Rudolfo Anaya and James Baldwin, 2015).   Blues becomes Sonny s drug and his addiction to it his salvation.       Even though the adults refrain from lamenting their sufferings directly to the children and telling them about the darkness, the child-narrator still intimates its marks in their facesRead MoreLiterary Canon Of The 21st Century1637 Words   |  7 Pagesthe midst of all those great literature works, there are some great standing out articles due to their strong composition and meaningful life messages that the authors try to convey to the audiences. One of them is the short story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, written by James Baldwin in 1957. This story shows us the reality as well as the complexity of life matters, and an overall picture of all the subcategories also really shows us the reason why it should be remained as a part of the literary canon of the 21stRead MoreUnconditional Love By J. Baldwin1138 Words   |  5 PagesUnconditional Love The period of the 1950s in Harlem, New York, was an embodiment of despair, poverty, and crime. Such conditions pushed people to live in unsupportable atmosphere of distemper and circulation of drugs. Because of these awful obstacles, people developed bitter sense of abandonment and disappointment. However, despite all these challenges, there is always room for hope. This hope is deeply rooted in the blood ties and such an essential thing as love. Sonny’s Blues by J. Baldwin is a perfectRead MoreFamily vs. Family1526 Words   |  7 PagesBetween the two short stories, â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† by James Baldwin and â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker, they reveal similarities and differences. Both stories are similar in the importance of family ties and the way they view family, but differ in sibling relations. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, the siblings want to recreate their brotherly bond again, but in â€Å"Everyday Use† there is no sign of he aling the hole between Dee, Maggie, and Mama. First, we will look at the importance of family ties between both storiesRead MoreAnalysis Of Those Winter Sundays By Baldwin Sonny s Blues And Grimm Brothers 1763 Words   |  8 PagesSadighim,Candice English 2 Cramer 3 November 2015 Conflict and reconciliation in familial relationships in Literature Hayden’s ‘Those Winter Sundays’, Baldwin’ Sonny s blues and Grimm brothers’ Cinderella describes certain sensitive situations most families sometimes find themselves in when disagreeing on diverse issues that can be resolved when parties are determined to. In these pieces of literature, family conflicts are portrayed as simple disagreements that in certain cases result in familyRead MoreJames Baldwin s Short Sonny s Blues And Raymond Carver1132 Words   |  5 PagesBeing able to relate to people can often be a huge problem. In both James Baldwin’s short Sonny’s Blues and Raymond Carver short story Cathedral. The main focus of the story is realization. In both stories the main characters are challenged with situations in which they must break free of their judgments. Both characters undergo a transformation and views life through the eyes of another character. What are their transformations and how are they similar, how they are differ ent, and what does theRead MoreAnalysis Of James Baldwin s Sonny s Blues Essay2104 Words   |  9 PagesSeveral dialectics are at play in James Baldwin’s short story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† including a dialectic between the narrator and his beloved brother Sonny involving their opposing responses to the sense of oppression and limitation that arises from living in Harlem. This dialectic and its resolution closely parallel Baldwin’s masterful use of Blues, Jazz, and Gospel music. We follow the narrator and his brother Sonny as they traverse the complexities of their individual and interconnected Harlem livesRead MoreLove in Literature2486 Words   |  10 PagesLove in Literature We live in a complex world, where love and logic do not always exist cohesively, however, literature often brings these two elements together. Authors sometimes use the concept of love as a theme for their work, logically, and methodically using it as a tool in their writing. The different forms of love are often used by authors as a catalyst for positive character development. In this essay, works by different authors will be used to demonstrate some of the forms of love usedRead MoreASAM 5 Notes Essay6590 Words   |  27 Pagescontemporary double consciousness Two different life narrative: Jay Z up from poverty, west on the anxieties of middle class black Similar conflict, reconciling racial otherness with wealth aspiration marked by whiteness Watch the throne: (2011) A love letter to affluence A negotiation between the history/experience of blackness and arrival into American dream. Poverty and wealth Hybridity In the century passed since DuBois wrote about Double Consciousness, minority writer and artiest have engaged

Zooz Free Essays

The case about Lincoln electronic company is an anatomy case which describes management success in operating high efficient company. Over the years, Lincoln could record a steady growth, satisfied thousands of customers, and financed with internally generated funds. 1 . We will write a custom essay sample on Zooz or any similar topic only for you Order Now How would you describe Lincoln approach to the organization and motivation of their employee? Lincoln had a lot of results control in the company. The first thing to mention is that the company created a piecework system where the employees were paid for producing more and more. Therefore, there were some workers on the factory floor ho had earned more than 45,000 in a single year. Other employees had the chance to own their own houses and cars and they didn’t have any debt. The company didn’t reward only for productivity, but they also rewarded for high quality, cost reduction, and new ideas. The workers guaranteed their work and every one of them felt like a boss for him/herself. Moreover, the promotion and hiring for a new Job give the current employees the opportunity to get advanced and usually they train the employee for a new Job to be qualified. They only hire new people if the Job needs special skills. Furthermore, the company used the open door policy where the employee problems can be heard and solved. The managers were sharing the workers the same parking and dining room. The company top executive Gorge E. Willis knew at least 500 employees personally which satisfied the workers need to be recognized. 2. What role do you think this approach has played in Lincoln performance over the last 25 years? Have any other factors been more important? In fact, satisfying the workers had played a big role in Lincoln success. No matter of how good the managers are, the work is completed by the workers, it was essential to motivate them to produce more products. As the company succeed in satisfying the employees, as they willing to stay in the company and be more productive. That helped the company to apply their strategy perfectly; produce more for lower cost. 3. What factors will be critical to Lincoln continued success? It is important to Lincoln Company to guarantee the employee loyalty instead of counting on the paying system and giving bounces to them. In anytime that the company couldn’t satisfy the financial needs for the workers, it will be the end for them. They should focus more on other types of rewarding. For example, the most productive employees can have special parking, or quicker promotions. Also the company needs to hire supervisor for the employees. The company had a worker who was able to manipulate the system and use the lunch break to finish some work with on hand while eating the lunch with the other one! Furthermore, there should be some delegation of authorities in the company. He top executive managers are making even the smallest decisions in the company which may cause some obstacles for middle managers to take a quick necessary decision. 4. What recommendations would you make to Mr.. Willis? I believe Mr.. Willis should continue using the open doors policy and maintain the good relations with employees. In the same time he needs to give some authorities to middle managers to make the decisions they nee d to keep the work stream flows. He should also focus more on making the products delivered in the right time and fix the delay in delivery. The company strategy hasn’t changed for a while, and it is important to make some critical changes in the company environment to attract more employees instead of making the company place the employee go to in order to have high wage only. Implementing new technologies that assure reducing the number of workers will be more efficient. Finally, he can’t depend on the employees self observation only, but also needs to have closer eye on them to determine how efficient they are. CASE-8 DIAGNOSTIC PRODUCTS CORPORATION: 1 . Evaluate both the design of the EDP Performance Bonus Program for Us-based field service engineers (Fees) as it currently exists and the way in which the program is being implemented. What changes would you suggest, if any? Explain The program were based on the Fees performance in six areas: 1- cross training 2- PM completion 3- teamwork factor for MS 4- complete first visit 5- call back rate and 6- administrative functions. The current system is not affective in evaluating the employees because of many reasons. First, the employees have no complete control in some areas. For example, complete service events in the first day are not always possible no matter of how hard the employee tries because of many factors that are not related to the employee abilities. Second, there were some problems raised after implementing the program such as some subsequent visits were not a call back. Therefore, the program readjusted to include some areas as exceptions. Finally, the evaluation is based on subjectively Judgment which can be varying depending on the manager’s perspectives. Some improvement may be implemented to improve the whole program. For instance, as the managers realized that completing services in the first visit is not always possible, they need to count points for every employee who finished his part of the service in the first day. Regardless of the delay was caused by other factors. Another essential improvement is making the evaluation based on objectively Judgment rather than the manager’s opinions. It is important for the employees to know how they exactly evaluated. In that way they can guarantee that the personal problems will not affected their evaluations. Finally, as the system was applied to assure the customers satisfaction, the company should focus more on their opinions of the customers services by hiring an employee to provide them an evaluation form and take it back from them. For the customers who seek assistance via phone, the company can take their opinion after the service was provided by making the customer bush a number to evaluate the employee. 2. Instead of using a results-control system like the Performance Bonus Program could EDP control its Us-based Fees effectively using only action and/or personnel/ cultural controls? If so, what would such a system look like? If not, why not? Explain. I believe that there were plenty of choices the company can use in order to achieve their goal. They can use action control to prevent employee from hiding the customer’s bad evaluation by hiring an employee who’s responsible for giving customers the evaluation forms and take it back from them. With closer supervision on the employee they will tend to perform better. Furthermore, in the case there was nothing about the company’s effort to create a good work environment for the employee! There were not closer relation between the employees and their managers. Even the rewarding program was not big enough to attract the employee’s attentions. There was not anything about giving them promotions or higher salaries for good work. 3. In answering the question posed below, assume the following hypothetical facts: In February, Joe, a EDP FEES, was called to a large laboratory in a small Midwestern US city to perform a repair Job on an Emulate 2000 instrument. Soon after he arrived, he told the laboratory client personnel that he thought he could complete the Job in 2 hours. However, he encountered some significant difficulties and the Job took 2 days. Harvey, the laboratory manager, was quite upset because the laboratory could not afford to have the instrument down for that long in such a heavy workload period. After the Job was completed, Joe invited Harvey out for a â€Å"conciliatory dinner. † After a few rounds of drinks, Joe explained why the repair Job had taken longer than expected. Then he handed Harvey the EDP customer satisfaction survey form and asked him â€Å"to be kind† in completing it. The restaurant bill for the two of them for the evening was $179. 80. Question: How would you analyze the ethics of Joey’s behavior? Joe has no ethics at all! ( I know you will say I am going so far here 0 ) He did not finish his Job in the right time. The Job needed about 2 hours to be done and he took 2 days! He did not only cost the company money and time, but he also fail in satisfy the customer who was upset because of the work delay. Moreover, he invited the customer to â€Å"conciliatory dinner â€Å"and tried to manipulate the customer to get positive evaluation for his lousy work. The company should cover the expenses for this dinner to as a part of travel expense which mean they will pay 179. 80 for unnecessary dinner! How to cite Zooz, Papers

Current Situation of the Retail Industry in Myanmar

Question: Discuss about theCurrent Situation of the Retail Industry in Myanmar. Answer: Introduction With the recent changes in the overall situation of Myanmar, it has been learnt that the retail industry of the country has been largely affected. Some of the most important factors that have led to considerable amount of changes in the retail sector include political, economic, technological and social. This paper will focus on the effects of these factors on the retail industry and how the effects will shape up the industry from the futuristic perspective. Political, Technological, Social and Economic Environment The Political, Technological and Economic Situation in Myanmar is highly entangled and interrelated. Since the three scenarios are affected by each other, the instability of one part of the environment directly affects the other. The instability of the current situation of the country has led the people face a number of troubled situations. Where other Asian countries are drawing high amount of attention in terms of foreign investment and growing largely, the instability of the political conditions of the country are posing trust factors among investors. In 2015, a number of protests against laws passed by the government had been witnessed that led to police clashes with students, monks and media personnels (Tay and Tan, 2015). Apart from this, the county has illustrated many ethnic issues in the past and the current situation is also unstable. All these factors are leading to an increasing amount of fear with the foreign investors that directly affects the retail industry in the country. Furthermore, it is noted that the laws and policies of the country are not updated enough to comfort foreign investment, retail industry and economic development at the end of the day (Tay and Tan, 2015). An important point to be taken into consideration is the lack of knowledge among the country regarding software issues. It has been noted that the Software industry lacks experts and professionals and demands a large number of investment for it to grow considerably. Since the government does not have adequate amount of resources and policies to facilitate the growth of the sector, it remains largely unchanged, thus affecting the overall performance of the varied industries (Tay and Tan, 2015). Shifting focus to the finance sector, small and medium sized companies are complaining largely on account of absence of loan facilities and financial aid in order to grow their respective businesses. Since the retail industry directly falls under the category of the small sized enterprises, it has become increasingly difficult for individuals or small business owners to set up their business amid political, economic and financial disturbances time and again. The government of Myanmar has only allowed large organizations to gather reserves while putting little focus and importance on the growth of the retail and small scale industries (Tay and Tan, 2015). According to experts, the country needs more steady and focused form in order to grow from the perspective of business. The development needs to be rapidly done in order to ensure that the retail industry grows as quickly as possible (Tay and Tan, 2015). On the positive front, it has been noted that the economy of Myanmar is set to boom in the next few years. It is estimated that the consumer class shall increase to 19 million people by the end of 2030 which poses a great opportunity for foreign investment and retail sector largely. Furthermore, the country has been moving on the path of democracy after years of authoritarianism. Reforms and new policies are already under action for the purpose of an open market and a boom in the varied industries (McKinsey Global Institute, 2013). Lastly, the retail industry is set to put a foot in the development phase with the organization of Retail Expos that showcases the strengths of the retail industry and has been organized in order to give a substantial amount of growth to the sector. Supermarkets, hypermarkets and shopping complexes are on a rise in the country which are indeed giving a new hope to the retail industry of the country a brand new face. From the social perspective as well, peo ple are vouching for a change in lifestyle and increase in the retail industry in order to improve the standard of living and experience the goodness of international products of varied nature. Hence, from the social perspective as well, Myanmar is on the verge of change and exponential growth in the years to come (Myanmar Retail Expo, 2016). Although the statistics have proven that the country has done well in the past in terms of GDP and overall growth in the industrial and retail sector; however, it has also been learnt that the political and economic instability of the country is posing limitations on the growth of the sector. With issues identified in the infrastructure i.e. roads and transportation facilities and electricity provisions, the government needs to put a large focus on the development of all these factors in order to ensure growth in the retail industry of the country in the coming years (Anonymous, 2016). Conclusion From the above analysis, it can be easily concluded that although the recent reports on Myanmar are not available; however, keeping in view the reports published in 2015 and the past clearly suggest that since the Political situation in the country is improving, it is speculated that the other sectors will see vast amount of steady development in the coming years. With the increase in the number of consumers and the promising nature of the market of Myanmar, it is speculated that the country is yearning for a high amount of investment from the Western Countries that will assist the country in growing at a rapid rate. Taking this into consideration, it is important to note that the new reforms in the economic and financial sector are also set to welcome the growth that the retail and industrial sector of the country demand today. Hence, like all its neighbors, Myanmar is attracting development and has proven to be a promising market for investors across the globe leading to a brighter future for the people of the country. References: Anonymous. (2016). The Report: Myanmar 2016. Oxford Business Group. Tay, S. and Tan, C. (2015). The Political and Economic Challenges of Myanmars Future. Myanmar Times. McKinsey Global Institute. (2013). Myanmars Moment: Unique Opportunities, Major Challenges. Mckinsey and Company. Myanmar Retail Expo. (2016). Introducing 1st International Exhibition for Retail Business in Myanmar.

Water symbolize (the stone ang Essay Example For Students

Water symbolize (the stone ang Essay Water can symbolize many things throughout the novel. Whether it is in Manawaka, the Pacific Coast or Shadow point, what is constantly recognized in the number of times water is used. If one were to closely examine these situations, they would soon discover it’s symbolic importance. In the novel The Stone Angel, water is presented in the many fluctuations, in Hagar’s life. Hagar goes through many stages in her life, where water is represented but without it being physically present. Without the imagery of water, the story would be less effective and meaningful for the reader. When Hagar reaches Shadow Point, hungry and confused, she eats some food from her paper bag. She feels restored but is very thirsty because she forgot to bring water with her. â€Å"There’s no water-none. How has it happened? I’d give almost anything right now for a cup o tea.† (153, The Stone Angel) Hagar is mad at herself for not remembering to bring water with her. This shows how important water is for Hagar’s well being. When she wakes up the next day, she is wandering around and finds â€Å"A rusty and dinted bucket beside a shed has gathered the rain water for † (186, The Stone Angel) Hagar. This symbolizes a sign of hope and life since it is a known fact that man cannot live more than three days without water. At this point Hagar is feeling good about herself for being able to survive this long. We will write a custom essay on Water symbolize (the stone ang specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now When Hagar first gets to Shadow Point, she is desperate for water. Hagar â€Å"can’t drink seawater†, because â€Å"it meant to be poisonous.† (186, The Stone Angel) This shows that water is sort of a paradox. It is meant to do well but it can also do harm. When one reaches a point where they must have water but all that is available, is salt water, where it can do harm if one tries to drink it. It can also demoralize their hope. The novel states, â€Å"It was at dusk, all shapes and colors having turned grey and indefinite, that my brother Daniel, skating backward to show off for the girls, fell in.† (23, The Stone Angel) Hagar doesn’t really tell the pain she felt for losing her brother because she wasn’t really one to express her emotions. This is one of the lower points in Hagar’s life that shows how water can kill. After Hagar is found by Marvin and Doris, she is taken to the Hospital. Here she complains plenty about the condition s. When staying around Mrs. Jardine, Eva says, â€Å"Mercy, does my hair ever need a good wash.† (266, The Stone Angel) This just goes to show how little they wash at the hospital. When one in cleaned with water, they feel cleaner because they know that they smell and look fresher. Hagar goes on to say, â€Å"A person can’t give their hair a wash without permission.† (270, The Stone Angel) This is just like saying a person can’t look clean without permission in a hospital. This is depriving people of their need for cleanliness. Hagar needs to be clean in her own eyes because she is so concerned about what others think of her. In Hagar’s first night at Shadow Point, a light rain suddenly awakens her. The novel says,â€Å"Rain. I waken groggily in the darkness, and for a moment I wonder if Doris has been in yet to close my window. Then fumbling my way out of sleep, I realize where I am†¦.. A mild rain, fortunately, not like the thunderstorms we used to get on the prairies, when the lighting would rend the sky like an angry claw at the cloak of God.† (161, The Stone Angel)This represents spiritual baptism for Hagar because she has come to Shadow Point to get rid of all her troubles. It is just like she is being cleaned of all the sin she has committed. At this stage in her life, she feels stronger because the weight of her sin has been lifted off her shoulders. When Hagar is rescued by Murray Lees, it seems that she was taken off to heaven when she is taken to the

History of Relationship Marketing Essays

History of Relationship Marketing Essays History of Relationship Marketing Paper History of Relationship Marketing Paper Since the early beginnings of the formalization of the modern industries a need for a sales approach that addresses the specific requirements of different industries from their suppliers’ side emerged. In the early stages all efforts in this arena were individual, not formulated and depend largely on the situation, personal influences and relations. 2. 1. 1The past As early as late 19th century and the beginnings of the 20th century the need to serve mass markets started to influence, and sometimes burden, the industrial community. This situation was driven by, as well as driving at many cases, the advancements in technology and production capabilities of industries across the board. This created a production driven environment where whoever can produce and supply will be selling and profitably. By mid 20th century (post WWII) the production driven scene was changing; technological advancements pace was getting faster and the world started to see products that have comparable performance, specifications, and simply serves the purpose and this created what we know now as commoditization and fired the first bullet in modern price wars. Producers realised this shift and started to concentrate on sales and marketing activities on their quest to capture bigger market share and ensure continuity and profitability. Again there was an upwards trend in the sales and marketing theories and concept evolution, the same what happened with production earlier. This trend was driven by, and again driving at many cases, how markets perceive products and react towards certain approach. Till this point in time marketers and academics were not distinguishing between consumer markets and industrial markets; serving mass markets was the main focus. As O’Malley and Patterson (1998) note ‘there was a great need to formalize marketing; to guarantee that it worked every time’. In 1954 Borden introduced what is considered to be an early version of what we know now as the marketing management mix; a 12 variable list that marketers would have to consider in any specific circumstance of market encounter and translate them to an integrated marketing program. By 1960 McCarthy reconstructed the original variables of Borden into our well-known 4P’s framework (Price – Product – Placement – Promotion). Although this model has been heavily questioned and criticized for the fact that it is an oversimplification of market realities which is by definition complex, the same simple nature of the 4Ps ensured its increasing popularity and the rise of the ‘Marketing Mix’ theory. As a result of consolidating it under the (P) of ‘Promotion’, sales also followed the same transactional paradigm of marketing and the focus was on the transactional nature of the customer encounter; simply finishing the sales transaction in favour of the product was the target. Other marketing theories that was developed within the same period of time and took different approaches than the transactional one had no chance for survival due to the dominance of the marketing mix theory. The marketing mix (transactional theory) was developed in rather specific circumstance; it was developed in the United States to address the consumer goods markets in post (WWII) period, so it was tailored based on the needs and conditions of a specific geographical market, a specific segment, and a specific time zone with very high growth rates. Primarily, criticism originated from people operating within environments that are different from those that influenced the development of the theory, for example from Europe, especially the Nordic school, and from marketers working within the industrial (business-to-business) and service sectors. As time passed and markets evolved, pressure on the marketing mix theory started to come from the United States itself. The intra-market competition intensified considerably as the number of firms increased and the consumer goods markets changed from a growth status to one of maturity. Firms had to battle for an unvarying number of customers within markets that were becoming increasingly saturated with products. This uncovered transactional marketing as a theory and an approach developed out of growth, not stagnation or super-competitiveness, and that it was showing as not fitting in numerous, but perhaps not all, situations. Later, and in order to provide the transactional theory with dimensions to cope with the changing scene, scholars started to add elements to the mix that followed the same 4Ps legacy. Other Ps were added (public relations and politics (Kotler, 1986); people, physical evidence and process (Booms and Bitner, 1982); people (Judd, 1987); preservation (LeDoux, 1991), and some went out of the (P) way and added terms like the 4Cs (Kotler, 1991) and S 2Cs (Berry, 1990). All these attempts were only expanding on the existing approach rather than challenging the conceptual foundation of transactional marketing. In industrial and services environments the practice of transactional marketing was limiting to companies capabilities. Marketing department within a typical organizational structure has key responsibilities of market analysis, advertising, sales promotion, pricing, packaging design and distribution, where it is expected to align and integrate all other functions of the business while the reality in most cases is that ‘the rest of the organisation is alienated from marketing, and the marketers are isolated from design, production, deliveries, technical service, complaints handling, and other activities of the firm’ (Gronroos, 1994). In this context, and within an industrial (B2B) firm, the sales force should be programmed to deliver solutions designed by the ‘alienated’ marketing department while in fact they should be advocating the firm to design solutions based on customer needs since they are in direct contact with the customer, and on the other hand advocate the customer on the best fitting solution to his case based on his needs not on the firm’s marketing or production capabilities. Under the transactional approach, the sales force was required to understand the company competences (4Ps) and communicate them to their customers in order to convince with the importance of the purchase and how their offering fits the customer needs. The main qualifications of a salesperson then would be good presentational skills and in some cases sound technical knowledge if he is selling a product that involve a technical dimension. This was by far overlooking what the customer really needs, instead this approach wanted to bend the customer to fit the offering (product/service). At the end the transactional paradigm became a practice that is not a customer oriented approach to business but rather a product oriented one (Gronroos, 1994). 2. 1. 2The rise or relationship marketing By the 70s of the 20th century, the differential in the needs and the purpose of buyer-seller exchange between consumer markets and B2B markets was obvious and initiated an approach were customer retention and long-term relationship are the goal for marketing. Customers in B2B (unlike consumer markets) are limited in number and with much more sophisticated requirements and in so many cases require a tailor made solution as far as their product/service is concerned, and in so many cases the customer is an active part of the exchange where his/her opinions and needs have to be integrated within the solution rather than being delivered a standardized offering. And also, while the marketing objectives were met at the point of exchange in transactional marketing, B2B and services firms were looking to extend the relationship and ensure a continuous flow of business from their customers. Relationship marketing emerged as an alternative paradigm to transactional, where marketing efforts focus on attracting, maintaining and improving customer relationships rather than just attracting customers and making the exchange. The sales function under this new paradigm has a totally new role of relationship management where the sales force focus is to initiate, develop and enhance customers’ relationships rather than simply delivering the company offerings. In their attempt to formulate a framework for companies to adopt to be able to engage in relationship marketing, academics presented numerous theories and models in the beginning that placed transactional marketing on one side of the marketing continuum and relationship marketing on the other side and defined them as opposites. The speculation was that the new paradigm will replace the old one, and that the alternative paradigms have to be competitive when employing them into the practice rather than complementary; they simply cannot coexist. With time and more work in this area, the views changed into more developed thoughts and scholars saw that these paradigms can be used as moderators to each other where in some situations the transactional paradigm would be more effective (like in consumer goods) but utilizing relationship marketing will assist in the development of bonds and thus creation of competitive advantage. Looking on to B2B and service sectors we will notice that most of the attention generated was towards the sales function as the core for relationship building. In these sectors the one-on-one encounter is the dominating event for exchange between the buyer company and the seller company (and in many cases the only event), thus utilizing the encounter to build a long-term relationship was the focus of many literature addressing this approach. Salespeople under the new rationale are required to engage in relations and not in exchange events and nurture it and enhance it over time. This relational approach not just transformed how the salespeople work but as well highlighted some new requirements for how a salesperson profile should be and consequently how in this new environment sales management eflect the new approach and encourage it. For example working in teams including other salespeople and probably members from production, RD, supply chain, and even marketing is the approach that helps full engagement in the customer situation by the company. This requires that ‘salespeople must be orchestrators of their companies’ resourc es, directing the necessary information and expertise to solve customers’ problems and fully develop joint opportunities’ (Ingram, 1996). This requires that salespeople should be team and customer oriented to be able to perform their new role and that sales management encourage the team performance and reward it. As well sales people are required to transform into relationship managers where their main goal is to maintain long-term profitable relationships. This requires a different set of behaviours and personal qualities than that of the earlier short-term sales revenue oriented ones. Again this has its own implications of sales management where it is asked to reword not just the short-term tangible revenue but also the long-term relationship building efforts that is in most cases intangible. Under relationship marketing paradigm salespeople transformed into consultants who help their customers achieve their strategic goals. This approach to markets has been adopted by major corporations like DuPont, Starbucks, IBM, Dell, HP, 3M and Siemens among others, and the progress made by these leading sales organizations sends a clear message to others that relationship selling works and it will continue to do in the future.

Bovine Spongy Encephalitis (BSE) in Japan

Bovine Spongy Encephalitis (BSE) in Japan The essay aims to investigate the issue of Bovine Spongy Encephalitis (BSE) in Japan, with particular emphasis on the meat traceability system adopted by the Japanese regulatory authorities and its implications for the Japanese food markets, its beef industry, and the hospitality industry. Presumably written in late 2005 or early 2006, some three years after BSE reared its head in Japan, the essay attempts to trace the events that led to the BSE scare in Japan and the responses adopted by the state and industry to cope with market and customer apprehensions. Essays, on specialised subjects like these, need to have reader friendly, grammatically correct structures that guide curious lay people through the complexities of unfamiliar issues in sequential logical steps; such efforts should be well researched, evidence clarity about the subject at hand, make good use of language skills and engage reader interest in the main and allied themes. BSE, better known as mad cow disease, emerged first in the UK in 1986, its manifestation in cattle being associated with a number of logical, as well as fanciful theories that included (a) force feeding of cattle, animals that are normally herbivorous, with meat or bone meal from semi-sterilised cadavers, and (b) import of meat meal, contaminated with human meat, from India (Jones, 2001)! Related to the presence of a misfolded protein called Prion in the brain tissues of cattle, BSE is known to make the brain of a cow a bloody mass of spongy tissue, followed by the certain death of the affected animal (Jones, 2001). Worryingly it is also known to infect humans who consume BSE tainted products (Jones, 2001). The disease first showed up in commercially reared livestock in the UK, and has since then been associated with more than 150 human deaths in the UK alone; its occurrence in the United States led to panic in Japan, a major importer of US beef, and thereafter to a number of protective and regulatory steps by the Japanese for ensuring the safety and quality of beef consumed in the country (Nottage, 2004). Whilst such background information would have been particularly relevant for establishing the importance of the topic, especially in light of the levels of global panic generated by the outbreak of BSE in the early 2000s, there is little of it in the essay; the author preferring to commence the study directly with the detection of the first BSE case in Japan in 2001 and the events that followed. With much effort having been given to providing technical details about Creutzfeldt – Jakob disease, (CJD) and its new variant, in the appendices to the essay, some elementary information about Prion, established to be the root cause of BSE, the substantial loss of human life, and the worldwide concern that arose, post the emergence of the disease, would have helped in driving home the need for governments to adopt stern regulatory measures and in putting the Japanese regulatory efforts in their proper p erspective. Ford’s book on the risks posed by BSE to mankind, which has otherwise been included by the author in the references, provides a graphic account of the dangers of BSE and the essay would have been well served by the inclusion of some of the highlighted risks.

An Analysis of Delivering Benefits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An Analysis of Delivering Benefits - Essay Example Therefore FedEx in order to curtail its health care expenses offered variety of different health care plans; previously the company was facilitating employees health care needs by offering health care benefits through managed care programs like HMO (health maintenance organization) and PPO (preferred provider organization) but later company realized that there is further need of improvements in this regard. As a result company offered various different health care plans; the main logic behind this act was to engage more and more employees in the health care benefits plans by giving them various options to choose from, so that they can be best served and company on the other hand can save handsome amount of money. For achieving this target FedEx very succinctly offered its employees the option to choose from the current health care providers, however if one plans to see a doctor that is not under the panel of FedEx then different volume of deduction will be carried out from employees salaries. By educating and informing employees about the services and pathway related to avail these services resulted in controlling the health care budget up to great extent. As employees at time often go to see a doctor for minor problems because of the health care allowances that their companies are offering. Furthermore there are several other options that employees can use in order to cheat in this regard. These miss usages of health care facilities resulted in paying companies more; moreover to further worsen this situation inflation related to health care services are growing rapidly. As a result companies have no options but to muzzle these expenses as was the case with FedEx. FedEx timely and calculated action in terms of enhancing its policies regarding health care services proved to of vital importance as employees were not questioning the extra deductions because every thing was explained to them prior and they were given the power to choose from the different offerings . Ultimately results in controlling and muzzling the health care expenses genie. Answer 2: It is believe that companies when searching or hiring for employees look for a physically fit and energetic employees so that they can gain maximum advantage from them. As Human Resource manager are always looking to hire an individual that will turn out to be an asset for the company not a liability. However human beings at times are fragile and have tendencies to be affected from the environment and get some diseases. There are some that are born with some diseases. Therefore companies while recruiting look for physical fit employees in most situations especially companies that require more physical fitness like logistics industry. FedEx falls under the category of courier and logistics service provider company, therefore their hunt for fit employees is obvious, furthermore after hiring the company ensures that these fit recruits should remain fit for the longer run so that they can best ser ve the company’s purpose. In a recent past FedEx in order to best serve its employees not only made adjustments in the health care benefits programs but also created a department that provides medical assistance by giving advices regarding how to remain fit. Furthermore employees can even ask or share their fitness related issues from them especially those who are having chronic diseases like asthma, sugar and arthritis. The main logic

Juvenile Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Juvenile Justice - Essay Example Harris County Youth Village: Is a residential facility located near Clear Lake. It houses a capacity of 170 males between the ages of 10 and 17. The facility offers educational, therapeutic services, drug education, and medical attention services. It has a student led government and partners with the San Jacinto College System Central Campus (Harris county juvenile probation 1). Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility: This facility sprung up in 1994, but did not take its first inmates until 1998. Juveniles housed here are between the ages of 10 and 21 years of age. Inmates are allowed to apply to community custody programs like education release and work detail. Lives are situated on per diem with wages, clothing, cleaning supplies, food and food supplies. The units operate on custody and unit management guidelines that can result in loss of privileges to higher level security placements (Nebraska department of correctional 1). Southern Youth Correctional Reception Center and Clinic: This facility is located in Norwalk, CA. as an institute for male youths. The center offers special education courses and high school education. Inmates are given assessments to determine needs and treatment plans. The facilities offer sex offender programs, public services, and mental health treatment services (Southern youth correctional reception 1). Southern youth correctional reception center and clinic. (2010). California department of corrections and rehabilitation: division of juvenile justice. Retrieved from http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Juvenile_Justice/Facility_Locations/Reception_Centers_and_Cli nics/sycrcc.html. (11 April

My personal experience Essay Example for Free

My personal experience Essay This story is from my personal experience where I was involved directly with the central character in this story. This story is about a little girl who had lot of aspirations in life and wanted to make a mark in this world. Though the name doesn’t matter but for the matter of convenience, let us call her Mary. Mary’s only fault, if it was, was getting born to parents who could only afford her education by skipping one meal in a day. Mary was above average and hence scored well in her kindergarten levels. The problem started when she was promoted to 1st standard where the level of difficulty increased for her. Her parents who could not read or write were of little help. In the daily grind of earning, when they could hardly afford the meals and her education, getting a tutor for her was a distant dream. This made the little bud sink as she always wanted to be the best and was ready to work hard as well but the conditions at home and school prevented her from unlocking her potential. On one side while her parents had their own rut to handle, her school teacher was not any considerate. She would hardly teach in the class and yet expect her students to perform the best. Well, her prestige was at stake. Any weak student in the class was a pain for her and she wanted to devise ways and means to expel the student who was not able to score. The first trimester results were declared and as expected Mary flunked in most of the subjects. She was not the worst but she was not above average any more. Mary’s teacher was infuriated with the results of the class, which was not as she wanted. She felt a necessity to teach last 10 rankers a lesson. What else could be better method than to physically torture the tiny tender kids, so that they never forget the lesson the learned teacher was trying to hammer on them. In no time, last 10 rankers were asked to stand outside in the sun which was blazing at the peak summer noon. No prizes for guessing that our Mary was also asked to stand in the scorching heat. The summer sun was too harsh for the slender frame of Mary who could not sustain and passed out on the ground. She was immediately rushed in the shade and nursed. This incidence further aggravated teacher’s indignation. It was difficult for her to believe that kids of Mary’s age can not sustain such punishments. She considered Mary to be faking the whole situation. Teacher remembered the incidence and sought to vindicate it at the right opportunity. It did not take much time for the right opportunity to come in. The Semester exams were going on. Mary was trying her best to prepare for the difficult subjects. Her parents had asked me to take few classes for her as a favor. I agreed and started coaching Mary on the subjects. She was having good grasping power and unique ability to apply the knowledge as soon as acquired. Hence, my effort was quite less in teaching her and the output was beyond my expectation. I started liking to teach her. Mary was working very hard to make up the grades. She was doing well in her exams, she used to tell me. On the day of her last exam, Mary was quietly writing her paper. The paper was easy for her as she was well prepared. The teacher, as vindictive she was, was watching for a slight error from Mary so that she could throw her out of the exam hall. To Mary’s misfortune, the moment arrived. A quick gust of wind flew Mary’s question paper to her fellow students’ desk. As Mary went on to pick her question paper, she was confronted slapped hard by her teacher who left no stone un-turned in proving that she was cheating. Mary cried, cried and cried but it all went on deaf ears. Fortunately, for Mary, the principal of the school was passing by. She stopped and asked the reason for the commotion. Thankfully, the principal believed Mary and allowed her to complete her exams. This was the last straw for the class teacher to consider Mary her sworn enemy. To rub salt on her wounds, Mary’s result was just excellent in the semester exams. She had topped, though over all she was 3rd ranker but still there were six months to go and Mary hoped that she would be able to regain her original position. And then the fateful day arrived. It was one week, since the school opened and Mary was quite excited to learn the subjects further. She was quick to answer the questions asked in the class and was doing very well. Finally, on that day, the teacher got into an ego clash and asked Mary to explain something which was way beyond Mary’s scope of learning. The teacher, infuriated, threw the duster with full force towards Mary which unfortunately hit Mary directly at her temple. Immediate brain hemorrhage followed resulting in on-the-spot loss of a life which was definitely not meant to be going this way. The teacher was tried in the court but she was released due to lack of evidence and on the ground of accidental but not intended hit. Life is going on usual for me or anyone else in the world, but definitely its’ no more a fair world for me!

The Unselfish Gregor in Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis :: Metamorphosis essays

Gregor was the most unselfish person in The Metamorphosis. This characteristic shows with his dedication to his work. He was the only family member with a job, believing he was the only one capable of it. Sacrificing his social life for his work, he had no friends at work, and never went out at night. His only hobby was fretwork, sitting alone in his room. The only person he was ever intimate with was his sister Grete. His devotion to his work was remarkable. In all of the five years he had worked for his father's creditor, he had never once been absent. Always ready to go out on his rounds as early as possible, he never took advantage of time for a break. By the time he got back, the other employees were still eating breakfast. Under the belief that he was the sole provider for the family, Gregor took up a job with his father's creditor, before even consulting his family. They, at the time, were of course impressed. The flat they were living in was chosen by Gregor. Making enough mo ney, he hired a cook and servant. He was even thinking of sending Grete to the conservatorium to further enhance what he believed to be musical talents. Even after his metamorphosis, he never asked for much. Showing his concern for others' wellbeing, he hid under the couch so as not to disgust anyone by his sight. Although they brought him food everyday, he barely ate any of it. He even wished he were not such a burden on the family, and that he could have transformed back into his old self. All of the actions mentioned above displayed Gregor's unselfishness. After his metamorphosis, nobody indicated they were grateful for what he had done. After his first absence, the chief clerk himself appeared at Gregor's house to see what was the matter. When Gregor did not open his door, the chief clerk accused him of stealing the company's funds, and degraded him in front of his parents as being insubordinate. After the transformation, Gregor's father gave little or no love or support. Instead, he had hurt Gregor many times while ushering Gregor back into the room. Grete and her mother do, for some time, show a little support. After having Gregor around for a while however Grete asserted that they should somehow get rid of him.

Human Resources Management In Small and Medium Enterprises Essay

Introduction Competitive advantage to a firm accrues from the judicious employment of three basic types of resources, namely Physical Capital Resources, such as Finances, Plant and Equipment Organizational Capital Resources – Structure and systems in the organization Human Capital Resources, which include the skills, competencies, experience and intelligence of employees.[1] Human resources are among the most important resources that an organisation utilises and hence its importance to any organisation can be easily understood. Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are no exception to this rule, although this aspect is frequently lost sight of. This paper examines the role and importance of Human Resources in SMEs, and compares SMEs from two different cultural backgrounds – Taiwan and the UK. Role of Human Resources in SMEs â€Å"The study of human resources management in SMEs needs to be strongly encouraged. CEO/founders in SMEs view human resource management decisions as very important to the growth of their enterprises†[2]   A study into the perception of important HR issues in small organizations showed that â€Å"top six issues were wage rates, availability of quality workers, government regulation, training, benefits, and job security†[3] The role of Human Resources in SMEs is to contribute meaningfully to organisational objectives in a flexible and demanding environment. Lack of strategic employee management is widely accepted as characteristic of small enterprises. Decision-making has been perceived to be of relatively short-term nature compared to larger organisations, making small enterprises more flexible and less conflict-prone. At the same time, this also means that the advantages of long-term planning such as greater efficiency and effectiveness are lost. On the human resources front, this means that such organisations tend to have reduced capability to attract, retain and motivate the best human resources. This becomes important in view of the fact that out of thousands of small businesses that are established every year, only a few manage to survive in the long-term. While long-term planning and HR strategy are not the only reasons for this, they are among the important reasons. Hence an examination of the HR function as a strategic part of business, and its relevance to long-term planning, is in order. In addition, the role of recruitment and selection, training, and performance management, are also relevant to any discussion on the role of human resources. Planning and Human Resources Management Strategic planning for the organisation needs to be linked to individual goals. In turn, this means that the job design should take into account the long-term objectives of the organisation. â€Å"A framework for strategic management incorporating HRM involves developing a mission statement that answers questions of what businesses the organisation is in; determining goals that are general and long term; and establishing objectives that are short term and measurable. It should also encompass a complete SWOT analysis that incorporates HRM as a functional unit of analysis.†[4] One of the essential requirements of Human Resources Planning is proper job design. Human resources planning involves the matching of the knowledge and skills that are likely to be required in future with those that it has or will have. Human Resources Planning will help the organisation to estimate critical resource requirements, plan training and development needs, and link individual goals to organizational objectives. Job design involves specifying the characteristics of the job and the requirements such as skills for performing these jobs. Job design will thus provide the framework for a host of HR planning activities that can be linked to organizational objectives.[5] Recruitment and Selection Once the plans of the organization are clear the next important issue that any organisation needs to address is to get the right staff to implement the plans. â€Å"Surveys indicate that about 25 per cent of small businesses view the lack of qualified workers as a threat to their expansion and very survival.†[6] The problem assumes particular importance in the case of small enterprises because they almost always have a problem in attracting and retaining the best talent. This is partly due to the fact that they are unable to compete with larger firms for quality staff, because it is impossible for them to match the rewards and prestige that come along with positions in larger firms. Additionally, smaller firms have a reputation for being oriented towards a ‘hire and fire’ culture. Training Once the plans are clear, and the recruitment of the right people has been completed, it becomes necessary to motivate the staff, as well as to enable them to perform their tasks efficiently. This requires periodic training of the employees. Training is important in the case of small enterprises because they are more prone to changing environments and higher attrition rates. This makes it necessary for people to be more flexible, and to be trained in all aspects of the business. While the need for training of staff is thus greater in the case of a small enterprise, it is also accompanied by greater constraints that make it more difficult for these organisations to implement training programmes. Small organisations face two constraints in t his respect: Their budget for training may be more limited, and they may lack the necessary resources to carry out such training It is more difficult for small enterprises to spare their people for training programmes. In spite of the above limitations, however, small enterprises need to concentrate more on training, as it is an investment that needs to be done. â€Å"It has been suggested that top performing companies are distinguished by their higher spending on training and development.†[7] Performance Management Performance Management â€Å"includes work and job design, reward structures, the selection of people for work, the training of these employees, assessment of work performance and policies associated with rewarding and improving performance.†[8] Performance Appraisals are an important part of Performance Management and are useful in improving performance, assist HR planning, and identify development needs and potential for promotion. Small businesses, in general, lack a formal performance appraisal system. The disadvantages of not using structured and formal appraisal systems are that appraisals, and the consequent rewards, are often subjective, and may promote greater dissatisfaction. Consequently, appraisal systems and Performance Management play an important role in determining the alignment of HR planning with organisational goals, and ensuring that a proper climate is available for the achievement of the objectives. â€Å"In developing formal performance appraisal systems, small businesses not only are able to ensure that performance management may become strategically aligned with organisational goals, but also increase accountability, decrease under-utilisation of human resources, address concerns of productivity, and decrease employees’ concerns about fairness and accuracy.†[9] In addition, the salaries and rewards that are offered as part of the employment and the management of diversity within the workforce are important considerations for any organisation. These have a greater significance in the case of small organisations. As can be seen from the above, the role of Human Resources management in small organisations is an important one that needs to be well understood and implemented with care. One interesting extension to the role of HR management in small to medium industries is the use of Balanced Score Cards, which are normally viewed as the exclusive tool of large industries. The Balanced Score Cards approach shifts the focus to long-term growth, and includes measures of operational efficiency, customer satisfaction and employee related measures. The Balanced Score Card method thus includes a part of HR Management to assess the overall performance of the organisation. In a case study that included three SME organisations, Gumbus and Lussier present some interesting conclusions that have significance for the HR function in SME companies. The cases also serve to highlight the importance of HR in SME companies and the link between performance and HR. One of the three companies cited in the case is Futura Industries, an international company based in Clearfield, UT with 230 employees. It has over 50 years of experience in aluminium extrusion, finishing, fabrication, machining and design. The company believes that the two competitive weapons that put them ahead of competition are â€Å"their ability to hire and retain the best people and their devotion to the customer.† Futura’s President, Susan Johnson’s belief that committed and loyal employees make the difference has led the company into using the Balanced Score Card method. In the words of Ms. Johnson, the company â€Å"had all the financial metrics, lots of customer measures, and got ISO accredited three years ago †¦ but it is our employees that differentiate us from all other extrusion companies.†[10] A Comparison of SMEs in the UK and Taiwan A study by Lin found that successful SMEs in Taiwan place greater emphasis on soft skills and attitudes rather than on hard skills. He infers that SMEs in Taiwan seemed to have a better grasp of its human resources.   â€Å"Whenever SMEs modernize equipment, alter production processes, revise compensation policies, and engage in other reorganisation activities, they take pains to handle employees’ responses and feelings with special care and invest heavily in skills development.â€Å"[11] According to Hu, the Human resource scenario in Taiwan is characterised by abundance of entrepreneurs and availability of high quality professionals. Hu traces this to the importance laid on education by Chinese, and the large-scale injection of high quality human resource into the island in the aftermath of the retreat into, and subsequent withdrawal from, Taiwan of the KMT government. In addition, the Taiwanese population has inherited from its ancestors the qualities of â€Å"hard working, brotherhood, strong family ties, competition, and similar attributes that form the basis for strong family businesses.†[12] According to McKenna & Beech, the following values characterise the Asian HR scene[13]: Politeness and courtesy Emphasis on personal relationship Not losing face Harmony- avoidance of open conflict Predominance of group interests over individual interests Discipline and respect for authority and for elders Normative, rather than externally imposed control Trust and mutual help in business relationships Centralisation and authoritarianism As against the above, the HR scenario in Europe is characterised by the following features[14]: Pluralism as against unitarism Collectivism and social orientation instead of individualism, with the emphasis being on national, rather than individual, interests Legal framework: firing is more difficult Social Partnership: Employment security, protection of workers’ rights, and representation of workforce through trade unions. Social Responsibility: Concern for environment and other social obligations Tolerance for diversity Recognition of complexity and ambiguity. The characteristics enumerated under Asian values represent the Taiwanese scene, and the scenario in Europe is representative of the UK. From the above, it can be seen that the SMEs in Taiwan are formed with reliance on individual assistance, based on respect for authority, with trust and mutual relationships as the supporting factor. In the UK, and other European countries, it is the legal framework that gives the necessary assurance and support to the business rather than trust. In Taiwan authority is enforced, and followed, because it is natural to the culture. In the UK, the legal aspects are augmented by collective bargaining with a recognized trade union to achieve this purpose. Taiwanese take great care to handle employees’ feelings appropriately whenever major decisions need to be taken. This is replaced by collective bargaining and more formal communication in the UK. SMEs predominate in Taiwan, whereas larger firms represent the more prevalent form of business in the UK. SMEs constituted 99.43 percent of Taiwan’s total manufacturing firms in 1954, the highest level ever recorded; 95.26 percent in 1976, the lowest; and 98.07 percent in 1996. Among them, the smallest firms, employing fewer than 10 persons, accounted for 90 percent of all firms in the manufacturing sector in the 1950s.[15] On the other hand, SMEs generate roughly one quarter of the GDP of the UK. The generation of employment by SMEs varies from sector to sector, the highest being in the construction sector with 84% of the employment being generated by this sector. The SME sector, which was declining up to 1970, picked up momentum thereafter, and showed a rising trend till 1994. Since 1994, the number has remained constant.[16] As can be seen from these figures, the SME sector is less dominant in the UK than in Taiwan. Why Human Resources are important in firms â€Å"The resource-based view of organisations explains variations in firm performance by variations in firms’ human resources and capabilities†[17] Firms can gain competitive advantage by generating specific knowledge and skills that are difficult to imitate. This can be achieved through human capital development. The importance of Human Resource Development in small firms is thus self-evident – they help the firms to succeed by being competitive. In a study of more than 100 small enterprises in two towns from Germany, Rauch et al found that â€Å"human resources are essentially important and an optimal utilization of skills and knowledge increases small business growth.† [18] In order to harness this important resource and ensure it gives the best returns, an organisation needs to select its employees with care. â€Å"It is expected that as firms grow, the skills and abilities required to perform various functions and activities no longer would be available from the familiar and informal recruitment sources preferred by the owner-manager†[19] Apart from recruitment, other functions such as Training and Development, Performance Appraisal, and formal procedures and documentation help the organisation in improving efficiency. According to Kotey and Slade, â€Å"Benefits of formal HRM practices include meeting legal requirements, maintaining records in support of decisions in the event of litigation, treating employees fairly, and increasing efficiency.† [20] A study by Kotey and Slade involving more than 1300 small firms in Australia showed that as firms grow they tend to introduce formal HR practices and procedures. In the words of the authors, â€Å"While the analyses show that a significant percentage of SMEs implement formal HRM practices with growth, HRM remains informal in the majority of firms, particularly in small firms. It could be that implementation of formal HR structures and procedures necessary to support growth differentiates successful from unsuccessful SMEs.†[21] In a small organisation, people need to be more flexible and undertake a greater variety of jobs. This needs both motivation and skills. In turn, many employees may get better exposure and greater opportunities to learn and shoulder higher responsibilities in a small firm. All of these underline the importance of Human Resources Management in organisations, particularly small firms. The HRM model is â€Å"composed of policies that promote mutual goals, influence, respect, rewards and responsibility between employees in the organisation.†[22] These policies are promoted by practices such as team working, aligning performance objectives with organisational goals, and a flat organisation structure, all of which can be achieved only through a proper Human Resources Management in the organisation. Survey Research findings have confirmed the theoretical position with the conclusion that good HR systems is a source of competitive advantage. One study has shown that higher performance in a number of areas is correlated to good HR systems and practices. Companies that had significantly higher ratings on their HR practices also reported better market value, higher accounting profits, higher growth rates, better sales per employee, and lower employee turnover. Another study has found that newly started companies had a better survival rate if they had good HR practices. The probability of survival was found to vary by as much as 42% between the firms with the best HR practices and rewards, and those with the worst. Yet another study found that performance of the organisation was strongly linked with practices such as acquisition and development of skilled people, better job design, better autonomy, and positive employee attitude. All these studies clearly show that good HR could positively impact organisational performance practices, highlighting the importance of Human Resources in an organisation. Apart from improving performance good HR practices result in lower costs, while poor practices increase the costs to the organization. One of the contributing factors for this is the cost of employee turnover. â€Å"Interviewing and training recruits has significant out-of-pocket costs for the employer.† Replacing an employee involves expenses for Separation, Replacement, and Training. [23] Employee turnover costs can be divided into three major elements: Separation costs: These are the costs that are directly incurred when an employee leaves the firm, and include such costs as exit interviews, administrative and paperwork costs, disbursement of separation benefits, and revenues lost due to shortage of staff. Replacement Costs: These represent the cost of replacing the employee who has left and include the costs of advertising, sourcing, interviewing and selection. Training Costs: These are the costs that the company incurs for training and induction of a new employee. Apart from the actual expenditure on these activities, the costs of loss of efficiency in the initial stages, and the time lost during the training period should also be considered. Thus employee turnover could represent a fairly high cost to the organisation. Employee turnover can be classified into avoidable and unavoidable turnover. Most of the avoidable turnover results from lack of proper HR initiatives.[24] How Good/Bad employees affect the firm â€Å"A good employee is possibly the most valuable asset a small firm or SME can possess; a bad one could ruin the enterprise.†[25] Any firm, and more importantly a small firm, can ill afford to have people who do not perform. Robert Townsend, a noted Management expert was once asked the secret behind his ability to take over loss making firms, and changing them into profitable ones. The reply that he gave will be of interest to anyone asking how good or bad employees make or mar the firm. Mr. Townsend identified three factors that contributed to his success: Releasing the potential of employees so that they could perform at much higher levels by the practice of appropriate management styles Identifying people within the organisation who were blocking progress and preventing others from performing, and either changing their ways, or dismissing them Identifying people who had the ability and drive to take the company to greater heights, and promoting them. It can be seen that this highly successful Management practitioner reduced success to three simple rules, namely, eliminating deadwood, promoting and encouraging those with potential and creating the right climate in the company. This clearly shows that apart from creating the right environment, the most important requirement for success is the quality of people. Good people could transform a loss making company into a profitable one.[26] â€Å"Whether a firm is small or large, it’s only as good as its staff.†[27] This can be easily understood because the employees of the organisation make the vital difference between good and poor performance in every area. Apart from the demonstrated effect that this has on the firm’s performance, which has been cited earlier, this also stands to reason. A company depends on coordinated working by its employees towards a common goal to achieve its objectives. In order to meet these objectives, the organisation has to do what it does well. In other words, the competence of its employees should be good if it wants to achieve results. Secondly, the soft skills of the employees are important to achieve internal teamwork as well as to nurture customers with excellent performance and service. Thirdly, the employees of the company need to work efficiently if it is to have a healthy bottom line. All these objectives can be achieved only with good employees who know their job and possess the necessary hard skills, have the necessary soft skills, and are committed to the company’s success. In other words, a company needs good employees who have the right levels of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Conclusion Human Resources Management in Small-to-medium industries has been gaining a lot of attention lately. There is increased awareness among many of the SME entrepreneurs themselves about the importance of good HR practices and policies. It has been shown that organisations having formal Human Resources practices grow faster, and are more profitable, than those that do not do so. A comparison between SMEs in two countries, namely Taiwan and the UK, shows that the SME sector is more predominant in Taiwan, which is characterized by a culture that lays greater emphasis on group working, respect for authority, and mutual trust. This is contrasted by the UK situation where the SME sector is les pervasive, and the HR climate is characterised by formal and legal supports, collectivism, and social responsibility. Although the two situations are quite different from each other, the importance of formal HR systems in the SME segment is being recognised in both cases, and seem to affect performance positively, irrespective of the background. Works Cited A Causal Analysis. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 29(6): 2005: 681+. Bennett, Roger. Small Business Survival: Strategies for Delivering Growth and Staying Profitable: Second Edition. London, Financial Times Management, 1998. Burns, Paul. Entrepreneurship and Small Business. New York, Palgrave, 2001. Griffith, Roger W and Hom, Peter W. Retaining Valued Employees. London, Sage Publications, 2001. Gumbus, Andra, and Robert N. Lussier. Entrepreneurs Use a Balanced Scorecard to Translate Strategy into Performance Measures. Journal of Small Business Management 44(3): 2006: 407+. Heneman, Robert L., Judith W. Tansky, and S. Michael Camp. Human Resource Management Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Unanswered Questions and Future Research Perspectives. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 25 (1): 2000: 11. Holbeche, Linda. Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy. Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001. HRD in Small Organizations, Edited by Graham Beaver & Jim Stewart. New York, Routledge, 2004. Hu, Ming-Wen. Many Small Antelopes Make a Dragon. Futures 35(4): 2003: 379+. Kotey, Bernice, and Peter Slade. Formal Human Resource Management Practices in Small Growing Firms. Journal of Small Business Management, 43 (1): 2005: 16+. Lin, Carol Yeh-Yun. Success Factors of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Taiwan: An Analysis of Cases. Journal of Small Business Management, 36(4): (1998): 43. McKenna, Eugene and Beech, Nic. Human Resource Management, A Concise Analysis. Essex, Pearson Education Limited, 2002 Megginson, David, Banfield, Paul, and Joy-Mathews, Jennifer. Human Resource Development. Kogan Page India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 2001. Rauch, A., Frese, M., & Utsch, A. Effects of Human Capital and Long-Term Human Resources Development and Utilization on Employment Growth of Small-Scale Businesses: Satava, David. The A to Z of Keeping Staff: Few Firm Employees Leave without a Good Reason-Here’s How Not to Give Them One. Journal of Accountancy 195 (4): 2003: 67+. [1] L. Holbeche, Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy, Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001, pp.10-11. [2] R.L. Heneman, T.W. Judith and S. M. Camp. Human Resource Management Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Unanswered Questions and Future Research Perspectives. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice 25(1): (2000): p. 11 [3] HRD in Small Organizations, Edited by Graham Beaver & Jim Stewart, New York, Routledge, 2004, p. 81. [4] Ibid, p81 [5] Ibid [6] ibid, p82 [7] ibid, p 85 [8] ibid, p 89 [9] ibid, p 89 [10] A. Gumbus and R. N. Lussier. Entrepreneurs Use a Balanced Scorecard to Translate Strategy into Performance Measures, Journal of Small Business Management, 44(3): 2006: p.407. [11]C.Y. Lin. Success Factors of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Taiwan: An Analysis of Cases. Journal of Small Business Management, 36(4): (1998): p. 43. [12] M. Hu. Many Small Antelopes Make a Dragon, Futures, 35(4): 2003: p. 379. [13] E.McKenna and N. Beech. Human Resource Management, A Concise Analysis. Essex, Pearson Education Limited, 2002, pp.4-5. [14] ibid [15] M. Hu. P. 379. [16]   P.Burns. Entrepreneurship and Small Business. New York, Palgrave, 2001, p12. [17] A. Rauch, M. Frese & A. Utsch. Effects of Human Capital and Long-Term Human Resources Development and Utilization on Employment Growth of Small-Scale Businesses: A Causal Analysis. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 29(6): 2005: p681. [18] ibid [19] B.Kotey and P. Slade. Formal Human Resource Management Practices in Small Growing Firms. Journal of Small Business Management, 43(1): (2005): p.16. [20] ibid [21] ibid [22] E. McKenna and N. Beech, p34-35 [23] D. Satava. The A to Z of Keeping Staff: Few Firm Employees Leave without a Good Reason-Here’s How Not to Give Them One, Journal of Accountancy, 195(4 ): 2003: p. 67. [24] R. W. Griffith and P. W. Hom. Retaining Valued Employees, London, Sage Publications, 2001, p10 [25] R. Bennett. Small Business Survival: Strategies for Delivering Growth and Staying Profitable: Second Edition, London, Financial Times Management, 1998. [26] D. Megginson, P. Banfield and J. Joy-Mathews. Human Resource Development. Kogan Page India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 2001, p. 82. [27] Satava, David. â€Å"The A to Z of Keeping Staff: Few Firm Employees Leave without a Good Reason-Here’s How Not to Give Them One.† Journal of Accountancy 195.4 (2003): 67+.

Indian Restaurant Case Study Essay

Porter’s five forces model will help us to determine in what ways this new venture will use it when thinking about business strategy and the impact of IT. 1. Buyer power: Buyer power is high when buyers have many choices from whom to buy, and low when there are few. As a provider of the product or services, we should always wishes to reduce buyer power. For this enterprise the buyer power will be low because there is no other Indian restaurant in that area. In addition, the enterprise will keep track of the customers who make their visit often to the restaurant through loyalties programs, number of times credit card being used etc. and it is not feasible without large –scale IT systems. 2. Supplier power: supplier power is high when buyers have few choices from whom to buy. As a customer of other supplier organizations, you want to increase your buyer power. Over here, IT plays a vital role in bringing buyer-supplier together through internet, IT-enable B2B e-marketplaces etc. For this business the supplier power will be low. We can create a competitive advantage by locating alternative supply sources for the organization. 3. Threats of substitute product or services: It is high when there are many alternatives to a product or services, and low when there are few alternatives from which to choose. Ideally, we want it to be in the organization in a market in which there are few substitutes for the products and services. In this venture if we talk about the availability of the Indian food in this area, the threat of substitute is very low. But competition can be given other fast food chains like McDonalds, Wendy’s, domino’s etc. Over here we can take the help of IT by providing fast services to our customers by the help of taking order online, drive through etc. 4. Threat of new entrants: The threat of new entrant is high when it is easy for new competitors to enter a market, and low when the entry is not easy. Over here the threat of new entrant in this particular type of business is low because it required high investment, involvement of risk in front of the other fast food chains etc. 5. Rivalry among existing competitors: It’s high when competition is fierce in the market and low when competition is more complacent. Over here there is no existing competitor as far as the Indian restaurant is concerned. But still we can get competition from other fast food chains who have already established themselves in the market. BUSINESS INTELIGENCE Business intelligence is a knowledge about your customers, competitors, business partners, competitive environment, and your internal operations that gives you the ability to make effective, important, and strategic business decisions. It is an IT applications and tools that support the business intelligence within an organization. The objective of BI is to improve the timeliness and quality of the input for decision making by helping knowledge workers to understand the a) Capabilities available in the firm. b) Trends and future directions in the markets. c) Actions of competitors and implementation of these actions. d) Economic, political, social, and regulatory environments in which the firm competes. Over here BI will help us in getting knowledge about competitors; future prospects of the business and hence will help us in efficiencies and lowering cost in internal operations of the restaurant. Through BI we can find out the business strategies which have to be implied in the future if restaurant faces a competition from other restaurant or fast food chains. It is known that BI systems provide actionable information and knowledge at the right time, in the right location, in the right form. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT A customer relationship management uses information about customers to gain insights into their needs, wants, and behavior in order to serve them better. Customers interact with companies in many ways, and in each interaction should be easy, and error free. It’s uncommon for a customer to change companies after having a bad experience. The goal of CRM is to limit such negative interactions and provide customers with good experiences. Its plays very important role in the industry likes food industry because once customer have a bad experience in it he will never like to come back. So we should take care of the quality of the food and good customer service. Not only this we should also take care of the other facilities which is to be provided to them like availability of the wi-fi within the premises so that they can do there work online, now over here IT plays its role. We can also provide facilities like free home deliveries, taking order online and they can book the table in advance to hold any type of gathering like graduation day, valentine day, birthdays etc. IT will help us to enhance feedback from the customer and thus meet their requirement as far as service is concerned, and they can also give suggestion to improve further. SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT Supply chain management will play very important role in this venture. IT will help us in bringing together vast network of suppliers. Over here, in restaurant business we have to take special care about the quality of materials to be used. Supply chain management will help us in tracking arrival the date of the material, expiry date of it, also help in tracking inventory and information about raw materials and their suppliers. Too many materials on hand means that too much money is tied up in inventory and also increases the risk of obsolescence, especially in the case of perishable goods. Too few materials on hand are not good either. So to avoid that situation we can use just in time (JIT) approach. It will help us in reducing holding cost. TO REACH TIPPING POINT To reach tipping point in this venture, the main focus would be on customer satisfaction and the quality of the food because customer wants value out of the money spent and it they get that value it will keep bringing them. It can be done by using differentiation strategy and IT will play major role in this. We have to do planning, implementing and controlling of the operations to satisfy customer requirement as efficiently as possible. We have to take care of the movement and storage of raw materials, in- progress inventory and all this can be done with help of IT. Staff will also play a major role in reaching to the tipping point. We will look for highly skilled and experienced staff for this. Importantly, all this would be offered to the customers at a reasonable price.

Visual Disability Overcoming Challenges

Visual Disability Overcoming Challenges College Guide For Students With Visual Impairments National Federation for The Blind provides the following stats: Around 1.3 million US citizens are visually impaired or legally blind 40.2% of visually impaired or blind people are included into the active workforce Fewer than 15% of visually impaired or blind people get a bachelor’s degree at higher educational institution Over 25% can’t finish high school 30% of visually impaired or legally blind people live below the poverty line Of course, students who suffer from visual impairments face much more challenges than their good-sighted peers. This guide for visually impaired people reveals learning strategies that allow them to get higher education and enter the job market with less stress. But let’s define the terms first. Most visually disabled people belong to one of the three main categories: Visually Impaired. This type of disability affects the clarity of vision, visual acuity, color perception, and visual range. Visual impairment can also manifest itself through sensitivity to light and lowered adaptation to light or darkness. Legally Blind. It’s a severe disability of sight. People with this type of disability qualify for various disability benefits and tax exemption. Total Blindness. It’s an inability to see anything with either eye. Actual statistics states that about 50 million people on our planet are totally blind. 80% of them are 50 years old or older. Most of the students who have visual disabilities usually become comparatively independent by their senior year of high school. Students who utilize certain technologies and software which helps them function are usually able to use their equipment without assistance from their teacher or fellow students. When this stage is reached, the student makes an acquaintance with a career counselor in order to develop an IPE, which stands for the Individual Plan for Employment. IPE should help the student plan his/her post-graduate activities like job training, employment, or independent earning services. Rehabilitation Act and The Americans with Disabilities Act demand all college campuses to have learning facilities suitable for disabled people (including sight disabilities). Accommodation Of Students Who Have Visual Disabilities Academic experts urge to use the UDL, which stands for Universal Design of Learning, in order to welcome visually disabled students to the classroom without any problems for their learning process. To create courses that would be accessible to any student regardless of their disabilities, educational institutions should complete the following steps: Make sure that dining halls, classrooms, dormitories, and other premises are accessible for all students, no matter if they have disabilities or not. Assist students with disabilities in order to help them use technology and software that will help them increase the efficiency of their studying process. Provide special study formats and additional time for assignments for students with disabilities. Provide students with special needs with resource centers and counselors. Ensure the availability of auditory software, Braille materials, or large-font presentations for visually impaired students. Special technologies, software, and applications are crucial in terms of integrating visually impaired students into the academic process without any damage to the quality of education that they receive. Take a look at top tech innovations and apps for students with visual disabilities. Screen Reader. It allows reading text using a synthesizer of speech. This device is operated by entering various combinations of letters on a Braille display. It makes speech synthesizer read the printed info. Video Magnifier. It projects graphics and magnified text on a screen by means of a handheld or mounted camera. Screen Magnification. It zooms graphics and text. Magnification is handled with the help of a mouse or keyboard commands. Screen magnification also shows study materials in an easy-to-read font. Braille Embosser. It can be connected to printers to create Braille print documents which are essential for people with sight disabilities. All you need is thick paper. Know that you can only print on one side of a document. Braille Display. They use pins to transcribe text which is displayed on screen into Braille. Braille displays are usually connected to the PC with a cable. Portable Note-Taker. This convenient device has Braille-friendly buttons. Students can read books, find directions, compose assignments, and record lectures with its help. Adaptive Keyboards. These are specialized keyboards that come with locator dots on certain keys for those who can’t use a standard keyboard. Adaptive keyboards usually have removable Braille overlays. Optical Character Recognition. It scans text and saves it or repeats it aloud with the help of speech synthesizer. Unfortunately, OCR devices can’t interpret the text written by hand. Top Apps for Visually Impaired Students Voice Brief ($2.99) – reads aloud content from social media, e-mails, text messages, etc. Ariadne Gps ($5.99) – has fingertip-accessible maps for people with sight disabilities. Looktel Money Reader ($9.99) – scans American currency paper bills to define their value. List Recorder ($0.99) – makes it easy to record and store lists. It’s integrated with Braille display and VoiceOver for maximum convenience. Dragon Dictation (Free) – records and transcribes audio messages with punctuation. Additional Resources The National Federation of the Blind The American Council of the Blind The American Foundation for the Blind United States Association of Blind Athletes Lighthouse Guild Despite federal law which requires accessibility and inclusiveness for disabled students, visually impaired students must make their own research in order to determine if the prospective educational institution can meet their needs and if it has the necessary resources, campus services, counselors, special accommodations, and dedicated personnel. When the choice is made, the student should talk to disability counselor at the college. Talking to professors about special needs before the start of every semester is highly advisable.

Problems With the Status Quo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Problems With the Status Quo - Essay Example The reason of this is substitution for supplier that dispatches raw materials with poor quality. Though new supplier proposes affordable prices, frequently he makes delays in delivery of materials that affect the terms of producing finished commodity. Moreover, delays in production also occur because of the low qualification and professional skills of the workers, who may show habitual negligence concerning their responsibilities. Nevertheless manufacturing capacities allow to produce bigger number of goods, there is an absence of required level of demand for our products and decrease of workers’ motivation that hampers further expansion of production. In addition, the question about regulations of smoking personnel is still open. Present policy of smokers develops gaps in working time that influences on productivity of labor. On the top of everything, relations in our collective have spoilt drastically. Atmosphere is quite intense and unfriendly, causing intractability and st ress. According to stated problems, it is essential to find solutions a.s.a.p. If you have any ideas, I would be grateful to get your help. Kind regards, Name Dear Friend, With this letter I want to express my gratitude for your sympathy and support. It means a lot for me.

Hurricane katrina Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hurricane katrina - Research Paper Example The levees were not strong enough to hold a hurricane as enormous as Katrina. Many private and governmental agencies shared the responsibility of maintaining the levees’ integrity, which caused doubts about the division of responsibilities as a result of which, their efficiency declined. Another cause of failure was the lack of an appropriate warning system to alert the people. The death toll of about 2000 that happened as a result of Katrina could have been prevented had the entire population in the path of the hurricane was evacuated in a timely manner. Evacuations went very slow. A lot of people remained in Katrina’s path till 19 hours before the occurrence of landfall because of delays in the mandatory evacuation. The government was sluggish in the evacuation and rescue of the people affected by Katrina partly because of subjectivity about the consequences of the hurricane. With proper management and efficient disaster control and relief system, the disastrous effec ts of Katrina could have been