Friday, December 27, 2019
Hebrews And Its Impact On The World Essay - 1362 Words
Life as it is has really greatly regressed since the age of the Biblical times, until one would wonder if the Word of God still has root in the life of man in this current generation. This essay aims to answer the question, ââ¬Å"What is the major theme of Hebrews and does it apply to the individual Christian today?â⬠While looking keenly into the Book of Hebrews, this essay will highlight the major theme of the epistle, and bring into perspective the practicality of the Word of God in the life a Christian today. It will breakdown to detail who a modern-day Christian is, what his life principles are, and lastly, if the theme of Hebrews is applicable with his life today. The Book of Hebrews is one of the most significant books in the whole New Testament. It boasts of the purest form of Greek in linguistic nature, and not just that, but also its formation and delivery of its logical arguments are some of the most well-thought-out and well coordinate of all literature. The epistle, however, has taken centre stage in unending confrontations, and even sometimes violent debates over generations in regards to who the author of this incredible Book might be. Biblical scholars, having studied the Bible in great depths, seem not to agree on who is responsible. Unfortunately for them, the Book itself does not give any reference or indication to its mysterious writer. Some scholars suggest that Apollos is the writer of this Book given his background credentials, but a majority believe thatShow MoreRelatedHebrews And Its Impact On The World Essay2041 Words à |à 9 Pagesââ¬Å"What is the major theme of Hebrews and does it apply to the individual Christian tod ay?â⬠While looking keenly into the Book of Hebrews, this essay will highlight the major theme of the epistle, and bring into perspective the practicality of the Word of God in the life a Christian today. Lastly, It will breakdown to detail who a modern-day Christian is, what his life principles are, and lastly if the theme of Hebrews is applicable with his life today. The Book of Hebrews is one of the most significantRead MoreThe Impact of the Egyptian and the Hebrew Civilizations on Humanity1459 Words à |à 6 PagesIntroduction Throughout history, great civilizations have existed in various parts of the world. The cultural, economic, political, and/or intellectual achievements of these civilizations contributed to the advancement of humankind. Civilization is a term that has various meanings. Most popularly and in this context it can be referred to as an advanced state of human society, in HYPERLINK http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/which whichÃâà a high level of HYPERLINK http://dictionary.referenceRead MoreThe Impact Of Religion On Human Culture1200 Words à |à 5 PagesFor centuries, human culture has been influenced in a multitude of ways by many means but none have had such an impact as religion. It has had countless wars waged in its name, even to this day. Billions believe in some divine being(s) that transcends the ugliness of humanity that s omnipotent and omniscient. Religion became a guide and a representation of how our lives should be led. However, history has brought evidence that made it possible for this notion to be criticized and rather, flippedRead MoreCivilization is Connected from the Mesopotamians to the Powerful Roman Empire836 Words à |à 4 Pagesachievements. The Assyrians left a las ting impact on civilization with the advent of the idea of conquest which they took to ruthlessly brutal ends. Later the Persians would add a degree of tolerance into the conquest equation. The concept of conquest would leave an indelible mark on the West, for better or worse. These developments still play a role in contemporary society. Much of the religious practice of the ancient world was polytheistic. The Hebrews embrace of monotheism is noteworthy, becauseRead MoreThe Cultural World of Jewish Women Explained in Daughters of Tradition by Alicia Ramos-Gonzà ¡lez1806 Words à |à 7 PagesTradition discuss, in great detail, the cultural world of Jewish women in Eastern Europe during the 16th-19th century. I believe that culture takes root in onesââ¬â¢ identity not only as an individual, but also in onesââ¬â¢ identity with their people and nation. Based on this belief, I have chosen to focus my explorations on the patterns found in the bases of Jewish identity among the women in Yiddish culture during this time. Despite the negative impacts towards gender equality which arose though preventingRead MoreGilgamesh Flood Comparison Essay823 Words à |à 4 PagesComparison and Contrast of Hebrew and Mesopotamian Flood Stories Both the story of ââ¬Å"Noah and the Floodâ⬠in the book of Genesis in The Hebrew Bible and the flood story in The Epic of Gilgamesh detail a grand flood in which a man saved life from extinction by building an ark, earning fame and immortality in some form. The theme of completing this grand task for a moral purpose holds true to both stories, but the depiction and actions of the divine and mortal characters in the stories contain differentRead More Apostle Paul Essay1212 Words à |à 5 Pagescharacter, Jesus Christ influenced history. Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and resurrected, which changed world history as we know it. He told his disciples He would die and on the third day he would be resurrected. Jesus died to pay the sin debt of the world. The Lord led a sinless life, but was the one who took on the sins of the world. There is no other person who has had as much of an impact in history as Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul, who once rejected Jesus Christ, later became one of theRead MoreDeath, Mortality, And The Afterlife938 Words à |à 4 Pagesand have been modified according to their own views depending in what region they were born in and the time period. To look at what has changed over the periods we have to look at our history starting with writings like the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Hebrew texture, the Bible and many more stories both historical and religious. All trying to answer the same questions regarding death, mortality and the afterlife. There are 5 immortality narratives that define the human process staying alive, resurrectionRead More Genesis And Theogony... Plagiarism? Essay1483 Words à |à 6 PagesGenesis only serves to further an important idea among the Hebrews: there is but one God, and He is omnipotent, omniscient, and other-worldly; He is not of this world, but outside it, apart from it. The idea of a monotheistic religion is first evinced in recorded history with Judaism, and it is vital to see that instead of being an example of plagiarism, the Book of Genesis is a meticulously composed document that will set apart the Hebrew God from the others before, and after. If we trace backRead MoreThe Magna Carte, The Declaration Of Independence, And But The Communist Manifesto1534 Words à |à 7 Pages Throughout out the history of the world many documents have had profound influences upon humanity. The Magna Carte, The Declaration of Independence, and even the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx are examples of some of the documents that have helped to shape humanity. The Bible has had perhaps more impact on humanity than any other Document ever written. Many people read the Bible, but know little of the history of the Bible itself. The history of the Bible is a fascinating story of
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Why Don t They Get It Essay - 1083 Words
When anyone thinks about their job we each have a list of people that we simply to not get and donââ¬â¢t like to deal with. In the end whether we like to acknowledge it or not we feel a negative disposition and even enmity for certain people. People are different and as much as we like everyone to be like ourselves that is not the case but the likelihood that we each have similar fears about hurting people and miscommunication.We are constantly communication with each other especially in the workplace with bosses, employees and co-workers. It does not matter how well you know the person communication can be difficult. Many time the words ââ¬Å"How does his tone sound in the e-mail?â⬠, ââ¬Å"Did they really mean to say that?â⬠or ââ¬Å"Why donââ¬â¢t they get it?â⬠and much more. One of the biggest roots of communication issues is our culture. Our culture is how we view and try to decipher any problems in our lives and how we speak to people and communicate with those around us. The first intercultural communication issue that I have in my workplace is a co-worker and myself have a very large communication gap. His English is not that well and it causes major communication issues. For example, we recently went on a delivery to a new client and he wanted to bring the items on a ââ¬Å"borrowedâ⬠shopping cart. I tried to explain to him that it is a new client and it is not a good look for us. But instead he chose to go his route and ignored me which made me very frustrated. The second interculturalShow MoreRelatedWhy You Don t Get An A1044 Words à |à 5 Pagesââ¬Å"You donââ¬â¢t get an A, you earn an A.â⬠says every teacher that I have ever had. It has come to my attention that they speak the truth. You put in the hard work and receive the grade with whatever your effort results in. How to earn the A can be exaggerated. In Newportââ¬â¢s book on How to Become a Straight A Student, Part 1: Study Basicsâ⬠, the audience is guided throughout the text to analyze their study skills and impart strategies for time management and procrastination. The stories of studying for excessiveRead MoreWhy Don t They Just Get Another Job?2040 Words à |à 9 Pagesand their family, but no matter how hard they tried they could not get to this point. Before this movie, I just assumed that these types of people simply did not work hard enough in life and that is the reason they were not successful at least stable within a home. In reality, these people are h arder workers than a lot of the people I know. Constantly during the film I just kept thinking, ââ¬Å"Why don t they just get another job?â⬠or ââ¬Å"Why not apply for public assistance?â⬠. Eventually, I would rememberRead MoreCommentary On Heads Up ! Heads Down !834 Words à |à 4 Pagesanother one Oh! Yeek yeek woop woop! why you all in my ear?! Talking a whole bunch of shit That I ain t trying to hear! Get back motherfucker! You don t know me like that! (Get back motherfucker! You don t know me like that!) Yeek yeek woop woop! I ain t playing around! Make one false move I ll take ya down Get back motherfucker! You don t know me like that! (Get back motherfucker! You don t know me like that!) Who!! S-s-so c mon c mon Don t, get swung on, swung on It s the knick knackRead MoreWhy I Don t Take The Leap Of Faith Essay1454 Words à |à 6 PagesIt s amazing how many people know what they want or know what they don t want and yet they don t do anything about it. Have you ever been in a conversation with someone telling you about the late in which they hate their job and how they would love to start a business instead? Yet at the end of the conversation you ask them what are you waiting for and they look at you with a blank face looking at you as if your nuts. The problem is that we want something but then we tell ourselves of all theRead MoreI Am Planning On Buying The Xulu Panelbeaters1630 Words à |à 7 Pagesmean you love each other? - Melusi, I didn t plan any of this. Ever since I came back you call me Melusi and not Baba, because you love him! - We didn t know you d come back. - I m not talking to you! Look, we didn t do this on purpose. We spent a lot of time together after the case... I m talking to my wife! After the case? Zulu, you ve been making a fool of me. I took you in, and you made a move on my wife in my house! #10; It wasn t like that! You took advantage of my confusionRead MoreDon t Be Shy, I Won t Bite !897 Words à |à 4 Pagesassumptions. He is starting to have feelings for her, even if he don t want to admit it to himself. Evelyn could sense John contemplating with his choices. She smiled brightly and spoken in a cheerful voice. Don t think too hard Johnny, why don t you sit closer by me? I ll gladly share you my blanket, besides I think you need it more than I do. Evelyn pat the ground, directing him to come closer. Oh come on...don t be shy, I won t bite! John move closer beside Evelyn. She open her blanketRead MoreReasons Why Americans Should Attend College1333 Words à |à 6 PagesReasons Why Americans Should Attend College The most important reason why americans should go to college is that it prepares them to function in this increasingly complex world. Going to college also helps you get skills and help you understand and get better knowledge of things. Having a higher level of education allows you to have more open doors to better jobs and better pay. Including having your own business. Educated people are most likely to succeed. Kids don t have the luxury of attendingRead MoreMy Life Is A Mess1344 Words à |à 6 PagesMy life is a mess because of one stupid secret. A secret that changed my life. A secret that shouldn t have been a secret in the first place. Have you ever heard the saying if you love someone then let them go? Well what I m thinking is if I love someone then I have to tell them the truth. Yeah, that should be a quote one day. If you love someone tell them the truth. Well, I didn t really listen to my own quote. My life got better within time. Then I ruined it. All because of some stupid secretRead MoreThe Boy - Original Writing1667 Words à |à 7 Pagesà Once upon a time, there was this boy, now this boy was a strange boy he never talked to anyone he didn t have any friends, and no one knew his name. Some boys at his school would come up to him and say hi or would try to ask for his name but this strange boy would just tell them to go anyway, the boy didn t seem to have a problem with having no friends, but then when this boy grew older and got in high school he meet this girl,Her name was Evangeline. Evangeline was the prettiest girl in schoolRead MoreThe Problem With Medical Insurance1209 Words à |à 5 Pagesproblems include issues within insurance companies, lack of sanitation and medical service causing various countries with more diseases than normal. Immigrants come to the United States because they need better medical services that t hey are unable to get in their country. With the lack of healthcare materials and sanitation in countries outside of the United States, it makes many people choose to live here. An ongoing problem with medical insurance leaves people with no insurance at all. I chose to
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Grass by Carl Sandburg free essay sample
Many a times one has heard the phrase ââ¬Å"history will repeat itselfâ⬠. However, it is rarely fully understood. No matter how many times one hears the numbers, facts, statistics of war, humanity fails to end the cycle. In the poem, ââ¬Å"Grassâ⬠by Carl Sandburg, Sandburg utilizes repetition and a powerful theme to pose an especially striking stance on war. Consider first the repetition of the words ââ¬Å"pileâ⬠and ââ¬Å"shovelâ⬠and the way in which they are repeated. Normally, especially in a short poem like this one, one would want to avoid repetition in order to ensure that the poem stays interesting. Sandburg chooses to depart from that rule of thumb. ââ¬Å"Pileâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Shovelâ⬠occur in lines 1 and 2 respectively, so when they recur later they are already familiar. The repetition of ââ¬Å"pileâ⬠at Lines 4 and 5 is within the same phrase so that surrounding words are identical and the word occurs visually in exactly the same place in each line. In doing so, Sandburg conveys a sense of the magnitude of death in war ââ¬â not only in terms of the numbers who died in each war, but also how war reoccurs time and again. Additionally, ââ¬Å"pileâ⬠stands out more prominently than ââ¬Å"shovelâ⬠. So even though we know that the cycle of piling and shoveling is going to go on, the piles seem to build up faster than humanity can shovel. The repetition has an additional effect: Sandburg has written in free verse with no rhyme scheme. And yet, just looking at the poem on the page, one can visualize that there is some of frame which keeps it all together. The frame is that of repeated pile/shovel phrases and placement in each line. Moreover, Sandburgââ¬â¢s theme is that grass is ultimately more powerful than battles and it is revealed in a rather astonishing way. When one initially glances at the poem, they are led to believe that they will simply be reading a poem about, as the title indicates, Grass. front the reader thinks they are about to settle in to a poem about Grass (which they are) only to encounter the opening words ââ¬Å"Pile the bodies highâ⬠. In the third line you find that the speaker is the grass. The grass wants to be allowed to work. Only in the closing four lines does Sandburg uncover his theme -given time no one will recognize this as a battleground anymore. The grass hides everything away, covers all the atrocities. When the grass gets the closing strophe all to itself Sandburg no longer needs the ââ¬Å"I cover allâ⬠. The simple statement ââ¬Å"I am the grass, Let me workâ⬠says enough. And note how each of those get their own line? A short punchy line, the first an ââ¬Å"I amâ⬠statement almost biblical in its construction and brevity. The statements about the grass are also worth contrasting with those repeated pile and shovel words which describe the effects of the battle. For the effects of the battle to be really apparent specific work needs to be done ââ¬â piling and shoveling. The grass doesnââ¬â¢t need a verb to be repeated to make its point. The grassââ¬â¢s work is to ââ¬Å"coverâ⬠, a verb which occurs once in the third line and which, thanks to the sentence structure, is not at all prominent in the way that shovel and pile have been made prominent. At the end the grass simply says ââ¬Å"Let me workâ⬠ââ¬â it doesnââ¬â¢t need to define or describe its work. Both you and the grass know what needs to be done. Sandburg has employed diction and rhythm that contrasts the theme of this piece. The lines are long and flowing when he describes war and death and, when he gets to grass, which should be a pastoral, gentle thing, he makes the lines clippy and short. And the diction expresses societyââ¬â¢s detachment from war, our need to separate ourselves from it by hiding it away (either bodies in graves or by well chosen euphemism). He studiously avoids mentioning death, never gets personal (keeps the dead as ââ¬Å"bodiesâ⬠and no more) and the verbs shovel and pile is the way one would describe logs, earth or compost. Something not to linger over, but simply to get out of the way and then get on with life. Thanks to the work of the grass, the human inability and unwillingness to confront the horror of way, it only takes a short passage of time before the people have forgotten what it was like and have to ask the conductor, ââ¬Å"What place is this? â⬠The war is already forgotten and gone from the mind. And the grass knows that no matter how much time passes it will always have work to do. Wars come round again. Itââ¬â¢s amazing how much Sandburg has managed to convey with such a short poem, especially when one considers the level of repetition which actually reduces the absolute number of lines to about 6 lines. There are other lessons to be learnt from this. By his choice of battles, Gettysberg, Ypres, Verdun etc Sandburg refers to battles that involved great carnage. Battles with a death toll or casualty rate so high that it is unthinkable that we should speak of them as dispassionately as he does. But the use of the names is far more effective in conveying this point than having to spell it out in detail. He can get away with the dispassionate tone and make it ââ¬Å"fitâ⬠the poem without seeming forced by adopting the unusual view point of having the grass as the observer and the first person speaker. Not only does he cloak the grass with personality but he simultaneously creates a narrator who is present throughout time and who is accordingly in a position to observe the folly of man through history. Other than the merest hint of a rhyme across Waterloo / Verdun, this poem is devoid of rhyme. Why? Rhyme closes lines, links lines together, gives the work a sense of completion and wholeness which is precisely what Sandburg doesnââ¬â¢t want here. He wants the work to have a continuing, incomplete, work in progress feel. The poem is written in the present tense: ââ¬Å"I am the grass, let me workâ⬠.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Management Shareholder Wealth Optimization
Table of Contents Introduction A Case against Shareholder Primacy Arguments in Favour of Shareholder Primacy Conclusion References Introduction In 1970, the distinguished economics professor Milton Friedman wrote an essay in which he argued that the sole social responsibility of a company is to generate profit for its shareholders. Bejou (2011) notes that the core message that Friedman was advancing through his argument was that the primary responsibility of managers was to the owners or investors of the company. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Management: Shareholder Wealth Optimization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This outlook is regarded as the traditional shareholder primacy theory and its main argument is that the primary task of management is to maximise shareholders wealth. The school of thought further on proposed that organizations should not be concerned with solving social problems since this the responsibility of other actors such as the government. Friedmanââ¬â¢s defence of managersââ¬â¢ duties to shareholders continues to be the prominent concept dominating corporate governance. In line with this reasoning, many top managers of public corporations today seek ways to increase the profits of their shareholders. This begs the question what is should the primary role of management in public corporations be. This paper will argue that management should expand its role and responsibilities to cater to the needs of other stakeholders in addition to the shareholders and owners of the company. Increasing the wealth of shareholders and owners should not be the core objective of management. To provide a balanced view on the subject, the paper will also review some of the arguments made in support of shareholder wealth optimization by management and offer counterarguments to the same. A Case against Shareholder Primacy Corporations cannot exist on their own; they need the input of other groups such as creditors, employees, and the government (Stout 2002). As such, the shareholders alone cannot make, much less sustain a corporation. For this reason, the other contributors to the existence of the corporation also need to be considered by management. Stout (2002) elaborates that the non-shareholder groups who contribute to the welfare of the corporation also need to be compensated in accordance to some explicit and/or implicit contracts. For example, the employees will engage in operations on behalf of the organization in return for a salary, favourable work conditions, and prospects of career advancement. If managementââ¬â¢s only concern is shareholder wealth, they organization will not be sustainable and it will fail therefore hurting the shareholders and all the other stakeholders. Management that is focused only on maximizing the wealth of shareholders will damage the firmââ¬â¢s economic interests. Stout (2002) states that such management w ill be inclined to take wealth and resources from other corporate constituencies such as employees, creditors, and governments in order to increase shareholder wealth. Management therefore needs to consider the other groups who make a contribution to the corporationââ¬â¢s survival.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Emphasis on increasing the wealth of shareholders and owners will reduce the productivity of the firm since it might lead to lower employee motivation (Kellerman 2007). Motivation is a highly desirable attribute in employees since motivated employees are integral to the success of the business. Kellerman (2007) explains that job satisfaction plays a significant role in creating motivated employees who in return direct their energies to meeting organizational goals. If management only considers the profit interest of the shareholders, they are going to sell the c orporation to the highest bidder without considering the losses that may arise to the employees and the local community. Employee motivation will be diminished if the workers believe that the management will sell the company to the highest bidder even if such a move will negatively affect them. Such employees are unlikely to commit their careers or give their loyalty to the corporation. This will result in reduced productivity for the company and this will reduce returns to shareholders. Shareholder primacy has led to risky financial undertakings by management in their question to increase shareholder value (Bergstresse Philippon 2006). Many organizations have tied the pay received by top managers to the share price in an effort to incentivize them to increase company performance. Managers therefore have a vested interest in the increased profitability of the organization and they are motivated to ensure that shareholder interests are met. Bergstresse and Philippon (2006) confir ms that many bit US corporations are in the habit of offering extravagant pay packages to their top executives as a means to align the upper management interests with those of shareholders. When the self-interest of managers is tied to the wealth of the shareholders, they are likely to make decisions that are only aimed at short term gains by the organization. Such an approach might have dire consequences for the organization and the society at large. For example, the financial crisis of 2008 which led to a global recession has been blamed on top managers allowing self-interest to prevail over any other concern. Emphasis on increasing shareholder wealth can cause risky behaviour by management and this might damage the corporation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Management: Shareholder Wealth Optimization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The best interest of the shareholder group is not always served by profit maximization by management and therefore, the shareholder value ideology can lead to negative impacts on the well-being of the company and its investors (Stout 2012). Stout elaborates that an organization has various classes of shareholders and their needs and interests vary depending on their degree of investment and interests. While some may be concerned in the short-term earnings of the company, others might be interested in the long-term performance of the organization. The view that management should only seek to increase shareholders wealth is based on the wrong assumption that increase in share price is proof of greater economic efficiency by the company in question. Stout (2012) forcefully asserts that the performance of a business cannot be measured through any one single metric. By focussing on share price and ignoring other variables such as capitalization, board structures, and equity to name but a few, a wrong assessment of the company is bound to be made. Focussing on increasing profitability might discourage investment and innovation therefore harming the employees and the customers of the organization. Holmstron and Kaplan (2001) declare that managers who view themselves as representatives of the corporation and not the shareholders are likely to maintain a long-term vision of the company and therefore take steps to ensure its growth and stability. Management needs to avoid being obsessed with increasing the wealth of shareholders and owners in order to serve the best interest of the shareholder group. Focus on shareholder profitability will cause an organization to ignore the needs of the non-shareholder entities and this might be detrimental to the organizationââ¬â¢s future. Organizations are affected by factors that are internal and external to them. Albright (2008) highlights the importance of the organization to have a good understanding and demonstrate sensitivity to the needs of its environment. There is a strong interdependence between the corporation and stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, creditors, the media, and activists. Management is therefore forced to balance the interest of shareholders with those of the other stakeholders in order to create a win-win situation from which everybody can benefit.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Shareholder wealth maximization will negatively affect the economy of a country since it might lead to reduction in production and the raising of prices by managers in a bid to increase profits (Solo 2000). This is especially the case if the organization holds a monopoly in the industry. As a monopoly, the corporation has the discretion to restrict production and raise prices without fear that the competitive forces will oblige it to react to the demand-supply forces. If the management in such a monopolistic organization holds strong shareholder-primacy view, his only concern will be to increase profitability. This will be achieved by lowering production in order to create excess demand and then raising prices. The manager could also lower the employment in order to reduce the production cost incurred by the company. All these factors will hurt the economy of the nation since it will lead to reduced production. The expansion of the company will also be deterred if the managers ar e only concerned with increased profitability. Emphasis on profits has led to many layoffs and mergers, which have driven the stock prices of companyââ¬â¢s up at a considerable social cost. The American workforce has been the worst affected by the shareholder primacy norm practiced by many top executives. Grossman (2005) reveals that in the past two decades, over 45million Americans have been laid off as corporations downsize in order to increase their profitability by raising stock prices. Stout (2012) observes that managers who have weak shareholder wealth maximization norms are more likely to concentrate in increasing sales and industry expansion instead of aggressively trying to increase profitability. The manager whose primary objective is not to increase the shareholders wealth will invest in larger firms and build new factories in order to increase the production capacity of the organization. This will result in an increase in social wealth. Emphasis on shareholder wealt h maximization will be detrimental to the economic well-being of the society. The purpose of the organization is not only to make money for the business owners but also to fulfil other social functions which include â⬠secure jobs for employees, better quality products for consumers, and greater contributions to the welfare of the community as a wholeâ⬠(Stout 2002, p.1989). This is in line with Doodââ¬â¢s assertion that the business corporation is ââ¬Å"an economic institution which has a social service as well as a profit-making functionâ⬠(Stout 2002, p. 1989). If management is only concerned with shareholder interests, they will not make an effort to fulfil the obligations of the organizations to the society. Green (1993) explains that when the primary objective of management is confined to increasing shareholders and ownersââ¬â¢ wealth, they cannot dedicate resources or managerial time to worthy causes since this will be deemed as embezzlement of organiza tion resources. Shareholder primacy therefore makes it impossible for management to fulfil other social functions and therefore ensure business success. A more prudent approach would be for management to try to maximize the ââ¬Å"sum of all the returns enjoyed by all of the groups that participate in firmsâ⬠(Stout 2000, p.1198). Such an approach would stop managers from taking actions that result in the maximization of wealth of shareholders in the short run while negatively affecting all the other participates in the firm. The shareholder wealth maximization norm is outdated since it refuses to acknowledge the importance of adopting socially responsible practices for the welfare of the business (Grossman 2005). Focus on shareholder profit maximization will lead to the removal of social factors that might reduce shareholder wealth. In todayââ¬â¢s business environment, the financial performance of an organization is increasingly interconnected with its social performance. While organizations could in the past ignore the needs of the non-shareholders and still survive, the current environment is forcing companies to align their interests with those of the society order to ensure their future survival. The last few decades has witnessed an increase in the importance attributed to Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS). CRS. Stout (2012) observes that an emphasis on CRS by European companies has enabled them to compete favourably with the American multinationals that have dominated the global market for decades. Adopting the shareholder primacy theory will therefore hurt the overall performance of the business since management will fail to satisfy social interests. Grossman (2005) best articulates this by stating that ââ¬Å"in order to truly maximize profits a company must engage with social interestsâ⬠(p.575). Managers should seek to not only produce good returns for investors but also provide good work conditions for the workforce and serve t he community by making quality products and being a good corporate citizen. Management has a moral and ethical obligation to consider the interests of all stakeholders in their decision making (Boatright 2006). These obligations include a guarantee to honour agreements and contracts, honesty, and legitimacy in conducting business to name but a few. Shareholder primacy might cause management to ignore its moral obligations when they do not contribute to an increase in the profitability of the corporation. Managers can ignore ethical obligations that and agreements that are not codified in laws. The public confidence in corporations is significantly lowered by the culture of profit at all costs (Jenster Hussey 2001). For an organization to function effectively, it needs to gain the confidence of the market. This confidence will increase the chances that people will be willing to invest in the corporation or endorse its products. Arguments in Favour of Shareholder Primacy The major r eason given by advocates of shareholder primacy is that the corporation belongs to its shareholders and due to this ownership; their interests should be put first (Holmstron Kaplan 2001). Friedman best advocated this school of thought in his 1970 essay where he noted that managers are agents who have promised to serve the shareholders who have entrusted them with their property (Green 1993). Management is therefore bound to act diligently in the best interest of the owners. Stout (2002) reveals that this argument is flawed since shareholders do not in actual fact own the corporation but rather own stocks which means that they their ownership is limited. Boatright (2006) agrees with this by noting that shareholders do not own the corporation in the same way that a person could own a house or a vehicle. The alleged ownership refers to the bundle of rights that these group has. Shareholder primacy is based on the premise that more profits will lead to the creation of wealth for indiv iduals that will in turn benefit society (Husted de Jesus 2006). This argument holds true since creating wealth for individuals makes the community dynamic and people are able to engage in more economically productive endeavours. A look at the prominent economic systems of the world supports this since the capitalistic ideology which favours the capital contributors in the society is the most successful and vibrant system in the world. Placing emphasis on profits leads to strong performance by the corporation. Husted and de Jesus (2006) observe that strong industrial performance is beneficial to the society. Proponents of shareholder primacy argue that profit seeking will result in more efficient utilization of resources by management in order to increase productivity and in the end, offers the greatest benefits to the society as a whole. While it is true that shareholder primacy will result in higher returns, this wealth is not distributed to a large number of society members. Instead, it is concentrated within a few disproportionately wealthy members of the society. The argument that shareholder primacy will benefit society by creating wealth for many individuals in the society is therefore not entirely true. With this consideration, Grossman (2005) suggests that corporations owe an obligation to society to at least be good corporate citizens and provide some social services even if these might decrease their profits. Social responsibilities imposed on business may hamper business growth and render it unable to operate (Husted, BW de Jesus 2006). Friedman argued that management ââ¬Å"possess neither the authority nor the moral right to divert shareholdersââ¬â¢ profits for the welfare of the general publicâ⬠since they are merely agents of the stockholders (Grossman 2005, p.574). Advocates of shareholder primacy reinforce this argument by asserting that it is not right for the society to impose welfare obligations on the corporation. If individ ual stockholders choose to use their profit for worthy causes, they can do this but the choice should not be made by managers who have been appointed to run the company. While market forces should be the main determinant of how the corporation reacts, the corporation has an obligation to the society. Businesses have to conform to the basic rules of the society and avoid seeking only profits. Stakeholders assume significant risk by investing their resources to the firm and for this reason, their financial interests should be the primary objective of management. Individuals who invest in corporations do this in the hope of achieving greater returns in business than they would if they engage in business activities independently. Boatright (2006) states that the prospect of significant financial benefits is what makes individuals with economic assets voluntarily agree to contribute their assets to production in an organization. Shareholders are likely to suffer from personal losses if the corporation fails. This is because they are the people who have invested money into the organization. Since shareholders agree to take up significant risk in investing in the corporation, it is appropriate for the managers to work towards ensuring that these risk takers obtain high levels of profit from their shares. Risk taking does not give the stakeholders all the power over the corporation. While the other stakeholders might not take the risk, their involvement facilitates the profitability of the organization. Their concerns should therefore also be addressed. Conclusion This paper set out to dispute the accepted financial axiom that the primary objective of management is to increase the wealth of shareholders and owners. The paper has demonstrated that the shareholder wealth maximization concept does not serve the best interests of the society as a whole. It has shown that the assumption that shareholder primacy and other partyââ¬â¢s interests coincide since the maximi zation of stockholder wealth improves the welfare of society is wrong. It has revealed that the view that companies with rising share prices are economically efficient is flawed since business performance should not be measured through a single metric. Weak shareholder wealth maximization norms have also been observed to be healthier for the economy of a nation since they can have the impact of increasing national wealth through increased production. Voices have over the last two decades been raised against the shareholder primacy model advocated by Friedman. Corporate managers are increasingly required by the society to consider the interests of more than just the shareholders and owners of the company. This paper has demonstrated that corporations are faced with expectations not only from their shareholders but also from their employees and the society. They must therefore act in a manner that takes into consideration the needs of non-shareholder actors. A corporation that addre sses societal needs has a greater chance of succeeding and therefore increasing the value for its stakeholders. Management should therefore overcome its predisposition to only focus on the needs of the shareholders and make decisions that appeal to the needs of all the relevant stakeholders. References Albright, SK 2008, ââ¬ËEnvironmental scanning: radar for successââ¬â¢, The Information Management Journal, vol. 12 no. 2, pp. 38-45. Bejou, D 2011, ââ¬ËCompassion as the New Philosophy of Businessââ¬â¢, Journal of Relationship Marketing, vol. 10 no. 1, pp. 1-6. Boatright, J 2006, ââ¬ËWhatââ¬â¢s Wrong ââ¬â and Whatââ¬â¢s Right ââ¬â with Stakeholder Managementââ¬â¢, Journal of Private Enterprise, vol. 11 no. 2, pp. 106-130. Green, R 1993, ââ¬ËShareholders as Stakeholders: Changing metaphors of Corporate Governanceââ¬â¢, Washington and Lee Law Review, vol. 50 no. 4, pp. 1409-1421 Grossman, A 2005, ââ¬ËRefining the role of the corporation: the impa ct of corporate social responsibility on shareholder primacy theoryââ¬â¢, Deakin Law Review, vol. 10 no. 2, pp. 572-596. Holmstron, B Kaplan, NS 2001, ââ¬ËCorporate Governance and Takeovers in the U.S.: Making Sense of the ââ¬â¢80s and ââ¬â¢90sââ¬â¢, Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 22 no.2, pp.121-144. Husted, BW de Jesus Salazar, J 2006, ââ¬ËTaking Friedman Seriously: Maximising Profits and Social Performanceââ¬â¢, Journal of Management Studies, vol. 43 no. 1, pp 76-91. Jenster, P Hussey, D 2001, Company Analysis: Determining Strategic Capability, Wiley, New Jersey. Kellerman, B. (2007) ââ¬ËWhat Every Leader needs to know About Followers.ââ¬â¢ Harvard Business Review 85,(12) 84-91. Solo, A 2000, Economic Organizations and Social System, University of Michigan Press, Michigan. Stout, L 2002, ââ¬ËBad and not-so-bad arguments for shareholder primacyââ¬â¢, Southern California Law Review, vol. 75 no. 1, pp. 1989-1210. Stout, L 2012, ââ¬ËThe problem of corporate purposeââ¬â¢, Issues in Governance Studies, vol. 48 no. 3, pp. 1-14. This essay on Management: Shareholder Wealth Optimization was written and submitted by user Isabella Tyler to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Worldviewwhat Is It Essay Example For Students
Worldviewwhat Is It? Essay All across the United States Christians are talking about this term called Worldview. What is it anyway? Many times, we release our guard and end up allowing society to change our thinking into what the rest of the popular culture thinks of our very being. As Christians, we should be giving scriptural backup for whatever conclusions one makes about this culture. Every society has a culture. Each culture has a different method of thinking. One of the major issues each culture eventually deals with is their basic theology. If I were to ask someone who God was, the answer would vary depending on which part of the country I was in. This is where the development of worldview begins. People within that culture begin to migrate towards those who have the same beliefs in fellowship. Those people who have the same beliefs begin to form a culture. After a culture is formed, cultural studies begin taking form. We will write a custom essay on Worldviewwhat Is It? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In a religious community, the members of that community begin to form a standard of ethics to live by. After the individuals form a religious community, start a culture that culture begins to do cultural studies. Those cultural studies are a basis for the individuals to set boundaries of accepted ways to produce or consume culture in their community. The next step in this process deals with aesthetics. Aesthetics are the ways in which the culture communicates their beliefs and values. After all these concepts have taken their course, the individual has developed a worldview. Starting back at the very beginning of this process is the most dangerous aspect of this entire process we follow to gain a worldview. In todays society there is a variety of versions of God. Depending on which God you believe in, your community and culture could be very far fetched from what the truth is. The overlying theme behind every formation that coincides with any worldview can be asked in one question. What is the purpose of my life? As Christians, we should be involved in societys version of popular culture. We are called in the Bible to be the salt of the world, as the salt we shouldnt be merely consuming the culture in which we live in, we should be part of it, adding everything we can. Speaking about worldview does not make you automatically a believer of Christ. This topic has been discussed many times within the last five years at colleges, seminaries, and many other knowledgeable institutes around the world. We not only need to discuss what our worldview is, but we need to practice it as well. Many people dont even know what a Biblical worldview is. Discussing it with intelligent people at major debates will only help. We are merely sitting around and letting the culture change around us. That is not salt. Words / Pages : 502 / 24 . Worldviewwhat Is It Essay Example For Students Worldviewwhat Is It? Essay All across the United States Christians are talking about this term called Worldview. What is it anyway? Many times, we release our guard and end up allowing society to change our thinking into what the rest of the popular culture thinks of our very being. As Christians, we should be giving scriptural backup for whatever conclusions one makes about this culture. Every society has a culture. Each culture has a different method of thinking. One of the major issues each culture eventually deals with is their basic theology. If I were to ask someone who God was, the answer would vary depending on which part of the country I was in. This is where the development of worldview begins. People within that culture begin to migrate towards those who have the same beliefs in fellowship. Those people who have the same beliefs begin to form a culture. After a culture is formed, cultural studies begin taking form. We will write a custom essay on Worldviewwhat Is It? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In a religious community, the members of that community begin to form a standard of ethics to live by. After the individuals form a religious community, start a culture that culture begins to do cultural studies. Those cultural studies are a basis for the individuals to set boundaries of accepted ways to produce or consume culture in their community. The next step in this process deals with aesthetics. Aesthetics are the ways in which the culture communicates their beliefs and values. After all these concepts have taken their course, the individual has developed a worldview. Starting back at the very beginning of this process is the most dangerous aspect of this entire process we follow to gain a worldview. In todays society there is a variety of versions of God. Depending on which God you believe in, your community and culture could be very far fetched from what the truth is. The overlying theme behind every formation that coincides with any worldview can be asked in one question. What is the purpose of my life? As Christians, we should be involved in societys version of popular culture. We are called in the Bible to be the salt of the world, as the salt we shouldnt be merely consuming the culture in which we live in, we should be part of it, adding everything we can. Speaking about worldview does not make you automatically a believer of Christ. This topic has been discussed many times within the last five years at colleges, seminaries, and many other knowledgeable institutes around the world. We not only need to discuss what our worldview is, but we need to practice it as well. Many people dont even know what a Biblical worldview is. Discussing it with intelligent people at major debates will only help. We are merely sitting around and letting the culture change around us. That is not salt. Words / Pages : 502 / 24 . Worldviewwhat Is It Essay Example For Students Worldviewwhat Is It? Essay All across the United States Christians are talking about this term called Worldview. What is it anyway? Many times, we release our guard and end up allowing society to change our thinking into what the rest of the popular culture thinks of our very being. As Christians, we should be giving scriptural backup for whatever conclusions one makes about this culture. Every society has a culture. Each culture has a different method of thinking. One of the major issues each culture eventually deals with is their basic theology. If I were to ask someone who God was, the answer would vary depending on which part of the country I was in. This is where the development of worldview begins. People within that culture begin to migrate towards those who have the same beliefs in fellowship. Those people who have the same beliefs begin to form a culture. After a culture is formed, cultural studies begin taking form. We will write a custom essay on Worldviewwhat Is It? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In a religious community, the members of that community begin to form a standard of ethics to live by. After the individuals form a religious community, start a culture that culture begins to do cultural studies. Those cultural studies are a basis for the individuals to set boundaries of accepted ways to produce or consume culture in their community. The next step in this process deals with aesthetics. Aesthetics are the ways in which the culture communicates their beliefs and values. After all these concepts have taken their course, the individual has developed a worldview. Starting back at the very beginning of this process is the most dangerous aspect of this entire process we follow to gain a worldview. In todays society there is a variety of versions of God. Depending on which God you believe in, your community and culture could be very far fetched from what the truth is. The overlying theme behind every formation that coincides with any worldview can be asked in one question. What is the purpose of my life? As Christians, we should be involved in societys version of popular culture. We are called in the Bible to be the salt of the world, as the salt we shouldnt be merely consuming the culture in which we live in, we should be part of it, adding everything we can. Speaking about worldview does not make you automatically a believer of Christ. This topic has been discussed many times within the last five years at colleges, seminaries, and many other knowledgeable institutes around the world. We not only need to discuss what our worldview is, but we need to practice it as well. Many people dont even know what a Biblical worldview is. Discussing it with intelligent people at major debates will only help. We are merely sitting around and letting the culture change around us. That is not salt. .
Sunday, November 24, 2019
How to Outline a Novel the Master Guide (With Template!)
How to Outline a Novel the Master Guide (With Template!) How to Outline a Novel: an Author's Guide (with Template) Are your eyes tired of staring at a blank Word document? Are you sick of crashing and burning every time you try and start a novel? Well, we have the not-so-secret key to success right here: it involves learning how to outline a novel.Book outlines have saved the neck of many a bestselling writer - but the process behind them is mysterious at best. In this post, we pull back the curtain and show you (step-by-step) how to create a story outline. If youââ¬â¢re looking for some additional inspiration, skip to the appropriate section below to download a book outline template.The argument for outliningDonââ¬â¢t let the naysayers fool you: a story outline is the closest thing to a ââ¬Å"get out of jail freeâ⬠card in the long game of novel-writing.Time invested in a story outline is foresight gained for your novel. Imagine youââ¬â¢re a rock climber looking up at a tall cliff, for instance. You could just leap onto the rock and see what happens. You might reach the top this way - but thereââ¬â¢s a bigger chance that youââ¬â¢ll fall face-first or hit a dead-end along the way. Or: you could stay on the ground a little longer to read the route. This would enable you to climb faster, more fluidly, and with greater confidence in the near future.What is Plot? An Author's Guide to Storytelling Read post Identify the right novel outlineLike we mentioned, thereââ¬â¢s no one-size-fit-all for a novel outline. Think of it as a way of organizing your room - everyone tidies up differently.So if youââ¬â¢ve had trouble outlining in the past, you may be dealing with a classic case of square peg meets round hole. Trust that thereââ¬â¢s a story outline for every writer: itââ¬â¢s just a question of finding the right one to fit your mindset, personality, and writing style. Here we list a few ways that you can plan a work.ðŸâ" ºÃ¯ ¸ Mind Map A visual approach to outlining that shows the spatial relationships between your plot points, characters, themes, conflicts, chapters - you name it.ðŸââ Synopsis A holistic story outline that gives a brief overview of the storyââ¬â¢s plot, characters, conflicts, and themes in a two- to three-page paper.âš « The Beat Sheet Documents the beats of the story in shorthand. Each individual ââ¬Ëbeatââ¬â¢ gets a bullet (or a number). Examples of beat sheets are here and here.ðŸâ⬠The Skeleton Constructs the spine of the novel, or the key plot points. Imagine a roadmap with only big-name destinations marked in red - the road to get there is up to you.ðŸ⠥ Characters First A character-led novel outline. Prioritizes character development, character arcs, and character beats over planning of the plot.âž ¡Ã¯ ¸ Scenes and Sequences Details all the scenes and sequences - in other words, the large set pieces of the novel.When you have an idea of the novel outline that you want to produce, it's time to arm yourself with the right tools to execute it.What kind of writer are you?Letââ¬â¢s head to the armory, where your choice of outlining software will probably depend on your style of writing. Weââ¬â¢ve suggested some for you below - though old-fashioned pen and paper work perfectly fine, too.The Gardener In George R. R. Martinââ¬â¢s own words: ââ¬Å"Gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed, and water it. They kind of know what seed it is. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don't know how many branches it's going to have. They find out as it grows.â⬠Since this kind of writer engages in organic world-building and character-building, a traditional novel outline probably wonââ¬â¢t be a natural fit for them - though a mind map might be useful.ðŸ⠨à Tools to consider if youââ¬â¢re a Gardener: Coggle, SimplenoteThe Architect Architects need to plan everything before they can get going. This kind of writer will know how many rooms are going into the house, where the sinkââ¬â¢s going to be, and what kind of wallpaper theyââ¬â¢re going to use.ðŸ⠨à Tools to consider if youââ¬â¢re an Architect: Scrivener, WorkflowyThe Designer Designers are somewhere in-between: they have a pencil sketch in place and like to have a good idea of what the painting will look like. However, they might not yet know what precise colors theyââ¬â¢re going to use. Theyââ¬â¢ll figure that out as they work.Though they might not rely on a strictly detailed novel outline, they may want to sketch out a skeleton of plot points.ðŸ⠨à Tools to consider if youââ¬â¢re a Designer: Scrivener, yWriterThe Knitter Knitters sit down and write scenes as they pop into their head. Theyââ¬â¢ll then go back and ââ¬Å"knitâ⬠the sequences together later. Since they might randomly have Scenes 2, 10, 11, and 27 down on paper, it becomes a question of ââ¬Å"filling in the blanks.â⬠To them, a novel outline will be helpful as long as it gives them freedom to move scenes around. (Think notecards or a corkboard.)ðŸ⠨à Tools to consider if youââ¬â¢re a Knitter: Trello, yWriterNow that youââ¬â¢re equipped, we can ask the million-dollar question: how do you outline a novel? Are you a Gardener or an Architect when you write? Double-check in this post How to outline a novel in 3 steps To make it easy for yourself, you can break the entire outlining process down into three stages:Step 1: Setting the stageStep 2: Organizing scenesStarting scenesBuilding scenesStep 3: Troubleshooting your story outlineIf youââ¬â¢ve already made progress with your story, donââ¬â¢t hesitate to hop to whichever step you need. How to create a book outline (and more tips) in three easy steps Step 1: Setting the stageWithout groundwork, your scenes (and story) will collapse in on itself. Thatââ¬â¢s why you first need to set the stage for your novel outline. Pick and structure your story outline based on what you think is key to your storytelling. If youââ¬â¢re writing a story with a huge cast of characters, you may want to include a column that tells you where each character is in every scene. If youââ¬â¢re juggling a lot of subplots and character arcs, use your novel outline to trace that.To give you some inspiration, we created a few different novel outline templates. Feel free to download them for your use and alter them however you need!Book Outline Template #1: A basic story outline that includes all of the common variables.Book Outline Template #2: A plot-oriented story outline that tracks each sceneââ¬â¢s relationship with your plots and subplotsà (inspired by J.K. Rowling's novel outline).Book Outline Template #3: A simple scene list.Step 3: Troubleshooting your story outlineDonââ¬â¢t worry if your story isnââ¬â¢t perfect yet. Thatââ¬â¢s one of the magical things about story outlines: itââ¬â¢s designed to let you spot your blind spots ahead of time.To troubleshoot your novel outline, first step back so that you can view your story through fresh eyes. Then bring out your highlighter - and be ready to be as ruthless as a cranky teacher wielding a red pen. Highlight wherever:An idea is left hanging in a sceneTwo scenes need a bridgeA scene is redundant or gratuitousA wild plot hole appearsIf you find yourself struggling while you plan your book, that might indicate an underlying weakness in your story that youââ¬â¢ll want to address. To give you an idea of what we mean, weââ¬â¢ve listed a couple of common symptoms (and potential treatments) below.Your story doesnââ¬â¢t really go anywhere. ðŸ⠡ The problem here may be a weak premise. Consider going back and perfecting it to a T. Whatââ¬â¢s the story question that will compel readers to flip the pages? (For instance: Is Katniss going to survive the Hunger Games?)Your pacing is uneven throughout the novel outline. ðŸ⠡ Mapping your story directly onto the structure of a story arc is one way to fix awkward scene placement and order. Hereââ¬â¢s a free 10-part course on the 3-Act Story Structure if youââ¬â¢d like to learn more about it.You donââ¬â¢t know what should come next. ðŸ⠡ Try to return to your characters to drive the plot. What would they do next if this happened? Where would that then take the story? If this is a persistent problem, itââ¬â¢ll probably be worth it to re-visit the character development phase and hone your understanding of your characters. Here's a free course on character development if you'd like to dive into it.Examples of story outlinesYou didnââ¬â¢t think that youââ¬â¢re the only writer out there whoââ¬â¢s outlining, did you? Many bestselling authors depend on story outlines to organize their thoughts and map out their books. Whether itââ¬â¢s J.K. Rowling or Joseph Heller, whatââ¬â¢s interesting is how they chose to plan their stories. To see even more examples of book outlines, check out this post over at Flavorwire. Check out J.K. Rowling's book outline for Order of the Phoenix - and more This story outline that James Salters created for Light Years sketches the sequences of the book, with choice character notes and dialogue inserted at random.TEMPLATE:à How to create a novel outline Get a free book outline template! "How to create a story outline in three steps" As a parting gift, here are the three book outline templates again. Feel free to change any particular book outline template to match your needsà - and if you have any suggestions or updates for them, please do feel free to drop us your thoughts in the comments. We hope that they're useful.Book Outline Template #1: A basic story outline that includes all of the common variables.Book Outline Template #2: A plot-oriented story outline that tracks each sceneââ¬â¢s relationship with your plots and subplots (inspired by J.K. Rowling's novel outline).Book Outline Template #3: A simple scene list.What kind of writer are you? Are you a Gardener or an Architect? If the former, what process do you use when you're outlining? Let us know in the comments.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Critical analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Critical analysis - Assignment Example The reason why the Balanced Scorecard notion has so extensively accepted by manufacturing and service companies, nonprofit institutions, and government bodies globally since its opening in 1992: First, preceding methods that included non financial measurements use unplanned gathering of such measure, for instance, checklist of measures for manager to follow of and improve than an inclusive system of related measurements. The Balance Scorecard stresses the linkage of measurement to strategy (Kapalan, Norton, 1993) and cause-and effect linkages that explain the theories of the strategy (Kaplan, Norton, 1996b). The close link between the measurement method and strategy raises the role for non-financial measures from a set checklist to a complete system for strategy accomplishment (Kaplan, Norton, 1996a) Second, The Balanced Scorecard mirror the shifting nature of technology and aggressive benefit of the 19th and much of 20th centuries, corporations attained viable benefit from their investment in and running of tangible assets such as inventory, property, plant, and equipment (Chandler, 1990). Financial systems subjugated by tangible asset, fiscal measurements were sufficient to record investments on companyââ¬â¢s balance sheets. However, many factors avert valid assessment of intangible possessions on balance sheets: First, the value from intangible assets is not direct. Resources such as knowledge and technology rarely have a direct impact on income and profit. Enhancement in intangible resources affects monetary outcomes through chains of cause-and-effect interaction linking two or three intermediate phases (Huselid, 1995; Becker, Huselid, 1998). For instance, think of relationship in the management profit (Heskett et al., 1994): investments in employee training lead to development in service quality that leads to high customer satisfaction that causes increased loyalty which generates increased
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
See Below Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1
See Below - Research Paper Example the politics/administration dichotomy 1900-1926; the principles of administration, 1927-1937; public administration as political science, 1950-1970 and public administration administrative science. The article will offer relevant information on the differences before and after implementation of scientific approach. Holzer, Marc and Gabrielian Vatche. ââ¬Å"Five Great ideas in American public administration.â⬠Principles and Practices of Public Administration. Ed. Jack Rabin, Robert F. Munzenrider and Sherrie M. Bartell. New Jersey: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 2003. 1-55. Books a million. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. The author reveals that public administration in America is concerned with application of social and other sciences to public problems. Through acting as a bridge between sciences and public problems, public administration has constantly been able to adapt to the changing nature of government of the twenty first century both in practice and in theory. The article defines public administration as one of the fields responsible for the shaping of the American political association. Kettl reveals that the role of controlling government is left to the public administrators and managers in America and they are also responsible for the effective functioning of the government. In this case, public administration is responsible for finding solutions to governance problems in order to resolve public performance and citizen confidence. From the article, public administration should remain sharply separated from politics in America and so should public management remain separated from private management. The distinction of public administration practice is essential for the establishment of well-organized bureaucracies that can cope with formidable issues generated by ethnic diversity, globalization and industrialization. When compared to other international Bureaucracies, the scientific approach to public administration has enabled the political system in the United States to
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Leave No Child Behind, Reading First Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Leave No Child Behind, Reading First - Essay Example It aims to formulate methods and tools from research to complement the course and monitor effectiveness of the program through grade level testing. President Bush commitment that all American children will receive a high quality education paved way to the promulgation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 enacting Bipartisan education reform as the cornerstone of his administration. The NCLB Act was signed by President George Bush on January 8, 2002. (US Dept. of Educ., Overview, 2005) Literally mapping a state of difference with regards to budget implementation and measure of education control and monitoring success gives America an edge to measure education progress by creatively emphasizing school competitiveness and reports on performance system. The No Child Left Behind Act increases the accountability of the schools, school districts and the States to the Capital. It aims to give parents a better option to allow them to choose which public school their children will attend. It increased its focus to reading and act on the perspective of standard based education reform. It was a bipartisan reform act of Senator Edward Kennedy and President George Bush. ... In the 107th congress in March 2001, the Act began as House Resolution 1. It passed the House of Representatives on December 13, 2001 and the Senate on December 18, 2001. (Wikipedia Foundation, 2006) C. Provisions and Features of NCLB Act To complement the all American aim of competing global market technology and labor, President Bush prepared the nation a firm base to start future production of American geniuses. This entirely theorize the computation of the life span of a person to determine age towards starting state responsibility through reading comprehension as early as the age level of the third grade. Increasing the literacy of the people especially the children makes the Capital manage a very intelligent and highly interactive state voter that can navigate economics and politics globally. This is a wise vision of a nation transformation to 100% literacy and a fore runner in world class standard education programs. Applauding the NCLB Act, it could mean a fore runner in almost everything, science, industry, politics, technology and economics. 1. Funding The government has been spending a lot on this education reform act to all of the states to improve education and the upgrade schools standards and efficiency. In relation thereof, every parent has the right to choose which public school they want to send their child in case the school by which their child is presently studying does not qualify or satisfy their choices. As an extension, in case the proximity of the school is a little farther from the current school location the parents reserve the right to ask for transportation allowance from the school districts from which they belong for this matter. Everything is being taken cared of. There absolutely is no reason for the school or the
Friday, November 15, 2019
The Strengths Of The Mattels Core Brands
The Strengths Of The Mattels Core Brands Answer: Yes, every manufacturer of the childrens products have special responsibilities. Because being a part of a business organization has the responsibilities to the consumers and the society. Every organization tries very hard to survive in market, by the effective use of factors of production and other facilities of the society. With the help of this process the organization get into an interdependent relation with the community at large, the environment and the target customers. Such interdependence gives rise to a series of broader responsibilities to society and the targeted customers. According to the business environment theory of Palmer and Hartley, the business organization should act in social responsible manner in two different ways, one philosophic and one pragmatic. The philosophical way includes the model of the organizational requirement and other includes the social values of the society which is very important for an organization to resist in the social market. Every organization has a responsibility towards the consumers and the society and that particular responsibility is being termed as Corporate Social responsibility, which can be defined as economic, legal, ethical and different expectations that a society has from an organization. The concept of corporate social responsibility means that organizations have moral, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities. Previously many organizations opposed consumerism but now most companies have grown to accept the responsibilities towards customers and the society. The philosophy of enlightened marketing says that even the marketing practices should also be socially responsible which consist consumer oriented marketing and societal marketing which aims at serving and satisfying the needs and wants of the customers and to produce such products which are not only pleasing but also beneficial. As a manufacturer of the products which are specially designed for the children the, the manufacturer has some special responsibilities to consumers and society, because children often lack the literacy to completely understand how things may work, the toys must be safe in all use including non-intended use in order to protect the children. The manufacturers should not only create the safe toys but they must also be sensitive to the societal concerns on childrens rights and privacy. Manufacturers of the childrens product specially have obligations to the consumers. This is in assurance that children continue to have highest levels of protection when it comes to toys. An obligation that manufacturer do is that manufacturers must carry out assessments as it relates to safety and health hazards and add to it technical information on specific such as chemicals, in order to support findings and present accurate information. The warning should be put on certain toys to indicate what the intended age is for use of the toy. Moreover after all testing is done on the toys, if any toy or part is significantly under the standard, then it must be destroyed in order to prevent the public from gaining access to it in any way, shape, or form. When we talk about Mattel that how Mattel has met the responsibilities then the things are quite clear the Mattel did it by creating such a product that consumers and parents trust and building a successful and positive brand image. They also integrate this responsibility with their Corporate responsibility report in which they state their goals are to ensure product safety, volunteer in communities, and treat colleagues with respect in order to work hard to be a leader in making our communities and the lives of the children better. The core brands of Mattel are Barbie, Hot wheels, Fisher price, and American Girl. Each brand clearly has its own demography, each brand catering to infants and preschoolers, Girls, Boys and those adults that are still young at heart. One of the strengths of the brand Mattel is the rich history of the company. The company began in 1945 out of a small and simple idea that started in a garage workshop. Each brand also has good staying power at the forefront of their market. The evidences that show the strengths of Mattel in the area of fulfillment of the responsibilities to the customers and the society specially as the manufacturer of childrens products are. Mattel recognizes international environment, different legal systems and cultural expectations, and the use of technology especially with regard to consumer privacy and has taken steps to strengthen its commitment to business ethics and social responsibility. Mattel recently published its first Corporate Social Responsibility report, including a strong statement about its commitment to economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities which includes commitment to product safety, volunteering in a community, developing a best practice or even treating colleagues with respect and dignity. Makers of American Girl collection provided $449,500 in grants to support childrens projects as environmental education for elementary school children, various cultural programs and a performing arts series for children. The Barbie brand debuted a worldwide cause related-program called Barbie Cares: Supporting children in the Arts dedicated to supporting Arts education for children funded by a $2 million donation to the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The weaknesses of Mattel in the same area are. The Childrens privacy- Mattels attempts to follow their market into the technological realm have included the development of a number of children-friendly websites to accompany their toys. Targeting children with internet sites, however, brings about extra concerns. Mattel must be very careful to protect their legal and moral reputations by respecting the privacy of the children and their families, which is put in jeopardy every time the website asks a minor to provide information. Lack of total control over business partners-Though Mattel has embarked on the Global manufacturing Principles (GMP) and regular social audits, Mattel cannot intensively monitor the business processes and activities of its partners. There is no guarantee that its business partners will completely comply with Mattels corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethical business conducts and product safety requirements. Mattel somehow could be facing legal actions and criticisms from various stakeholders around the world. Q.2- Comment on the strengths and weaknesses of Mattels core brands. In looking at Barbie specifically, has Mattels success with the American Girl collection cannibalized sales from Barbie? Explain. Ans. Mattels core brands have multiple strengths. Mattels image overall is one of which parents and consumers trust. The Barbie brand is highly accessorized allowing for multiple products to be marketed and purchased. Other brands such as Hot Wheels and American Girl also have the flexibility to accessorize and customize consumer needs and desires. Some weaknesses that Mattels core brands may have are the lifespan of their products. As children grow older, they are no longer interested in playing with dolls and cars such as Barbie and Hot wheels and the life span of the product shortens for continual use. The strengths of the Mattels core brands are- Brand Recognition- 1. Barbie is Mattels flagship brand and its number one seller-routinely accounting for more than 50 percent of Mattels sales revenue. 2. Barbie was the only Mattel brand that made the list of the 2002 The 100 Best Global Brand. 3. American Girl is targeted for girls in from 7 12 years old. This is due to different taste in different target market. 4. American girl is a well-known line of a historical dolls, books and accessories. Intense demand of the product- Barbie- Captured the attention of girls under 7 years old that resulted in high demand. The intense demand seen at the retail stores was insufficiently met for several years. Barbie- The best-selling fashion dolls in most global market with $2 billion in worldwide sales annually and more than 1 billion dolls sold in four decades. Customer Orientation- Mattel redesigned Barbie to more naturally reflect a normal athletic woman in an attempt to meet the demands for a more realistic doll. Opening of American Girl Place shops New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The New York store features three floors of dolls, accessories, and books in the heart of the 5th Avenue shopping district. The store offers a cafe where girls can dine with their dolls and a stage production where young actresses bring American Girl stories to life. Product variety and differentiation of the product- Barbie has taken on an extension of different characters, family and friends, and profession. For Barbie, there are Barbie clothing for children, computers and digital cameras with Barbie theme. This is done to recapture more customers and expand their market to attract girls after the age of 7. For American girl, they have books, accessories and even a Store that offers a cafà © for girls. This has resulted in an increase the product variety for both brands that generates more revenues. Product Development- Mattel introduced the new line of My Scene dolls aimed at tweens with as trendier, young looking and are considered to be more hip for girls of age group above 7. Other efforts targeted at tweens include the Mystery Squad, a crime-solving crew, and the Barbie Doll as Elle Woods, which is a tribute to the blond character in the MGM Pictures film Legally Blond 2. The weaknesses of Mattels core brands include- Foreign Market Customization being ineffective-Traditional Barbie has triggered the possibility of banned in Malaysia by the Malaysian Consumers Association of Penang, due to her non-Asian appearance and the lack of creativity but it was not success. Some other cases like in Iran, the non-Islamic characteristics of Barbie and western influences resulted in the confiscation of Barbie doll from toy stores. In Russia, it is interpreted as harmful to young minds that awaken sexual impulses and consumerism among infants. This creates a negative brand images that can bring loss to Mattel. Not only children are leaving tangible toys at earlier ages, but the impact of the global market is affecting the success of Mattel. Mattels Barbie is well recognized throughout the global market, but is not considered appropriate in all cultures which are one of the weaknesses of the core brand of Mattel in the international market. The problem of limited distribution networks of American girl in the international market is also found to be one of the weakness of Mattels core brand, it is been seen that American girl is sold exclusively through catalogues and different stores in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago but there is no evidence or details of the product sold in international market. Even though there has been lots of product innovation of the Barbie but its slipping popularity failed it to be the top five selling dolls due to competition in the market. If we talk about the Cannibalization of American girls sales from Barbie several points came into light which tells that American girl has out-performed the sales of Barbie as- 1. Barbie successfully catered only to the young girls of 7 years old and below. 2. American Girl has a better image. American Girl dolls have a wholesome and educational image- the antithesis to Barbie. The retro versions of Barbie dolls, feature Hooker Barbie, Trailer Trash Barbie and Drag Queen Barbie are seen less decent than the image of American girl. These points explains the Cannibalization sales of American girl from Barbie. Q-3. What are the opportunities and threats that Mattel faces as it looks ahead? Ans. Mattel has lots of opportunities as it moves ahead with its product in the market. The opportunities of Mattels product in international market includes its venture into more interactive, educational and technology product line as today children are preferring to spend time with music, movies or on the Internet. The American toy market is becoming increasingly saturated and competitive, along with a downward shift in age of when children abandon tangible toys such Hot Wheels and Barbie for more interactive and technological products. If Mattel continues with the same product it provides better opportunities to grow ahead in the domestic market. All of Mattels core brands are instantly recognizable around the world. Therefore, Mattel has the ability to highly leverage one or all of these brands. Mattel can expand more to international distribution networks apart its reliance on Wall Mart and target hypermarkets like Giant (Malaysia), Carrefour, Cold Storage and local toy distribution network could make Mattels products highly visible in the international market which would led Mattel to have a better future prospects ahead. Mattel can also have An alliance with an Asian company, Bandai, which can prove very beneficial as numerous eastern countries open their markets to western goods. This market has been left largely untapped, and offers a huge increase in customer base. Finally, Mattel must address is that of selling its products in foreign markets. An important aspect of going global is being able to adapt to different cultures and to break down cultural barriers. Mattel has done a little bit of this with the changing of the product packaging, and some of their Barbie lines. However, there are still some countries that are boycotting Mattel because they are offended by some of their products that are being sold. While Mattel is expanding their product lines, they need to take into consideration the message each of their products is conveying. By conducting market research, Mattel can find out what values are important in foreign markets. If Mattel neglects to customize to all of their markets, their new products can fail overseas, and therefore the company as a whole will not be able to expand. The threat that Mattel faces as it looks ahead is that the market is shifting away from tangible toys, which account for a majority of Mattels core products. Children are adopting more interactive and electronic toys earlier in age today, eroding Mattels primary market of children under the age of 10. This has already forced Mattel to enter, and may force Mattel to further their involvement in the technological realm, a product category in which the firm has performed very poorly. Young customers have less time spending on traditional toys today and the same is expected in the future. Intense competition from other toy-makers like Bratz has slowed down the sale of the Mattels product Barbie worldwide and the realization of Mattel for its product distribution mainly on Wal-Mart and Target diminishes its pricing power. Mattel has also experienced problems breaking into foreign markets due to cultural barriers. The Chinese found it offensive that the Barbie doll did not represent people of their cultures, the Russians believe that the doll promotes adolescents to think in a promiscuous fashion at a young age, and the Islamic countries find that the doll goes against their religion with regards to the role and image of women. The foreign market will be very prosperous for Mattel if they can structure their entry into the market appropriately. Q-4. If you could make only one recommendation to Mattel, what would be it? Introduction According to the case, we find that Mattel in the United States, Europe and Latin America market growth is more and more slow, even appear saturation sign, although they try to into Iran and Russia market, but due to without considering the cultural differences lead to sales were almost forced to withdraw from there. So our proposal is in full consideration of cultural and religious differences influence, produce to accord with other local culture habit of products, continue to develop and enter into the emerging market, such as Asias China and Africa, which support the companys globalization strategy, and realize the great-leap-forward development. Recommendation Through the Mattel in Iran market failure we recognize that if a company would like to sell their products to abroad, it must pay attention to the product whether will conflict with local customs and culture, once things happen, be sure to adjust. As is known to all, the Barbie doll is Mattels most famous product, which is fashion and filled with the western world liberal breath. But in Iran, such as makeup and revealing clothes, are not wanted in a society where women must wear head scarves in public and men and women are not allowed to go to the poll or beach together (page 484 of case study). So if Mattel want to re-enter Iran market in the future, must adjust their products style, below is Irans own doll can be used as Mattels reference. C:UsershpDesktopuntitled.bmp On the other hand, in order to expand the market, increase sales, Mattel should seize the opportunity into some of the good prospects for emerging markets, especially Chinese market, which is a toy production country, it is estimated that China toy enterprise has more than 6000, about 75% of the toys made in China over the world. The toy market size of mainland has the rapid development. In childrens toys market as an example, toy sales from 2.13 billion RMB in 2001 to 4.44 billion RMB in 2006, which raised by 108%, with an average annual growth rate of 15.8%. The mainland toy market rise space is enormous. From toy joint network industry report, Chinas per capita consumption in toy only 20 30 RMB (2.4-3.6 dollars), far lower than per capita consumption in Asian children toys $13 and children all over the world in per capita consumption level of $34 toys. If they reach the Asian average level, childrens toys market scale is expected to will exceed 30 billion RMB. (Long long, M.2006) In the business strategies, because Chinas toy productions are mostly applied in the low-standard level, breed is monotonous, mainly plush and wooden material. However, the mainland local toys and international brand compared with large price gap, so the low-standard market has a strong competitive power, the general basic monopoly wholesale market and vendors, and other sales pipeline. So Mattel should positioning in high-end, give full play to their own advantages, for example, in a Barbie doll legend marketing history story, telling the story is always the conventional methods. They sell toys as well sell a way of life. According to Mattels design, Barbie have their own lives, thoughts, need a friend, like to dress up, have belong to him fairy tale world. Make good use of this advantage, the company entered into the China market is no longer a dream. (Li, L.2011) Conclusion Like many foreign brands to enter the Chinese market, Mattel need pay enough time and patience. After all, in Chinas such a big Oriental country, want to get common identity is not a simple matter. But one thing is sure, respect local culture and customs is very important and necessary. Q-5. How can Mattel reverse the decline in Barbies sales? Should Mattel give up on Barbie and accept that fact that the brand will never regain its former sales status? Explain. Ans. Mattel, Inc. (Mattel) designs, manufactures, and markets a broad variety of toy products worldwide which are sold to its customers and directly to consumers. Mattels vision is creating the future of play. Mattels objectives are to grow its share in the marketplace, sustain gross margins of about 50%, leverage its scale to deliver cost savings and lower its selling and administrative costs, and create long-term stockholder value. Barbie doll happiness concept is based on human sensibility, through happiness brand image and happy shopping experience to satisfyconsumer demand happy emotion, so that consumers will be product or brand with the happy feeling together, then will be happy with the product or brand linked, to stimulate consumption desire and to promote the marketing concept of consumers purchasing behavior. Body part: The concept of Barbie has not only toys, and became an immortal symbol of American culture. Until now, the business of Barbie bigger and bigger, not only toys, books, clothing, cosmetics, movies and electronic games. Even today, see any one of the two in standard, sexy blonde doll, almost all of people were not consciously known as Barbieà ¼Ã
âwhether this doll is not Mattel produced. This is also proved Barbie industry is how success. As a result of population, technology and social change, Mattel is undergoing modernization, Mattel, in my opinion, cannot reverse the decline of Barbie sales. Although there are still to be improved, Mattel weakness seems to be far less than they were just a few years ago. Specifically, the Mattel Inc. has some very famous brand. The largest is Barbie doll, and now accounts for more than half of the companys revenue. However, the most interesting news for Mattel declining popularity rate of its core products Barbie doll. As of 2002, Barbie dollfell out of the top five best-selling. Mattel Inc. subsequently has been undertaken to reclaim market share items, such as computer software and the girls clothing line of Barbie doll. Barbie has tried to fight back. Internet becomes another weapon to reverse the sales decline in 2007; Mattel launched a brand new Barbie Girls. com site where kids can create their own virtual Barbie, and placed in a virtual commercial buildings can also directly involved in product design. The girls also can have around Barbies virtual community space, this was considered a breakthrough attempt, also let Mattel in sales for 7 consecutive years after the decline appeared to pick up. Mattel is also faced with many cultural barriers, these need to overcome the market penetration strategy will be successful. Lack of understanding of cultural replacement, the brand awareness of self-protection is too strong, the Barbie doll isolated in new era outside, so that the target consumers become more and more narrow. Unresponsive market, the Mattel have not been able to guide the trend, the competitors took the opportunity to split its market share.Andin the occasion of Mattel Barbie doll become fashionable rage, the former Mattel CEO Jill Barad made a series of mistakes and expensive acquisitions, to make the worlds largest toy manufacturer long-term stock price in a slump. In addition, Mattel in new product launch, behave not just as one wishes, the new design style also no expectation. These are all Mattels malpractice. Conclusion: Sweet chocolate, eat more will be tired. Barbies decline has a deep-rooted cultural factors and the impact of social thought, to give people a profound inspiration. We can see that the United States of America culture is moving toward a diversified ethnic culture, to encourage the pursuit of self-direction stride, and popular culture trend change quickly. Mattel ignore this value orientation, or excessive protection is of brand ego blinded their vision, do not have a proper understanding o of the mind of the public, lost the lead market opportunities.After opponents successfully host, Mattel still did not take timely measures, wait for the opponent create a certain threat after to respond but too weak. Finally, caused the market share to be cut, the lesson is painful. Careful observation of the leader in the market, we will find their commonness rapid response, countermeasure in time, they will not be trend guide, but to guide the trend. It is simple and easy to know. Pacifying the interior before resisting foreign aggression. The first thing Mattel need to do is solve the inner problem, straighten a relation, in order to solve the problem of providing external guarantee. For the external development of Mattel, the problems which should be paid attention to, not in order to cope with the market competition and to launch new products with the opponent, but in the consolidation of existing customers on the Barbie dolls loyalty. They are supporting the Barbie dolls core strength, so that through interaction and understanding of their needs, provide their satisfaction with the program to maintain this part of customers. In order to consolidate the customer base, and prevent competitors directly off the market share. With the development of computer and networks, such as Face book and Twitter applications, Barbie doll will be able to control its sales decline. This is a very expensive to change their production and advertising means. The only advantage of this strategy, both short-term and long-term within, they will not bear any additional costs. In this way, Mattelcan use their own resources,make full use of social networking technology environmental advantage in price, and try to participate in the market competition. Having the correct marketing strategy and innovative products Barbie doll product line, will become more interactive and educational products, Mattel can still create the market to meet their needs.Also around the world set up Barbie doll flagship store, experiential marketing, will drive the Mattel sales market, strive for the biggest market share.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
death penalty :: essays research papers
à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à DEATH PENALTY à à à à à The death penalty is an ongoing controversy in the United States. There are people that are for it and those that oppose it. I am for it, but only for the horrendous crimes that are committed today in our society. In my personal opinion, I think priests that molest or ââ¬Å"take advantageâ⬠of little boys deserve the death penalty. In todayââ¬â¢s society, this is one of the most controversial debates whether capital punishment should be outlawed. à à à à à Capital punishment has two basic arguments within the debate to make: First is the question of whether capital punishment is moral, or simply put is it justified. The second is the question of whether capital punishment is constitutional. According to the constitution, everyone has a right to freedom, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. à à à à à There are some disadvantages of capital punishment. Opponents have four basic arguments to make. The first is that there is a possibility of error, meaning that the person accused is not the real criminal. Although there is a slight chance of error, this is separate from the issue of the death penalty being justified. They would say that capital punishment should not be used when one is not one-hundred percent positive of the criminalââ¬â¢s guilt. Second argument they make is the execution process. One may be given ââ¬Å"the chair,â⬠lethal injection or gas. Third argument is a debate with the supporters that capital punishment may lower crime rates, but no studies show that it has any affect with capital punishment. Last argument an opponent would make is the time spent on death row. à à à à à There is a problem with the death penalty. It is high-priced because a prisoner can be sent to death row, but he or she can have an appeal, awaiting a retrial due to new evidence, all which can be a slow, costly and lengthy process. à à à à à A prisoner convicted of a horrendous crime can get parole, which is unjust to the victim and/or the victimââ¬â¢s family. What makes the parole board think the prisoner has been ââ¬Å"rehabilitated?â⬠I believe that if you have committed the crime, you should not get paroled. If the crime was murder, is fair for the victimââ¬â¢s family to see this person out on the streets again and see if he ââ¬Å"strikes again?
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Chinese Parenting vs. Western Parenting
English 101 Prof. Shapiro Chinese Parenting vs. Western Parenting Everyone who has come to America came for specific reasons: to make a living, to raise a family and, moreover, watch their children do the same. I grew up surrounded by family that only spoke about getting the best education, so that when we grow up we would be someone who carries on the family name, be someone who is renowned, that pronounced that whatever we were to thrive for throughout our lives, to make the best out of it. Just like Asian parents, my parents had certain expectations from my siblings and I as well.As I interviewed my father, I learnt the way he has helped raise us, is quite similar to my grandmothers. Even though they had the qualities of Western parents by being strict yet not destructing our self-image, their philosophy of raising children was similar to Chinese parenting, they stressed for us to achieve academic success. Combination of both has shown me how important persistent parents are. Educ ation was really vital to my parents upon growing up, they were always concerned about our homework, studying, meeting teachers at school and especially extra curricularà activities.They had several restrictions, yet they were vigilant; they didnââ¬â¢t bind us from having the liberty of our own, but it helped them steer us in the right pathway. I remember well, as soon as we would arrive home from school we were ordered to do our homework, and study for what was required, and if we fortunately had free time before going to sleep we were allowed to watch our favorite shows before going to bed. If we had a test the following day, we knew that we would have to watch television on the weekend instead. Even if we didnââ¬â¢t do as good as they would want us to on our test; they would still praise us for our effort.The praise was an element of Western parenting, gave essence to our relationship with them, I believe if my parents didnââ¬â¢t assimilate with us as well as they did, or embrace our flaws in a subject, our parents wouldnââ¬â¢t be as close and understanding to us. It gave me a sense of understanding that my parents understand me as well, and want for us to do as well as we can. ââ¬Å"The concept of ââ¬Å"self-esteemâ⬠was non-existence to them. When I asked my father what his parents expected of him he said, ââ¬Å"well, they wanted us to do well in school but most importantly they wanted us to be disciplined. He said ââ¬Å"we were made sure to greet our elders with respect, and if mistakenly we didnââ¬â¢t, we were put in out places right in front of them However, even though he follows his parents methods in raising us, he makes we understand it. ââ¬Å"Once when I was young, maybe more than once, when I was extremely disrespectful to my mother, my father angrily called me ââ¬Å"garbageâ⬠in our native Hokkien dialectâ⬠stated by Amy Chua in her essay, my father thinks otherwise, He would sit and talk to us about respect ing the elders, just so he knows heââ¬â¢s not damaging our self-esteem with shallow harsh words.Some of the activities we were restricted of included not going to sleepovers, it was part of the few things we werenââ¬â¢t allowed to do. However, they made it up to us by allowing us to attend birthday parties, as we started to get older. I never really understood as to why my parents would not allow us to do so, but I believe it was for our own benefit. Living in the United States with diverse religions, it was crucial to my parents to do whatever they could to preserve it. Whatever they have done, they take it as their most prized accomplishment. Since we were young, we were put in an Islamic school, from elementary till high school.We understood from a young age that religion was a significant part of our lives. When I began attending Islamic school in second grade, I had no idea why I wore the headscarf as the uniform along with long black dress-type clothing. As I got older a nd matured I understood my religion with greater insight, and along with that I understood why our parents put my sister and I in an Islamic school. As I got to high school, it was as if my parents left the understanding of Islam upon us, thatââ¬â¢s where I recognized the western qualities of their values, they now understand that the insight we have is going to last with us forever.Now that weââ¬â¢ve grown up friends of my parents ask them how they have raised such children, as it is hard to achieve that here in America, which is always answered with ââ¬Å"a little control goes a long way. â⬠Comparing the two styles of parenting, weââ¬â¢ve seen the struggles theyââ¬â¢ve been through to get us where we are today, and it is only fair that we do the same in return even though it may never be enough, we know that they would appreciate it just as much. Word Count: ââ¬â 863
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