Shoes manufacturer Skills Footwear in Sri Lanka Dissertation

Shoes manufacturer Skills Footwear in Sri Lanka - Dissertation Example g the employees 12 2.2.3.4 Ensure employee satisfaction 12 2.2.3.5 Consult stakeholders 13 2.3 Motivational theories 13 2.3.1 Maslow’s need Hierarchy 14 2.3.1.1Safety needs 15 2.3.1.2 Social needs 15 2.3.1.3 Esteem needs 15 2.3.1.4 Self-actualization 16 2.3.2 Adam’s Equity Theory 16 2.3.3 Vroom’s Expectation Theory 17 2.3.4 Two Factor Theories-McGregor 17 2.3.5 Balanced scorecard 18 2.3.5.1 Meeting the demand and production level 19 2.4 Types of Motivation 21 2.4.1 Intrinsic motivation 21 2.4.2 Extrinsic Motivation 21 2.5. Incentives 22 2.5.1 Financial Incentives 23 2.5.2 Non-financial incentives 23 2.6 The Ansoff Matrix 24 2.6.1 New product development 25 Chapter 3 –Methodology 26 3.1 Introduction 26 3.2 Role of the researcher 26 3.3 Research design 28 3.4 Sampling 29 3.5 Conducting the research 29 3.6 The questionnaire method 30 3.7 The questionnaire design 31 3.8 Data types 32 3.9 Data collection procedure 33 3.10 Trustworthiness of the methodology 33 3 .10.1 Reliability 33 3.10.2 Validity 34 3.10.3 Ethical validity 34 3.10.4 Generalized validity 34 Chapter 4 Data Analysis and discussion 35 4.1 Introduction 35 4.2 Descriptive statistics 35 4.3 Employees Relationship Management and employees satisfaction (ES)38 4.4 internal business environment (IBE) and employees satisfaction (ES)43 4.5 Extrinsic motivators factors (Ext_Fac)Â  and employees satisfaction (ES)47 4.6 Discussion 50 Chapter 5 5.1 Introduction 51 5.1.2 Conclusion 51 5.2 Recommendations 59 5.2.1 Introduction 59 5.2.2 Motivation to the employees 59 5.2.3 financial motivation 60 5.2.3.1 financial incentives 60 5.2.3.2 Creativity and new product development 60 5.2.3.3 highest production level reward 60 5.2.3.4 Incentives for non-absenteeism 61 5.2.4 Non-financial motivators 61 5.2.4. 1 Organizational... The intention of this study is Skills Footwear & Co. that was established in 1980 and has the core business of manufacturing men’s footwear products for the local market. The firm was very successful primarily due to its competitive edge of the exemplary quality, competitively priced products and sustainable volumes of the products produced. Moreover, according to Lloyd the firm’s competitive advantage was its skilled labor and workmanship as the products were fully handmade. The organization had a total of 110 employees who reported to their middle level managers who reported to the entrepreneur thus having a comparatively flat organizational hierarchy. The operational level workers were on daily wages, which were the industry average rates. The management however received monthly wages. The Sri Lankan shoe industry has a total of 30 medium scaled and 3000 small-scaled manufacturers. The industry produces a wide range of shoes from canvas, sports and leather shoes and is also exporting finished products to EU and USA. As per a research done by the Development of Board Sri Lanka, the shoe industry witnessed a decline from 2007 onwards but the 2010 witnessed a surge in the export market due to the growth in the local tourist sector. However, the workforce in the industry is an issue. This is because the firm is making shoes completely by hand. But this is a difficult task and most firms have not incorporated technology into the process of production, which is not very lucrative for the workmen.

Big Businesses and Monopolies of the 1800's Essay

Big Businesses and Monopolies of the 1800's - Essay Example The main industries, steel, mining, sugar, transportation, agriculture, ship-building, wine etc., were under monopoly control in all states before the new initiative which came at the beginning of the 20th century. Under conditions approximating pure competition, price was set in the marketplace. Price tended to be just enough above costs to keep marginal producers in business. Thus, from the point of view of the price setter, the most important factor was costs. If a producer's cost floor was below the prevailing market price, the product would be produced and sold. Since the producer in such a market had little discretion over price, the pricing problem was essentially whether or not to sell at the market price. Monopoly steel industry and sugar production was closely connected with nature of competition and inability of competitors to introduce new competitive products to the market. While costs and demand conditions circumscribe the price floor and ceiling, competitive conditions helped to determine where within the two extremes the actual price should be set. Reaction of competitors was the crucial consideration imposing practical limitations on pricing alternatives (Slichter 1948). During the 1800's, 'natural monopolies' existed in some industries. ... More specifically, a cartel was a voluntary association of producers of a commodity or product organized for the purpose of coordinated marketing that was aimed at stabilizing or increasing the members' profits. A cartel was engage in price-fixing, restriction of production or shipments, division of marketing territories, centralization of sales. Many small companies had the right and obligation to take action that protected and fostered the prosperity of the businesses, but they followed 'silent market and ethical rules' which helped them to compete (Witzel, 2003). While costs and demand conditions circumscribed the price floor and ceiling, competitive conditions created by monopolies helped to determine where within the two extremes the actual price should be set. For instance, if accompany set high price reaction of competitors and buyers was often the crucial consideration imposing practical limitations on pricing. Such behavior considered unethical and was discouraged by partner s and buyers (Hansen, 1957). There were times when a company in such a competitive structure ignored competitive prices. Such activities were also discouraged and eliminated which opened new opportunities for rivals. In addition, poor market performance was also considered as a restraint on competition and the main cause of monopolies (Witzel, 2003). The transport sector brought with it all kinds of difficulties, not least the highly regionalized nature of provision, the large amounts of money invested in existing grid systems and the obligation of local authorities to secure transport provision. Subsidized production of coal and ore, overcapacity and cheap

Personality defined as a consistent behavior pattern

Personality defined as a consistent behavior pattern What is Personality? Figure : Six approaches to PersonalityPersonality can be defined as consistent behavior pattern and intrapersonal processes originating within the individual (Burger, 2008, p. 4). But this being said, there is no single answer how to describe human personality. Personality theorists have different ideas and point out different ways to explain personality. According to Burger (2008) there are six general approaches, which all provides a different focus for explaining personality and the differences in people`s behavior. Burger (2008) identified the psychoanalytic approach, the trait approach, the biological approach, the humanistic approach, the behavioral approach, and the cognitive approach (p. 5). Each approach has been developed by different psychologists, who display different theories about the differences in the way people behave. From this theory researchers branch hypothesis and collect data that either support or do not support the hypothesis and their theory (Burger, 2008, p.5). Within the framework of this final enclosure I will only dwell on theories of the psychoanalytic approach, the trait approach, and humanistic approach. Approaches and Theories The Psychoanalytic Approach The psychoanalytic approach concentrates on the people`s unconscious minds, which are primary accountable for important differences in their behavior pattern (Burger, 2008, p. 5).That means, that people`s behavior is affected by past experiences that are left in people`s unconscious mind. People are not aware of these minds. In common the psychoanalytic approach places a huge emphases on these unconscious processes in order to explain human behavior. The Freudian Theory of Personality Freud Discovers the Unconscious Sigmunf Freud developed the first widespread theory of personality and psychoanalysis. After working with hypnosis to help patients suffering from hytsteria, Freud realized the huge impact of unconscious minds on human behavior (Burger, 2008, p. 68). As a therapy, psychoanalysis is based on the concept that individuals are unaware of many factors that cause their behavior and emotions. These unconscious factors have the capability to produce unhappiness. This unhappiness could be expressed through noticeable symptoms, which can includes worrying personality nature, difficulty in social relationships or unrest in self-esteem. To get at the unconscious minds of a person, Freudian psychologists use projective tests, free association, hypnosis and dream interpretation to bring the unconscious source of the client`s problems into awareness (Burger, 2008, p. 69). According to Freud`s topographic model, human personality can be parceled into conscious (thoughts people are aware of), preconscious (thoughts, that can be brought into awareness with little difficulty) and unconscious (is the material, to which people are unaware and have no immediate access) parts (Burger, 2008, pp. 44-45). Freud also generated the structural model which divides personality in id (selfish part, concerned only with satisfying personal desires; totally unconscious), ego (to satisfy id impulses, but in a manner that takes into consideration realities of the situation; partly conscious) and superego (represents moral, values and standards; totally conscious). Regarding to Freud, a healthy personality is one in which the ego controls the id impulses and superego demand (Burger, 2008, pp. 45-47). Application to business environment Freud`s theory of subconscious playes an important role in business environment for example by doing marketing and advertsing measures as well as by designing and producing consumer`s products. According to Zaltman (2003) the subconscious mind of the market`s consumer is the place where most purchasing decisions are made. The marketers have to understand the consumer`s thinking, behavior and attitudes in order to satisfy the consumer`s desires and needs. One-on-one interviews that are enriched by using various techniques from clinical psychology and sociology can bear further insights into unconscious consumer thinking, which can for example help to identify new product opportunities (Zaltman, 2003). The cognitive unconscious involves memory, attention, information processing, the nature of human universals, and socially shared cognitions. Zaltman patented 1995 the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET), a market research tool by using interviews and analysis to uncover the re levant fundamental structures that guide peoples thinking about a topic. (Wikipedia, 2010). Associations of consumers can be effectively identified and then used in advertising and marketing measures to help marketers communicate more effectively to consumers about a brand, product, or topic. Because of the global market and the increasing competition it is more and more important to understand the consumer`s behavior and needs. Relating to Zaltman (2003), therefore the marketers have to acquire advanced knowledge about consumer`s behavior and their unconscious minds in order to use this knowledge to benefit consumers. The Freudian Theory of Defense Mechanisms According to Freud ´s theory of a healthy personality the ego tries to find compromises between the unconscious id impulse and conscious superego demand. Therefore the ego often uses defense mechanism to deal for example with unwanted thoughts or desires as well as to reduce or avoid anxiety by keeping this material out of consciousness (Burger, 2008, p. 68). Freud`s defense mechanism, in order to cope with these unwanted thoughts, desires or anxiety, are for example repression (threatening material is pushed by the ego out of consciousness), sublimation (threatening unconscious impulse are channeled into socially acceptable action), displacement (channeling impulse to nonthreatening objects), denial (refusing to accept, that facts exist), reaction formation (acting in a manner opposite to the unconscious desires), intellectualization (considering something in a intellectual unemotional manner to bring difficult thoughts into consciousness without anxiety), and projection (projecti ng impulse onto another person) (Burger, 2008, pp 48-50). According to Burger (2008, p. 78) Freud identified the defense mechanism repression as the cornerstone of psychoanalysis. Investigators measure defense mechanisms by interpreting responses to Rorschach inkblots, stories, Thematic Apperception Test, picture cards (Burger, 2008, pp. 79-80) Application to business environment Also in the business environment defense mechanism play an important role. Day to day Managers and employees try to satisfy their needs for example achievement, job satisfaction, responsibility, self-esteem and self-actualization. They also try to avoid situations, in which they feel dissatisfied, threaten, unhappy, depressed, weak or anxious. Managers and employees use defense mechanism, which we are not aware of, in order to manipulate unlikely situation to feel satisfied, productive, respected and accepted. (Schaffer, 1971). Schaffer (1971) identified one of the most common defense mechanism of managers doing all I can in these circumstances illusion. He argues, that most of the managers place a deferral around their own possible cause of action. Within in this borderline, they see themselves as doing everything they can. Managers often see limitation in their scope of initiative because of unmotivated and unqualified employees. Needed improvements are always the job of another manager or employee (Schaffer, 1971). In this way, Manger cope with their fear of failure and uneasiness and use defense mechanism in order to reach their goals. Schaffer (1971) also suggested that managers keep themselves comfortable by keeping busy to avoid doubts about themselves and how things are going. Neo Freudian Theories Freud`s Psychoanalytic Society, as the oldest and most famous approach to explaining human personality, generated a lot of new theories, which retained the unconscious as a key factor to understand different behavior styles. These neo-Freudians mostly agree with Freudian concepts, but they also went on to develop their own theories, in which they pick up the failures of Freud`s Theory like his emphasis on instinctual over social influences and the generally negative picture he painted of human nature. (Burger, 2008, pp. 99) Alfred Adler: Striving for Superiority Alfred Adler concentrated on the concept of striving for superiority to explain differences in human`s behavior and motivation. He argued, that at the beginning of every psychological life is a feeling of inferiority and helplessness, which a person lifelong tries to overcome. Everything a person does, occurs on this struggle in order to establish a sense of superiority over life`s obstacles. (Burger, 2008, pp. 101-102) Adler differed from Freud in the way how he described human motivation. Freud identified, that human behavior is motivated by life/sexual and death/aggressive instincts, whereas Adler identified this striving for superiority as an overall motivational factor (Burger, 2008, p. 101). Application to business environment Regarding to Adler, the reason why we work hard or try to achieve a position of power, is the human`s desire for striving for superiority or success. Due to this fact, Adler saw business success as an expression of superiority striving. He argued, that, the more inferior humans see themselves, the stronger their striving for superiority, which push them to become successful (Burger, 2008, p. 102). Adler also suggested, that successful business people reach a sense of superiority and success through their performances, but only if they achieve their goals with observance for cooperate social responsibility (CSR) and welfare (Burger, 2008, p. 102). Success means to provide consumers with a good product at a fair price that will make everyone`s life a little happier (Burger, 2008, p. 102). This can also involve every kind of CSR activities for example paying employees a fair salary, providing good and safe working conditions, using safe and eco-friendly production and transportation systems, stewardship of available resources, avoiding discrimination as well as unfair competition. In contrast poorly adjusted people express their striving for superiority through selfishness and a concern for personal glory at the expense of others (Burger, 2008, p. 102). Alfred Adler: Birth Order Adler also put their emphasis on the role of birth order in forming personality. He argued that firstborn children differ in their behavior and personality from middle-born and lastborn children (Burger, 2008, p. 103). Relating to Adler problem children, neurotics, criminals, drunkards and perverts are mostly firstborns, as a result of less attention and less pampering by their parents, after a sibling was born. In the opposite middle-born children develop a strong superiority striving, because they are always used to have another sibling and they are never granted the luxury of being pampering. Adler believed, that lastborn children are pampered throughout their whole childhood, which can lead to a high dependency from others and a strong feeling of inferiority (Burger, 2008, p. 104). In common the middle-born children were the most achieving and were less vulnerable to psychological dysfunction than the firstborns or lastborns (Burger, 2008, p. 127). Application to business environment Nowadays there are widespread beliefs in science and economy, that birth order is an important determinant of personality, intelligence, and economic success. Ben Dattner , a professor and notable consultant in New York, argued, that sibling dynamics play an important role in how you sell yourself in the workplace, based on the time, attention, love and resources your parents devoted to you (as cited in Bolch, 2007). According to Dattner, firstborn children are likely extroverted and confident, but they are also worried about losing their position or intrigue and stave off failings and mistakes. He argued, that middle-born children are likely diplomatic, are good at negotiation and are very peace-loving persons, who are closer to friends than to family. In his eyes, the most achieving-orientated are the only children, who are always trying to acknowledge their parents` forecasts and requirements. (Bolch, 2007). Scher, the CEO of a marketing services company, argued, that they found out, that a lot of their best employees were lastborn children, who could negotiate and knew how to communicate (as cited in Bolch, 2007). But finally, the common perception is, that the birth order could have a impact on human`s personality and behavior , but there are any more various factors, which have an huge impact on a person`s development or business success. For example gender, culture, socioeconomic factors, divorces, remarriages and so on (Bolch, 2007). Carl Jung: Collective Unconscious According to Carl Jung, all human inherit basically the same unconscious material (from past generations) and psychic characteristics, which Jung called the collective unconscious (Burger, 2008, p. 105).This collective unconscious houses primordial images, called archetypes. The most interesting archetypes are the anima (the feminine side of the male), the animus (the masculine side of the female) and the shadow (contains the negative and dark side of human`s personality) (Burger, 2008, p. 106). Jung argued, that there are as many archetypes as there are typical situations in life (as cited in Burger, 2008, p.106). He described these archetypes as a certain answer to the world and it`s situations (Burger, 2008, p. 106). Application to business environment Richardson (2007) focused on the power of Jungian hero archetypes in consumer brand building. He argued, that the archetypes are a powerful tool for mass marketing and brand building and which are successfully used to influence human behavior through story telling in the form of myths (Richardson, 2007). This could help to sell and advertise a company`s products and services in order to create brand recognition and loyal customers. Richardson (2007) argues, that increasing competition is the reason why companies concentrated on consumer`s unconsciousness and their archetypes in order to analyze and influence consumer`s behavior and attitudes. For example, Marlboro used the archetypical hero, the Marlboro Man, to advertise their cigarettes. As a result, Marlboro was ranked as the worlds No. 1 most valuable brand, which clearly supported the power of hero-archetype advertising and drove competitors to try to employ archetypes as well (Richardson, 2007). Erik Erikson: Personality Development through Life Cycle Erikson argued, that personality development persists through a person`s lifetime (Burger, 2008, p. 111). He defined eight stages, all people have to go through. At each stage people are faced with a crisis and two different ways (one is intelligent and suitable, the other not) to cope with the crisis (Burger, 2008, p. 111). The way we pass through each crisis, influences and determines the rout of march of our personality development and how we cope with later crisis.(Burger, 2008, p. 111).According to Erikson a person`s life cycle started from infancy to old age. C:UsersTanjaDesktopErik Erikson.bmp Figure : Erikson`s Eight Stages of Development (Burger, 2008, p.112) When a person complete a stage successfully, this could lead to a healthy personality with good social skills. Failure could result in a disorder of personality and could reduce the ability to cope with later crisis (Burger, 2008, p. 112). Application to business environment Erik Erikson`s personality development through life cycle is also applicable to career development in business. According to Munley (1977) Eriksons theory helps to understand the developmental nature of job-related behavior. He argues, that the development of basic senses of initiative, industry, identity, generativity, and integrity all seem to be especially relevant to career development behavior (Munley, 1977, p. 263). Erikson analyzed the crisis of the ego identity at the adolescence stage, which inherits a human`s conscious about who he is and where he is going. According to Munley (1977), Erikson recognized the huge impact of occupational choice as a part of the identity crisis. He argues, that most of the young people are confused by the irresolution to choose an occupational identity (Munley, 1977). A person without a sense of identity and the conscious how he fits into society may likely be unable in terms of job-related choice and career decision making. In the opposite a person with a strong sense of ego identity will be more able to make suitable vocational decisions and choices in order to become successful in business world (Munley, 1977). Karen Horney: Feminine Psychology Karen Horney argued, that differences in men`s and women`s personality are the consequences of cultural and social factors (Burger, 2008, p, 116). According to Freud`s theory, young girl likely has the desire to have penis in their latency stage, which inherits feelings of inferiority and jealously because of its absence (Burger, 2008, p. 54). In respond to this penis envy, Horney identified the concept of womb envy, which is the men`s jealously of women`s ability to bear and nurse children, which men try to compensate by becoming successful in other domains (Burger, 2008, p. 120). Application to business environment Relating to Horney, there are attributes of men and women, which the other sex admires (Burger, 2008, p. 120). She also argued, that society often placed women in inferior positions, which could be the reason, why some women wish to be a men (Burger, 2008, p. 120). Even though, nowadays society, labor market, business environment and law seem to treat men and women equally, discrimination against women still exists. According to a study of Johnson et al. (2010), beautiful women were discriminated against when applying for high-level job positions for example a manager, director or leader position, which are almost identified as masculine jobs. Johnson et. al (2010) argued, that attractive women are always preferred in feminine sex-typed jobs, which inherits for example higher salary and better performance evaluations. But in return, there are still men dominated and masculine sex-typed jobs, in which women are still disadvantaged (Johnson et al., 2010). Aggression and Frustration Freud was the first psychologist, who focused on the association between frustration and aggression (Burger, 2008, p. 137). He identified aggression as a consequence of frustrated instincts. According to Freud all of the persons have an instinctual desire to destroy themselves, whereby the instinct is turned outward towards others (Burger, 2008, p.137). Later, based on Freud`s original position, the frustration-aggression hypothesis was created by a team of psychologists. They argued, that aggression is always a consequences of frustration and frustration will always leads to some form of aggression (Burger, 2008, p. 137). Relating to Burger (2008) frustration can often effect indirect aggression. Freud argued, that people usual displace their (indirect) aggression against some harmless target in order to deal with their aggression or feelings of frustration (Burger, 2008, pp. 137-138). The frustration-aggression hypothesis was largely analyzed in various studies, which for example f ond out, that frustrated people were more aggressively than non-frustrated people or that unpleasant emotions increased aggression (Burger, 2008, pp. 138-141). As a result new models of frustration-aggression hypothesis were created, which expressed, that frustration does not always result in aggression (Burger, 2008, p. 141). Application to business environment Nowadays, the relationship between frustration and aggression can be seen in various social contexts. Neuman Baron (1997) for example analyzed the impact of aggression in workplace. They described aggression as a harm-doing pattern, which includes psychological and physical injury (Neuman Baron, 1997).They categorized eight types of workplace aggression (Neuman Baron, 1997). C:UsersTanjaDesktopaggression 1.JPGC:UsersTanjaDesktopaggression2.JPG Figure : Eight Types of Workplace Aggression (Neuman Baron, 1997, p. 40) Neuman Baron (1997) identified for example destruction of machinery and goods, work slowdowns, passing on defective work and intentionally misplacing of important paperwork as acts of sabotage in the workplace. Reasons for workplace aggression can be worker frustration (because of unfair salary or mobbing, downsizing and increasing number of part time jobs), stress and emotional disturbance (Neuman Baron, 1997). In order to cope with workplace aggression Neuman Baron (1997) suggested different tactic for example (1) creating procedures to select potentially aggressive employees, (2) punishing aggressive employees, (3) developing strategies to reduce feelings of frustration and injustice and (4) providing training programs, which involves improving employee`s social skills, providing coping strategies and alternatives to aggression. The Trait Approach According to Burger, the researchers of this approach focus on a spectrum of different personality characteristics (Burger, 2008, p. 5). The trait approach argues, that each person fits into a personality category, which inherits a certain pattern of behavior, that differs from the behavior of other categories (Burger, 2008, p. 155). Henry Murray`s Psychogenic Needs Henry Murray analyzed and explained human personality by focusing on psychogenic needs, which he described as a readiness to respond in a certain way under certain given conditions ( as cited in Burger, 2008, p. 161). Relating to Carl Jung, Murray argued, that this personal hierarchy of needs mainly exists in human`s unconsciousness (Burger, 2008, p. 161). C:UsersTanjaDesktopUnbenannt.JPG C:UsersTanjaDesktopUnbenannt2.JPG Figure : Murray`s Psychogenic Needs (Ewen, 1980) Application to business environment Murray`s theory of psychogenic needs is quite useful in order to motivate employees. According to Gray (1998), the most important motivational factor for small business owners and self-employees are their strong sense of autonomy and independency. He found out, that the need for independency is the main reason for new business owners to start up their business (Gray 1998, p. 137). Gray (1998) also analyzed the motivational impact of the need for achievement on manager`s behavior, performance and success. He also identified achievement as a multidimensional factor in the term of managerial characteristics, which involves for example work ethic, pursuit excellence, social status and respect as well as dominance, competitiveness, acquisitiveness and mastery (Gray, 1998, p.134). The Big Five The Big Five model describes five dimensions of personality, which are used to explain human`s personality and differences in human`s behavior. The Big Five model is based on Raymond Cattell`s effort to describe the basic dimensions of personality by analyzing data from different sources with factor analyses (Burger, 2008, p. 165). According to Burger (2008) different teams of researchers found, via factor analysis, the evidence for five basic dimensions of personality (Burger, 2008, p.165). This model is a descriptive model for personality, which involves the most common used dimensions (1) Neuroticism, (2) Extraversion, (3) Openness, (4) Agreeableness and (5) Conscientiousness (Burger, 2008, pp. 165-167). Burger (2008) argued, that although people may identify personality as if all traits can be clustered to five dimensions, the Big Five model may not exactly capture the complexities and intricacies of human personality (Burger, 2008, p. 169). Application to business environment Employers realized the importance of personality testes for hiring and promoting employees. By using the five larger personality dimensions, employer try to analyze the relationship of employee`s personality and job performance. Researchers identified the factor Conscientiousness under the Big Five factors as the best predictor of job performance (Burger, 2008, p. 175). According to Burger (2008) high conscientious employees are likely careful, thorough, well organized, hardworking, persistent and achievement-orientated. People with these attribute tend to become a good and diligent employee. Type A, Hostility and Health Medical professionals identified the Type A Type B behavior pattern by noticing that the behavior of heart attack patients differ from other patient`s behavior (Burger, 2008, p. 201). Typical Type A persons are high achievement-orientated, energetic and powerful, attracted to competition, easily aroused to anger and action and don ´t like wasting time. In return Type B people are relaxed and unhurried, don`t like to seek competition or to be aroused to anger or action (Burger, 2008, p. 202). Type A primary differ from Type B in various behavior tendencies for example the sense of achievement striving, time urgency and hostility. The most significant component of Type A people is their expression of frustration through anger and hostility (Burger, 2008, p. 202). Investigators argued, that high-anger and high-hostility patients are fortified hit by high blood pressure, heart and cardiovascular disease (Burger, 2008, pp. 204- 205). But according to Burger (2008) Type A persons are not necessarily unhealthy, if they are able not to be dragged down by minor rebounds and little frustrations (Burger, 2008, p. 206). Application to business environment A Manger`s working day is filled with various numbers of appointments, meetings, phone-calls, negotiations, responsibility and decision makings. Managers wake up early and they mostly have no time to eat or sleep. They are full of energy, high-achievement orientated, enjoy power and recognition and are strongly motivated to overcome obstacles. These are all characteristics of a Type A personality (Burger, 2008, pp. 201-203). Larson (2009) also mentioned in his article How personality can influence success the following characteristics of Type A personality: always in a hurry, multi-tasking, teeth grinding, tendency to interrupt, fast eater, talker, frequently lose sleep, aggressiveness, inability to relax. He argued, that Type As seem to be strong leaders, have the ability to work well under pressure and are able to ensure that all work is accomplished in a timely manner. According to Larson (2009) Type A persons are also often entrepreneurial, good delegators and are able to react quickly. Due to this fact, I postulate the hypothesis Managers are almost Type A persons, which has to be tested or confirmed by already existing studies. Characteristics of Socially Anxious People Shyness, feelings of nervousness, inability to concentrate, worrying about to say something wrong or stupid, cut conversations short or avoid them and less self-confidence are all characteristics of socially anxious people (Burger, 2008, pp. 206-210). According to Burger (2008) social anxiety is anxiety related specifically to social interactions or anticipated social interactions (p. 206). Relating to different researchers, the reason why people become anxious is, that they worry about what other people think of them (Burger, 2008, p. 210). Shy and socially anxious people fear, that other people think poorly of them or that they disgrace themselves. Burger (2008) argued, that the shy person`s interaction style is a kind of self-protection, because they put all their efforts on making a good impression. (Burger, 2008, pp. 210-211). Application to business environment Cuncic (2010) postulated, that social anxiety disorder has an huge impact on humans` workplace and career. He argued, that social anxiety in workplace will be reflected by the inability to network effectively, the fear of attending business social events, the difficulty to develop relationships with coworkers, the lack of self-confidence, and difficulty to speak up in meetings (Cuncic, 2010). According to Carducci, a psychology professor at Indiana University, when shyness is properly managed, there will be no limit to the achievement of shy people in the business world (as cited in Cuncic, 2010). The Humanistic Approach The humanistic approach focus on humans` feelings of self-acceptance, self-esteem and personal charge to identify and explain personality and differences in personal behavior (Burger, 2008, p. 5). According to Burger (2008) a key distinction between the humanistic approach and other theories of personality is that people are assumed to be largely responsible for their actions (p. 288). Humanistic researchers identified and concentrated on 4 key elements in order to identify human`s personality. Humanistic scientist focused on (1) the personal responsibility, (2) the here and now, (3) the phenomenology of the individual and (4) the personal growth (Burger, 2008, pp.290-292). Abraham Maslow`s Hierarchy of Needs Maslow identified five levels of needs, which he arranged in a hierarchy of needs. These needs are (1) physiological, (2) safety, (3) social, belongingness and love, (4) esteem and (5) self-actualization (Burger, 2008, p. 300). He argued, that the lower levels` needs have to be satisfied before a higher-level need comes into play. C:UsersTanjaAppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsTemporary Internet FilesContent.Wordmaslows_hierarchy_businessballs.jpg Figure : Maslow`s Hierarchy of Needs (Chapman, 2001) 1.The physiological needs These needs are the biological needs and consist of the human body`s primary needs, such as foods, water, air, sleep, sex. These needs will dominate when they are unsatisfied and they serve the basis for motivation (Burger, 2008, p. 299). 2. The safety needs Maslow argued, that people are also motivated by satisfying their safety needs. Safety needs include protection from physical harm, ill health, economic disasters or when the future is not predictable (Burger, 2008, pp. 299-300). 3. Social needs When physical and safety needs are satisfied, the next higher level of needs assumes importance. These needs are related to the social nature of people and their need for love, belongingness and companionship. According to Burger (2008) while the satisfaction of the psychological and safety needs will not guarantee happiness, the need for friendship and love soon emerges (p. 300). Dissatisfaction of this level of need may affect the mental health of the individual. 4. Esteem needs The need for both awareness of importance to others (self-esteem) and actual esteem from others is included. Satisfaction of these needs may lead to self-confidence and prestige. If the satisfaction of these needs will failure, this may lead in feelings of inferiority and disincentives (Burger, 2008, p. 301). 5. Need for self-actualization That means, that people will realize fully the potentialities of talents and capabilities. Maslow argued, if all other lower needs are satisfied, people will try to reach self-actualization and focus on developing themselves. He also suggested, that only a few people will reach the level of self-actualization (Burger, 2008, p. 301). Application to business environment

Interpreting Hamlet’s Ophelia Essay examples -- GCSE English Literatur

Interpreting Hamlet’s Ophelia Was Ophelia in love with Hamlet, or did she have more feeling for her father than for her boyfriend? In Shakespeare’s Hamlet was Ophelia’s madness contributed to by the prince’s rejection of her? The answers to these and other questions about this tragic figure will be given. Rebecca West in â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption† argues that Ophelia has no love for Hamlet, but only for her father: For the myth which has been built round Hamlet is never more perverse than when it pretends that Ophelia went mad for love and killed herself. No line in the play suggests that she felt either passion or affection for Hamlet. She never mentions him in the mad scene, and Horatio says of her, â€Å"She speaks much of her father.† Indeed she was in a situation which requires no sexual gloss. Her father had been murdered by a member of the royal house, and she found herself without protection, since her brother Laertes was in France, in the midst of a crisis such as might well send her out of her wits with fear. For the Danes hostile to the royal house made of her wrong a new pretext for their hostility, and the royal house, noting this, turned against her, helpless though she was [. . .]. (109) Beginning now with the play, the reader/viewer sees that the protagonist of the tragedy, Prince Hamlet, initially appears dressed in solemn black. He is mourning the death of his father, supposedly by snakebite, while he was away at Wittenberg as a student. Hamlet laments the hasty remarriage of his mother to his father’s brother, an incestuous act; thus in his first soliloquy he cries out, â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman!† Ophelia enters the play with her brother Laertes, who, in parting for s... ...ies.† Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Rpt. from Shakespeare’s Women. N.p.: n.p., 1981. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000 http://www.bartleby.com/215/0816.html West, Rebecca. â€Å"A Court and World Infected by the Disease of Corruption.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Court and the Castle. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1957. Wilkie, Brian and James Hurt. â€Å"Shakespeare.† Literature of the Western World. Ed. Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992.

Electronic Bulletin Board for Slsu Gumaca Essay

As the trend of technology rises, there is a lot of improvement and other modifications has been taken place in every technology systems that are existing. Through the creative thinking of the people nothing is impossible when it comes to developing or improving new technology. Delaying information using communication devices, equipments and gadgets is not new anymore in the world of communication. It is very important to be transmitted must reach its recipient in the shortest possible time in order to obtain the essence of the information. A bulletin board (pin board, pin board, notice board, or notice board in British English) is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise items wanted or for sale, announce events, or provide information. Bulletin boards are often made of a material such as cork to facilitate addition and removal of messages, or they can be placed on computer networks so people can leave and erase messages for other people to read and see. Bulletin boards are particularly prevalent at universities. They are used by many sports groups and extracurricular groups and anything from local shops to official notices. Dormitory corridors, well-trafficked hallways, lobbies, and freestanding kiosks often have cork boards attached to facilitate the posting of notices. At some universities, lampposts, bollards, trees, and walls often become impromptu posting sites in areas where official boards are sparse in number. Internet forums are becoming a global replacement for traditional bulletin boards. Online bulletin boards are sometimes referred to as message boards. The terms bulletin board, message board and even Internet forum are interchangeable, although often one bulletin board or message board can contain a n umber of Internet forums or discussion groups. An online board can serve the same purpose as a physical bulletin board. Magnet boards, or magnetic bulletin boards, are a popular substitute for cork boards because they lack the problem of board deterioration from the insertion and removal of pins over time. In the present society, competition is on its peak more specifically in the rapid growing technology. Technology advancement leads to more effective and progressive living. Technology conquers the world in terms of information and communication. As has been said all computers require a program, or a list of instructions to guide their activity. Sometimes the program is designed, or resides, within the hardware of the computer and cannot be changed without redesigning the hardware. More often the program is entered as software into memory and maybe easily removed or altered. (Grolier Family Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p 150) Information technology has become an increasingly important component of an organization. Technology facilities the ongoing of affirm have been contributing to its competitive strategy, and for those organizations, the key to survive is through the intelligent application of this technology. With the help of computer programs, any information and special announcements can become ease to forecast. Today, computers played an important role in every aspects of human living. Computer is a broad subject that includes a wide range of topics such as networking, software, hardware and the likes. Computers have the most development reported everyday. Such technology evolves, and benefits everyone a vast variety of modern equipment, net software that is important in this growing technological industry. (Scott F. Midkipp, 2003) This study was designed to help SLSU Gumaca students in giving or forecasting information and special announcements in fast and accurate service at all times. Manual system of forecasting or announcing information of SLSU Gumaca is extremely time consuming and hardly be found. The study helps eliminate the problems encountered using the manual system. The chaos during forecasting of information and special announcements and the advancements in computer technology has pushed for the conversion of the manual system of forecasting information and special announcements into digital and electronic manner. Background of the Study The main purpose of the researcher is to improve the quality of giving information to all of the students of Southern Luzon State University Gumaca Campus, and to know how effective and productive it is in terms of the quality of execution and implementation. The researchers had proposed a system that is an improvement of bulletin board in the campus; the data/information would be displayed in a digital way and interpreted automatically, with the help of this, the students will have a convenience in knowing different essential announcements like schedules of examination, time schedule of daily activities of the institution, and other relevant information that students must know. In connection to that the students will be informed well and the level of accuracy is highly acceptable in terms of receiving valid information. The hassle and the waste of time of distributing paper announcements and other sort of giving information to the students made the researchers decide to improve the system in order to meet the most desirability Since Information, in its most restricted technical sense, is a sequence of symbols that can be interpreted as a message. Information can be recorded as signs, or transmitted as signals. Information is any kind of event that affects the state of a dynamic system. Conceptually, information is the message (utterance or expression) being conveyed and also that’s one of the reasons behind why the researchers decided to make it electronic and digital for it to be decoded easily. Objectives The researchers aimed to answer the following sets of objectives that are worthy for the system evaluation: 1. To determine different problems in giving information using papers and other resourced materials. 2. To evaluate the design of the newly improved bulletin board in SLSU Gumaca. 3. To evaluate the performance of the Bulletin Board in terms of the execution of the programs and other templates. 4. To determine the significant difference between the old ways and modern ways of giving information to the students. Significance of the study The study deals with the A Electronic Bulletin Board for SLSU Gumaca Campus†. This study will help the researchers and all of the Students of SLSU Gumaca to determine the importance of giving information through Digital Electronic Bulletin Board. The old or manual systems of forecasting information to the students would then be replaced by the highly advanced improvement of technology. For the future researchers, this study will serve as a guide for them if ever they will be conducting this kind of project study. For the Students of SLSU Gumaca, it will be an effective way of receiving a valid, real time information. Res Admin Statement of the Problem This particular study will be undertaken to analyze the design features and the effectiveness of the proposed project entitled â€Å"A Digital Electronic Bulletin Board for SLSU Gumaca.† This research/study aims to answer the following questions. 1. How would it be more productive for the students of SLSU Gumaca in getting information via Digital Electronic Bulletin board? 2. Why does it help a lot to both faculty and students for trading information and updates etc.? 3. What will be the appropriate design in order to catch up the attention of the students? 4. How will the proposed system be monitored and maintained? 5. What is the level of acceptability in terms of a. security and b. reliability? c. Jj d. Jjj e. Jj f. Nnn g. Hh h. Scope and constraints The study covered only the evaluation and implementation of the Digital Electronic Bulletin Board in SLSU Gumaca. The proposed system will run only in either win XP or win7 operating system. The researchers will be using standard PC unit serves as the server that has an installed Microsoft office (2003/2007) access database wherein all of the relevant information like special announcements events updates and other schedule of the activities will be stored and be encoded by the campus clerk or the person assigned to do that certain job. The designs for the templates and hardware for the proposed system will be made used of the resourced materials that are set visible and easy to use just like VB 6.0 for all of the software and templates, a flat screen wide monitor with the size of 32† and has modified and specialized features that is able to support the software the researchers had made. VGA connectors for the cabling connections that have the measurement of not more than 100 ft. depending upon the distance and location of the widescreen monitor. The proposed system has limited special effects when it comes to the animation and transitions of the texts and other objects. The recommended screen resolution will be 1920Ãâ€"1080 it will no longer be connected to the internet. Definition of Terms The following terms are operationally defined for clear understanding of this study: Evaluation – is assessing and judging the value of a piece of work; an organisation or a service. Its main purpose is to help an organization reflect on what it is trying to achieve, assessing how far it is succeeding, and identify required changes. Information – is the data that have been organized and meaningful to the persons receiving it. SLSU Gumaca – it is the institution wherein the study was being conducted Bulletin Board – A bulletin board (pin board, pin board, notice board, or notice board in British English) is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise items wanted or for sale, announce events, or provide information. Digital – Of pertaining to, or like the fingers or digits digitate showing information such as numerals by means of electronics Vb 6.0 – is a programming language that was being used in the system Electronic – of or pertaining to electrons, operating or produced by the movement of free electrons or other carries of electric charge, as in an electron tube pertaining to electronics. Database- A database is a data structure that stores organized information. Most databases contain multiple tables, which may each include several different fields. For example, a company database may include tables for products, employees, and financial records. Each of these tables would have different fields that are relevant to the information stored in the table Chapter II REVIEW RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES This chapter covers the review of related literature and studies the design paradigm. Literature and studies were gathered from the book, journals, internet sites, and other resources that could help the researchers fully understood the related topics relevant of the study. Bulletin board A bulletin board (pinboard, pin board, noticeboard, or notice board in British English) is a surface intended for the posting of public messages, for example, to advertise items wanted or for sale, announce events, or provide information. Bulletin boards are often made of a material such as cork to facilitate addition and removal of messages, or they can be placed on computer networks so people can leave and erase messages for other people to read and see. Bulletin boards are particularly prevalent at universities. They are used by many sports groups and extracurricular groups and anything from local shops to official notices. Dormitory corridors, well-trafficked hallways, lobbies, and freestanding kiosks often have cork boards attached to facilitate the posting of notices. At some universities, lampposts, bollards, trees, and walls often become impromptu posting sites in areas where official boards are sparse in number. Internet forums are becoming a global replacement for traditional bulletin boards. Online bulletin boards are sometimes referred to as message boards. The terms bulletin board, message board and even Internet forum are interchangeable, although often one bulletin board or message board can contain a number of Internet forums or discussion groups. An online board can serve the same purpose as a physical bulletin board. Magnet boards, or magnetic bulletin boards, are a popular substitute for cork boards because they lack the problem of board deterioration from the insertion and removal of pins over time. A bulletin board system, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging messages with other users, either through email, public message boards, and sometimes via direct chatting. Many BBSes also offer on-line games, in which users can compete with each other, and BBSes with multiple phone lines often provide chat rooms, allowing users to interact with each other. Originally BBSes were accessed only over a phone line using a modem, but by the early 1990s some BBSes allowed access via a Telnet, packet switched network, or packet radio connection. Ward Christensen coined the term â€Å"bulletin board system† as a reference to the traditional cork-and-pin bulletin board often found in entrances of supermarkets, schools, libraries or other public areas where people can post messages, advertisements, or community news. By â€Å"computerizing† this method of communications, the name of the first BBS system was born: CBBS – Computerized Bulletin Board System. During their heyday from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, most BBSes were run as a hobby free of charge by the system operator (or â€Å"sysop†), while other BBSes charged their users a subscription fee for access, or were operated by a business as a means of supporting their customers. Bulletin board systems were in many ways a precursor to the modern form of the World Wide Web, social network services and other aspects of the Internet. As the use of the Internet became more widespread in the mid to late 1990s, traditional BBSes rapidly faded in popularity. Today, Internet forums occupy much of the same social and technological space as BBSes did, and the term BBS is often used to refer to any online forum or message board. Although BBSing survives only as a niche hobby in most parts of the world, it is still an extremely popular form of communication for Taiwanese youth (see PTT Bulletin Board System). Most BBSes are now accessible over Telnet and typically offer free email accounts, FTP services, IRC and all of the protocols commonly used on the Internet. Some offer access through packet switched networks, or packet radio connections. Early BBSes were often a local phenomenon, as one had to dial into a BBS with a phone line and would have to pay additional long distance charges for a BBS out of the local calling area. Thus, many users of a given BBS usually lived in the same area, and activities such as BBS meets or get togethers were common, where users of the board would gather at a local restaurant, the sysop’s home or similar venue and meet face to face. Research Paradigm Figure 1: Research Paradigm Figure 1 shows the process in evaluating computerized sales transaction in Quickfox Computer Sales and Services plus. The process has two inputs consist of computer system database design and questionnaire. Procedures/Data Collection The researchers used the most common techniques of data gathering by means of survey and interview and interview processes. First, the researchers had the survey by means of using a questionnaire then distributed to the target respondents. The questions dealt only with the topic interest of the research. And then the interview process had been done to answer one of the objectives of the study. Then, the researchers raised another set of questions through the use of checklist questionnaire to the owner for their cooperation for another survey to test how much time consumed using the manual transaction and using the computerized transaction sales.

Analysis of the Roots That Created Bigger Thomas

Thomas, give rise to strident yet silent clues, which will help understand some of the underlying roots that drove Bigger Thomas to submit to a life of criminal activities. The first aspect that contributes to Mr.. Thomas' downfall Is the brutal and unfair racial perceptions of his time. Bigger Thomas is accused of a crime which he did not commit. The rape of a white wealthy woman named Mary. Although Bigger Thomas did not commit the rape, he will always be accused of such behavior for being black. As stated by Bigger himself: † All those white men In a group, guns In their hands, ant be wrong.I do not know of what but I know that I am no good†. Richard Wright wants to show that although what occurs to Bigger Thomas is strictly accidental and innocent, the white man's oppression has the power to turn any black man into a beast, a rapist, and a killer. It is inevitable! In other words, Bigger Thomas represents the black race as a whole, the black man to be more specific. N o matter how innocent the black man is at first or at birth, circumstances and life changing events will turn him into what he was preconceived to be: a beast.The second aspect that contributes to Bigger Thomas' creation and destruction is his family. Bigger Thomas, like most African-Americans of his time, was raised without a father, whether It be through abandonment or unfortunate accident. At an early age, Bigger Thomas Is forced to assume the Father figure of the household. HIS mother's constant disapproval of him as well as his younger sister's criticism weighs heavily on the person he became: a Black man who will never have the respect he deserves from society as well as his family. The third aspect that added to the creation and destruction of Bigger Thomas is he Dalton.One symbolic view that supports this idea is the fact that Mrs.. Dalton is blind. She is blind to the social stigma of blackness, prejudices, and injustices around her. Mr.. Dalton on the other hand, even from a good heart, does not realize his contributions to the collapse of many men like Bigger Thomas. Although he views himself as a philanthropist, racial laws that Mr.. Talon's business abides to concerning housing leave the blacks feeling exploited and used. The Dalton do not realize the effect of racism on the oppressed and the effect of racism on the oppressor.They represent the small percentage of whites that view themselves as advocates for the black race while being completely oblivious to the harm that they are actually causing. Although external stimuli sun as racial prejudices, oppression, ten lack AT respect from society and from his family have a say to the demise of Bigger Thomas, it would be unjust to not also give Bigger his share of responsibility. Bagger's his own person and should be able to see the difference between right or wrong. However, it is clear that growing up in the circumstances that Bigger Thomas did, one could say he never stood a chance in hell.

Overview of Population Growth Rates

Overview of Population Growth Rates The rate of national population growth is expressed as a percentage for each country, commonly between about 0.1% and 3% annually. Natural Growth vs. Overall Growth Youll find two percentages associated with population - natural growth and overall growth. Natural growth represents the births and deaths in a countrys population and does not take into account migration. The overall growth rate takes migration into account. For example, Canadas natural growth rate is 0.3% while its overall growth rate is 0.9%, due to Canadas open immigration policies. In the U.S., the natural growth rate is 0.6% and overall growth is 0.9%. The growth rate of a country provides demographers and geographers with a good contemporary variable for current growth and for comparison between countries or regions. For most purposes, the overall growth rate is more frequently utilized. Doubling Time The growth rate can be used to determine a country or regions or even the planets doubling time, which tells us how long it will take for that areas current population to double. This length of time is determined by dividing the growth rate into 70. The number 70 comes from the natural log of 2, which is .70. Given Canadas overall growth of 0.9% in the year 2006, we divide 70 by .9 (from the 0.9%) and yield a value of 77.7 years. Thus, in 2083, if the current rate of growth remains constant, Canadas population will double from its current 33 million to 66 million. However, if we look at the U.S. Census Bureaus International Data Base Summary Demographic Data for Canada, we see that Canadas overall growth rate is expected to decline to 0.6% by 2025. With a growth rate of 0.6% in 2025, Canadas population would take about 117 years to double (70 / 0.6 116.666). The Worlds Growth Rate The worlds current (overall as well as natural) growth rate is about 1.14%, representing a doubling time of 61 years. We can expect the worlds population of 6.5 billion to become 13 billion by 2067 if current growth continues. The worlds growth rate peaked in the 1960s at 2% and a doubling time of 35 years. Negative Growth Rates Most European countries have low growth rates. In the United Kingdom, the rate is 0.2%, in Germany, its 0.0%, and in France, 0.4%. Germanys zero rate of growth includes a natural increase of -0.2%. Without immigration, Germany would be shrinking, like the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic and some other European countries growth rate is actually negative (on average, women in the Czech Republic give birth to 1.2 children, which is below the 2.1 needed to yield zero population growth). The Czech Republics natural growth rate of -0.1 cannot be used to determine doubling time because the population is actually shrinking in size. High Growth Rates Many Asian and African countries have high growth rates. Afghanistan has a current growth rate of 4.8%, representing a doubling time of 14.5 years. If Afghanistans growth rate remains the same (which is very unlikely and the countrys projected growth rate for 2025 is a mere 2.3%), then the population of 30 million would become 60 million in 2020, 120 million in 2035, 280 million in 2049, 560 million in 2064, and 1.12 billion in 2078! This is a ridiculous expectation. As you can see, population growth percentages is better utilized for short term projections. Increased population growth generally represents problems for a country - it means increased need for food, infrastructure, and services. These are expenses that most high-growth countries have little ability to provide today, let alone if the population rises dramatically.

Definition and Examples of Symbolism in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Symbolism in Rhetoric Symbolism  (pronounced SIM-buh-liz-em)  is the use of one object or action (a symbol) to represent or suggest something else. German writer  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe famously defined true symbolism as that in which the particular represents the general. Broadly, the term symbolism may refer to the symbolic meaning or the practice of investing things with a symbolic meaning. Though often associated with religion and literature, symbolism is prevalent in everyday life. The use of  symbolism  and language, says Leonard Shengold, makes our minds flexible enough to grasp, master, and communicate thoughts and feelings (Delusions of Everyday Life, 1995). In Dictionary of Word Origins (1990), John Ayto points out that etymologically a  symbol  is something thrown together. The words ultimate source is Greek  sumballein  . . .. The notion of throwing or putting things together led on to the notion of contrast, and so  sumballein  came to be used for compare. From it was derived  sumbolon, which denoted an identifying token- because such tokens were compared with a counterpart to make sure they were genuineand hence an outward sign of something. Examples and Observations [T]he symbolic elements in life have a tendency to run wild, like the vegetation in a tropical forest. The life of humanity can easily be overwhelmed by its symbolic accessories. . . . Symbolism is no mere idle fancy or corrupt degeneration; it is inherent in the very texture of human life. Language itself is a symbolism.(Alfred North Whitehead, Symbolism: Its Meaning and Effect. Barbour-Page Lectures, 1927) The Rose as a Symbol Pick the rose. It used to symbolise the Virgin Mary and, before her, Venus, the pricking of its barbs being likened to the wounds of love. The association still survives in the common meaning of a bunch of roses (I love you). Flowers might be delicate and short-lived but they have acquired a vast range of unpredictably durable meanings, a whole bouquet of significances: affection, virtue, chastity, wantonness, religious steadfastness, transience. The modern multiplication of floral emblems and trademarks has, however, taken its toll. When the red rose can stand for the Labour Party, a box of chocolates and Blackburn Rovers FC, it seems fair to say that its symbolic potency has been somewhat diluted by over-use. (Andrew Graham-Dixon, Say It With Flowers. The Independent, September 1, 1992)The rose . . . has collected around itself many layers of meanings, some of which contradict or challenge each other. As associated with the Virgin Mary, the rose symbolizes chastity and purity, whil e as associated with sexuality in medieval romance literature, it symbolizes carnality and sexual bliss, its tightly furled bud a favorite symbol of female virginity, its full-blown blossom a symbol of sexual passion.Multiple meanings may jostle for dominance around a symbol, or, in contrast, a symbol may over time, come to possess a single, fixed sense. Symbols, therefore, can enrich language by bringing it an array of different possible meanings, or they can reinforce a single meaning, as with images that constantly dehumanize. (Erin Steuter and Deborah Wills, At War With Metaphor: Media, Propaganda, and Racism in the War on Terror. Lexington Books, 2008) Jung on the Range of Potential Symbols The history of symbolism shows that everything can assume symbolic significance: natural objects (like stones, plants, animals, men, mountains and valleys, sun and moon, wind, water, and fire), or man-made things (like houses, boats, or cars), or even abstract forms (like numbers, or the triangle, the square, and the circle). In fact, the whole cosmos is a potential symbol. (Carl Gustav Jung, Man and His Symbols, 1964) Real and Symbolic Suns Once when I was analyzing the symbolism of sun and moon in Coleridges poem, The Ancient Mariner, a student raised this objection: Im tired of hearing about the symbolic sun in poems, I want a poem that has the real sun in it.Answer: If anybody ever turns up with a poem that has the real sun in it, youd better be about ninety-three million miles away. We were having a hot summer as it was and I certainly didnt want anyone bringing the real sun into the classroom.True, a distinction could be made here corresponding to the difference between concept and idea in the Kantian terminology. The notion of sun qua sun, as the sheerly physical object that we grow our crops by, would be a concept. And the notion of the sun as avenger . . . would carry us into the realm of ideas. The student was correct in feeling that a stress upon symbolism can blunt our concern with the sheerly literal meaning of a term (as when critics become so involved with the symbolism of a story that they ignore its natu re simply as a story). (Kenneth Burke, The Rhetoric of Religion: Studies in Logology. University of California Press, 1970) The Symbolism of the Filibuster The filibuster has at times symbolized, justifiably or not, the courageous stand of principled individuals against a corrupt or compromised majority. That symbolism was captured in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, the classic Frank Capra film in which James Stewart plays a naà ¯ve newcomer who holds the Senate hostage for longer even than Strom Thurmond did, before collapsing in fatigue and triumph. (Scott Shane, Henry Clay Hated It. So Does Bill Frist. The New York Times, November  21, 2004) The Symbolism of Book-Burning As an act of wanton barbarism, there is little to rival the symbolism of setting fire to a book. It is, therefore, genuinely shocking to learn that book-burning is taking place in south Wales. Pensioners in Swansea are reportedly buying books from charity shops for just a few pence each and taking them home for fuel. (Leo Hickman, Why Are They Burning Books in South Wales? The Guardian, January  6, 2010) The Dumber Side of Symbolism Butt-head: Look, this video has symbols. Huh-huh-huh.Beavis: Yeah, is that what it means when they say videos have symbolism?Butt-head: Huh-huh-huh. You said ism. Huh-huh-huh-ha-huh.(Customers Suck. Beavis and Butt-Head, 1993)

Student Essay

Student Essay Student Essay Student Essay: Useful Tips They say that student essay is just an awful task, which is hated by all the students, especially, student essay about education, as this is the task each student has to come through. Well, maybe this saying is right in some way, however, nowadays with the appearance of the Internet and different custom essay writing services student essay is not an executioner any more. If you have an access to the Internet you have an access to all the kinds of student essay writing tips, and student essay about education is not a problem as well. Here are several tips for you at the subject how to write student essay written by the professionals of our custom writing service who have completed hundreds of different student essays and won the highest grades to their customers. While you are writing your student essay, you have to remember one of the main principles of the successful student essay writing: do not tell what you want to tell, show it. Use the words in order to draw the pictures and to show the reader the text you are writing. Keep your reader hooked, instead of making him or her bored with your monotonous presenting the sequence of circumstances. Make a whole story from your student essay ( Choose the topic you are interested in and have a passion for. It is possible to write good student essay only on the topic, which is really interesting to the writer. If you like the subject, you are writing about in your student essay that means that you know a lot about it, that is why it will not take much time from you to search the necessary information. Do not write either too short or too long sentences in your student essay. You see if the sentences are too short all your student essay seems to be chopped and cut short. If you write too long sentences, your essay may seem to be too complicated and confusing. Write the sentences of average length, in order to show that you are able to express your ideas in a logical and clear way. Proofread the student essay after you think that it is completed. Different grammar mistakes, or wrong usage of words, or incorrect sentence structure, all this badly influence upon your grade for the student essay and show your indifference to the reputation and grade you are going to get. Read also: Term Paper on Personal Success Creative Writing Thesis Writers of Term Papers Dissertation Writers Dissertation Service

Reviewing Paintings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reviewing Paintings - Essay Example In the paper "Nudity and 19th Century Americans" the focus will be placed on American attitudes towards nudity during the 19th century. In order to gauge the American response, three art works containing nudity at varying degrees will be analyzed for the responses that they inspired from this population. The works featured here include Nymph with Bittern by William Rush, Ariadne Asleep on the Island of Naxos by John Vanderlyn and Raphaelle Peale’s Venus Rising from the Sea-A Deception. Nymph with Bittern is a statue of a woman who is draped from the waist down. Upon her shoulder she bears the weight of a bittern. This statue had been created specifically for public display. After the Yellow Fever epidemic, the city of Philadelphia built their first water treatment facility which was located in what William Penn had decided would be the town center. The center was a place where all of the government buildings were to be located, however the area sat empty for a while, as Pennâ €™s carefully designed plans were not followed. Rush carved the statue and it was placed in this center. There were no major uprisings or protests because of this stature. The level of nudity displayed seems to have been acceptable among the people. Rush’s work was appreciated and he was commissioned to create other works. On the contrary, the work of Vanderlyn was not so well received. Vanderlyn is considered to be the first American painter to use nudes. In his painting the woman lying on the grass is totally nude accept. for a small piece of cloth on her thigh. It was Vanderlyn’s mission to enhance the tastes of the American people. He had studied abroad in France and this overseas education influenced his work. Of the painting it has been reported that â€Å"†¦when it was first displayed in America in 1815, its sensual approach caused controversy and as late as the 1890s, when it was firmly ensconced in the Pennsylvania Academy’s collection, there protests against its ‘flagrant indelicacy’ and calls for it to be removed from display† (Venus Observations 2009). For a while the painting resided in the home of Asher B. Durand who had a great appreciation for it. However, Durand kept the painting covered with a veil so that it would no offend his guests (Lane 1999). Raphaelle Peale felt that all of the controversy over paintings of nudes was ridiculous. He was a friend of Durand and had taken interest, not only veiled painting, but in people’s attitudes towards nude paintings. As it was reported â€Å"†¦Raphaelle Peale, chose to satirise this prudery in a painting of his own† (Lane 1999). Even his father held the position that such paintings should be covered up. Peale however did not agree. To prove a point and scoff at the conservatives Peale created Venus Rising from the Sea-A deception. The painting is of a woman who is rising from her bath, but see cannot be seen because she is behind a sheet that is secured to a clothes line. The sheet, however, is exquisite. The history of these three works of art demonstrates that there was some tolerance to nudity amongst Americans in the 19th century. The statue by Rush, Nymph with Bittern, seems to have been acceptable. The woman in it is only partially nude. However, when it came to full nudity the people gathered to protest. Full

International relation's discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

International relation's discussion - Assignment Example ny, without doubt is a bad person that should be captured and face charges of crime against humanity at the international criminal courts, but his capture would come with other consequences, which might prove to be disastrous. In that case, peace and reconciliation techniques should be used especially in Northern Uganda to avoid any kind aggression between the rebels and government forces. Another key factor is African matters should be dealt by African people. There is absolute no need for putting pressure on the United States government to intervene (Peter, 21). As much as African countries appreciates the wet support in terms of foreign aid and donation they have also proved to the world that they are willing and ready to solve their own problems, some which have proved to be big challenges to the world. Therefore, the campaign for western countries to intervene in Kony’s capture is very not a good idea. The realist will not agree with the idea of going all out to capture Joseph Kony. This is because there are still other ways of coming up with a good solution to that problem. Still there are treaties between counties that must be respected. Kony is believed to have left Northern Uganda for South Sudan or Central African Republic, so attempt for invasion on Northern Uganda will be only cause harm to the healing

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 31

Discussion - Assignment Example Jurisdiction specifications and legal aspect consideration are other inputs that the company might use in an investment policy. Jurisdiction specification may include other inputs such as environmental, social, and governance standards, classes of assets and guidelines to ensure effective collaboration with external managers. Primary market differ from secondary market in such that, for the primary market, the organization or company is involved directly in the transactions, while in secondary market, there is no involvement between the company and the transactions because transactions occur between investors (Hall and Lieberman 405-406). Both market segments are inter-related and they influence each other in terms of performances. However, the primary market success and functionality is dependent on the secondary market’s complementary role in providing and opening a business opportunity for primary investors. As a result, the secondary market forms the baseline for investors in primary issues to transact on their investments that give other investors a chance to invest in the company. Consequently, primary market functionally dependant on the secondary

Personal and Professional Health Care Communication Essay - 1

Personal and Professional Health Care Communication - Essay Example Health providers thus have a responsibility of recognizing their patients as people, and not as objects without feelings, and see to it that effective care is given to the patients. This research paper will discuss heath care communication, and the relevance of personal and professional health care communication is going to be explained. More light will also be shed on therapeutic communication in health care settings. Keywords: Health Care, Communication, Patients, Clients, Health, Therapeutic Communications, Principles, Theories Introduction Communication takes place in any number of players or people in the health care process. Thus communication is affected by the role each person plays, and their expectations from each other. The quality of the relationship that exists or develops during health care interaction, will therefore determine the effectiveness or the smoothness of the communication (Berry, 2006). Most of the time, the health care providers, who include the nurses, doc tors, and physicians have been criticized of having poor skills, when it comes to health care communication. ... Health care communication occurs in a variety of contexts. For example, the conversation occurring between oneself and the doctor in an examination room is an interpersonal type of health care communication. There are other contexts in which health care communication occurs. For example, a television campaign on dental care is an example of a mass media health care communication (Steinberg, 2007). Health communication covers areas such as health care policy, health promotion, disease prevention, and the business of health care, as well as promotion of the quality of life and health of individuals within the society. Health communication comprises of the examination and use of communication procedures, to advice and effect personal and society’s decisions on matters concerning health care. What is the relevancy of effective personal health care communication with other health care professionals, clients, and patients? As seen earlier, communication is a key factor to health car e givers, so as to improve the ability to provide information that can improve a patient’s understanding, on matters concerning his or her own personal health. Adequate primary healthcare communication should be an essential habit between healthcare professionals, patients, and clients. Personal health care communication helps to build therapeutic alliances with patients when it comes to nurses. It also educates the patients in that; some may have low self-esteem as a result of certain conditions that they are suffering from. Personal health care communications also encourage the patients to be independent (Perry, Patricia & Ostendorf, 2013). What is the relevancy of effective professional health care communication to health outcomes? Professional

The Global Pharmaceutical Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Global Pharmaceutical Industry - Case Study Example The global pharmaceutical industry is quite unusual and in various geographic markets there happens to only one powerful buyer, i.e. the government. During the 80s and 90s the governments round the globe started to concentrate on the pharmaceuticals as some kind of an easy target in order to control the expenditures related to healthcare and get greater value for money. These typed of activities by the governments is just a reflection of the cultural differences. The industry in true sense has got global and hence the employment and ownership has become concentrated in very few countries. Regulators have quite often been challenged to reduce the overburdening of the growing areas related to the area of biotechnology research.   There are also increasing pressure from inter country pricing inequality as well as parallel trade. One such example would the difference between USA and Canada (Henry, 2008, p. 89).Economic ForcesPatients usually have had very little influence on the choice of price and products, because the doctors make the prescription. Again the medical practitioners tend to favor branded products. On the other hand the incentives to buy products got decreased as the costs were reimbursed or assumed by the insurers or the heath care authorities. The supply of the pharmaceutical market is still quite fragmented as very few companies are holding a share of more than 11%-20%. The industry has the presence of some strong international player’s bases in France, Japan and India in the form of Ranbaxy.... One such example would the difference between USA and Canada (Henry, 2008, p. 89). Economic Forces Patients usually have had very little influence on the choice of price and products, because the doctors make the prescription. Again the medical practitioners tend to favor branded products. On the other hand the incentives to buy products got decreased as the costs were reimbursed or assumed by the insurers or the heath care authorities. The supply of the pharmaceutical market is still quite fragmented as very few companies are holding a share of more than 11%-20%. The industry has the presence of some strong international player’s bases in France, Japan and India in the form of Ranbaxy. However, the recent economic down turn has meant that the companies had to reduce the spending on R&D and as a result number of new products that were supposed to reach the market has fallen (Churchill, 2009, p.211). Social Forces The baby boom generation is approaching retirement and there hav e been new efforts on the part of the companies to serve the purpose of treatment of the elderly. The end users are now a lot better informed about the products. The rise of the internet has helped the customers to get valuable info about pharmacy based products quite easily. Consumers have become a lot educated and as a result a lot more demanding (Brown, 2009, p. 209). Technological Forces Technological factors can actually lower the market entry barriers and reduce the efficient production levels and influence the outsourcing decisions. Some of the factors include the R&D activities, rate of technology change and technology incentives. One of the major implications of the technological development has been the development of drugs that can help

Concert Report of Gentleman's Rule Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Concert Report of Gentleman's Rule - Essay Example Because the program was organized in the evening, lighting was an important and integral part. There was sufficient lighting to make everything visible. The lighting system was also used as a decorative system as there were combination of different forms and types of lights in different switches and rhythms so synchronize with the music that was being done. Again, because there was a conscious effort to ensuring that fans and all other stakeholders within the premises of the theatre did not have problem with visuals, there was create visibility with the lighting system that was provided. It was the stage itself that did not have much light due to technical reasons such as concentrating the light only on people of whom the technical themes wanted attention to go to at a point in time. On the issue of ease of movement by patrons of the concert, particularly the fans, it would be said that even though the Royal George Theatre is a very sizeable place, for some reasons, it could not guar antee patrons of the program much movement. The problem was not due to that natural size of the auditorium but due to the fact that the songs that were done where danceable tunes, of which most fans wanted more and more space to shake themselves off with the music. Accessibility for people with disability would however be approached with a different tone noting that so much room was made for these people to have accessibility. There was actually a whole floor on the storey row that was preserved for people with disability. This was a step in the right direction as this floor was well fitted with accessible gadgets for the people with disability. Sound levels were perfect from a technical view point as organizers and the sound theme ensured that there was perfect harmony in the production and release of sound. There was virtually no instrument in the room, whose sound level was swallowed by the other and this contributed to the harmony in sound production and sound levels (Graves et al, 2002). But as expected, the voices of the fans swallowed the sound from the stage on some occasions, especially in cases where well known tunes were being played. In sum, it would be said that the venue of the concert was very comfortable in terms of sound and lighting but not so much comfortable for people who really were bent on using their dancing shows to the fullest. This is because the concert was organized to take a more diplomatic form whereby the fans would be passive rather than active participants. Performers The main performers for the show were the Gentleman’s Rule. These are a group of young and talented ten (10) male singers and composers (Gardner, 2006). The area of specialization of these singers is mainly acapella. On stage that night, the clothing of all 10 was something that deserves commendation. This is because the clothing was designed to give unique identities to these performers. For example they were dressed according to their vocal roles in the group with the led singer having what has come to be known as the Michael Jackson hand band. Light skinned clothes that would not make them produce so much sweat. The shirts were short sleeved to allow for aeration and the trousers were certainly made of cotton to absorb liquid well. The actions performed by the singers on stage often changed with the mode of the song being delivered. But the organization of the songs was done so well that

The Global Pharmaceutical Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Global Pharmaceutical Industry - Case Study Example The global pharmaceutical industry is quite unusual and in various geographic markets there happens to only one powerful buyer, i.e. the government. During the 80s and 90s the governments round the globe started to concentrate on the pharmaceuticals as some kind of an easy target in order to control the expenditures related to healthcare and get greater value for money. These typed of activities by the governments is just a reflection of the cultural differences. The industry in true sense has got global and hence the employment and ownership has become concentrated in very few countries. Regulators have quite often been challenged to reduce the overburdening of the growing areas related to the area of biotechnology research.   There are also increasing pressure from inter country pricing inequality as well as parallel trade. One such example would the difference between USA and Canada (Henry, 2008, p. 89).Economic ForcesPatients usually have had very little influence on the choice of price and products, because the doctors make the prescription. Again the medical practitioners tend to favor branded products. On the other hand the incentives to buy products got decreased as the costs were reimbursed or assumed by the insurers or the heath care authorities. The supply of the pharmaceutical market is still quite fragmented as very few companies are holding a share of more than 11%-20%. The industry has the presence of some strong international player’s bases in France, Japan and India in the form of Ranbaxy.... One such example would the difference between USA and Canada (Henry, 2008, p. 89). Economic Forces Patients usually have had very little influence on the choice of price and products, because the doctors make the prescription. Again the medical practitioners tend to favor branded products. On the other hand the incentives to buy products got decreased as the costs were reimbursed or assumed by the insurers or the heath care authorities. The supply of the pharmaceutical market is still quite fragmented as very few companies are holding a share of more than 11%-20%. The industry has the presence of some strong international player’s bases in France, Japan and India in the form of Ranbaxy. However, the recent economic down turn has meant that the companies had to reduce the spending on R&D and as a result number of new products that were supposed to reach the market has fallen (Churchill, 2009, p.211). Social Forces The baby boom generation is approaching retirement and there hav e been new efforts on the part of the companies to serve the purpose of treatment of the elderly. The end users are now a lot better informed about the products. The rise of the internet has helped the customers to get valuable info about pharmacy based products quite easily. Consumers have become a lot educated and as a result a lot more demanding (Brown, 2009, p. 209). Technological Forces Technological factors can actually lower the market entry barriers and reduce the efficient production levels and influence the outsourcing decisions. Some of the factors include the R&D activities, rate of technology change and technology incentives. One of the major implications of the technological development has been the development of drugs that can help

Problem Review Set Capital Structure and Leverage Essay Example for Free

Problem Review Set Capital Structure and Leverage Essay Managerial Finance Problem Review Set Capital Structure and Leverage If a firm utilizes debt financing, an X% decline in earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) will result in a decline in earnings per share that is larger than X. True b. False 2) Firm A has a higher degree of business risk than Firm B. Firm A can offset this by using less financial leverage. Therefore, the variability of both firms expected EBITs could actually be identical. 3) It is possible that two firms could have identical financial and operating leverage, yet ave different degrees of risk as measured by the variability of EPS. ) Which of the following events is likely to encourage a company to raise its target debt ratio, other things held constant? An increase in the corporate tax rate. An increase in the personal tax rate. An increase in the companys operating leverage. d. The Federal Reserve tightens interest rates in an effort to fight inflation. e. The companys stock price hits a new high. 5) The firms target capital structure should be consistent with which of the following statements? Maximize the earnings per share (EPS). Minimize the cost of debt (rd). Obtain the highest possible bond rating. Minimize the cost of equity (rs). Minimize the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). 6) Which of the following statements isAs a firm increases the operating leverage used to produce a given quantity of output, this will normally lead to an increase in its fixed assets turnover ratio. b. normally lead toa decrease in its business risk. normally lead to a decrease in the standard deviation of its expected EBIT. d. ormally lead to a decrease in the variability of its expected EPS. e. ormally lead to a reduction in its fixed assets turnover ratio. 7) Reynolds Resorts is currently 100% equity financed. The CFO is considering a recapitalization plan under which the firm would issue long-term debt with a yield of 9% and use the proceeds to repurchase common stock. The recapitalization would not change the companys total assets, nor would it affect the firms basic earning power, which is currently 15%. The CFO believes that this recapitalization w ould ikely to occur if the company goes ahead with the recapitalization plan?

Case Study of Strategic Management at Honda

Case Study of Strategic Management at Honda Why do you think Honda has chosen this strategy? Is this characteristic of the company and industry? Should Honda pick one upon which to focus its efforts or is it important for Honda to pursue synergies (and preserve its options) by developing and promoting multiple technologies? The Honda is developing environmental friendly auto mobile and maintain global point of view with the loyalty of supply high quality product. Honda strategy has consistently emphasized innovation, environmental friendliness and independence. Innovativeness they are always engaging with research and development to develop multi-technology and environmental friendly automobiles. As a result from 1946 to 2010 Honda had proven their capability. They are acknowledged leader in the development of hybrid cars and gains mars market acceptation. An environmental friendly automobile was not a new strategy for them. In fact they work on developing cleaner transportation alternatives had begun decades earlier. Honda hybrid model are designed for fuel efficiency. It will be supporting to reduce natural recourse depletion. From 1999 Honda won the different accolades from environmental group. Independence is other emphasizes strategy of their business. Honda choose not to collaborate or licensing its technology to others. They want to maintain their independences and essentially going solo. How do I analyze the reason for choosing this strategy? The reason for choosing this strategy is Honda will be supporting to reduce natural recourse depletion, to become environmental friendly. Since Honda has a long track proof of developing environmental friendly and multi technology automobile In July 2002, Honda has succeeded in manufacturing the first fuel cell vehicle with applicable industry standards. It has taken 51 years as of 1997, for Honda Corporation to launch hybrid vehicle Insight ever though Honda was founded in 1946. Starting from developing of engines for bicycles, then moved in to sports cars, establishment of 100 factories in 33 countries, while maintaining steadfastly independence of the company since 1956 and grown into one of the worlds largest automobile manufacturers not an easy task. I believe the bottom line of the story behind this is the strategy adopted by Honda. Even though the numbers of hybrid vehicles sold in 2000 2004 were very small with many obstacles, when compared with the other traditional automobiles, I say, the achievement in 2002 is mainly due to the strategy adopted by the company as Honda steadfastly maintained its independence. Final outcome of most of the research and developments takes time. It needs investment from the company as well as the high level support from the overall business strategy of the organization which involve risk but potentially profitable business opportunities in time to come. Licensing and joint venture strategies are powerful strategies in common in any industry as well as practiced by Toyota in this case study. The hybrid product develop by Toyota also has its own advantages and disadvantages where the same situation applicable for Honda hybrid cars. I agree, with the style of Hondas management where they have kept the business development exclusively in-house with all aspects of a technology, from its strengths to its weaknesses. In addition to that in-house know-how has led to maintain competitive advantage which was difficult for competitors to imitate. That is why Honda has succeeded in manufacturing the first fuel cell vehicle with all applicable industry standards in July 2002. Is this characteristic of company or industry? This is a characteristic of both company and industry, because there is demand for all types of vehicle. Honda stepped in to automobile industry at 1963. But Honda has quickly leads the superior of fuel economy, thats the characteristic of industry. Since founding Honda they are gradually introducing new technology, there for their growth rate is superior, there stability and quality demonstrate the industry characteristic. Today the business environment is in highly turbulent and corporate strategy plays a vital role in a diversified firm. In order to achieve long term success of a firm they should lay down aggregated strategies in cost leadership, differentiation or focus on the right markets through their business strategy. Those are the bottom line characteristics of a company as well as in the markets. Car manufacturing industry also has its own characteristics when compared the other industries. When acquiring new knowledge the company needs to win hearts and minds of the consumers as the competition is in full scale especially in car markets. Therefore, it is understood and confirms the overall corporate strategy of Honda matches with the characteristics of a company as well as different markets. Otherwise Honda may not be able to sell cars in US, pass all industry acceptance tests. 1.3 How Honda should pursue synergies in the company? Their investments basic research and development helps to the company to stable in the technology boundary and be a first mover when commercial versions of technologies are ready to be rolled out. Their culture seems to place immense value on introducing environmental friendly vehicles. By developing and promoting multiple technologies they believe ultimately are a dominant auto type. Company is an association of persons who are united for a common purpose. In the car manufacturing sector they transform raw materials to the finished goods on a large scale and expected to sell to the wholesalers or retailers where end users or the consumers purchase goods after launching. Form the scraps to the finished product the company needs to work on a strategy and the overall Business strategy of a company should be cerate synergy and finally achieve competitive advantage as a whole. Therefore Honda should know which business they should be in the expected markets. Finished goods have to undergo all types of economic systems at a profit without making losses under various policies and regulations adopted by deferent Governments of the respective market places. Therefore company has to have overall business strategy while maintaining synergy. It usually arises when two persons or more than that works together. Different complementary skill creates synergy which can contribute a lot in achieving competitive advantage as a whole in an organization. According to the data table given in the case study on 2005 Honda and Toyota U.S. Hybrid Sales it is understood different models like Honda Accord, Civic, Insight has a market even though the sales figures are less when compared with sales in Toyota. I believe being a mass car manufacturer like Honda should pursue synergies by developing and promoting multiple technologies for different target markets. Does having a single environmental friendly car standard benefit or hurt consumers? Does it benefit or hurt car producers? Standardization of a certain technology is the process of brining order into an otherwise chaotic system that adheres to no strict rules of conduct, thus entertaining a significant amount of freedom in expansion and growth. In my opinion, standardizations does more harm to a technology still in its infancy than good by bringing order and governance to the domain. Every scientific study and resultant technologies should be for the benefit of the mankind and its consumers, even though there are countless examples contradicting this fact. But with the dominance of the consumerism in current world, we cannot neglect to include the impact of standardization of these technologies in this discussion. Having environmental friendly Hybrid eclectic vehicle is benefit as well as hurt to consumers. We can argue as both ways. Consumers are well educated and well informed over what they need and what they want. The marketing oriented management dictates that business organizations should listen to their customers and fulfill their requirements in order to generate higher profits and sustain customer equity. Since Environment Friendly Motor Cars is a relatively new market with fewer well versed consumers, it is important that they are allowed to explore and figure out what suits them the best. Current market situation is best used as a test ground for the new technologies and innovations. Once all the scientific tests are performed on a new technology, it should be subjected to the test of ubiquity and acceptance of the market. Therefore I strongly believe that availability of various options is for the best of consumers that this point. One standard means lesser confusion for the consum ers for sure. But it would also limit the potential they can expect from their motor vehicles. Availability of many peer technologies under testing level at the same time in the market will make sure that an inefficient technology would not monopolize over an unsaturated and newborn market. In the perspective of motor car producers, there is an overhead in funding resources on a number of technologies instead of one standard. But this gives them the flexibility to explore deeper into technologies and come up with better and efficient inventions. They dont have to limit themselves with standards and risk being obsolete not adhering to a market accepted standard. Their investments may not always lead to successful and marketable inventions. But the knowledge and experience they gain by working on multiple technologies is invaluable and can be put to use for the betterment of future product developments as well for the growth of the industry as a whole. This will render both direct and indirect benefits for car producers in general without having to get stuck on one technology that could be standardized, yet soon rendered obsolete when the next breakthrough in the industry comes along.