Organizational Behavior and Communication Essay

Organizational Behavior and Communication is found in every company, organizations, and groups. Organizational behavior and communications are discussed by using Starbucks Coffee Company. The discussion will cover company’s values and mission statement. The mission statement contains the philosophy, vision, and values. Also, some background of the company will be given. There will a discussion on the communication and on what extent this is determine by the Starbucks Coffee Company Culture. Background Starbucks was start in the 1970 in the state of Washington. The name Starbucks was inspire by the novel Moby Dick. In 1987 purchased by a man name Howard Schultz. At the time of the purchase Starbucks had stores only the Pacific Northwest. After the purchase Starbucks was selling coffee in other countries such Europe. In the first vision of Schultz was to fine coffees. Organizational Culture The organizational culture of Starbucks is based on diversity. The formula that they use is Diversity=Inclusion+Equity+Accessibility. The definition is â€Å"Inclusion: human connection & engagement, Equity: fairness & justice, and Accessibility: ease of use & barrier free† (www.starbucks.com, 2013). The company has divided the organizational culture (diversity) in the following parts: 1. Partner/employees: Starbucks wants partners as different as the cities they work in. The proper word could be diverse 2. Customers: Starbuck want their customers to have an extremely nice experience. In order to achieve this Starbucks by giving the customer their preferences. 3. Communities: Starbucks does make investment in local communities as well as worldwide. Starbucks by giving economic opportunities in ways of jobs and other forms of help. 4. Suppliers: Starbucks work with many minority groups of suppliers. Also suppliers that are women. Starbucks support many organizations. Examples of these are Community Service, Youth Groups, and Create Jobs for USA, Also the American Red Cross. The espoused values of Starbucks do agree with the enacted values. Example of this is on July 3, 2012 it was announced that Starbucks will have two openings in Latin America. â€Å"Starbucks Coffee Company reaffirmed its commitment to Latin America with two major openings- its first in Costa Rica, and its firs Farmer Support Center in South America located in Colombia† (China weekly news, 2012). Latin America provides large amount of the coffee that Starbucks us. Another example is that in 2010 Starbucks refuse to raise the prices of the coffee. Most companies raise their prices due the raise of the coffee prices. Starbucks decide not raise the prices for awhile but monitor the prices. The organizational communication of Starbucks is 100% determined by the organizational culture. The communications channels are very clear and easy to use. Starbucks have communication channels that employees can use. These channels are telephone calls, online reporting, e-mail, and written reports. The communication channels for the customers are the Starbucks website. The customer could find the mission statement or locate a store. Also, if a person wants to apply for a job they can do it on the website. Role of Communication â€Å"Starbucks uses a model of communication used generally by smaller group networks, all channel communication† (yahoo.com 2008) The communication plays an extremely important role in the organizational culture of Starbucks. The organizational communication is open to the customer. The customers can talk with an employee then the employees report to the supervisors or department heads. The communication channels are always updated by Starbucks. â€Å"Partners are encouraged to report all types of issues or concerns to the program through their choice of the offered communication channels.† (www.starbucks.com, 2013) Another form of communication is the Standards of Business Conduct booklet. This helps the employees make excellent decision and also how to act with the customers. The communication has no misalignment with the espoused values or enacted values. The organization gives many communication channels for the employees. Another reason is that the company from time to time sees what needs to be change so that the organization can run smoothly. Conflict in group communication Whenever a company or an organization has a group that works together there will be a communication conflict. A solution to any conflict needs to be found before the conflict can come out. While researching Starbucks there was no conflict mention. Starbucks does have a clear image. Starbucks does show press releases on the decision that are being made As for the employees are concern Starbucks does provide communication channels to report any issues. The issue that refers to any communication conflicts in the group communications. On the same website the organization will post any communication about the company. The organization can use the conflict to put an additional person in the group to deal with the conflict and find ways to keep the conflict out of the group. Additional Information Starbucks supports the Earth watch Institute, Save the Children, Mercy Corps, and Plant Green. These are just a few of the organizations that Starbuck is working with. When the employees are making a decision they have standards to rely on. These standards are Standard of Business Conduct. Starbucks has these standards printed in the following languages English, Chinese, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Latin American Spanish, and Thai. Conclusion Starbucks is an organization that puts customers and employees first. They have high levels of values, vision, mission, and philosophy. Starbucks do indeed help the communities that have their location. In the pass Starbucks kept their coffee prices down when the prices of the coffee bean were going up. Then Starbucks is opening up business in Latin American and Costa Rica. These businesses will be working hand- in- hand with the local farmers. In addition Starbucks has used the coffee is from the Latin American and Costa Rica. The communication channels are aligning with the mission, philosophy, vision, and values statement. Also Starbucks provide the customers communication channels to report any wrong doing. Starbucks makes extremely high efforts to have a strong company. References About Us. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.starbucks.com Food Weekly News, 145. (2010).; Starbucks Coffee Company; Starbucks Responds to Surging Green Coffee Prices. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/75581576?accountid=35812 Our Mission Statement. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.starbucks.com Seazone, S. (July 18, 2008). Successful Application of Organizational Behavior: Starbucks. Retrieved from http://www.voices.yahoo.com Starbucks Coffee Company. (2013). Business Ethics and Compliance. Retrieved from http://www.starbucks.com Starbucks Coffee Company; Starbucks Broadens Presence in Latin America. (2012). China Weekly News, 192. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1022321948?accountid=35812

Cultural and Educational Rights in India Essay

As India is a country of many languages, religions, and cultures, the Constitution provides special measures, in Articles 29 and 30, to protect the rights of the minorities. The Cultural and Educational Rights is one of the six fundamental rights that have been granted to us in the Indian Constitution. This right allows every citizen of India to have a cultural and education up to where that person wants. This fundamental right is described in the constitution as: Any section of the citizens residing in the territory of India or any part there of having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same. No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid out of State funds on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them. All minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. In making any law providing for the compulsory acquisition of any property of any educational institution established and administered by a minority, referred to in clause (1), the State shall ensure that the amount fixed by or determined under such law for the acquisition of such property is such as would not restrict or abrogate the right guaranteed under that clause. The State shall not, in granting aid to educational institutions, discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority, whether based on religion or language.

Importance of hunting Essay

Like baseball and apple pie, hunting is an American tradition shared by young and old, rich and poor, regardless of social or economic status. Three out of every ten people are against hunting but for what reasons? What makes them stand out from the seven out of ten that are for hunting? My preference supports hunting for many reasons. Hunting is important because without it there would be animals struggling to survive because of the shortage of the nutrient food they need on a daily basis to stay healthy. It would also cut down the number of damage done to vehicles by animals. It also gets more kids outdoors and involved in agriculture activities which is needed now days. Believe it or not hunting is also a big part of our economy bringing in hundreds of billions of dollars each year. The first and foremost reason it’s important is because it reduces the number of abundant animals struggling to survive and causing car wrecks. Many states including Nebraska have opened special seasons for the notoriously known â€Å"trophy† whitetail deer. Whitetail deer are in abundant numbers all over the United Sates, some people see them as pets, but even more people see them as pests. They destroy crops and cause car wrecks. The average claim after a deer collision is 3,100 dollars. Every 1 in 85 people have known or heard of someone dying because of a collision with a deer. The number of these animals is stable because of one thing and that is hunting! Without hunters hunting these animals they would be unhealthy, and over populating the suburbs of the southern parts of the United States and the country side of the Midwest. They would also be causing severe or fatal car wrecks. Deer aren’t the only abundant animal there are many others including wild Turkey, Elk, and Bear. These animals are all struggling because of the three out of ten people that are against hunting, if just one of those three people would change there mind and see that the animals and humans both are struggling even more without hunting it would make a major difference. The second reason is that it gets more kids involved in the outdoors and other agriculture activities. Every year obesity becomes more of a problem for one reason; video games. If more kids were exposed to hunting or to the outdoors alone that could make them see that there’s a much better life outdoors then inside sitting down in front of there TV eating a bag potato chips. If more kids got involved in hunting it would also help the reducing of the abundant animals. This would mean less suffering and car wrecks. Many states are lowering the prices of there youth permits in hope that it will get more youth hunters in the field. All states have a mentor hunting program that takes kids hunting whose parents do not hunt or are not eligible to hunt. The National survey of fishing, hunting, and wildlife recreation, states that the number of youth hunters has tripled since 2006. It also states that the number of car wrecks dealing with deer has decreased 15 percent since 2006. Nearly 80 percent of adult hunters started hunting as youths. They predict that only 15 percent of youth in the year 2020 will hunt. Hunting leads into other agriculture activities. More kids are also becoming irresponsible do to one thing the lack of chores. Every eight in ten kids will tell you they do not have chores. Those two kids that say they do have chores are usually farm kids or have parents who grew up on a farm or engaged in agriculture activities. The third reason is vitally important to are economy and for the future. Many people say that hunting deals nothing with the economy of the world and there wrong. 12. 5 million People 16 years of age and older enjoy hunting a variety of animals within the United States. They hunt about 220 days a year and take about 185 trips. Hunting expenditures totaled about $22. 9 billion dollars. Hunting also generates more then $67 billion dollars in economic output and more than one million jobs in the United States. Hunting also generates $25 billion dollars in retail sales, $17 billion dollars in salaries and wages, and employs 575,000 Americans. If hunting was outlawed think of all the people who would be with out a job! They would struggle JUST like the abundant animals. Like Baseball and apple pie hunting is an important American tradition that should never change because without it there would be animals struggling to survive because of the shortage of the nutrient food they need on a daily basis to stay healthy. Car wrecks related to animals would increase. And it also gets more kids outdoors and involved in agriculture activities which is needed now days. It also boosts the economy, bringing billions of dollars each year. I hope you are on the same page as me now and see that hunting isn’t wrong.

Strong Inventory analisys and MBTI Personal Statement

Strong Inventory analisys and MBTI - Personal Statement Example My MBTI test reveals that my MBTI type is INFJ. This personality type is the short form for Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging People who belong to this type are generated Introverted Intuition with Extraverted Feeling. According to Personality Page (2010), â€Å"As an INFJ, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition†. This is to say that we look more to ourselves though we are not selfish. The reason we would look more to ourselves is because we are introverts and do not easily associate with people. Introverts are person who tends to focus on their own thoughts and feelings (EnglishTest.Net, 2011). Instead of making friend with almost everyone who comes their way, we would rather â€Å"direct their energy towards the inner world of thoughts and emotions† (Team Technology, 1995). For this reason, the INFJ personality type thinks and invents a lot. The possibility of dealing with external influence is judged by how we feel about them and how they suit our way of doing things. This is to say that we are not easily influenced. We will do things only because we feel it is right for us to do it. Personality Pages describes INFJs as people who â€Å"are gentle, caring, complex, highly intuitive, artistic and creative who live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities.† It is believed that only 1% of the world’s population has this personality meaning it is the most uncommon. Functional Preference Ordering According to personality page (2010), there are four functional preference ordering for the INFJ which are Dominant (Introverted Intuition), Auxiliary (Extraverted Feeling), Tertiary (Introverted Thinking) and Inferior (Extraverted Sensing). According to Butt (2010), â€Å"Introverted intuitive, INFJs enjoy a greater clarity of perception of inner, unconscious processes†. The strength or advantage of this preference ordering lies in the fact that because the introve rted intuitive requires greater clarity of perception, they are deep thinkers and do not take decisions briskly. With the extraverted feeling, Butt holds the view that they â€Å"express a range of emotion and opinions of, for and about people and find themselves caught between the desire to express their wealth of feelings and moral conclusions about the actions and attitudes of others, and the awareness of the consequences of unbridled candor.† The strength in this ordering or preference is that such people are very selfless and put others first. This is seen in their habit of being caring, loving, empathetic and generous. The introverted thinking ordering also has to do with people â€Å"make decisions based on logic, so the introverted thinking function allows a person to categorize and analyze data† (My Personality Info, 2011). The final type which is extraverted sensing also carries a lot of strengths and advantages. Such a person believes in personal experience and cannot be persuaded easily to do something out of his wish. According to My Personality Info, extraverted sensing â€Å"is the ability to be keen to what is seen, smelled, touched, heard and tasted.† Relation of my MBTI to my Career Interests My career interest is in becoming an individual therapist and also to take up careers in teaching and taking to counseling and clergy work. I find this ambition so linked with my MBTI personality type. This is because as per my type, I am visionary, understand people and situation, highly principled, sensitive and compassionate, service-oriented, value authentic relationship and I dislike dealing with details unless they enhance or promote my vision† (Personality Page, 2010). These are traits that are shared in an individual therapist. This is because according to Therapists.Net, an individual therapists help others â€Å"to learn to be more confident in yourself, to make your voice heard through communication, to validate you r own emotions, to learn to love yourself, and to learn better ways of coping with anger, sadness and stress (and not rely on your

IT Security Policy Framework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IT Security Policy Framework - Essay Example Recommended sound security controls practices (e.g., people, process, technology). A guide to help reconcile the framework to common and different aspects of generally adopted standards (e.g., COBIT, HIPAA, etc.). An analysis of risk or implications for each component of the framework. A guide of acceptable options or alternatives and criteria, to aid in tailoring to an organizations operating environment. A guide for implementation and monitoring. Toolset for organizations to test compliance against the framework (HITRUST). A complete security framework comes down to three well-known basic components: people, technology, and procedures. When these three elements are correctly assembles such as, the people, technology, and process fundamentals of information security program that works together in order to secure the environment and stay consistent with organization’s objectives. Diagram 1.1 shows the idea of people, process and technology. Figure 1.1 The policies and the prac tices in any organization is established by the Information Security framework. ... tics of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act are: Creation of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) It is a five member board that is established by The Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the purpose of controlling the auditing profession. The PCAOB locates and impose auditing, quality control, ethics, independence and other related audit reports. New rules for auditors Significant information to the organization’s audit committee must be provided by the auditors. This includes critical accounting policies and practices, alternative GAAP treatments and auditor-management disagreements. The CPA Auditors are forbidden from performing certain non-audit services for example book keeping, information systems design and implementation, internal audit outsourcing services, management functions, and human resource services for audit customers. Services are not offered to the publicly held companies by the audit firms. New roles for audit committees Audit committee members must be listed on the organization’s board of directors and be independent of the company. However, At least one member of the audit committee must be a financial expert. The audit committee appoints, compensates, and supervises the auditors, who report directly to them. New internal control requirements Section 404 of SOX needs visibly held companies to issue a report associated with the financial statements that reveals management is responsibilities for establishing and maintaining an enough internal control structure and appropriate control procedures. The report must also enclose management’s assessment of internal controls. Question 3 The challenges are alarming for management in providing information security. In fact, information system assets are substantial even for small organizations including data

End-to-End Hiring Initiative Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

End-to-End Hiring Initiative - Assignment Example With these types of unanswered questions to keep in mind, most organizations cannot really put a final closure to the duration of the hiring period. Because of the expectation that the right applicant has not been interviewed, the notice of a job opening is not yet closed. Another concern faced by the organization during this period is "how many managers are available to help out with this task?" The task of hiring is not included in the daily function of managers. They are normally busy with their daily workloads. A related question would be "how can the organization hire effectively under such circumstances?" To resolve such predicament, strategically integrating and re-engineering the five components established in the hiring process validate personnel selection procedures. The five components consist of; workforce planning, recruitment, hiring, security and suitability, and orientation. The entire process starts with the first component; workforce planning as its foundation. Work force planning, being a system process in identifying which individuals will be beneficial to the organization, these selected few can meet the establishment’s mission and goals. The second step procedurally moves on to recruitment, which is an on-going process. If job vacancies exist, this is where the hiring process becomes active. It can overlap into the next component, which is security and suitability where the candidate is assessed if his or her character, abilities, and behavior are in favor of the organization’s welfare. If the candidate for the job proves appropriate for the position, the organization’s responsibility is making sure the person is oriented to their rules and regulations.  

The Rookie Chief Information Security Officer Term Paper

The Rookie Chief Information Security Officer - Term Paper Example The human resource management department, finance department and operation department should present the security challenges faced (Cullen, 2011). IT Compliance Officer, Security Officer, Privacy Security Personnel and IT Security Engineer should also present the problem faced in their daily duties. The report from each office and department should be presented to the Chief Information Security officer for evaluation. Security manager and CISO will use the report to implement policies and procedures, which will ensure sufficient security in the organizations. After evaluation of the report, they will recommend the applicable points and do away with points which will not lead to improvement of the security. They will apply professional ethics and come up with other policies left by the departments. After completion, they will forward the draft to the General Manger. The GM will forward to the Board of Directors who will hold a meeting with the Security Manger and CISO to evaluate each policy and procedure. After evaluation, the board of directors will sign the draft for approval. Then the security department will ensure that each employee in every department has a copy or is aware of the policies. Security department will also ensure sufficient training to all departments to create awareness of security policies to each employee. The employees will help in reinforcing the policies (Neil, 2009). ii. Reporting Structure Chain of command will ensure smooth running of the organization. Each employee will be reporting to the person next in command. The organizational chart above represents the reporting channel. Security guarding and escort services will be provided by a contracted guard force. Guard will provide physical security services, public relationship services and patrol and escort services. Guards will ensure sufficient security for the organization’s asset and employees. They will provide assistant to customers visiting the organization by showing t hem location of offices. The guards will be managed by their supervisor who will report directly to the Security Officer. Security Officer will be responsible for maintenance of physical security. He/she will ensure that the contracted guard force maintains discipline and ethics (Mark, 2007). He will also check and record the available assets each day and carry out investigation in case of theft. Security officer will report direct to the CISO. The IT Security Engineer and the IT Security Compliance Officer will work to ensure that the information technology devices are maintained. They will ensure the hardware and software are maintained. They will evaluate the effectiveness of each device. They will provide a report in case of damage, loss and change of devices. They will report direct to the CISO. The Privacy Security Professional or the Investigation Officers will investigate theft, fraud and employee dishonest. They will carry out investigation in case of asset theft, cash thef t by employees and misconduct of the employee (Neil, 2009). In case of conflict between the employees, the investigation officer will carry out an inquiry to establish the source of the problem. Privacy Security Professionals will report direct to the CISO. The CISO will report to the Security Manager. The Security manager will be respons

Using Collaboration Tools to Market Products PowerPoint Presentation

Using Collaboration Tools to Market Products - PowerPoint Presentation Example This is especially in the beauty industry where this study focuses to come up with an effective collaboration tool for a jewelry store. Collaboration tool product advocated in this presentation is â€Å"Yammer†, which will not only aid in serving clients as necessitated but also manage jewelry store’s human resource (Nash, 2011). There are numerous collaborations tools, which corporations can use and attain their respective goals. However, in ascertaining collaboration tool that will work appropriately for a given corporation it entails meticulous research coupled with considering its respective goals. This is because the need to have an effective collaboration tool is to aid a given Corporation to attain its targets with ease. Some of the probable web-based collaboration tools for a jewelry store include, Compared to other collaborative tools, Yammer emerges as the best option for jewelry store. This is because of its varied and essential features essential for reaching large pool of clients. It also enables effective management of human resource. Some of its essential functionalities include, Yammer 2.0 version will enable Jewelry Store Heads to have direct conversations with their clients as well as interacting with employees (Markowitz, 2011). Hence, make it easy for its respective departments handle clientele’s complaints and suggestions with immediate thus improve their services. Technical department will set Yammer 2.0 and other recently incorporated versions such that varied departmental sections are in constant contact with each other, hence share information internally (Nash, 2011). Internal interaction with the aid of Yammer aims at improving social networking such that there is no wastage of both resources and time, which employees use while holding meetings (Sumner, 2011). Therefore, Jewelry store will be posting internal and urgent information to its employees who in turn will try to give their sentiments

Book Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Book Report - Essay Example Of course, all history books such as Bickerstaff’s Lines in the Sand are subjective, one way or the other. Even Bickerstaff openly admits that his book is not objective. He notes that by way of selecting which stories are to be included or excluded in his narrative substantially implies that his book is â€Å"to some extent subjective† (Bickerstaff ix). The inclusion and exclusion or the presence and absence of certain storyline make the storytelling quite personal; personal in the sense that it leads the writer to choose among the many scenes or events that appear connected or relevant to his objective or main outline. Despite the subjectivity of his book, Bickerstaff argues that he writes it, to some degree, in an â€Å"accurate and dispassionate† manner. Moreover, Bickerstaff states that he has attempted to write the book without taking a partisan side to the two contending parties, saying that he has no intention to â€Å"demonize or lionize anyone† (i x). Congressman Tom DeLay is the central character of Bickerstaff’s book. In Bickerstaff’s narration, it appears that Mr. DeLay has played an important role in the realization of Texas redistricting. The organization called Texans for a Republican Majority or TRMPAC was organized mainly by Mr. DeLay; and TRMPAC has become a major force in financially supporting would-be Republican representatives in the Texas House. Mr. DeLay’s TRMPAC primarily aims to achieve a political majority in the legislative body of the State of Texas. In Mr. DeLay’s mind-set, TRMPAC will be successful in its objective if it also supports and pursues a plan in redistricting Texas. In doing so, the political majority by the Republican Party will not be far from possible in attaining such ambition or vision. Back in 2001, however, Mr. DeLay favored a kind of redistricting that is drawn on the â€Å"basis of neutral factors, consisted of compact districts, and preserved communities of interest† (Bickerstaff 287, emphasis mine). Such kind of redistricting is far from partisan in character; the neutrality of this redistricting design makes it possible for the American people, especially the voters, to choose whomever they like. In general, the outcome of the election depends largely on the voting public rather than the political party itself. Bickerstaff argues that Cong. DeLay chose for this redistricting project because of the situation that was more favorable to the Democrats: the Democratic Party was the political majority while the Republican Party was the political minority. There are three fundamental reasons for pursuing redistricting in the Texas House, at least in the eyes of Cong. DeLay. First, since Mr. George W. Bush, who belonged to the Republican Party, overwhelmingly won in the Presidential race in the State of Texas, it is rational that its representatives in Congress â€Å"should do the same† (qtd. in Bickerstaff 85). However, the representatives from the Democratic Party, who dominated the congressional delegation at that time, failed to buy that fallacious argument. Second, redistricting in the State of Texas is an act of â€Å"political fairness† (qtd. in Bickerstaff 85). Mr. DeLay argues that the reason why Republican representatives garnered only a smaller number of seats in the Texas House, despite its greater percentage of vote from Texans, is because of the â€Å"way the lines are drawn† (Bickerstaff 86). What Mr. DeLay refers to â€Å"lines [that] are drawn† is the1991 district lines prominent in Texas. And third, the

Currency Future Contracts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Currency Future Contracts - Essay Example Some buyers and sellers of the instrument used it for speculation. The named instruments are not only used to hedge against unfavorable movements in the value of currency but also in other economic factors such as interest rate, exchange rates and natural calamities (CME group, n.d .). These contacts are reliant on some underlying assets thus are called the derivatives. First, swap is a derivative that involves an agreement between two or more traders to exchange the denomination of their cash flows. For instance, consider two investors from the US and the UK, who have invested in the local government securities. The two investors would agree that the US investor receives the cash flow of the UK investor, denominated in Sterling pound. The same would happen to the UK in investor. Secondly, an option is a contract that grants the buyer rights but not an obligation to participate in the contract, on maturity. On the other hand, the contract obliges the seller to participate when the co ntract matures. Thirdly, a forward is a contract between the counterparts to exchange currencies at a predetermined exchange rate. That is, the parties agree to exchange their currency at a given exchange rate agreed now, but during a future transaction, say after one year. Lastly, a future is a contract between parties to exchange currencies in the future, at a pre-determined rate. The nature of the contract is similar to that of forwards. The only difference is that futures are exchange traded whereas; the forwards are traded over the counter (CME group, n.d .). Have the current future prices fallen or risen? In the recent past, the currency future prices have demonstrated a downward trend. The reduction of the prices is said to have been caused by a high level of uncertainty about the future prices. Another reason for the fallen prices is the deteriorating US economy (CME group, n.d .). Types of exposures Most companies sign future contracts mainly to hedge against the unfavorabl e move of the exchange rates. A volatile exchange rate presents an environment that is too risky for businesses to operate. The risks are categorized into a transaction, operating and translation. A transactional exposure arises from the various trading activities that a company engages in. Globalization has made the world a small village where companies in the various parts of the world are well connected. The process of globalization has facilitated the sharing of resources between different companies. Businesses that operate in the international markets face greater risk of future price movements. This is because they borrow, lend and invest in those markets using foreign currencies. It is from the trading activities of a business that transactional risk arises. Secondly, operating risk is the adverse changes in a company’s revenue elements due to unfavorable movements in the currency prices. For instance, the prices of caterpillar tractors were at one time high in the int ernational market because the US$ gained more strength against other currencies. Other countries had to give up more of their currency in exchange for one dollar. This situation caused the tractors to be more expensive as compared to the competitor’s (Rheinla?nder & Sexton, 2011). During the period, the caterpillar company recorded lower sales due to the influence of the currency price fluctuations. Lastly,

Critically discuss issues with determining recommendations for vitamin Essay

Critically discuss issues with determining recommendations for vitamin D intake - Essay Example The proceeding process is their hydroxylation to form 25-hydroxyvitamin. The total of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 together with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels in serum is used as an indicator of vitamin D nutritional status. Studies indicate that this level increases following exposure to sunlight, or dietary intake of vitamin D (Rajakumar et al., 2014). 25-hydroxyvitamin D is hydroxylated to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (calcitriol) in the kidney, a reaction catalyzed by 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1alpha-hydroxylase. Regulation of this reaction is by serum phosphorus, calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), fibroblast growth factor 23 and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D production has also been demonstrated in the skin, parathyroid gland, breast, colon, prostate, and immune system and bone cells. 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D then binds to a receptor of vitamin D in the nucleus of a cell and recruits retinoic acid X receptor. This VDR/RXR complex binds small sequences of DNA called vitamin D response elements (VDREs) (Battault et al., 2013). It then initiates a cascade of molecular interactions that modulate the transcription of specific genes. Vitamin D regulates calcium and phosphorus homeostasis that are necessary for the maintenance of bone mineralization (Vieth, 2012). In the endocrine system Vitamin D regulates insulin secretion. Investigation shows that it is a potent immune system modulator. It also exhibits effects in the cardiovascular system regulating blood pressure. Severe vitamin D deficiency results in a condition known as rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults since it is important for development and maintenance of the bone structure (Persson et al., 2013). Osteoporosis has been linked to secondary hyperthyroidism caused by vitamin D deficiency. Increased PTH secretion by the parathyroid glands result in increased bone resorption increasing the bone breakdown and precipitate osteoporosis. Cancer,

Morality and Competitor Essay Example for Free

Morality and Competitor Essay No doubt, Money is an essential, almost indispensable article in the present day world. It is the’ money’ through which we can purchase all the necessary comforts and amenities of life. If you have money, you can obtain what seems impossible to others. It is the money which gives man, confidence, creditworthiness, credentials, capacity, capabilities and courage. In present day materialistic world, money has become very powerful. In the present day corruption, cut throat competition, callous degradation of moral and ethical values, are for the sake of grabbing and accumulating more and more money. The prestige, respect, social status, commanded by a person is calculated per his monetary status. Time has gone, when we valued a person in evaluated of his moral and ethical values. People were earlier known for keeping their words, for donating every thing to a donee. Now people are know in terms of their ranking in the list of rich of the world. Money has become the centre of all activities. Money and muscle power have become essential ingredients of a successful political leader. Money is regarded as omnipotent by a few people, particularly by the poor. As whatever one does not possess, one aspires it badly, and it becomes mono aim of achievement. For the rich, that owe lots of money, still craving to earn more and more, by hook or by crook, with fair or foul means, without caring even for their own health, own family. They are the servants of money, earning money not for the sake of themselves but for the sake of money and a time comes they find themselves unable to use the money for their happiness. They are unable to eat, unable to taste the most delicious dish, unable to move, walk or enjoy because they suffer from many diseases which are the result of their undue craving for wealth at the cost of health. Can one purchase anything with the power of money? No, one cannot. You cannot purchase inner satisfaction with money, you cannot purchase the lost youthfulness with money, you cannot purchase time from the death at any cost. Those who earn money simply to a have more money, more balance in their accounts are no better than the proverbial miser king ‘Midas’. Excessive love for money, make a man slave of money. Money is important for our life, but it is not the most important thing for a human being. Those who use money for fulfilling their necessities, acquiring reasonable comforts and for the welfare of a common good, are the masters of money. But those who earn money just for the sake of increasing its volume and number are slaves of the money. They are the most unfortunate creatures of God who know well that whatever money they are earning, can’t be taken an iota of that when they die even they are minting more and more money. What a paradox Money has become their master and they are just slaves, having no peace of mind, no moral and ethical values, no inner satisfaction. So it is rightly said that money is a good servant but a bad master. Let us use the money for our comfort, not for the sake of money, minting more and more money.

The Data Protection Act 1988 and 2003

The Data Protection Act 1988 and 2003 Monika Karaliunaite Introduction People are exchanging, sharing and using data every day.   Data, meaning information that can be processed automatically or manually.   When it comes to Personal Data which is data relating to a human being who can be identified from the data, Data Protection becomes very important. The Data Protection Act 1988 and 2003 confer rights on individuals as well as placing responsibilities on those persons processing personal data. Data Subject Data Subject or also called Data Receiver is a living individual to whom personal data relates.   Data Protection Acts provide Subjects with certain rights, to enable them to check what data relating to themselves is being held and how or where it is used.   The rights of data subjects †¢The right to establish the existence of personal data †¢The right of access †¢The right of objection †¢The right of rectification The rights come with responsibilities, it is not given to data subjects that they could make enquiries out of just simply being curious. Rather so that they can check what data is being processed on them and whether it is correct.   Ways for Data Subject to ensure rights †¢Tick boxes online (to choose whether your information can be used for any other purpose) †¢Unsubscribe (from notifications, information/offer e-mails etc.) †¢Read term and conditions, when setting up accounts online †¢Avoid to send e-mails containing confidential information †¢BCC- Email Data Controller is the one who controls the content of personal data.   It can be a legal entity like government department or a company, or an individual say, sole trader or a General Practitioner.   Data Controllers are recognised in the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003 as having certain responsibilities imposed on them by law. The responsibilities of Data Controller †¢Ensuring that data is obtained lawfully †¢That it is used for the purpose †¢That it is kept safe and secure †¢It is accurate and up to date †¢That it is relevant †¢That it is not disclosed or used for unlawful purposes †¢That it is not stored longer than necessary and provided to the subject on request All data controllers must comply with the rules/ responsibilities above, and some data controllers are obliged to register annually with the Data Protection Commissioner, to make evident their data handling procedures. How Data Controller ensure the responsibilities are carried out and organisations responsibilities Data Controller must make himself aware of his responsibilities relating to Data Protection.   Within organization, the staff should also be made aware of their responsibilities and appropriate induction training should be given.   Internal data protection policy, relevant to the personal data held by the organisation can be put to place, available to the staff.   Policy reflective to the elementary data protection rules, applied to the organisation.   It can then be enforced through consistent reviews and management. Data Processor Data Processor is someone who processes data on behalf data controller.   It does not include someone who is an employee of data controller and processed the data during his employment.   It is rather a subsidiary company contacted by the data controller to manage or process data on its behalf, such as: †¢Payroll Companies †¢Tax advisers †¢Accountants Data Protection Commissioner Data Protection Commissioner is a sole person who enforces Data Protection Act and its compliance.   He can investigate any complaints concerning data protection breech, develop codes of practice and maintains a register of data controllers. There have been cases when supermarkets have passed on their customers data to other companies. When using loyalty cards at supermarkets, we automatically let the company to gather the information about us without even thinking much of it.   Usually to avail of the loyalty card a questionnaire or an application form needs to be filled, so we are passing on some of our personal details to the company, therefore become the Data Subject.   The company now the Data Controller holds some of our information, and with the help of a loyalty card can continue gather information such as; log of purchases. Coming to the point, there have been cases when consumers of a supermarket have been contacted by formula company, by e-mail, advertising and offering their product.   Passing on personal information is considered a noncompliance with Data Protection Act. www.dataprotection.ie www.ictlaw.com

Treatment and Support for Transgender Children

Treatment and Support for Transgender Children Jill Seale Transgender children and adolescents face many obstacles in todays society that others do not; however, these obstacles are socially constructed and can be mitigated, and in some cases even negated, when the child or teen is afforded an affirming environment and the appropriate social and medical interventions. These factors are crucial to the welfare of transgender children and ideally would be available to them as early in their lives as possible. Kohlbergs Theory of Gender Constancy (as cited in Bernal Coolhart, 2012) states that children begin developing their gender identity in their preschool years. It is therefore unsurprising that the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), the organization that is responsible for drafting the standards of care by which all trans people are treated by medical and psychiatric professionals, has found that signs pointing to Gender Dysphoria have been observed in children as young as two years old (2012). Gender Dysphoria, previously known as Gender Identity Disorder, is the state of feeling dissonance between ones gender assigned at birth and ones self-perceived or experienced gender. The number of children and youth who are being diagnosed and treated for this condition is growing, and according to Bernal Coolhart (2012), research and treatment protocols are showing that early intervention is effective in improving the lives of these children. In early childhood, one of the biggest decisions families will have to face is whether or not to allow their gender non-conforming child to begin socially transitioning into their preferred gender. In Kuvalanka, Weiner, and Mahans (2014) study, in which five mothers of transgender girls between the ages of eight and eleven years old were interviewed, it was shown that all five of the children were happier, more outgoing, and had a more confident demeanor after being allowed to express their self-perceived gender. At the point in her social transition in which she was allowed to express herself as a girl at home but had to pretend to be a boy in public, Lilly, a nine year old at the time, was described by her teacher as being â€Å"very quiet and shy (p.363).† Her mother, however, reported that at home she was happy and vibrant (Kuvalanka et al., 2014). Ehrensaft (2012) explains Lillys behavior at school as being what she calls the â€Å"false gender self,† that is, â₠¬Å"the face a child puts on for the world [either consciously or subconsciously] based on the expectations of the external environment and the childs interpretations and internalizations of either appropriate or adaptive gender behaviors (p.342).† When the girls in the study were allowed to express their â€Å"true gender self,† the positive effects went even further than just changes in attitude; their mothers reported that the childrens friendships and participation in school also improved (Kuvalanka et al., 2014). With the support of their families, these girls were able to go on to lead relatively normal childhoods. However, many children maintain this false gender self for years, sometimes into adulthood, with no parental support and no outlet to express their true self. Parental support has been shown to be extremely important in the quality of life of transgender children and teens. Simons, Schrager, Clark, Belzer, and Olsons (2013) study on the effects of parental support on the mental health of transgender adolescents shows that parental support correlates positively with higher life satisfaction, lower perceived burden of being trans, and fewer depressive symptoms. The study surveyed transgender youth between the ages of 12 and 24, excluding those who had not yet decided to pursue hormone replacement therapy, on their quality of life and the level of parental support they were receiving (Simons et al., 2013). Their quality of life was measured as their life satisfaction and their perceived burden of being trans, and their level of parental support was determined using the family subscale o f the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Simons et al., 2013). This includes questions such as, â€Å"I get the emotional help and support I need from my [parents]† and â€Å"I can talk about my problems with my [parents] (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, and Farley, 1988, p. 35).† It was also shown that greater depressive symptoms were associated with a greater perceived burden and that life satisfaction negatively correlated with perceived burden (Simons et al, 2013). What this study shows is that without parental support, transgender youth face a litany of hardships because of their gender identity that most children do not. Parental support is even more important when we consider the fact that many of the necessary medical and therapeutic interventions transgender children and adolescents need become much more difficult, if not impossible, for them to attain without the resources and support of their parents. Arguably the most important of these, and undoubtedly the most difficult to obtain without parental support, is the medicine used to delay the effects of puberty, known as puberty blockers. According to Bernal Coolhart (2012), many transgender people describe puberty as â€Å"extremely distressing, as changes in their bodies feel like betrayals to their sense of self (p. 292). † Puberty blockers allow the child to stall their natal puberty so that they can further explore their gender identity without fear of experiencing this potentially traumatic and permanently life-altering event. Even after being allowed to socially transition, one girl in the Kuvalanka et al. (2014) study, Nicole, experienced suicidal urges and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when her natal puberty began; however, the diagnosis was removed after she began taking puberty blockers. According to her mother, Nicole is now â€Å"doing very well and her issues are only those of a normal middle school girl (Kuvalanka et al., 2014, p. 364).† A study by Cohen-Kettenis, Schagen, Steensma, de Vries, and Delemarre-van de Waal (2011) that followed a transgender man from age 13 to age 35, who at the age of 13 had received puberty blockers, showed that puberty suppression can be a safe and effective treatment for transgender adolescents. They found that puberty blockers make certain gender affirming surgeries unnecessary, because many of them involve correcting the effects of natal puberty; they also made other surgeries less invasive, should the person decide they are necessary for them in the future (Cohen-Kettenis et al., 2011). According to Cohen-Kettenis et al. (2011), â€Å"unfavorable post operative outcomes seem to be associated with a late rather than an early start of gender reassignment (p.844).† One possible side effect, as noted by Bernal Coolhart (2012) is that cognitive development may be delayed as long as puberty is being delayed, however Cohen-Kettenis et al. (2011) found that the puberty blockers can be stopped at any time and the adolescents natal puberty, including their cognitive development, will commence. The research presented shows that with family support and positive, early intervention, transgender children and adolescents lives can be improved; however, there is a dearth of research on transgender people in general, and on children and adolescents in particular. That is why this paper will propose a study to be performed to learn more about this under served population. Cohen Kettenis et al. (2011) showed that puberty blockers can be an effective intervention for transgender adolescents, but because their study was longitudinal and limited to one transgender man it was unable to make conclusions that could be generalized to the larger transgender population; also, it was unable to measure the effects of puberty blockers against a control group of transgender adolescents who are not receiving puberty blockers. Therefore, the question this research will be attempting to answer is this: How do puberty blockers affect the quality of life of transgender adolescents? The study will measure quality of life by the subjects reported life satisfaction (to include their satisfaction with their social lives) as well as their academic and/or professional achievement. The hypothesis of this study is that taking puberty blockers will positively correlate with higher quality of life. References Bernal, A. T., Coolhart, D. (2012). Treatment and Ethical Considerations with Transgender Children and Youth in Family Therapy.Journal of Family Psychotherapy,23(4), 287-303. Cohen-Kettenis, P. T., Schagen, S. E., Steensma, T. D., de Vries, A. L., Delemarre-van de Waal, H. A. (2011). Puberty Suppression in a Gender-Dysphoric Adolescent: A 22-year Follow-Up.Archives of sexual behavior,40(4), 843-847. Coleman, E., Bockting, W., Botzer, M., Cohen-Kettenis, P., DeCuypere, G., Feldman, J., Zucker, K. (2012). Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender-Nonconforming People, Version 7. International Journal of Transgenderism,13(4), 165-232. Ehrensaft, D. (2012). From Gender Identity Disorder to Gender Identity Creativity: True Gender Self Child Therapy.Journal of Homosexuality,59(3), 337-356. Kuvalanka, K. A., Weiner, J. L., Mahan, D. (2014). Child, Family, and Community Transformations: Findings from Interviews with Mothers of Transgender Girls.Journal of GLBT Family Studies,10(4), 354-379. Simons, L., Schrager, S. M., Clark, L. F., Belzer, M., Olson, J. (2013). Parental Support and Mental Health among Transgender Adolescents.Journal of Adolescent Health,53(6), 791-793. Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., Farley, G. K. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support.Journal of personality assessment,52(1), 30-41.

Gift Giving in the Medical Industry Essay -- Healthcare

In a recent article from St. Paul Pioneer Press (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57348681/drug-company-money-on-rise-for-2-minn-clinics/), the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic came under public scrutiny after it was revealed that they received $650,000 between them in 2010. Gift giving has always been a touchy subject in the medical industry. Various articles have been written regarding the subject exploring the benefits and its disadvantages. But the tug of war between ethics and the effects of commercialism has yet to be seen in the stand of medical institutions and health care providers. In 2008, Fortune 500 magazine reported the Pharmaceutical Industry as one of the top three most profitable industries in America. This should not come as a surprise since there will always be sickness and disease and as a necessary consequent there will be patients who will need medicine for these illnesses. â€Å"It is a lucrative industry that utilizes different strategies to gain revenue.† said James Rhee, a professor in the Department of Physician Assistants Studies of Eastern Virginia Medical School, when he described the industry in his article in the Internet Journal of Academic Physician Assistants(http://www.ispub.com/journal/the-internet-journal-of-academic-physician-assistants/volume-7-number-1/the-influence-of-the-pharmaceutical-industry-on healthcare-practitioners-prescribing-habits.html). Business is business for these large pharmaceutical industries and they employ marketing techniques that will ensure their profitability. In realizing these gains, Pharmaceutic al companies employ variations on the tried and tested theme of gift giving. GIFT GIVING, IS IT APPROPRIATE? As early as 2003, Arnold Relman a Harvard ... ...dress conflict of interest issues, key people in strategic position like the director of the office of institutional compliance at the University of Minnesota, Lynn Zentner had this to say: â€Å"An unmanaged conflict is a problem,† â€Å"Having a conflict of interest is not.† # # # Works Cited (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57348681/drug-company-money-on-rise-for-2-minn-clinics/),(http://www.ispub.com/journal/the-internet-journal-of-academic-physician-assistants/volume-7-number-1/the-influence-of-the-pharmaceutical-industry-on healthcare-practitioners-prescribing-habits.html),(http://www.bmj.com/content/326/7400/1189.extract),(http://www.twincities.com/ci_19619583?source=pkg),http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45796673/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/drug-company-money-rise-minn-clinics/#.TwFJtDX9Mlc)

UNDERSTANDIN OIL :: essays research papers

The brutal attacks/bombings this week in New York, and Washington D.C., along with threats of attacks there and elsewhere in the country have changed our times forever. While the mass media concentrates on the details of the destruction, and the blanketed words of politicians, I will attempt to understand and explain the events from the fence. BOMBING AND BEING BOMBED ARE THE SAME THINGS ON DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE FENCE. Terror is not a spontaneous human action without credence. People just don’t hijack planes and commit harikari (suicide) without any weight of thought to the action. No one in the media seems to ask WHY DID THESE PEOPLE DO THIS HORRIFIC ACT OF VIOLENCE AND DESTRUCTION? To be able to understand the answer to this, we must first look at our U.S. Mideast Policy. During most of the 20th century, U.S. businesses have worked on attaining oil rights and concessions from countries in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. After WWI, secret back door deals by our State Dept. yielded oil rights from then defeated Turkey to fields in what is now Iraq and Saudi Arabia, in return for looking the other way at a crime against humanity, the Genocide of the Armenians by the Turks. Oil profits have been the motivating factors behind many attempts at counterinsurgency of democratic regimes by the CIA and the U.S in the Middle East (such as Iran in the 1950s, where the Shah replaced the Prime Minister who refused to give up oil rights to the U.S., and since the people couldn’t deal with the Shah, an extremist government headed by the Ayatollah Khomeini ultimately prevailed). During the Iran-Iraq war, America supplied both sides with weapons and advice. These are n ot the actions of a rich superpower wanting peace. Let’s not forget that Saddam Hussein, before being America’s vision of the Anti-Christ, was a close ally of the U.S., and the CIA. So what was the firm belief system of consecutive American administrations that caused all this to occur ? PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST WILL LEAD TO HIGHER OIL AND GASOLINE PRICES. Let’s not also forget the power of the Arms industry, disguised as defense, that still sells billions of dollars of weapons to the area. Therefore it has not been in the short-term economic interest of the U.S. to foster Peace in the Middle East. Using the above reasoning, the U.

Marketing Article Summaries Essay

The article Sustainability: It Should Be About More Than the Bottom Line on Forbes.com discusses the topic of the triple bottom line. The article discusses the idea that being ecologically friendly can be conducive to a strong financial bottom line, as well as a social and environmental one. The main point of the article is that if all organizations followed the principles of the triple bottom line, it would lead to a higher quality of life for all, with less government interventions into the way business is done. The first words in the article are â€Å"Going green can be profitable†, and this is an important thing to remember. Being socially conscious and environmentally friendly can positively impact the bottom line of an organization. This has mistakenly led some organizations to decide that the most effective way to contribute to society and the earth is to create a focus on how to reduce costs and increase profits environmentally. An approach that is much more encompassing of the true meaning of the triple bottom line is rather than having a profit first mentality, having a sustainably effective approach that truly focuses on the needs of the people, the planet and also profit. The organizations that are taking this to heart are not strictly looking into profit. They integrate sustainability into the heart of their company and go from there. They are measured by all three areas; not simply profit. The organizations that are truly putting into practice the triple bottom line are not considering the environmental initiatives as â€Å"special programs – as mere window dressing†; they realize these approaches are not enough. They are making much more intensive entire organizational changes. Sustainble performance is a part of everything that the organization does. It comes into play in dealing with employee management as well as how work gets done. It is evident everywhere. Companies who have made this work realize that in order to continue to realize profits, we need to look at how the world will be in 50 years. There are many organizations that have the profit mentality. Everything is done for that one main bottom line. They are looking for an immediate financial payoff in the decisions that they make. Things may look good from the outside, but their environmental commitments do not trickle through to the very being of the organization. The hard thing to change from the financial bottom line to the triple bottom line is that leadership from the top down need to buy in to the idea. The entire way of managing needs to change. In the beginning, it may not result in things being run the most profitably. One of the reasons that this approach should be adopted is that the more common place it is, the less the government will need to be involved with the decisions in the private sector or business. In the course Marketing Principles, this very topic is discussed in Chapter 1. Not only can the triple bottom line be profitable, it can be considered to be a competitive advantage in today’s marketplace. I believe that the author’s perspective is right on. The organizations really need to focus their change on all three important segments. Our world is not full of infinite resources, and we need to take responsibility for ensuring it lasts. Society is becoming more aware of this, and it is playing an important part in the decisions we make every day. I believe that corporations who do not embrace this concept wholeheartedly will suffer financially because of it. Organizations which are not currently following the idea of a triple bottom line really need to consider the implications of such a decision. The world is changing, and organizations need to change along with it. Gone are the days that all we have to worry about is the bottom line. Organizations who do not come on board will find themselves lacking in the one area they so painstakingly tried to preserve – their financial bottom line. Edward E. Lawler III. â€Å"Sustainability: It Should Be About More Than The Bottom Line.† 15 Mar. 2012. Forbes.com. Web. 23 Feb. 2013. http://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardlawler/2012/03/15/sustainability-it-should-be-about-more-than-the-bottom-line/ Jaime Friesen Steve Renton Marketing Principles February 24, 2013 Social Media Marketing Strategy The article Developing your Social Media Strategy on Investment Executive discusses how to develop your social media strategy. The most important thing to remember is to set goals and to identify with your audience. The biggest problem that exists is that organizations try to jump on the social media marketing bandwagon with no set plan. Your social media marketing strategy needs to be as well thought out as the rest of your marketing plan. A social media marketing attempt will not be successful if you just make it up as you go. A specific plan is needed. Firstly, you need to decide exactly what you are trying to do with regards to social media. The following tips are offered in the article: †¢ Create a plan – At a set time every month, set aside time to go over your social media goals. You need to find the gaps and opportunities that need to be addressed , and develop your monthly plan according to that. †¢ Focus on one platform at a time – If you start by getting on every site out there, it will get too confusing. Remind yourself who your target market is, and focus on the best one for that target market. †¢ Get approval – ensure that you are not posting things that need prior approval. Keep things general, and avoid making specific recommendations. †¢ Push for education – if you feel like you don’t know enough, ask for more education. This is a topic that really relates to marketing right now. Social media is the way of marketing for the future. Unfortunately for most organizations, this means all new rules. Social media has changed things drastically. Marketing now requires a whole new way of doing things. People are no longer just wandering down to the local store and trusting that they know best. They now have the entire world at their fingertips, and this is resulting in a well educated consumer. They will compare brands, reviews, prices, etc. all without leaving the house. This article is really discussing social networks and marketing planning in the Marketing Principles course. This concept discusses how many organizations have started to incorporate social networks into their marketing plans and strategies. The main things they are used for is to promote brands or to be watching for product / service complaints. I think that this article has a very important point. Social media is something that seems to be inescapable for a lot of people. It is something relatively new, which can create a problem for marketers who have been around for a long time. Preconceived ideas of how marketing has always been done need to be put aside. This is a whole new ball game. The interesting thing about social media is that everyone can participate in it. I think this is what leads to people jumping right in without thinking about it. It just looks so easy. I agree that this is not the best idea. Marketing is such an important thing that we need to keep in mind what our marketing plan is. Keep the goals of the company at the forefront and use this idea to come up with your specific social media marketing strategy. I think it’s a great idea to revisit this monthly. Social media is everywhere, and can be an effective, inexpensive tool for marketers, but it is important to remember that it still needs to be a well thought out part of the marketing plan. Brent Jolly. â€Å"Developing Your Social Media Strategy.† 24 Oct. 2012. Investment Executive. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. http://www.investmentexecutive.com/-/developing-your-social-media-strategy?redirect=%2Fbuilding-your-business%2Fsales-marketing%3Fp_p_id%3Dsearch_WAR_search10%26p_p_lifecycle%3D0%26p_p_state%3Dnormal%26p_p_mode%3Dview%26p_p_col_id%3Dcolumn-1%26p_p_col_count%3D1%26_search_WAR_search10_search%3Dgeneric Jaime Friesen Steve Renton Marketing Principles February 24, 2013 Ritz-Carlton: A Guest Relationship Management Program To continue and expand its reputation for superior service, Ritz-Carlton put into place a guest relationship management program that helps identify, profile and please as many valued guests as possible. This is detailed in the article â€Å"For Ritz-Carlton, It All Begins with Customer Knowledge†. Customer Relationship Management has evolved in the past 20 years. In the past, there were no computers to track everything, and it had to be done manually, which was not the most effective way to ensure that we had the most accurate, up to date information. Today is a different day. There is specialized software available to the hotel service industry to enable them to identify, profile and please guests. Luxury hotels especially need to provide this superior service. Guests do not come there strictly for the amenities, they want staff to know their name and their preferences. In order to do this, a solid system is needed for storing and accessing information. For Ritz-Carlton, extraordinary service to its guests has always been a number one priority, and has put them at an advantage above other luxury hotels. In order to keep up their advantage, the company implemented a guest relationship management program back in 1998 called CLASS – Customer Loyalty Anticipation and Satisfaction System. This system brought more consistency and ease of usage to the process. Each of their hotels employ a guest recognition manager, who is the repeat guest expert; however all other hotel staff are responsible for paying attention to the guest preferences and letting the guest recognition office know. CLASS is something that makes business easier for them. When a customer in the database calls to book a room, all their relevant booking preferences are available to assist in the reservation process. Then, this information is accessed again prior to arrival to prepare for the guests arrival. The guest recognition team reviews the profiles of the guests that are coming in, and prepares and distributes a report outlining each departments’ role with respect to that guest. Most of the work is done at one time, and transfers to where it is needed. The information that goes into the CLASS system is all garnered from employees. Each employee is issued a â€Å"guest preference pad†. They note any guest preferences on the pad, which are then sent into the guest recognition office. A hotline is also available to share this information. The vision for the near future is that employees will be able to access CLASS on their own, thereby adding to the efficiency of the program. They are investigating portable technology, such as handheld devices. The most important part of this process s the employees. The system is only as effective as the employees who are providing the necessary information to make the system work. This article is discussing the importance of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and how Ritz-Carlton has made this work for them. I was actually quite surprised by this article. It seems like such simple way to be gathering the information. It seems so 1998, which is when they implemented this system. I would have expected a long updated system by now. I would guess that this would be quite effective, as long as the staff members are diligent in providing guest preferences. The main thing in my mind is that they need to keep their employees happy in order for this to work. I do agree that this does provide superior customer service. Michelle Delio. â€Å"For Ritz-Carlton, It All Begins with Customer Knowledge.† 17 Apr. 2000. Destination CRM.com. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/CRM-News/Daily-News/For-Ritz-Carlton-It-All-Begins-with-Customer-Knowledge-47424.aspx

Confucianism in Chinese Business Culture

History of Chinese Business Lecturer: PU Hualin (George PU) PhD in Economics Associate Professor By: FERENDY BUDIANTO (SIMBA 2012) CASING ARGUMENTS: How does Confucius teaching reflect on ancient Chinese business culture and practice and today Chinese business Culture and practices? DUE: 28th November 2012 IntroductionChina as a civilization is one of the oldest that has lived in the face of the earth, through out history they can pride themselves with abundance of technological and sociological breakthrough that are ahead from the rest of the civilization in the ancient times. As its best China was the most prosperous and highly intellectual civilization especially during the Tang Dynasty, which were synonymous with the golden era of ancient Chinese history.Nowadays, as a citizen in this modern civilization we can never hide away from the impact of china in the global economy, based on a personal point of view the superpower of China today has always maintain the same philosophy, cu lture and tradition as they have always have which could that back the most ancient of times, none more apparent than the language that has been honed and maintain to this day, and also business culture that has always been distinct from the rest of the world.The China of today root back to the beginning of their civilization, therefore the history of China business is a subject that should be keenly approach as the basis of understanding the China of today. In this particular paper we will focus on the root of Chinese business philosophy that branch from Confucianism, we will discuss how Confucianism came to influence the everyday business culture in china lay foundation to the modern Chinese society, from this bjective we will then discuss Confucian ideology on harmony, hierarchy, collectivism and reciprocity within his philosophy. The principles makes up the differences of how Chinese approach business, we can take an analogy of how Chinese pervasiveness in saying ‘noâ€⠄¢ in which Westerners are likely to find it different the way how things come about, but it roots back to Confucius teaching of humanity and etiquettes which consider the embarrassment and potential awkwardness such situations may create and do not want to make others feel ashamed or rejected.In this paper we will research the parameters of the philosophy and how it came to be to further convey the understanding of Chinese business culture. Outline Confucianism is something that embodied China, it is everywhere and it stick to every aspect of a Chinese person daily life, therefore to search on this topic of how to understand what role does Confucianism have in influencing the Chinese Business culture it is to be more aware of what is the philosophy is all about.Firstly we learn the basic of this philosophy, which are the principles that Confucius has laid and preached. These information are attainable through books, websites in the internet, databases, journals and personal observa tion that are carried out during the whole process of the making of this paper. Once we get the basic understanding of Confucianism, we will then try to see how it fits into the Chinese business culture in the past. Literature reviewThe first and foremost literature we will review is the textbook ‘An introduction to Chinese Business culture’ by Xu Huifen, which is the preferred text for the course. The text will be use as the basis of understanding the background and teaching of Confucius, the book provide a good information to help understand the basic philosophy of Confucius and also relate them to other lateral disciples of his teaching such as Mencius and Xun Zi. In addition we will use the text to gain more understanding of the relation of Confucius’ teachings and his follower in relations to conomic thoughts and business culture. Although there a concise amount of knowledge and information on this text we it lacks literal view on the actual business culture and examples on how the philosophy is being practiced, therefore in this particular issue we will try to use other sources. The second source will be the different article and point of views that taken from the Internet. One of the sources that are selected is a presentation titled ‘East meet West: Understanding Cultural Differences when Doing Business in China’ by Dr. Eugene Chang.This source will be use as a guideline to common Chinese business practice and culture, to get us more accustomed to the reality side of the study, and from it we will find connection to Confucianism from the business practice and culture in China. The third source is an academic paper titled The Influence of Confucianism and Buddhism on Chinese Business: the Case of Aveiro, Portugal by Tianbo Li and Gillian Owen Moreira of the University of Aveiro, Portugal. The text gives us great insight to China business today, with data from questionnaires and how Confucianism exists in the world today. he source will be useful affirm hypothesis with real data and also provide knowledge on the Confucianism that is being practice today. Through out the paper we will use several other references and literature that are not as significant as the above texts, these sources and references will further aid our paper. Argument: How does Confucius teaching reflect on ancient Chinese business culture and practice and today Chinese business Culture and practices? History Commerce and trade has always been part of the social system in China for as long as we can remember, and as we know back in the ancient times, usinessman are not as highly regarded during the ancient times when compared to today, as in the ancient times commercial success had never won the respect of the society and Scholars, farmers and artisans was ahead in the social rank based on Confucian scheme of social stratification (xu,2007) . But still, it doesn’t deter businessmen during that time from being wealthy and rich, Chinese businessmen has a long history of being smart, strategic, and agile thinker, which makes them as we can still aware today that they are great businessmen.The beginning of Commercial prominent with the merchant groups that started in Shanxi, Anhui and Zhejiang and Guangdong province, as the former two take advantage of the strategic location in which they were in that became eventually the hub for trading between the north and south part of the country. But the good times for commerce as for other old Chinese tradition were negatively affected when the monarchy came to an end.But the latter two merchants (Zhejiang and Guangdong) has different approach to the trend of decline mainly helped by the strong international influenced and investment put towards coastal and southern cities of Guangzhou and shanghai that resulted with the trade network for these merchant that expand to the western region bring prosperous times for these merchants as well. As two merchant groups f ell out of their luck the other face a different fate and from then we came to know that the ancestral root of China’s modern merchant were the Zhejiang and Guangdong merchants.Business culture in the ancient times for china as mention earlier were divided by four merchant groups that were originated from four different areas, we come to know that Shanxi and Anhui merchant were a more traditional merchant groups, due to ancient China emphasis on political influence more than economical benefits these two merchant groups become the more prominent merchant groups compared to the others due to their close relations with the government therefore ensuring their prosperity with favorable policy by the government to them, and for a long time this has become a huge part of the traditional business model in China until the monarchy ended, which turn its favor to a more to the more independent merchant of Zhejiang and Guangdong merchants. As these two merchants lay the oundation for th e modern Chinese business culture we will explore more the how the teaching of Confucius influenced them. Confucius concept in Business Confucius may not rank businessman in in high society rank, but there is no doubt that his teaching influence the many generation of businessmen up until today. There are many ways in which Confucianism affected how Chinese approach business practice. We start with ideology which we must first understand that Confucian theory work on three principles which were ‘ren’ (humility), ‘yi’ (collectivism) and ‘li’(etiquette), these three concepts run like the blood though the vein within Confucius’ teachings.We can learn from the littlest action to the biggest and most controversial business practice can leads its way to Confucius teachings, but it is still by no means that Confucianism is in every business practice. Within Confucius teachings of harmony are taken and instill into business culture in the same w ay that he believes that society need to maintain harmonious relationship within each other, and also it can apply in finding the correct balance in ethics versus profits. To achieve these harmony there are always ways in which ‘ren’, ‘li’ and ‘yi’ is incorporated and be use as the doctrine to act upon, in ways that ‘ren’ which were filled with kind heartedness, benevolence and goodness, act upon to bring restraint on bad motives to gain profits in ways such as cheating, corrupting and manipulation.As for ‘li’, which brings order, rituals, and hierarchal importance, it is definitely a prominent source to the reason for Chinese importance of politeness, and hierarchical relationship is more importantly emphasized than anywhere else in the world. And lastly ‘yi’ which requires the promotion of collectivism to achieve social stability, we can definitely notice this in the way Chinese consider a proposal from a wider point of view, which consider the impact as a whole. Action influence by ‘yi’ sometimes does not easily received in the West where individualism is more prominent (secondchina. com, 2012). When all ‘ren’,’li’, and ‘yi’ were achieve harmony within the system will be achieved.Second important concept that Confucius based his teachings on is the hierarchical relationships. Within China generally all tend to center around politeness and respect for the dominant figure in the relationship. Confucius specified the relationship of ruler-subject, husband-wife, parent-child, the elder-younger brother, and the friend-friend relationship. Within this concept we feature ‘li’ as the dominant doctrine as it is the source of order, and hierarchical concept aim to achieve order, to apply this concept within the business practice in china, we can see that through the hierarchical status within the the management of a business, or even the relationship within the government and the people.Unlike the more egalitarian approach of the western society, where you can find managers try to break the formalization of ranks by asking a subordinates to call them by the first name, within china this situation will be hard to come by, as this teaching has been invested so deep into Chinese culture. In other example where hierarchical system is important for Chinese is that, we might notice Chinese businessmen reluctant or offended when a more lower rank personnel is assign to handle his matter, and also within a family business which were very common in China, the elder son might take over the management of the company while the father have less responsibility, but when it comes to any important decision it is likely that the son will console the father to make final say.Third concept is Collectivism, which is the power of group over individualism as mention above collectivism is also ‘yi’ which states t hat social stability, in part, depends upon the co-dependence and focus on the family unit. Collectivism is inherent in a Confucian society. In order for Chinese society to operate smoothly, it was necessary to subject one’s own desires to the greater good of the group. In other words, people didn’t exist independently of one another. Instead, an individual was defined by his or her relationship to the group (Chang, 2011). In a business environment especially in the modern times, this is apparent in how there are more emphasis being put to the group performances when it comes to projects within the company and While the opinions of elders have great influence, decisions are often made collectively and reached through a consensus.Lastly there is reciprocity, which is in general definition the practice of exchanging benefits or things. It is in fact something in most western country known as the term ‘the golden rule’ which is to do unto other, as you would want to be done to you. Within the Chinese business culture, it is to always act with respect toward each other, may it be to a subordinates or superior. This last concept in a way balances collectivism and hierarchical concept, with which it provides boundaries that a businessman should conduct themselves, with reciprocity businessmen is preach to always have respect towards everyone whether your in a position of power or not. Confucius in today’s worldNow that we have connected in some dots that connect Confucianism from the realm of philosophy and politics to the business culture that still persist today, we will now try to further understand on how important is Confucianism in today’s world and especially the business world. As we know China has grown rapidly over the past 30 years and it has establish itself as the factory of the world and its just a matter of time until it stake claim to be the largest economy in the world. But among this highlights we also can s ee from the what’s happening with this growth that Chinese businessmen were again on the raise, not since the cultural revolution that halted the economy so much and causing many businessman to flee to country outside of China has businessmen of China has this much claim their respected status of being great businessman.It is comebacks that may have been predicted since the opening of china to the world, a philosophy that during the Mao Zedong Cultural Revolution the philosophy was believe to be the main culprit for China not moving forward. But, it is an underestimation that a philosophy that was created in china and for what it seems a eternity that the basis of Chinese culture surround upon this philosophy, to be replaced by another philosophy of an alien kind. Nowadays Confucianism is everywhere, and it seems the nations supports and feels the needs to rekindle their old philosophy, with books, films, and study programs within the China education system on Confucianism, b ut the most intriguing aspect of the manifestation is its recent adoption by the communist party.As an article from the economist explains since becoming China's top leader in 2002, President Hu Jintao has promoted such slogans, which include â€Å"Harmonious Society† and â€Å"Xiaokang Shehui† (â€Å"a moderately well off society†) which possessed hints of the philosophy of Confucianism. (economists, 2007) Taken from source on the study of the ‘influences and Buddhism and Confucianism on Chinese business’ by Li Tianbo and Gillian Owen Moreira, it is revealed on the importance of Confucianism philosophy are for Businessmen of china considered guanxi which are ‘connections’ as an important part of business in china, along with other Confucius teaching of harmony, politeness etc. n their studies Li and Moreira set out a questionnaires to 550 to 59 different company to each of their personnel and received 288 valid questionnaires back, the ir result are indicative to Confucianism in Chinese business culture with, as the result show when asked about cultural values considered important, â€Å"68. 7% of the respondents selected interpersonal harmony, 62. 6% considered trust, 50. 8% included collectivism, and 46. 5% chose guanxi ( ), followed by endurance, social status, thrift, face and others. These results demonstrate how much importance is attributed to the role of interpersonal harmony, trust, collectivism and guanxi ( ) in successful business in China. † (Li and Moreira, 2007)The study from Li Moreira goes beyond just how Confucianism is perceived today but also how it works in managing a company and its contribution to the Chinese business culture, with many acknowledging its presence, and ready made ideology, that can fit in any business day to day running’s. Conclusions Based on the process of understanding the background of Confucius teachings and the application it has on the business culture in china through out the civilization our argument of how Confucius teaching reflect on ancient Chinese business culture and practice and today Chinese business Culture and practices can be conclude that Confucianism does have a significant impact on the business culture in china, and how businessmen of China mold their thoughts, from simple transactions, managements and ethical view of the company.For me the whole idea of Confucianism is something that has been invested for too long within the Chinese culture that it makes what Chinese people, not just the Mainland Chinese people but also any nationalities with Chinese origins who they are. Even during the times of cultural change something that defines a race cannot be change. The modesty, hierarchical thinking and collectivism is something that cannot be taken away, and for me personally, being a person of Indonesian nationalities with Chinese origin it something that you grown up with, albeit I never actually thought specifically w hat it was, but it felt like it is our identity to act upon Confucianism idea. Having experience a fair share working and understanding with people of two different mindset of both western and Chinese, I notice many differences in approaches that they go about when they do business.I can confirm based on personal experience from the above statement that Guangxi is the most important philosophy ahead of harmony within chinese businessmen, having experience first hand of how connection can get you further ahead than the rest in business but also for western culture I experience and witness how individualism is promoted, having seen this in many western fast food chain where employee of the month award was given and etc. In conclusion, Confucianism I believe was, is and will be everywhere in Chinese business culture, the nature of Chinese culture that support and accepted it are always going to be there as it is a philosophy that has become the norm within everyday life in China. as th e future tilt closer to favor China as the world biggest economy it will only be the matter of time when Confucianism business culture spread and no longer be seen as a culture shock by the western civilizations. ReferencesEconomist, ‘Ideology in China Confucius makes a comeback’, Beijing, May 2007, ‘http://www. economist. com. hk/node/9202957’ Chang, E. , ‘East Meets West:understanding cultural differences when doing business in china’, April 20th ,2011, MeteringChina. com Li and Moreira, ‘The Influence of Confucianism and Buddhism on Chinese Business: the Case of Aveiro, Portugal’, university of Aveiro, Portugal, 2007, ‘http://www. immi. se/intercultural/nr19/tianbo. htm’ University of Florida, ‘CHINESE BUSINESS CULTURE? Confucian Business Ethics – General’, 2009, ‘http://secondchina. com/Learning_Modules/BUS_web/content/BUS_confucian_ethics. html’ Xu , ‘An introduction to Chine se Business culture’, 2007, Jinan University Press.

Explore and compare the characters, achievements and deaths of Lennie Small Essay

In this essay I will explore and compare the characters, achievements and deaths of Lennie Small, from John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ and Bill Sikes from, Charles Dickens ‘Oliver Twist’. I have read both novels and enjoyed them immensely because of the wonderful characters, language and techniques used by the authors especially when describing the worlds they conjured within their novels. These two books also express perfectly the pioneering views of Dickens and Stienbeck; they both used their writings in an attempt to make their socialist views subtly heard by the masses. In the eras of Dickens and also Steinbeck, problems such as, racism, sexism, poverty and the class divide were simply accepted by society. These two authors saw the problems of their social structures, the discriminative attitudes of the people and wanted to make the public aware, being greatly frowned upon by some. Dickens and Steinbeck were soldiers of the same struggle and that is where the similarities between ‘Of Mice and Men’ and ‘Oliver Twist’ begin. Most of the characters in both novels represent the poverty that plagued both countries at the time the books were set, especially George and Lennie in ‘Of Mice and Men’; the epitome of poverty in the USA. Their lives are an endless trek around California constantly looking for work, scratching a buck or two a day from the back breaking work they do on the ranches. The poverty Oliver lives in (and that Dickens also experienced as a youth) is just the same, with a different back drop, which is why these novels relate so well to each other. Where these two stories really raise a lot of similarities, but at the same time a lot of paradoxes, are definitely the murder scenes and the deaths of the killers themselves. The characters and situations appear to be very alike, but once you read deeper you can see the differences that sneak through. Lennie Small is a very big, powerful, strong man; Steinbeck describes him as a bull. Sikes is also a large burley fellow, but where Sikes is pure evil, Lennie is childish, innocent and inhibited, a man who entirely relies on someone else to guide him, like a dog and master; their personalities are almost an antithesis. They are like this to bring out certain emotions in the reader to make us feel, hatred towards Sikes (and ultimately satisfaction when he dies), but sympathy, love and empathetic humour for Lennie. Their victims, on the other hand, are almost identical; Nancy is a prostitute and, in a way, so is Curley’s wife; she gives her body to Curley in exchange for marriage and money. We have to feel sorry for Curley’s wife when she when she confesses her sins to Lennie in the barn and the unfortunate way she has been mistreated and abused in the past. The sad thing is she is so naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve that she doesn’t realise. She confesses that she doesn’t love or even like Curley: â€Å"I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella†¦Ã¢â‚¬  is exactly what she says to Lennie, something she has never told anyone. Nancy also repents before she dies and pleas with Bill to do so too: â€Å"†¦ let us both leave this dreadful place, and far apart lead better lives†¦ It is never too late to repent.† She even breathes a short prayer of mercy before she dies. In actual fact the whole reason Sikes kills Nancy is because she has been trying to do the lawful, honest thing and try to work her way out of this life of crime and sin she has lived in for so many years. We feel a lot more sympathy for Nancy when she dies because of this and for other reasons. To start with she is killed by a man contained with pure malice, hatred and evil, who is supposed to be her lover. Contrastingly Curley’s wife’s death is a complete accident or if anything, her fault. Also Dickens writes Nancy’s murder scene so graphically and violently it is almost impossible not to feel sorry for this woman: â€Å"†¦ Beat it twice upon her upturned face.† She must have died in agony and terror when Sikes killed her in cold, merciless blood. Nancy had to wait for her death in absolute terror for a minute or so, knowing she would be violently murdered, which must have seemed like an age, she even gets down on her knees and begs for mercy before she is savagely and callously slain. On the other hand Curley’s wife dies quickly and painlessly. There is a simple reason why this is. Dickens wants us to feel nothing, but pure, unadulterated hatred for Sikes when he kills Nancy, so when Sikes finally dies we feel justice is done. This is slightly because of Dickens’ audience, the Victorian public, being so religious and believing themselves to be so good hearted, would have demanded the death of Sikes and enjoyed the novel more without Sikes shadow hanging over the proceedings. Dickens being the man he was gives the people what they want. I prefer the way Steinbeck handles his murder scene purely because I think it is extremely clever. Steinbeck’s’ characterisation of these two characters has been leading up to this moment and it comes together perfectly. He intends us to feel sorry for Curley’s wife, but no hatred of any kind towards Lennie. Even though we have just heard of all the false promises she has been made in her life along with her failed ambitions, her belief they could still come true, all the times she has been sexually abused and the fact that she is still oblivious to all of this, we still can strongly empathise with Lennie. He is as innocent as the day he was born, a child trapped in a mans body. Lennie doesn’t have a scratch of malice in him and we could never feel anger toward a character we have come to love. After reading this scene I actually found myself almost as sorry and sympathetic towards Lennie as Curley’s wife, but not only Lennie, Candy and George too because I knew that any hopes of their long awaited dream had now been shattered. Finally in the two murder scenes to makes us feel complete hatred for Sikes and sympathy for Lennie the two authors both use similar metaphors to give the final impression that the two confessed and repented women are forgiven. With Nancy she is released from this world in the form of one of her hairs being cremated above the glowing embers and symbolically having her soul rise to Heaven. The scene after Curley’s wife is killed is heavenly enough, with the soft light of the mid-afternoon sun penetrating between the planks of the barn and the golden straw almost ceremoniously spread across the fallen maidens body, utter peace. A single dove, the messenger of God, flies in through the open barn door circles, almost giving the site its blessing, and exits with Curley’s wife’s soul on a journey to the heavens. Now I will move on to Lennie and Sikes’ deaths. In contrast to Nancy, when Sikes dies he falls straight to hell. His death is showered in chaos and fear twice that of what Nancy felt. It is a chase through the lowest and darkest place of London. A mad crowd of angry people screaming for Sikes’ blood, holding torches aloft like a crazed lynch mob. This ‘hue and cry’ of gentlemen, policemen, thieves and citizens of all kind all share a hatred and loathing of Sikes and what he has done. The way Dickens describes this scene is superb. When reading I could hear the shouts and screams of the crowd, feel the heat of the torches and feel Sikes’ fright: â€Å"†¦ a waving crowd in the outer darkness like a field of corn moved by an angry storm!† is probably one of the best pieces of description he uses and it really does make you feel the sense of chaos and vengeance that spurs on this ‘hue and cry. The satisfaction that it gives the reader when Sikes accidentally kills himself is enormous. In his efforts to escape he ties a rope around his waist and falls 40 feet as it moves to his neck and hangs him. Sikes dies in more agony than anyone else in either novel; not from pain, but fear. In the time he falls, his body experiences sensory overload; a panic and fear so great it is enough to kill a man on its own. He falls towards the crowd of flames and symbolically hell, the complete antithesis of the deaths of Nancy and Curley’s wife. Hanging would also have greatly contented the puritan population of Victorian England as hanging was the accepted capital punishment of the period, perfect for Sikes. To eradicate completely any emotion for Sikes his loyal dog also jumps for his master, smashing its head on the ground below. Any empathy we may have is transferred to Bullseye. This is probably the most dramatic of the entire novel. If one scene in ‘Of Mice and Men’ could match the pure drama and tension of Sikes’ death it would have to be the final chapter – Lennies death. The build up of tension in the scene is literal genius. When George produced Carlson’s’ Lugar I was on the edge of my seat right up until the end of the novel. Sikes’ death had to be quick to give a real sense for the excitement of the chase. Lennies death had to be draw out and milked for all it is worth, not solely for tension, but to give a character we have become so familiar with and very fond of, a memorable and proper send off. Thanks to George’s skill with words and his love for him, Lennie could not be more content when he dies. The last thing I wanted was for Lennie to die, but it is inevitable. I found myself sating ‘don’t do it George,’ but it is much better that he dies like this than face the men from the ranch. He must die; he cannot go on being tortured by what he has done. Lennie’s death shares some similarities to Curley’s wife’s; they both die quickly and painlessly and like Curley’s wife his soul is take to heaven. The gunshot rolling up the heavenly hills of Salinas makes you feel that Lennie has been released. To summarise, these to classic novels have many things in common, but also sharply contrast each other. It’s this that makes comparing the two so fascinating, as you new things they share and interesting differences every time you read them. It seems strange, but pleasing that two such comparable novels could come from different centuries, different, different countries, but share the same messages and morals.