Threats To Democracy Essays - United States,

Threats To Democracy What threats to Democracy presented themselves during the first few decades of independence? How did leaders of the U.S. solve these problems? During the first decades of our premature nations' existence, it is hard to imagine that the United States would evolve to become such a great democracy. A democracy others would prefer to believe with hypocrite reasoning. When the U.S. first won its independence it was a united group of people left to fend for themselves. This group was to become a nation and creating it involved more than winning independence from Great Britain. In 1783, the U.S. was a country forming in its premature stages. By 1787, this baby begins to develop, to become a nation. By 1787, people perceived that their constitution represented what the people desired the U.S. to be; well at least the Federalists presumed this. The Anti-Federalists watched for signs that threatened their republican principals for which they so recently had fought the American Revolution. After winning the war the unity and optimism among Americans did not translate easily or smoothly into the creation of a strong central government. The Federalists and Anti-Feds were very opposed to eachother's views. By the late 1700's and early 1800's, a deep political division had occurred amongst the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Anti-Federalists were mostly from the South, and were labeled Jeffersonians. Their label came from the fact that they defended slavery and third President, Thomas Jefferson, was known for owning herds of black slaves. Southerners held agreed with many of Jefferson's views. The Anti-Feds, Republicans, believed in strict interpretation of the constitution, peaceful foreign relations, and a reduction of the role of the federal government in the lives of average citizens. They were opposed to a strong central government and felt states should hold the power to govern. The Federalists believed that the constitution should be loosely interpreted and that America should follow the spirit of it to make laws and judgements. Federalists wanted to organize the states so a strong federal power could govern over them in order to keep enough power for the economy, war and ruling. Many were opposed to this form of government because it so closely mimicked that of Great Britain. Between these two di verse groups, their followers split the nation. The United States was geographically split North from South. The North was home of manufacturers and industry. Farming was not the North's economic base as was manufacturing. Crops would not grow year around due to freezing weather; therefore slaves were of no need during off-seasons in farming. Here, it was not economically safe or resourceful to own slaves, because of the fact that they were expensive to acquire and maintain. Since slaves were mostly used in manual labor, their use in the North was almost nonexistent. Blacks were not used in factories for fear of them gaining knowledge and accessing power. In the South, large plantations and small farm owners used slaves for their manual labor of the fields and common household work. Not every household in the South owned a slave, as many people may believe. Only the wealthy could afford slaves. These slaves abducted from Africa were characterized and treated equivalent to animals by their owners. Since slaves were owned, they were property, and they were treated however their holders felt fit. This was a great threat to democracy because it went against what democracy supposedly stood for. Slavery, at the time, was disregarded in the constitution and therefore it can be concluded that the government ignored it. There were greater threats to democracy during the first decades of U.S. independence that are far more important to the significance of the period. Americans held an optimistic view of the nation's manifest destiny. Manifest destiny meant that the United States would eventually reach from sea to sea no matter what speed bumps it ran into. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 enabled President Jefferson to partake in this view. The purchase consisted of a vast 885,000 square miles of land for $15 million acquired from France. The purchase was done behind closed doors without the knowledge of the federal government; Jefferson wanted the transaction to be speedy and quiet. James Monroe arrived in France with power

Pride Prejudice †book review

Pride Prejudice – book review Free Online Research Papers Love and Security Sometimes inspiration can come when you least expect it. A smile from a stranger or a song on the radio can ignite your imagination and instantly transport you to a different time and place. I recently experienced this when I heard a song by the Eagles entitled â€Å"Lyin’ Eyes†. The song is about a girl who has to choose between love and security. After I heard this, I could now relate to Mr. Darcy’s struggle to find love. In reading Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy is a man conflicted with feelings about love and a desire to follow the wishes of his family. Darcy’s proposal to Elizabeth is the most pivotal scene in the book because it’s the first time he is vulnerable to the opinion of others. However, when he enters the room to unveil his feelings for Elizabeth, he presents himself as a man in complete control assured of the answer she will give to him, â€Å"He spoke of apprehension and anxiety, but his countenance expressed real security† (125). Little does he know that Elizabeth will expose the fear of many men by refusing his proposal. This scene sets up the rest of the book and it outlines two choices Darcy must make about the type of man he wants to be. Will he be someone that offers love above all else or someone that offers security which is guaranteed by his social status? I feel that Darcy does not understand the effect of his family values on his relationships with other people. This makes him vulnerable when he interacts with people from a lower social status because when he offers help to someone and they accept it, he feels that the person should be grateful for the offer. I believe that these feelings are not isolated to the Darcy family but in fact exist throughout the elite social class. This is of course is in stark contrast to Elizabeth. She is motivated by her feelings not by material things. For example, when Mr. Collins proposed to Elizabeth, it was not out of love; it had more to do with the accumulation of wealth along with the offer of security. Offering security to Elizabeth was clearly not a problem to Mr. Darcy but his arrogance put him at risk to associate with people around him. During one such event held at Netherfield by Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy viewed the party attendees with disparaging eyes. For instance at the party, Elizabeth overheard Darcy saying to Mr. Bingley â€Å"She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humor at the present to give consequences to young ladies who are slighted by other men† (9). Without any precaution, Darcy formed his opinion based on outside appearance of a person. When Darcy later proposed to Elizabeth, she clearly recalled how his comments made her feel but did not bother to take his feelings into account when she rejected his marriage proposal. I don’t blame Elizabeth for being so insensitive to Darcy’s feeling because you can’t just judge the book by its cover. Judging too quickly seems to be a theme that appears throughout the book. Darcy tried to atone for his actions in a letter that he penned to Elizabeth but inadvertently exposed himself to more contemptible outbursts from her. In the letter he tried to explain why he had intervened between Jane and Mr. Bingley. In his defense, he tried to relate how the two should not be together but ended up just sounding boorish and insensitive. Elizabeth struggled reading the letter because there were parts of it which affirmed her feelings for him while others appeared to contradict her deeply held beliefs about him. Using the letter to communicate their feelings only seemed to exasperate the situation; a one-sided conversation can be had either by pen or by yelling. If these two people could just be in the same room and talk about their feelings! I chose the passage in the novel about Darcy’s wedding proposal because it seems to signal a pivotal change in their relationship. It seems like the author, Jane Austen, has set up the situation so the reader cannot quite lose hope that Elizabeth and Darcy will soon to marry. However, it is not until Darcy realizes that he must mature his feelings and beliefs about love that he can begin to appreciate Elizabeth. Since all of Elizabeth’s doubt about Darcy’s character is only known to the reader, I anticipated his transformation with each page. Research Papers on Pride Honest Iagos Truth through Deception19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalQuebec and CanadaComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoStandardized Testing

The Increasing Scientific Interest on the Importance of Human Sleep Dissertation

The Increasing Scientific Interest on the Importance of Human Sleep - Dissertation Example Sleep is defined as an altered awareness wherein the human body or the body of the organism that sleeps is in a different physical and psychological state as when it is awake. This can be attributed to the variation of the electrophysiological activity during sleeping as well as during the waking hours.Sleep is one of the most interesting subject matter in the field of scientific and social research. The research had been undertaken to explore the different topics and issues about sleep and ultimately present and discuss the importance of sleep for the human body. Due to the fact that sleeping is part of the daily activity of the human body, it had been given great attention in the medical, scientific and social researchers in the past few years due to the important role that it holds specifically in the proper functioning and health of the body. The main aim of the research then is to explore the meaning and mechanism of sleep so as to have a clearer picture as to why sleep is impor tant in the human existence. The main objective of the study is to define and explore the different aspects of sleep and to present the new advances in the results of the researchers and studies related to the topic. Specifically, there are individual objectives that will serve as the guiding outline of the research which is as follows: 1.To define the meaning of sleep which includes the mechanism and the different stages of sleep 2.To define one of the products of sleeping which is the dream and to discuss the mechanism of how dream works.

Do men make better managers then women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Do men make better managers then women - Essay Example This essay starts by explaining why men earn more income than women. Women don’t even work because they don’t have any chances to get a job. Therefore, people can’t judge whether women could be good managers or not depending on this assumption. Secondly, it will give an example of women who are able to open their own businesses by themselves would be shown with a case of successful businesswoman named Martha. The final parts of essay will introduce concluding ideas about different perspectives on job criterion depending on characteristics between the genders. Until middle of the18th century, before the start of industrial revolution, most of the occupations were relative to agriculture, livestock and fishing-related industries. (Lambert, 2013). Therefore, those types of jobs required relatively strong physical abilities than sophistications so it could be assumed as unsuitable for women but attractive for men. For that reason, most of men tended to be breadwinners who earned money for their living, and naturally women did housework and took care of their babies at home. Thus, most of establishments and rulers were men, and they ignored women’s abilities since people have regarded women, as they were not able to work like men in workplaces. Hence, it was more and more difficult to earn money for women by themselves, and if women involve in working places, their working efficiency cannot be equal to or better than the men’s, so they have paid lower wages than men’s have. Eventually, doing housework gradually became ste reotyped to women. This meant that men moved away from chores related with house. For those reasons, there were almost never women managers in the world. Understandably, it was impossible to make a judgment that which gender possesses better management skills. However, as time passes, the types of jobs get extremely varied from physical production and supply focused works to social and ethical concerned works. This

Divorce Problem Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Divorce Problem Question - Essay Example 105). Also, individualism, increased work pressures, and career aspirations have been cited as contributing factors to increasing rates of divorce. Numerous studies have shown that divorce can be very stressful and difficult as it not only affects the status of marriage but also have far-reaching implications on children and finances. Constitutions and legislations have made provisions for dissolution of marriage if there are sufficient grounds for that. In the United Kingdom (UK), the law on family, marriage, and divorce is covered under the Family Law Act 1996 (The National Archives). Based on this legislation and cases relevant to divorce, this essay will address a divorce problem facing Alsa in a bid to advise her on whether she would be successful in obtaining a divorce. Facts Bob and Alsa have been married for 10 years but have both been unhappy for the past four years. Bob works full time as an engineer and Alsa is a full time housewife. Alsa is becoming tired with Bob’ s lack of assistance in the house; he constantly begins projects and does not finish them. His last project was to fit a new bathroom suite but after removing the old suite, he did not find time to fit the new one. Alsa feels that she cannot cope with his unfinished projects any longer and has moved into the spare room. Although Bob and Alsa continue to eat meals together, they rarely communicate but Alsa has continued to do all of Bob’s washing. More recently Alsa has started to engage in an extra-marital relationship with Ted. Issue Whether Alsa would be successful in obtaining a divorce? Rules Under Family Law Act 1996, divorce and separation is provided for. There is one ground to initiate divorce proceedings: irretrievable breakdown of marriage. The law has provided for five grounds for divorce which the court can rely upon as evidence that the marriage has irretrievably broken down and thus should grant divorce. The five grounds are: desertion; five years’ separa tion without consent; unreasonable behaviour; adultery; and two years’ separation with consent. In addition, the law has set threshold that has to be met before a husband or wife file for divorce: meet specific rules regarding how long one has lived in the country; prove that the marriage has irretrievably broken down; have a marriage that is recognised, legally, in the UK; and have been married for a minimum of one year. Analysis Considering the increasing rates of divorce and how they occur after a very short duration after marriage, Bob and Alsa can be considered to be have sustained their marriage for a relatively longer period (10years). However, both of them have been unhappy in the marriage for the past four years; an indication that the marriage has been experiencing some problems within that period. From the facts gathered, it seems Bob and Alsa marriage does not experience â€Å"serious† problems compared to other marriages whose partners are seeking divorce. Alsa’s main concern is that Bob does not provide assistance in the house as he constantly begins projects and does not finish them. Comparatively, this issue can be considered â€Å"lesser† in marriage and that which can be solved using other avenues rather than the legal avenue. Since this issue does not touch entirely on the fundamentals of marriage, services of a counsellor, church priest, or a family friend can be sought to resolve it (Probert, 2007, p. 65). Besides,

Effect of Export Performance on Economy

Effect of Export Performance on Economy CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION In this chapter, first we introduce the study by highlighting its background followed by a brief description of Malaysias economy and external trade based on relevant statistics related to economic growth trends and international trade, respectively. Next, we further proceed to look in detail at the export performance concept. Then, we indicate the current major products exported by Malaysian firms, and their main export destinations. Research problem, question, and objectives, followed by the significance, scope, limitations, and organization of the paper, are all discussed in the last part of the chapter. 1.1. Background of the Study With the increasing trend of globalization, the arena of market and competition for business firms has expanded from domestic markets to the international markets. This has accentuated the importance of understanding the behavior of firms in foreign markets. Exporting represents a viable strategic option for firms to internationalize and has remained the most frequently used foreign market entry mode chosen (Zhao Zou, 2002), as it provides the firm with the flexibility needed to penetrate and compete in new international markets. In 2001, the World Bank published the report Globalization, Growth and Poverty: Building an Inclusive World Economy. The report shows that 24 developing countries, which increased their integration into the world economy, achieved higher growth in incomes, longer life expectancy and better schooling (Van Dijk, 2002). Exporting is considered to be one of the most important ways for developing countries to link with the world economy. Therefore, it is identified by governments and public policy makers as a priority (Morgan, 1997). 1.1.1. Malaysias Economy and External Trade The Malaysian economy has shown to be one of the most dynamic economies in the Asia Pacific region. The structure of the Malaysian economy had a dramatic transformation in the last five decades. Gradually over this period, it has displayed attributes of newly industrialized country and its economy has shown an impressive track record (Hamid, 2004). The country had an impressive annual growth in the 1970s reaching 7.8%, and continued to grow at a rate of 8.8% in the 1980s except during recession in 1985 to 1986. The recovery started in 1988 and the economy sustained an annual growth of over 8% in the 1990s. However, the Asian financial crisis had the worst impact when the economy shrank by 11.2% year on year in the fourth quarter of 1998 (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2009). This led the Malaysian government to implement several economic policy adjustments which started in 1999 in order to speed up the recovery. Consequently, the economy recorded a positive growth in seven consecutive years. After a strong take-off of 5.3% in 2003, the second half of 2006 recorded a higher than expected growth of 5.9% (Malaysia Economic Report , 2006). Recently, as a result of the global recession, Malaysias real GDP contracted by 6.2% year on year in the first quarter of 2009 (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2009). However, the economy reco vered gradually later in the same year. Malaysias trade policy focuses on greater integration into the world economy and enhancing its global position as a trading nation. The country has consistently maintained its position as the 18th largest global exporter and the 20th largest importer in the last few years (WTO, 2005). Malaysias trade with the world from 2000 to 2009 is illustrated in figure 1. The bar chart shows that Malaysia had a steady increase in total trade. The country reached a peak of approximately RM787.5 billion and RM643.1 billion in 2009 for exports and imports respectively, yielding a trade surplus of RM144.4 billion. This trend is expected to continue in the next few years as more economic reforms would take place, coincided with high growth rates expected. 1.1.2. Export Performance Export performance is broadly defined as the outcome of a firms activities in export markets (Shoham, 1996). The fundamental importance of export performance to international marketing has led to a substantial body of research. It is recognized that research on export performance is of vital interest to three major groups: public policy makers, managers and researchers. First, export performance is important for public policy makers or governments as it contributes to the development of foreign exchange reserves, increases the level of imports a country can afford, provides a vehicle for job creation, improves employment opportunities, improves standards of living, and encourages better working conditions and more efficient business (Lages Montgomery, 2004). Second, at a micro level, managers view exporting as a way to expand their firms access to international markets, benefit from economies of scale, reduce the dependence on their domestic markets, and enjoy faster sales, employment, and growth (Freeman Lawley, 2005). Third, as a result of its importance for both policy makers and managers, researchers consider exporting a challenging and promising area for theory building in international marketing (Zou Stan, 1997). Since gaining independence from Britain in 1957, Malaysia implemented a series of 5-year development plans in order to transform its economy from being an exporter of rubber and tin to emerge as one of the worlds largest producers of palm oil products, timber, oil and manufactured products (Wheeler Mohamad, 1993). Additionally, due to its impressive growth, the manufacturing sector has replaced agriculture as the number one sector in the economy. Table 1 shows Malaysias major export products in January 2010. The manufacturing sector remains a dynamic engine of growth for Malaysia with an estimated share of 31.5% of GDP in 2005 (WTO, 2005). It is considered to be the most dominant sector with approximately three quarters of total exports. This is mainly due to the significant contribution of electrical and electronic products as they are Malaysias leading export earner with a value of RM21,372.3 billion, representing 40.75% of total exports in January 2010. Palm oil retained as the second largest export revenue earner with a total value of RM3,985 billion or 7.6% of exports. Third, liquefied natural gas (LNG) made up 6.5% of total exports with RM3,400.3 billion. Chemicals chemical products were the fourth largest commodity accounting for 6% of total exports with RM3,173.9 billion. The remaining different products Table 1: Malaysias major export products in January 2010 (Billion Ringgits) Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, January 2010, Malaysia External Trade Statistics. Retrieved on 16/2/2010 from: http://www.matrade.gov.my/cms/documentstorage/com.tms.cms.document.Document_2c11596d-7f000010-584c584c-f259ef13/Press%20release%20Jan10%20Eng.pdfCalculated based on the values of the table. including crude petroleum, refined petroleum products, and others, formed approximately 40% of total exports in the same period. For export destinations, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) was Malaysias major export market in January 2010, with RM7,094.9 billion (13.53% of total exports), as shown in table 2. Table 2: Malaysias major export markets in January 2010 (Billion Ringgits) Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, January 2010, Malaysia External Trade Statistics. Retrieved on 16/2/2010 from: http://www.matrade.gov.my/cms/documentstorage/com.tms.cms.document.Document_2c11596d-7f000010-584c584c-f259ef13/Press%20release%20Jan10%20Eng.pdf Calculated based on the values of the table. The next major export destination is Singapore (13.26%, RM6,953.5 billion), followed by Japan (11.15%, RM5,849.7 billion), USA (9.37%, RM4,917.2 billion), and Hong Kong (5.5.%, RM 2,876.2 billion). These top five export destinations accounted for more than half of Malaysias total exports. The statistics reflect the increasing significance of exporting as a key economic tool for growth and development in Malaysia. In addition, despite the downturn caused by the Asian financial crisis thirteen years ago, Malaysia has made rapid strides in economic development through the continuous adoption of appropriate policies and strategies to ensure sustainability of growth (WTO, 2005) as well as to transform the economic structure of the country into a manufacturing and export-based economy. 1.2. Problem Statement, Question, and Objectives of the Study A problem is defined as any situation where a gap exists between the actual and the desired ideal state (Cavana et al., 2007). It is critical that the problem of the study is unambiguously identified, and followed by a clear, precise, and succinct statement of the question and objectives of the study. 1.2.1. Research Problem Much of the knowledge about successful export activity is fragmented, and the tradition of building on previous findings is not well-established in the export marketing field (Aaby Slater, 1989). Many export performance studies focused only on a single factor affecting export performance, while there have been only few attempts to come up with models that incorporate a wide range of relevant factors. These exceptions include, (Cooper Kleinschmidt, 1985); (Cavusgil Zou, 1994). Some of the discrepancies in the literature might be attributable to differences regarding the way in which export performance has been assessed (Walters Samiee, 1990). In this context, the vast majority of studies have utilized objective performance indicators (Katsikeas et al., 1996). However, there are two problems with the use of certain objective measures: First problem is concerned with research methodology i.e. accurate objective indicators of export performance are not easy to obtain since formal company financial statements and reports often make no clear distinction between domestic and export business operations, partially due to the fact that many firms view exporting as an extension of their domestic activities (Yang et al., 1992). Second, a serious comparability caveat may arise as a result of inherent measurement weaknesses underlying most objective measures (Katsikeas et al., 1996). Differences among industries and product subsectors in terms of competition or technology could lead to incoherent comparison across the sample firms. In other words, objective indicators of export performance, such as sales volume, sales growth and market share, might have little meaning in those cases where the firms surveyed belong to different industry or product groups (Covin, 1991). Accordingly, in order to fill this literature gap, it is important to use different indicators to measure the multi-dimensionality of export performance and increase the reliability of the results. In this research, we adopt three subjective indicators to measure export performance of Malaysian manufacturing firms by asking respondents three questions to indicate their perceptions in achieving objectives regarding export sales, export market share, and export profitability. We use this subjective composite indicator because, compared to other objective export indicators, it cancels the size effect and it also facilitates comparison between companies of different sizes and industries. 1.2.2. Research Question Are firms characteristics, export marketing strategy, management perceptions, and export commitment associated with export performance? If so, which of these contributes most to the variance of the dependant variable? 1.2.3. Research Objectives This study aims to contribute to the meager but growing literature on firm-level export performance for developing countries by using Malaysia as the empirical platform. The study was designed to reexamine some determinants of export performance mentioned in the export marketing literature, more specifically, certain firms characteristics, export marketing strategy adopted, managements attitudes and perceptions, and export commitment are integrated factors that viewed as significantly influencing export performance. In a nutshell, the study seeks to achieve the following two objectives: To investigate the relationships between export performance on one hand, and firm characteristics, export marketing strategy, management perceptions, and export commitment on the other hand. Establish the relative importance of each of the independent variables in influencing export performance of Malaysian manufacturing firms. 1.3. Significance, Scope, and Organization of the Study In the next few paragraphs, we address the approaches deployed in this paper that contribute to the significance of this research in the context of export marketing field. Further, the scope, limitations, and organization of the paper, are all discussed subsequently. 1.3.1. Significance of the Study With the increasing global business competition, it has become important, particularly for firms in developing countries, to understand the determinants of export performance as firms survival and expansion, and consequent economic growth of many developing countries are strongly dependent on a better understanding of what determines the export performance (Sousa et al., 2008). In spite of the numerous empirical studies of export performance published since the 1960s, the conclusions reached by researchers in this area have, however, varied widely. The significance of the present study is derived from its design to look anew at some determinants of export performance mentioned in the literature in order to examine their effect on export performance manufacturing firms in Malaysia where export marketing research is of extreme relevance for both practitioners and scholars, knowing that the country is considered to be the worlds eighteenth largest exporter, and the trend is growing significantly over time. For example, exports posted a double digit growth in December 2009, year-on-year, rising significantly by 18.7% to RM54.7 billion, compared with December 2008 (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2010). 1.3.2. Scope and Limitations of the Study The evidence reported in this paper should be interpreted in the light of several limitations. That is, in addition to the relatively low response rate of just 17%, the research effort was restricted to manufacturing firms within a specific country context, thus caution may be exercised in generalizing the present findings too broadly. Nonetheless, generalizations of the study findings may be applicable to those exporting frameworks with similar structural characteristics of export marketing. Furthermore, the cross-sectional nature of the data limits our ability to rule out cause-effect inferences (Katsikeas et al., 1996). Such one-shot study may not be suitable for a research that involves a dynamic phenomenon, therefore, the adoption of longitudinal studies in future studies can provide more insights into the dynamic aspects of export behavior and performance. Other limitations were related to time constraint, specifically during data collection period which started in mid-February 2010. This stage of the research was coincided with celebrations of the Chinese New Year, on February 14th, the period during which most companies in Malaysia had at least a one week holiday. As a result, it took us a relatively longer time than expected to receive responds in order to proceed for further analysis. 1.3.3. Organization of the Study In this study, an attempt is made to synthesize and empirically test a model of export performance focusing on exporters from an ASEAN member. Specifically, the sudsy constitutes indigenous Malaysian manufacturers trading with overseas distributors. The paper is formatted into several sections. First, an in-depth literature is presented including key theoretical and measurement problems. Next, a conceptual framework of export performance is developed through the statement of several hypotheses. Then, the research design approach and methodological procedures including data analysis are described. Lastly, we present the findings of the study followed by a discussion, conclusions, and recommendations. Summary of Chapter One Through its external trade policy, Malaysia aims primarily for a greater integration into the world economy in order to maintain its position as one of the largest global exporters, specifically exports of manufactured products. At a micro level, export performance refers to the outcome of a firms activities in export markets. It is a way to expand access to international markets, benefit from economies of scale, reduce the dependence on domestic markets, and enjoy faster sales, employment, and growth. Studies within the export marketing field are characterized by the discrepancy and fragmentation of the findings. In this context, most export performance studies utilized objective export performance measures. However, this might result in the fragmentation of findings due to some issues related to research methodology and comparability caveat among firms. Therefore, subjective indicators are employed to measure the dimensionality of export performance in the Malaysian context. The objective is delineate the relationship between export performance (dependent variable) on one hand, and firm characteristics, export marketing strategy, management perceptions, and export commitment (independent variables) on the other hand. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, a conceptual background of export performance is coherently addressed; starting with a relevant review of the export marketing performance literature and their main characteristics including the way in which export performance has been measured. We further proceed to identify and classify the multiple independent variables that have been frequently used in past studies. At the end of the chapter, some examples of the discrepancies in the findings of some studies are highlighted. 2.1. Export Marketing Performance Literature The classical economic view tries to explain why it is beneficial for a country to engage in international trade based on the assumption that countries differ in their abilities to produce goods efficiently. The comparative advantage theory, for example, helps to explain the pattern of international trade that we observe in the world economy (Heckscher Ohlin, 1991); (Ricardo, 1817); and (Smith, 1776). However, the assumptions underlying the principle of comparative advantage are unrealistic in many countries and industries. That is because competitive advantage depends on the capacity to innovate and upgrade. It also depends on the extent to which a home environment is dynamic, challenging, and forward looking. Therefore, competitive advantage is not inherited; in other words, it does not grow out of a countrys natural endowments, its labor, its interest rates or its currencys value, as classical economics insist (Porter, 1990). A plethora of studies have been published in the past 30 years on the determinants of export performance. This is mainly due to the increasing relevance of export marketing as an area of inquiry. Existing literature shows that the United States is the most researched country in export performance studies. However, an increasing number of studies have been conducted by European researchers from non-English-speaking countries who published in English-language journals. Examples include, (Bijmolt Zwart, 1994), (Holzmuller Kasper, 1991), and (Madsen, 1989). Some other studies have also been conducted in developing countries in Asia and Latin America. Characteristics of the studies reviewed are summarized in table 3. The main characteristics that we focused on are: 2.1.1. Size of the Sample Except for one study which used a data base of 20,161 Indonesian firms from different manufacturing sectors, the size of the samples used in the studies reviewed ranges between 51 and 783. Most of them were drawn from multiple manufacturing industries, while just few such as (Cavusgil Kirpalani, 1993), (Singer Czinkota, 1994), and (Sriram Manu, 1995), had included in the sampling, reselling and service firms in addition to manufacturing firms. 2.1.2. Industry Context of Studies The vast majority of the reviewed studies employed samples drawn from multiple manufacturing industries. Only few have included in addition to manufacturers, reselling and service firms. Examples include (Cavusgil Kirpalani, 1993), (Singer Czinkota, 1994), and (Sriram Manu, 1995). This reflects the importance of manufacturing firms in the world economy. However, findings cannot be generalized to other industry contexts. Table 3: Characteristics of the reviewed articles Solberg 2002 Norway 150 mult manuf SML survey correlation/ anova firm Albaum, Tse 2001 Hong Kong 183 mult manuf SML survey regression firm Gencturk, Kotabe 2001 USA 162 mult manuf SML survey anova firm Effect of Export Performance on Economy Effect of Export Performance on Economy CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION In this chapter, first we introduce the study by highlighting its background followed by a brief description of Malaysias economy and external trade based on relevant statistics related to economic growth trends and international trade, respectively. Next, we further proceed to look in detail at the export performance concept. Then, we indicate the current major products exported by Malaysian firms, and their main export destinations. Research problem, question, and objectives, followed by the significance, scope, limitations, and organization of the paper, are all discussed in the last part of the chapter. 1.1. Background of the Study With the increasing trend of globalization, the arena of market and competition for business firms has expanded from domestic markets to the international markets. This has accentuated the importance of understanding the behavior of firms in foreign markets. Exporting represents a viable strategic option for firms to internationalize and has remained the most frequently used foreign market entry mode chosen (Zhao Zou, 2002), as it provides the firm with the flexibility needed to penetrate and compete in new international markets. In 2001, the World Bank published the report Globalization, Growth and Poverty: Building an Inclusive World Economy. The report shows that 24 developing countries, which increased their integration into the world economy, achieved higher growth in incomes, longer life expectancy and better schooling (Van Dijk, 2002). Exporting is considered to be one of the most important ways for developing countries to link with the world economy. Therefore, it is identified by governments and public policy makers as a priority (Morgan, 1997). 1.1.1. Malaysias Economy and External Trade The Malaysian economy has shown to be one of the most dynamic economies in the Asia Pacific region. The structure of the Malaysian economy had a dramatic transformation in the last five decades. Gradually over this period, it has displayed attributes of newly industrialized country and its economy has shown an impressive track record (Hamid, 2004). The country had an impressive annual growth in the 1970s reaching 7.8%, and continued to grow at a rate of 8.8% in the 1980s except during recession in 1985 to 1986. The recovery started in 1988 and the economy sustained an annual growth of over 8% in the 1990s. However, the Asian financial crisis had the worst impact when the economy shrank by 11.2% year on year in the fourth quarter of 1998 (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2009). This led the Malaysian government to implement several economic policy adjustments which started in 1999 in order to speed up the recovery. Consequently, the economy recorded a positive growth in seven consecutive years. After a strong take-off of 5.3% in 2003, the second half of 2006 recorded a higher than expected growth of 5.9% (Malaysia Economic Report , 2006). Recently, as a result of the global recession, Malaysias real GDP contracted by 6.2% year on year in the first quarter of 2009 (The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2009). However, the economy reco vered gradually later in the same year. Malaysias trade policy focuses on greater integration into the world economy and enhancing its global position as a trading nation. The country has consistently maintained its position as the 18th largest global exporter and the 20th largest importer in the last few years (WTO, 2005). Malaysias trade with the world from 2000 to 2009 is illustrated in figure 1. The bar chart shows that Malaysia had a steady increase in total trade. The country reached a peak of approximately RM787.5 billion and RM643.1 billion in 2009 for exports and imports respectively, yielding a trade surplus of RM144.4 billion. This trend is expected to continue in the next few years as more economic reforms would take place, coincided with high growth rates expected. 1.1.2. Export Performance Export performance is broadly defined as the outcome of a firms activities in export markets (Shoham, 1996). The fundamental importance of export performance to international marketing has led to a substantial body of research. It is recognized that research on export performance is of vital interest to three major groups: public policy makers, managers and researchers. First, export performance is important for public policy makers or governments as it contributes to the development of foreign exchange reserves, increases the level of imports a country can afford, provides a vehicle for job creation, improves employment opportunities, improves standards of living, and encourages better working conditions and more efficient business (Lages Montgomery, 2004). Second, at a micro level, managers view exporting as a way to expand their firms access to international markets, benefit from economies of scale, reduce the dependence on their domestic markets, and enjoy faster sales, employment, and growth (Freeman Lawley, 2005). Third, as a result of its importance for both policy makers and managers, researchers consider exporting a challenging and promising area for theory building in international marketing (Zou Stan, 1997). Since gaining independence from Britain in 1957, Malaysia implemented a series of 5-year development plans in order to transform its economy from being an exporter of rubber and tin to emerge as one of the worlds largest producers of palm oil products, timber, oil and manufactured products (Wheeler Mohamad, 1993). Additionally, due to its impressive growth, the manufacturing sector has replaced agriculture as the number one sector in the economy. Table 1 shows Malaysias major export products in January 2010. The manufacturing sector remains a dynamic engine of growth for Malaysia with an estimated share of 31.5% of GDP in 2005 (WTO, 2005). It is considered to be the most dominant sector with approximately three quarters of total exports. This is mainly due to the significant contribution of electrical and electronic products as they are Malaysias leading export earner with a value of RM21,372.3 billion, representing 40.75% of total exports in January 2010. Palm oil retained as the second largest export revenue earner with a total value of RM3,985 billion or 7.6% of exports. Third, liquefied natural gas (LNG) made up 6.5% of total exports with RM3,400.3 billion. Chemicals chemical products were the fourth largest commodity accounting for 6% of total exports with RM3,173.9 billion. The remaining different products Table 1: Malaysias major export products in January 2010 (Billion Ringgits) Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, January 2010, Malaysia External Trade Statistics. Retrieved on 16/2/2010 from: http://www.matrade.gov.my/cms/documentstorage/com.tms.cms.document.Document_2c11596d-7f000010-584c584c-f259ef13/Press%20release%20Jan10%20Eng.pdfCalculated based on the values of the table. including crude petroleum, refined petroleum products, and others, formed approximately 40% of total exports in the same period. For export destinations, the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) was Malaysias major export market in January 2010, with RM7,094.9 billion (13.53% of total exports), as shown in table 2. Table 2: Malaysias major export markets in January 2010 (Billion Ringgits) Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, January 2010, Malaysia External Trade Statistics. Retrieved on 16/2/2010 from: http://www.matrade.gov.my/cms/documentstorage/com.tms.cms.document.Document_2c11596d-7f000010-584c584c-f259ef13/Press%20release%20Jan10%20Eng.pdf Calculated based on the values of the table. The next major export destination is Singapore (13.26%, RM6,953.5 billion), followed by Japan (11.15%, RM5,849.7 billion), USA (9.37%, RM4,917.2 billion), and Hong Kong (5.5.%, RM 2,876.2 billion). These top five export destinations accounted for more than half of Malaysias total exports. The statistics reflect the increasing significance of exporting as a key economic tool for growth and development in Malaysia. In addition, despite the downturn caused by the Asian financial crisis thirteen years ago, Malaysia has made rapid strides in economic development through the continuous adoption of appropriate policies and strategies to ensure sustainability of growth (WTO, 2005) as well as to transform the economic structure of the country into a manufacturing and export-based economy. 1.2. Problem Statement, Question, and Objectives of the Study A problem is defined as any situation where a gap exists between the actual and the desired ideal state (Cavana et al., 2007). It is critical that the problem of the study is unambiguously identified, and followed by a clear, precise, and succinct statement of the question and objectives of the study. 1.2.1. Research Problem Much of the knowledge about successful export activity is fragmented, and the tradition of building on previous findings is not well-established in the export marketing field (Aaby Slater, 1989). Many export performance studies focused only on a single factor affecting export performance, while there have been only few attempts to come up with models that incorporate a wide range of relevant factors. These exceptions include, (Cooper Kleinschmidt, 1985); (Cavusgil Zou, 1994). Some of the discrepancies in the literature might be attributable to differences regarding the way in which export performance has been assessed (Walters Samiee, 1990). In this context, the vast majority of studies have utilized objective performance indicators (Katsikeas et al., 1996). However, there are two problems with the use of certain objective measures: First problem is concerned with research methodology i.e. accurate objective indicators of export performance are not easy to obtain since formal company financial statements and reports often make no clear distinction between domestic and export business operations, partially due to the fact that many firms view exporting as an extension of their domestic activities (Yang et al., 1992). Second, a serious comparability caveat may arise as a result of inherent measurement weaknesses underlying most objective measures (Katsikeas et al., 1996). Differences among industries and product subsectors in terms of competition or technology could lead to incoherent comparison across the sample firms. In other words, objective indicators of export performance, such as sales volume, sales growth and market share, might have little meaning in those cases where the firms surveyed belong to different industry or product groups (Covin, 1991). Accordingly, in order to fill this literature gap, it is important to use different indicators to measure the multi-dimensionality of export performance and increase the reliability of the results. In this research, we adopt three subjective indicators to measure export performance of Malaysian manufacturing firms by asking respondents three questions to indicate their perceptions in achieving objectives regarding export sales, export market share, and export profitability. We use this subjective composite indicator because, compared to other objective export indicators, it cancels the size effect and it also facilitates comparison between companies of different sizes and industries. 1.2.2. Research Question Are firms characteristics, export marketing strategy, management perceptions, and export commitment associated with export performance? If so, which of these contributes most to the variance of the dependant variable? 1.2.3. Research Objectives This study aims to contribute to the meager but growing literature on firm-level export performance for developing countries by using Malaysia as the empirical platform. The study was designed to reexamine some determinants of export performance mentioned in the export marketing literature, more specifically, certain firms characteristics, export marketing strategy adopted, managements attitudes and perceptions, and export commitment are integrated factors that viewed as significantly influencing export performance. In a nutshell, the study seeks to achieve the following two objectives: To investigate the relationships between export performance on one hand, and firm characteristics, export marketing strategy, management perceptions, and export commitment on the other hand. Establish the relative importance of each of the independent variables in influencing export performance of Malaysian manufacturing firms. 1.3. Significance, Scope, and Organization of the Study In the next few paragraphs, we address the approaches deployed in this paper that contribute to the significance of this research in the context of export marketing field. Further, the scope, limitations, and organization of the paper, are all discussed subsequently. 1.3.1. Significance of the Study With the increasing global business competition, it has become important, particularly for firms in developing countries, to understand the determinants of export performance as firms survival and expansion, and consequent economic growth of many developing countries are strongly dependent on a better understanding of what determines the export performance (Sousa et al., 2008). In spite of the numerous empirical studies of export performance published since the 1960s, the conclusions reached by researchers in this area have, however, varied widely. The significance of the present study is derived from its design to look anew at some determinants of export performance mentioned in the literature in order to examine their effect on export performance manufacturing firms in Malaysia where export marketing research is of extreme relevance for both practitioners and scholars, knowing that the country is considered to be the worlds eighteenth largest exporter, and the trend is growing significantly over time. For example, exports posted a double digit growth in December 2009, year-on-year, rising significantly by 18.7% to RM54.7 billion, compared with December 2008 (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2010). 1.3.2. Scope and Limitations of the Study The evidence reported in this paper should be interpreted in the light of several limitations. That is, in addition to the relatively low response rate of just 17%, the research effort was restricted to manufacturing firms within a specific country context, thus caution may be exercised in generalizing the present findings too broadly. Nonetheless, generalizations of the study findings may be applicable to those exporting frameworks with similar structural characteristics of export marketing. Furthermore, the cross-sectional nature of the data limits our ability to rule out cause-effect inferences (Katsikeas et al., 1996). Such one-shot study may not be suitable for a research that involves a dynamic phenomenon, therefore, the adoption of longitudinal studies in future studies can provide more insights into the dynamic aspects of export behavior and performance. Other limitations were related to time constraint, specifically during data collection period which started in mid-February 2010. This stage of the research was coincided with celebrations of the Chinese New Year, on February 14th, the period during which most companies in Malaysia had at least a one week holiday. As a result, it took us a relatively longer time than expected to receive responds in order to proceed for further analysis. 1.3.3. Organization of the Study In this study, an attempt is made to synthesize and empirically test a model of export performance focusing on exporters from an ASEAN member. Specifically, the sudsy constitutes indigenous Malaysian manufacturers trading with overseas distributors. The paper is formatted into several sections. First, an in-depth literature is presented including key theoretical and measurement problems. Next, a conceptual framework of export performance is developed through the statement of several hypotheses. Then, the research design approach and methodological procedures including data analysis are described. Lastly, we present the findings of the study followed by a discussion, conclusions, and recommendations. Summary of Chapter One Through its external trade policy, Malaysia aims primarily for a greater integration into the world economy in order to maintain its position as one of the largest global exporters, specifically exports of manufactured products. At a micro level, export performance refers to the outcome of a firms activities in export markets. It is a way to expand access to international markets, benefit from economies of scale, reduce the dependence on domestic markets, and enjoy faster sales, employment, and growth. Studies within the export marketing field are characterized by the discrepancy and fragmentation of the findings. In this context, most export performance studies utilized objective export performance measures. However, this might result in the fragmentation of findings due to some issues related to research methodology and comparability caveat among firms. Therefore, subjective indicators are employed to measure the dimensionality of export performance in the Malaysian context. The objective is delineate the relationship between export performance (dependent variable) on one hand, and firm characteristics, export marketing strategy, management perceptions, and export commitment (independent variables) on the other hand. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, a conceptual background of export performance is coherently addressed; starting with a relevant review of the export marketing performance literature and their main characteristics including the way in which export performance has been measured. We further proceed to identify and classify the multiple independent variables that have been frequently used in past studies. At the end of the chapter, some examples of the discrepancies in the findings of some studies are highlighted. 2.1. Export Marketing Performance Literature The classical economic view tries to explain why it is beneficial for a country to engage in international trade based on the assumption that countries differ in their abilities to produce goods efficiently. The comparative advantage theory, for example, helps to explain the pattern of international trade that we observe in the world economy (Heckscher Ohlin, 1991); (Ricardo, 1817); and (Smith, 1776). However, the assumptions underlying the principle of comparative advantage are unrealistic in many countries and industries. That is because competitive advantage depends on the capacity to innovate and upgrade. It also depends on the extent to which a home environment is dynamic, challenging, and forward looking. Therefore, competitive advantage is not inherited; in other words, it does not grow out of a countrys natural endowments, its labor, its interest rates or its currencys value, as classical economics insist (Porter, 1990). A plethora of studies have been published in the past 30 years on the determinants of export performance. This is mainly due to the increasing relevance of export marketing as an area of inquiry. Existing literature shows that the United States is the most researched country in export performance studies. However, an increasing number of studies have been conducted by European researchers from non-English-speaking countries who published in English-language journals. Examples include, (Bijmolt Zwart, 1994), (Holzmuller Kasper, 1991), and (Madsen, 1989). Some other studies have also been conducted in developing countries in Asia and Latin America. Characteristics of the studies reviewed are summarized in table 3. The main characteristics that we focused on are: 2.1.1. Size of the Sample Except for one study which used a data base of 20,161 Indonesian firms from different manufacturing sectors, the size of the samples used in the studies reviewed ranges between 51 and 783. Most of them were drawn from multiple manufacturing industries, while just few such as (Cavusgil Kirpalani, 1993), (Singer Czinkota, 1994), and (Sriram Manu, 1995), had included in the sampling, reselling and service firms in addition to manufacturing firms. 2.1.2. Industry Context of Studies The vast majority of the reviewed studies employed samples drawn from multiple manufacturing industries. Only few have included in addition to manufacturers, reselling and service firms. Examples include (Cavusgil Kirpalani, 1993), (Singer Czinkota, 1994), and (Sriram Manu, 1995). This reflects the importance of manufacturing firms in the world economy. However, findings cannot be generalized to other industry contexts. Table 3: Characteristics of the reviewed articles Solberg 2002 Norway 150 mult manuf SML survey correlation/ anova firm Albaum, Tse 2001 Hong Kong 183 mult manuf SML survey regression firm Gencturk, Kotabe 2001 USA 162 mult manuf SML survey anova firm

heart of darkness :: essays research papers

Heart of Darkness For most of his young life, Joseph Conrad has had a burning desire to be a seaman; and in 1874, when he is just sixteen years of age, his dream becomes a reality. In addition, he worked his way up through the ranks and piloted a merchant ship up the mighty Congo River in central Africa. Later, it is the memory of this voyage that provides him with the first hand details for writing his most famous novel HEART OF DARKNESS, and these memories spring to life as Marlow , the main character, replaces Conrad in the story. A feeling of darkness is everywhere and it causes the reader to feel surrounded by it. This motif causes the reader to see the darkness in his surroundings, to experience the dark deeds of man, and to recognize the darkness of man's mind. HEART OF DARKNESS presents a story within a story, and at the beginning , we find Marlow, along with three friends, on board a small ship which is anchored near the mouth of the Thames River in London. When the unnamed narrator, uses words like gloom, black, and brooding repeatedly, it becomes evident that darkness is unfolding as a motif. The following example first gets the reader's attention: "The air was dark above Gravesend, and farther back seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest , town on earth." While they wait for the tide to turn, the men become lost in their own thoughts until Marlow seizes the opportunity to tell his friends about his life as a seaman. He tells them of his fascination with Africa and how he longs to explore it. When he describes the Congo as " an immense snake uncoiled with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land" a sense of dark mystery is felt by the reader, and as he continues , all kinds of negative information await him. He is next met with a tale of a man hanging himself because of the terrible heat. Then he experiences the painful stabbing of flies and the groans and misery of the sick and dying. Fifteen days later , he describes his arrival at Central Station as hobbling in to an area of back water bordered by smelly mud.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Research Paper

An arising problem in today’s world is the destruction of the ozone layer because of the emissions and harmful gases that vehicles are giving off. Forget ethanol or biodiesel. The next big thing in automotive fuel may very well be hydrogen. Automakers rapidly are closing in on making hydrogen fuel cell vehicles an everyday fact of life, with several test models set to debut over the next few years. Hydrogen fuel cells to power vehicles are desirable, experts say, because hydrogen is a renewable fuel that can be used to create electricity to run cars. A chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen produces the electric power, and when pure hydrogen is used, the only emission from the tailpipe is harmless water vapor. Many people are asking, â€Å"Why fuel cells? † The gasoline engine in a conventional car is less than 20% efficient in converting the chemical energy in gasoline into power that moves the vehicle, under normal driving conditions. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which use electric motors, are much more energy efficient and use 40-60 percent of membrane to the other side of the cell, the stream of negatively-charged electrons follows an external circuit to the cathode. You can read also Thin Film Solar Cell This flow of electrons is electricity that can be used to do work, such as power a motor. On the other side of the cell, oxygen gas, typically drawn from the outside air, flows through channels to the cathode. When the electrons return from doing work, they react with oxygen and the hydrogen protons (which have moved through the membrane) at the cathode to form water. This union is an exothermic reaction, generating heat that can be used outside the fuel cell. The future of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles depends on advances in four areas: the hydrogen source, the distribution infrastructure, the on-board fuel tank and the on-board fuel cell. Hydrogen must be made from carbon-free renewable sources before fuel-cell vehicles can make a dent in the climate problem. One idea is to make the hydrogen by splitting water using electricity from wind farms, or solar panels. Once the hydrogen is made, it must be distributed via special pipelines and tankers to an extensive network of hydrogen refueling stations, which have yet to be created yet. Once in the tank, fuel cell vehicles must store enough hydrogen to go several hundred kilometers between refueling stops. Liquid hydrogen requires insulated tanks at -253*C. so most companies have chosen to compress the hydrogen inside high-strength carbon fiber tanks. The purpose of the fuel cell is to convert hydrogen to electric power. The challenge is to make it light, cheap, robust and durable — yet powerful enough to run the engine, lights and air conditioning. Hydrogen fuel cells, while about twice as efficient as internal-combustion engines using gas, cost nearly 100 times as much per unit of power produced, critics note. And hydrogen is explosive. It ignites at a wider range of concentrations than natural gas and requires less energy to ignite, Michael D. Amiridis, chair of the chemical engineering department at the University of South Carolina, told the Web site and gas-electric hybrid cars advocate hybridcars. com. â€Å"It’s scary – you cannot see the flame,† Amiridis said. Still, automakers are pushing ahead. â€Å"What we can do from our side is to show that technology is mainly feasible, and we have many corporate projects in this area,† said BMW’s corporate communications manager Andreas Klugescheid. It’s North America Engineering and Emission Test Center in California, for example, has been testing two BMW Hydrogen 7 prototypes that run on both hydrogen and gasoline, using a dual-fuel engine and two separate fuel tanks. With the push of a button on its steering wheel, the Hydrogen 7 can run on either hydrogen or gasoline. It can go 125 miles on its hydrogen mode and 300 on its gasoline mode, thus limiting the possibility that its driver might be stranded, given that there’s only one hydrogen filling station in California, near Los Angeles. Along with the hydrogen fuel cells' high efficiency (from 40-70%), the possibility of utilizing both heat and electricity from them will make a significant contribution to reducing atmospheric emissions. For example, a fuel cell operating at 60% efficiency would emit 35-60% less CO2 at the fossil fuel stage and 80% less from hydrogen. Both GM and Honda are hoping to bypass concerns about the lack and cost of developing hydrogen filling stations by creating home hydrogen refueling devices that would allow cars to be refilled overnight in garages. Much of the push for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles is aimed at putting the public at ease through demonstration models and projects Energy sources of the future will have to be cleaner and more efficient than current sources – fuel cells fulfill these requirements. Several challenges remain before we will see wide-spread commercialization, mainly because of restrictions with size, cost, reliability and safety, but an environmentally-friendly source of power is definitely on its way.

Free Essays on Examine the Presentation of the Ecclesiastical Characters in Chaucer’s General Prologue

Examine the Presentation of the Ecclesiastical Characters in Chaucer’s General Prologue Chaucer’s account of the ecclesiastical figures is an example of his social satire. He presents the majority of these characters as people going on the pilgrimage for completely the wrong reasons, which suggests how seriously Chaucer is worried with the lowering of moral standards, as well as the avarice gripping society. This could be a definite criticism of the corrupt state of the church at the time. Out of the thirty pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales, eight are members of or have close dealings with the Church, which indicates just how much Medieval life is dominated by the Church, and how widespread it’s influence was. It is these descriptions of these ecclesiastical characters that demonstrates how the combination of larger amounts of power and money flowing into the Church have undermined the previously ascetic discipline, and distorted it’s moral values. The Monk is presented as a man of the world, who relishes in good food, recreation and freedom. Monks in those days actually had to take a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, living separate from the rest of the world so as to prevent any distractions from interfering with serving God. However, the Monk is a complete failure in those respects, as he loves the luxuries to be had in life. He rejects the monastic ways, of silence and prayer, as being out-dated, where he says â€Å"Thilke text heeld he nat worth an oystre†, and that he is for the â€Å"newe world†. It is the â€Å"olde thinges† that embody the principles on the monastic order, and he argues heatedly against the restrictions of his cloistered. He has â€Å"eyen stepe† that seemed to burn, which demonstrates his love of fresh air and exercise, and burning vitality. This commanding personality makes the Monks seem less unlikable, because it gives a positive charcteristic to his otherwise dec adent and disobedient ... Free Essays on Examine the Presentation of the Ecclesiastical Characters in Chaucer’s General Prologue Free Essays on Examine the Presentation of the Ecclesiastical Characters in Chaucer’s General Prologue Examine the Presentation of the Ecclesiastical Characters in Chaucer’s General Prologue Chaucer’s account of the ecclesiastical figures is an example of his social satire. He presents the majority of these characters as people going on the pilgrimage for completely the wrong reasons, which suggests how seriously Chaucer is worried with the lowering of moral standards, as well as the avarice gripping society. This could be a definite criticism of the corrupt state of the church at the time. Out of the thirty pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales, eight are members of or have close dealings with the Church, which indicates just how much Medieval life is dominated by the Church, and how widespread it’s influence was. It is these descriptions of these ecclesiastical characters that demonstrates how the combination of larger amounts of power and money flowing into the Church have undermined the previously ascetic discipline, and distorted it’s moral values. The Monk is presented as a man of the world, who relishes in good food, recreation and freedom. Monks in those days actually had to take a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience, living separate from the rest of the world so as to prevent any distractions from interfering with serving God. However, the Monk is a complete failure in those respects, as he loves the luxuries to be had in life. He rejects the monastic ways, of silence and prayer, as being out-dated, where he says â€Å"Thilke text heeld he nat worth an oystre†, and that he is for the â€Å"newe world†. It is the â€Å"olde thinges† that embody the principles on the monastic order, and he argues heatedly against the restrictions of his cloistered. He has â€Å"eyen stepe† that seemed to burn, which demonstrates his love of fresh air and exercise, and burning vitality. This commanding personality makes the Monks seem less unlikable, because it gives a positive charcteristic to his otherwise dec adent and disobedient ...

Employment Relations HRM in a Workplace

Employment Relations HRM in a Workplace Background Information Ingvar Kamprad founded IKEA in 1943 when he was just 17 years old (Aaker, 1992). During its early days, the company was dealing with fledging company fish and the sale of charismas cards. The founder of the company conducted these small operations at his small farm in a remote village in Sweden. To maintain his customers and earn new ones, Ingvar ensured that he delivered the goods to the homes of his customers. This strategy was successful, and later on developed to be the tradition of IKEA (Bian and Moutinho, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Employment Relations HRM in a Workplace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the process of development, IKEA faced a lot of challenges. This included competition from rivals, sourcing for raw materials and manufacturing firms, entry into new markets and maintenance of high quality of its products and selling them at low prices. Through hard work, s trategic planning and determination, the company was able to overcome these difficulties and now it is one of the leading furniture selling companies in the world. At the present moment, the company is operational in over 35 different countries, has over 285 stores and a workforce of 127,800 individuals (Kotler, 1997). The vision of IKEA is to create a better everyday life for many people (McGinnis, 2008). To achieve this vision, the company has developed and applied a number of strategies, goals and objectives. Some of these have had short-term effects while others have had long-term effects. The firm has also a strong corporate structure that has enabled its operations to be smooth. This structure is divided into operations and franchising. Operations mainly deal with the running and management of the stores while franchising deals with marketing and expansion of the firm (Miner, 2007). To ensure that the operations of the company are effective and efficient, the company has maint ained a stable organization structure and culture. The managerial strategy of IKEA is formal, non-hierarchical, and based on a teamwork (Peter et al, 2009). This ensures that all the employees have a duty of care and respect for one another. As a result, employees at IKEA do not have titles or get special privileges. There is also effective communication among the employees. This ensures that the correct information is passed from one employee or department to another. As a result, the efficiency of operations within the organization is maintained (Gofman and Mets, 2010). IKEA also believes in recruiting young employees who are creative and innovative (Egan, 2000).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This not only reduces expenditure on salaries but also ensures that the company remains the best in terms of creativity and innovation (Jugger, 2009). The future goal of t he company is to expand its operations into many more countries. It is projected that IKEA will be opening 20-25 stores annually in the near future (Schein, 2005). This will guarantee the sustainability of the company in the long run. Human Resource Management Strategies The vision of IKEA has been to provide a better everyday life to many people. To achieve this goal, IKEA has come up with several strategies aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of its operations. Having an effective human resource has been one of the key goals of the organization. This is due to the fact that an effective human resource will ensure that the workforce of the organization is effective and performs its duties as per the expectation of the company. As a result therefore, the employees are able to meet the goals and objectives that have been set by the company hence they are able to satisfy the needs and desires of the consumers through their services. For the human resource of IKEA to ac hieve this, its goals and objectives have been designed in a way to be in line with the overall goals and objectives of the organization. Offering a strong leadership, embracing teamwork and building a strong organizational culture have been the main goals of the human resource management of IKEA (Nicolini, 2000). These form part of the main goals and objectives that the organization wants to achieve in order to realize its vision. Therefore, IKEA greatly depends on its human resource department to achieve its short-term and long-term goals and objectives (Stone, 2008). Human Resource Objectives and their effectiveness The first objective of the human resource management of IKEA is to develop a strong organizational culture. Organizational structure is a framework that an organization uses to run its operations (Wether and Chandler, 2006). It entails the ways and means through which an organization arranges its authority lines, communication, roles, duties and responsibilities of in dividuals and departments, and how all these components are incorporated into a single unit. To achieve this, the organization has adopted and applied a decentralized leadership model through its human resource department. With this model, the employees at all levels of the organization are involved in the daily running of the firm. They are always asked to offer their opinions and their views are always respected. In addition, they are also involved in the decision making process. This not only motivates them, but it also enables them to work in an effective and efficient manner (Hannagnan, 2007).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Employment Relations HRM in a Workplace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The second objective of the human resource department is to develop the spirit of teamwork with all the employees of the organization. An organisation in which the members of staff work together as a team has a higher chance to succeed as compared to that which mainly relies on individual efforts (Thomas, 2002). Through teamwork, these different groups work together to ensure that the goals and objectives which have been set up by the organization are achieved. This gives different teams an opportunity to make decisions concerning their operations increasing their loyalty to the firm and at the same time, it fosters ownership. IKEA is made of a network of teams that work together to ensure that the entire consumer needs are met. These teams work hand in hand with each other. The individuals who are in these teams are skilled in their respective fields of expertise. The company also allows for the rotation of individuals from one department to the other, thus workers develop even new skills while they work at the firm (Belbin, 2010). Information Technology is widely used in the operations of the company and has especially improved the communications between various departments in the organization . The company through its policy allows its workers to further their education and skills to improve the excellence of their work. The company is normally involved in a serious of projects in their stores that are located in most parts of the world. A specific team conducts each project. On its completion, the team is disbanded and rearranged in preparation of a new project. IKEA therefore encourages teams and team working, a factor that has been contributing greatly to the success of the company over the years (Das and Teng, 2009). The third objective of the human resource department of IKEA is to develop a strong organizational culture. Organization culture is the attitude, beliefs, psychology and behaviour that an organization believes is best suited to follow to accomplish its goals (Schein, 2005). It is through this culture that IKEA has developed the means through which it deals with its members of the staff, stakeholders and other interested parties in general (Black, 2003). Through its organization culture, IKEA is able to differentiate itself from other organizations that deal with furniture manufacture and retail. The organization seeks to satisfy the needs of its customers first. There is also trust and respect from the employees to its customers, stakeholders and other individuals who visit its stores. The employees also have trust and respect to each other. This ensures that they more effectively and efficiently hence they are able to meet their personal as well as the organizational goals and objectives (Mullins, 2010).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Issues in Employment Relations and HRM in the Company Over the years, IKEA has had a strong human resource department. It is through this department that the organization has been able to meet most of its short-term and long-term goals and objectives. However, there has always been a constant issue between the department and the employees. For several years now, most of the employees have felt that the department needs to modify the manner it recruits, promotes and pay its employees (Gitman, 2008). It has been the tradition of the organization to recruit and train employees from the system rather than employing qualified personnel. Although the HR department views this as a strategy to reduce operating costs, other employees view this move as degenerating since not all the employees are competent enough to hold the position that they are trained for. In addition, this system does not create room for competition among employees that not only improves the operations of the organizatio n, but increases the skills and knowledge of the employees themselves. In addition, employees have always complained on the low payment rates that they received. It has been the tradition of IKEA to keep employees who have passion to work for the organization rather than making a lot of money. In the process, IKEA has lost some of its best employees to rival companies who have offered them better payment packages (Fontaine, 2007). Areas of Improvement With regards to the above problems, the HR department of IKEA needs to improve the manner in which it recruits and trains its staff. For the organization to continue to be effective and efficient, the HR department needs to recruit qualified personnel and, at the same time, maintain internal recruitment and training. This will ensure that the employees of the organization have the vigour and intensity that is required to keep up with the competition from rival companies. The HR department also needs to improve the methods with which it motivates its employees. At the present moment, the main method that the department uses to motivate its employees is through the provision of a conducive working environment. To improve on this, the department may increase the payment for its employees, offer job promotions, bonuses and rewards to hard working employees. This will make them work even harder. This strategy will also ensure that there is minimal staff turnover as a result of employees being stolen by other rival companies. Conclusion IKEA is the worlds leading retailer of household furniture and fittings. Through its effective strategies and management, the company has been successful for over 8 decades now. Despite this, IKEA has faced a lot of challenges especially in its HR department. To curb this problem, IKEA needs to modify the strategies that it has been employing in its HR department in order to meet the new market challenges and demands. This will ensure that the company’s profitability and sustaina bility are maintained in the long run. References Aaker, D.A., 2002. The Value of Brand Equity. Journal of Business Strategy, 13 (4), 27-32. Bian, X. and Moutinho, L., 2009. The Role of Brand Image, Product Involvement, and Knowledge in Explaining Consumer Purchase Behavior of Counterfeits Direct and Indirect Effects. European Journal of Marketing, 45 (1), pp. 191-216 Belbin, R.M., 2010. Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail. London: Elsevier Black, R. 2003. Organizational Culture: Creating the Influence Needed for  Strategic Success. London: Penguin Books Das, T.K. and Teng B.S., 2009. Cognitive Biases and Strategic Decision Processes.  Journal of Management Studies, 36 (6), pp. 757-778. Egan, J., 2000. Relationship Marketing. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Fontaine, C., 2007. Human Resource Management Base. Chicago: North Eastern University. Gitman, L., 2008. The Future of Business: The Essentials. Dallas: Cengage Learning. Gofman, A. and Mets, T., 2010. Consume r Behavior. Journal of Consumer  Marketing, 27 (2), pp. 157–168. Hannagnan, T., 2007. Management: Concepts and Practices. New York: Prentice Hall. Jugger, S., 2009. The Power of Consumers. Admap Magazine, 14 (2), pp. 51-55. Kotler, P., 1997. Marketing Management. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall. McGinnis, S., 2008. Organization Behavior and Management Thinking, in Key Topics in Organizational Behavior. New Jersey: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Miner, J. 2007. Organization Behavior: From Theory to Practice. Kinston: M.E Sharpe Mullins, L.J., 2010. Management Organizational Behavior. London: Prentice Hall. Nicolini, D., 2000. Organizational Learning. Journal of Management Studies, 37 (6), pp. 783-795. Peter. J.P., Olsen. J.C. and Grunet. K.G., 2009. Consumer Behavior and Marketing  Strategy. Chicago: McGraw-Hill international. Schein, E.H., 2005. Organization Culture and Leadership. New York: Jossey-Bass. Stone, R.J., 2008. Human Resource Management. New York: John Wiley Sons. Thomas, G., 2002. Effective Classroom Teamwork: Support Or Intrusion? London: Routledge. Wether, W and Chandler, D., 2006. Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility:  Stakeholders in a Global Environment. Miami: Sage.

Impact of Oil Prices on the US Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Impact of Oil Prices on the US Economy - Essay Example Although the rise in prices of oil has been large it has not been sudden and the economies of the major economic powers have adjusted to the change. The rise in oil prices will definitely result in an across the board change in prices and thus inflation rates will continue to be high. However the likelihood of this leading to a recession in the US and other large economies of the world is remote. Over the last five years, US natural gas markets have known three major price shocks and have continued to present extremely high volatility (BNP-Paribas). In the past sudden increases in the prices of oil have been followed by sharp increase in inflation, followed by a recession. Again there has been a sharp rise in the prices of oil and it is necessary to understand what effects this can have on the economy and take corrective action where possible and required. With the experience over the last 40 years it is now possible to arrive at a clearer picture of what effects an oil price shock can have. Economists have developed conceptual frameworks to assist in understanding the effects of a sudden increase in any of the inputs to production, that is, labour and capital. These models can be extended to include the effect of oil price shock to allow analysis of the effects of such an event. The political events in the Middle-East, that led to rise in the price of oil, and their relation with the recessions in the US economy, since the first big rise in 1973, are listed in Table 1, enclosed. An examination of this information shows the political events in the Middle East that led to price rise of oil and the recessions during the same period. There does not seem to be an immediate relationship between the two, but if we factor in other information such as the timing of the interference of the central banks/ Government by adjusting interest rates and other fiscal measures to bolster the economy, the stocks of oil at the time of the rise in prices and also the size and performance of that segment of the economy which is not connected directly to the price of oil. As the development rates of the world economy reach all time highs the recession another oil price hike may cause will be difficult to control, since simultaneously interest rates are already very low and further tightening of money supply would yield very marginal results. Because of the phenomenal growth of the world economy things have become quite different from what was historically normal. Real oil prices have reached twice their average over the past two decades, Bond yields have reached the lowest ever levels, American savings are at record lows while the current-account deficit is at a record high (Woodall P, 2006). Discussion Rise in prices of gasoline hit us all

Cultural Sensitvity in Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cultural Sensitvity in Nursing - Assignment Example As a requirement, client centered care does place much emphasis on the nurses to put into consideration the cultural practices of their clients or patients and the culture of nursing and together find a way out on how these two separate cultures do affect the relationship between the patient and nurse or nurse-patient relationship. Various scholars have come up with good and comprehensively researched works on cultural sensitivity in nursing practices. We also have a guideline for this field dubbed the Professional Communication Cultural Sensitivity Guide which could help give necessary and useful information to a nursing professional. It is however important to note that even with all the proposed guidelines and key principles, there is no single acceptable way of dealing with all cultural diversities because of the unique aspects of individuals and cultures themselves. The only constant is that the needs of the client come first! Nurses should therefore work hard and smarter in pro viding a culturally sensitive care by recognizing how their perceptions with those of the client could be both similar and different. This paper thus seeks to highlight key points with short discussion based on an article presented by a scholar, Deborah Dysart-Gale PhD, RN dubbed â€Å"Cultural Sensitivity beyond Ethnicity: A Universal Precautions Model† on the same. Culturally Sensitive Health Care (Article Review) Research has dwelt on the healthcare related needs of certain chosen ethnic groups and linguistic minorities. This approach has been noted to present the practitioner with the risk of basing her or his work on essentialized and or stereotyped accounts of a given cultural group and in this regard end up overlooking the specific needs of special groups such as elderly, gay, and physically challenged, among others which are important groups in cross-cultural nursing practices. For this reason and others, there is still debate as to how a professional nurse should bes t learn and provide the culturally sensitive care (Dysart-Gale, 2006. An approach of providing education of healthcare and cultural practices that are commonly encountered in healthcare practice is proposed. However, the difficulty comes in choosing such a group to study when we have uncountable number of cultures that are both diverse and unique. This scholar argues against this kind of approach and instead supposes that these nursing practitioners could be made aware of the factors that do influence cultural behaviors from a universal point of view. In this regard, the author concurs with the universal precautions model used as a tool that promotes infection control. In this approach, all practitioners are advised to approach all their patients as if these patients were quite infectious for the blood borne diseases and this call upon them to act conscientiously so as to prevent any form of contamination. In practice, it has been prompted that all patients do need health teaching a s a way of imparting health literacy to them (Dysart-Gale, 2006. This model does give an opportunity to provide culturally appropriate care instead of the traditional practice of targeting specific characteristics of any one given culture. They thus do need to provide healthcare on the basis of an assumption of existence of cultural