Answers to Questions on Communication, including Case Studies - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 3080 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Case study Did you like this example? Introduction Ratchettes Ltd. has been one of the most prestigious dealership firms of Lifestyle Cars Ltd. ever since it has attained its franchise. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Answers to Questions on Communication, including Case Studies" essay for you Create order It has achieved a good reputation with the Lifestyle Cars Ltd over the years and is one of the prime dealers of their cars. Because of its large-scale dealership, a lot of employees are working in the firm. Being a multi-functional firm, it has been classified into different departments for the efficiency of the work and to attain goals in a positive way. The firm is majorly divided into sales and after-sales. Sales consist of new cars, used cars, and fleet cars. New cars is responsible for the sales of fresh cars that come directly from the manufacturer, used cars are those that sell second to third hand cars, fleet cars are responsible for bulk orders. After-sales consist of parts and servicing. Parts are responsible to maintain the inventory and concerned with the sales of parts of cars and accessories used in the cars, servicing is concerned with the maintenance of the carspost sales. In all, the entire firm has over 5 departments working simultaneously. Constantly talking is not necessarily communicating Joel in eternal sunshine of the spotless mind Answer 1 Key Issue One of the major problems that the company is facing, even after 20 years of its existence, is that the employees of the firm are not coordinating well amongst each other. Coordination among the firm is one of the prime factors that will lead the company to work efficiently and hence attain milestones and set better goals for future. Efficiency may require coordinated actions, but coordinated actions can also lead to competition and make collusions likely  [1]  . At Ratchettes, the employees are paid wages on salary and commission basis. All the employees get minimum fixed salaries, but major source of their income are the commissions that they receive from their individual work, based on the number of customers they attend to.This leads the employees to have a sense of competition amongst each other, which has directly affected the team spirit amongst the members within the department, as well as in between different departments in the firm. Groups and Teams  [2] Groups are the essential feature of an organization. Individuals seldom work in isolation from others. Work is a group based activity and, if the organization is to function effectively, it requires collaboration and cooperation amongst its members. Team occurs when a number of people have a common goal and recognize that their personal success is dependant on the success of others. They are all inter-dependant. Introduction to Equity Theory  [3] There was a time when employers thought employees to be just another input required for production of output, that is, goods and services. This thinking was changed with the research conducted known as Hawthorne Studies, by Elton Mayo from 1924 to 1932. This study showed that employees are not just motivated by the money, but their attitudes as well Adams Equity Theory Model3 This theory shows that employees strive to achieve equity between themselves and their coworkers. This equity can be achieved when the ratio of employee outcomes over inputs is equal to other employee outcomes over inputs. Adams Equity Theory of Motivation3 Like the other more prevalent theories of motivation mentioned above, the Adams Equity Theory of Motivation recognizes the variable factors that can affect employees assessment and perception of their relationship with their work and the employer. This theory was created on the belief that employees are de-motivated in relation to their job and employer if their inputs are greater than the outputs. Employees respond their de-motivation in form of reduced effort, increase dissatisfaction and may even become disruptive. Analysis Considering the above definitions of groups and teams, The Adams Equity Theory of Motivation and, relating it with the case of Ratchettes Ltd. It is understood that the employees in the firm are working with rather less motivation amongst themselves.Their performance is more individualistic than as a team effort. Hence, it is justified if it is said that the employees in the firm are working in Groupsrather than in Teams. Explanation Employees from different departments have complains with the working of the other departments, which according to them is affecting the standards of their work. The blame-game is being played amongst the departments, where each department is blaming the other for its inefficiency. The following quotes can be considered for the justification: Wed be a lot better off if Parts got their act together. (Workshop supervisor) We do the best we can and Service lets us down each time. (Used-car salesman) Apart from inter-department issues, the employees of the same department also have a tiff against each other. This lack of coordination is basically seen in the departments under sales. The employees, in order to get the maximum commission from having more customers, are not aiming to have maximum sales for the firm, but rather for themselves. And in order to get maximum sales on their names, they do not even mind cutting their colleagues client on their day-offs. The following quo tes can be considered for the justification: I try to move the metal so that I get my commission and keep Lifestyle happy and now theyre saying that Im too pushy in this job you have to be, otherwise somebody else gets the deal. (New-car salesman) She was my customer, I talked to her first but Debbie signed her up on my day off I deserve a percentage (Salesman) Conclusion The above quotes clearly signify that the employees are not well coordinated, individualistic and lack motivation. Due to this, the teams are working in Groups, and the management is supposed to take concrete steps to encourage and motivate their employees to work in unity as a team. Theres nothing more demoralizing than a leader who cannot clearly articulate why we are doing what we are doing James Kouzes and Barry Posner Answer 2 Ratchettes Ltd. has been going through a lot of irregularities in their functioning. The following are the problems that the Ratchettes Ltd. are facing from within the management of the firm. Lack of balance between Authority and Responsibility: Authority is the right to give orders and obtain obedience, and responsibility is the corollary of authority. Managers require authority commensurate with their responsibility. There should be a balance between authority and responsibility. If manager has responsibility but not sufficient authority he is not able to perform effectively and efficiently. For example parts manager does not have an authority to keep sufficient inventory level. Lack of Unity of Command: According to management principal given by Henry Fayol there should be one and only one boss for every individual employee. If an employee gets orders from two superiors at the same time the principle of unity of command is violated. The principle of unity of command states that each participant in a formal organization should receive orders from and be responsible to only one superior. If this principle is violated authority is undermined, discipline is in jeopardy, order disturbed and stability threatened. The principle resembles military organization. Dual subordination should be avoided. This is to prevent confusion regarding tasks to be done. For example, car and after-sales manager both get order from their managing director as well as from Lifestyle regional manager. Lack of Unity of Direction: All the units of an organization should be moving towards the same objectives through coordinated and focused efforts. Each group of activities having the same objective must have one head and one plan. This ensures unity of action and coordination. For example there is no common goal between sales department and after-sales service department in Ratchetts Ltd. Lack of Subordination of Individual Interest to General Interest: The interests of an organization should take priority over the interests of any one individual employee. Every worker has some individual interest for working in a company. The company has got its own objectives. In all the situations the interests of the group/company will supersede the interest of any one individual. This is so because larger interests of the workers and stakeholders are more important than the interest of any one person. For example, a technician does not want that there should be any change in payment structure till there payment gets double. Lack of application of Harmony, Not Discord scientific principal: Factory system of production implied that managers served as a link between the owners and the workers. Since as managers they had the mandate to get work done from the workers, it should not be difficult for you to appreciate that there always existed the possibility of a kind of class-conflict, the mangers versus workers. Both should realize that each one is important. To achieve this state, Taylor called for complete mental revolution on the part of both management and workers. It means that management and workers should transform their thinking. For example there is not a harmony between workshop and part. Ignorance of quality due to Peace wage system: As the workers are getting payment on the base of number of job performed they ignores the quality in order to complete more number of job and this is observed in survey carried by Lifestyle where they find for Ratchett Ltd., that there is high repeated repairs. Not applicability of Chester Barnards Contributions to organizational theory: Barnard feels organizations are communication systems. He feels it is particularly important for managers to develop a sense of common purpose where a willingness to cooperate is strongly encouraged. He states there are four factors affecting the willingness of employees to accept authority: The employees must understand the communication The employees accept the communication as being with the organizations purposes. The employees feel that they are not in contact with the high level managers In Ratchetts Ltd. A communication gap present which can be observed from the comment given by part manager, technician, new-car salesman, workshop supervisor, used-car salesman and service manager. Lack of Motivation Motivation is need so that employees should complete their work efficiently and effectively. Motivation can be positive as well negative. Factors having a negative motivation impact on the research subjects are the working conditions, salary, job securities, supervisory methods and general company management climate. According to Herzberg, employee motivation is achieved with challenging enjoyable work where achievement, growth, responsibility and advancement are encouraged and recognized. In Ratchetts Ltd. Factors that are responsible for lack of motivation are poor working conditions, low salaries and poor supervisory relations. (All the above 8 points)  [4] ANSWER 3 Ratchettes ltd. Is a car dealership company facing many problems like authority, responsibility, unity of command and direction, lack of motivation and other problems as explained above. Thus, we will solve these problems using theories and recommendations, which will benefit the company- One of the main problems that the company is facing is that of unity of command which can be seen as the regional manager of either parts or services reports to Alan ratchette and indirectly to lifestyle manager, where Alan ratchette is also accountable to lifestyle who have other targets to meet. Hence, information is not transferred properly leading to failure in completing objectives. This shows that there is a need for a regular communication channel in the company where information is passed through a channel of people and decisions can be taken easily. For e.g. here the regional manager can pass information directly to the ratchettes manager as well as the lifestyle manager who can pas s this information to their respective bosses and take decisions accordingly. One more problem faced in this company is the lack of motivation, we will explain this by using Vrooms expectancy theory which states- The Expectancy Theory of Victor Vroom deals with motivation and management. Vrooms theory assumes that behavior results from conscious choices among alternatives whose purpose it is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. Together with Edward Lawler and Lyman Porter, Vroom suggested that the relationship between peoples behavior at work and their goals was not as simple as was first imagined by other scientists. Vroom realized that an employees performance is based on individuals factors such as personality, skills, knowledge, experience and abilities. The expectancy theory says that individuals have different sets of goals and can be motivated if they believe that: There is a positive correlation between efforts and performance, Favorable performance will re sult in a desirable reward, The reward will satisfy an important need, The desire to satisfy the need is strong enough to make the effort worthwhile. Here in this company salaries are low and mainly it is a commission based business where commissions are very low on every sale and not guaranteed to that employee hence to tackle this problem salaries should be increased and commission should be entitled to that employee who does the convincing and not to that who sells the car at the end, this will motivate the employees to work harder and benefit the company. Another example can be seen that of Subhiksha supermarket that got shut because they dint pay their employees and concentrated more on expanding and opening more shops. They kept their salaries for more than 3 months and thus people started quitting their jobs and the company got a bad name in the market, which eventually lead to closure of the company. The next action to be taken by the company is that they dont meet their goals and objectives, as they arent set correctly. Goal setting is a powerful way of motivating people, and of motivating yourself. The value of goal setting is so well recognized that entire management systems, like  Management by Objectives, have goal setting basics incorporated within them. Lockes research showed that there was a relationship between how difficult and specific a goal was and peoples performance of a task. He found that specific and difficult goals led to better task performance than vague or easy goals. Such a problems can be seen in the firm, which is done by technicians called beat the book where after finishing their work they go and do other jobs. This problem can be tackled by specifying certain goals daily or on weekly basis, which they have to meet necessarily in order to earn their wages. Hence, they will strive harder to finish their work on time and this problem will be resolved. Refrence- A. (2007).  Victor Vroo m .  Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Vroom. Last accessed 22nd A. (2007).  lockes goal setting theory.  Available: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_87.htm. Last accessed 22nd november 2010 LAKSHYA ROOPCHANDANI Bungalow no 3, Brighton tower, 2nd lane lokhandwala, andheri (west), Mumbai-53 Tel-9619907077 PERSONAL PROFILE I am an Enthusiastic and a professional person with proven leadership qualities in working as a team. I use qualities such as hard work and determination in achieving goals. Risk taker and has great adaptability to any working environment. Is open to suggestions and feedback from other employees in the organization. I have excellent communication skills and telephone techniques. I am reliable, I strive to always keep a positive attitude and have the ability to learn quickly. EDUCATION 2008, passed CBSE 10th,R.N. podar school Mumbai with 87%, 2010, passed CBSE 12th, R.N. podar school Mum bai with 85%, PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Packaging manager for brownies Inc. Responsible for the quality of the packaging material and type of material used. Managed 10 people for cutting and packing of brownies. Managed packaging of 500 brownies every week. Transporting the packaged brownies to the store carefully without any wastage. INTERESTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS Cricket, played under 14 under 16 under 19 for school, Played for Maharashtra at age 17 played for CPCCI for a year, got selected for national level. Bungee jumping and Para sailing. Rishi Shah 2,shivangi bunglow,parlepoint,surat ph no:9820900532.email:[email  protected]/* */ Personal Profile I am studying B.B.A (HONS.) in Kingston University. I am a very confident person with good leadership quality. I can motivate people working around me. I am professional by nature. My goal is to become a respectable entrepreneur in future with good ethics. My job criteria would be an experience based. Education Name of examination Year Place Marks obtained 10th 2008 DLA Academy 53% 12th 2010 DLA Academy 79% Professional Experience N/A Interests and Achievements As an extra curriculum activity sports has been by part of interest. I mostly take part in cricket event, which is favorable game of all time. I am also been able to take part in some soccer event. References www.monster.com www.samplecvs.org Naki Chougle Shakti c, 606/7/8, kalyan complex,   yari road, versova , andheri (w), mumbai -61 992014233  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   email [email  protected]/* */ Personal Profile I have joined the BBA course in IIS (Kingston) so that I can help my dad in the expansion of our business, from IIS I would like to do my major in finance and marketing. I have decided to join Kingston so that I can learn the business techniques and help my dad with his business. By the end of this curriculum, I would hope to complete my studies properly and hope to enter the business prepared. Education ICSE- from maneckji cooper education trust school securing 62%   HSC- from malini Kishore sanghvi college of commerce securing 52% Interests and Achievements Swimming, cycling, basket-ball, car-racing  Archit Chaturvedi 1/B 1205, Dheeraj Enclave Tower, W. E. Highway, Borivli (East), Mumbai 400066 Tel-9769288174 PERSONAL PROFILE I am a hard working and dedicated person with varied experience in organizing events and an aptitude for team work and business. I have taken up B.B.A from the IIS Kingston university because I believe that this institution can help me attain adequate knowledge and guide me to have a bright future considering my career. I wish to complete my MBA from a reputed university, like Kingston, and set up my own real estate development company. I am determined to put in all my efforts towards achieving my goal of being one of the most important and popular real estate developer of the world, for I believe to leave back my footprints for the generations to remember me for centuries to come. EDUCATION 2008, passed ICSE Cambridge school Mumbai with 78%, 2010, passed HSC Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics Mumbai with 69.5%, PROF ESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Sales Executive for Nahar Builders, Mumbai. INTERESTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS Football, played under 10 to under 16 for school, and Under 19 for college. Played Athletics (Discus throw, ShotPut, short distance runner) for school. Received Best Event award for Industrial Visit (Rotaract Club of NM College Director for Professional Development) by zone 1B Rotaract International District 3140.

Essay on Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock - 829 Words

In the poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Elliot, Prufrock is a man that is pessimistic, has low self-esteem, and has much internal conflict. He believes that he isnt good enough for the women of his desire; this theme also becomes a motif. The epigraph of the poem is an excerpt from Dantes Inferno, in which that the perfect audience could only be someone who would never be allowed into the real world where that person(s) might reveal Prufrocks idiosyncrasies. This of course is impossible so therefore he must settle on a personal reflection, thus creating an interior dialogue. This in effect sets a mood of isolation giving the reader some foreshadowing in to what the poem will be about. The image of a†¦show more content†¦In the eyes of Prufrock he could never compare with Michelangelo, therefore he could never be the object of the womens conversations much less their desires or hearts. The repetition of the lines how should I presume? and how should I begin? e xemplify Prufrocks inability to commit and his overall pessimistic outlook. I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas, (lines 73-74) these words are an allusion to the crab. This is significant not in the way the crab looks or its shape but in its direction of movement; instead of moving forwards like most animals, it moves sideways. When related to Prufrock it means that he really never goes anywhere he just sits there oscillating in his mind whether to go up to the ladies or not, but never actually goes forward and does it. The rhyme scheme for this poem includes end rhyme, streets†¦retreats (lines 4-5), internal rhyme, decisions and revisions (line 48), and slant rhyme, meet†¦ create (lines 27-28). At the end of the poem it is structured most like an English sonnet. The evidence for this is in the last two lines that both rhyme and conclude the poem. The last line meaning that when the outside world gets involved, till the huma n voices wake us the dream or fantasy is ruined we drown. Prufrock believes the women will put him down by making insults such as how his hair is growingShow MoreRelatedThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1647 Words   |  7 Pagesseen in T.S. Eliot’s work The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The main character, Prufrock, plans to ask the woman he loves the overwhelming question of marriage, but due to his pessimistic outlook, he became hesitant and self conscious. Surges of insecurity arise, and instead of proposing his love, Prufrock delays the question and spends the night talking nonsense to avoid the situation. In the end, Prufrock’s insecurities and fear of rejection alter his feelings of love into a sense of emotional protectionRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock970 Words   |  4 PagesNever in Love When reading the title of T.S Eliot’s â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† it is believed we are in store for a poem of romance and hope. A song that will inspire embrace and warmth of the heart, regretfully this is could not be further from the truth. This poem takes us into the depths of J. Alfred Prufrock, someone who holds faltering doubt and as a result may never come to understand real love. â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† takes us through Prufrock’s mindset and his self-doubtingRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay1928 Words   |  8 PagesHuman Voices Wake Us and We Drown’: Community in ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’,† James Haba contends that the repeated use of â€Å"you†, â€Å"we†, and â€Å"us† in T. S. Eliot’s â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† creates a personal ambience around the reader and Prufrock. Because of this, Haba argues that Eliot’s use of personal pronouns and references produces a sense of community and intimacy between the reader and Prufrock (53), even though Prufrock seemingly struggles with emotions of intimacy andRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1072 Words   |  5 Pages We may never be given a second chance to do something daring ever again so we seize the day! However, people like in J. Alfred Prufrock make the attempt to do but it doesn’t work. â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,† written by T.S. Elliot, essentially is about a simple man that wishes to ask a question, although the question is never revealed, the reader is taken on journey the with the speaker, only to find that they have spent a lengthy amount of time of their lives without ever asking theRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock915 Words   |  4 PagesThe Love Song of Alfred Prufrock: Taking the Love out of Song A tragedy in a poem is usually characterized as an event that has a tragic or unhappy ending. They generally are used to teach morals or lessons. T.S. Eliot’s, â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock†, is considered a tragedy because of the way Eliot uses four different writing styles: word choice, figurative language, images, and biblical allusions. Using these styles, Eliot acknowledges the tragic endeavor of single, reclusiveRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1125 Words   |  5 Pagesmodernism. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, despite being one of T.S Eliot s earliest publications, still manages to remain one of the most famous. He uses this poem to not only draw out the psychological aspect of members of modern society, but also to draw out the aspect of the time that he lived in. The speaker of this poem is a modern man who feels alone, isolated, and incapable of making decisive actions for himself. Prufrock desires to speak to a woman about his love for her, but heRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock986 Words   |  4 PagesIn The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot and Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold the poets utilizes poetic devices to convey their respective themes. Through use of symbols and metaphors, the speaker in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock displays his fears of the changes brought with the younger generation, and isolation from the changing society. The speaker in Dover Beach, utilizes symbols, metaphors, and similes to state that the younger generation has less faith than the older, and societyRead MoreThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock1729 Words   |  7 PagesThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock The dramatic monologue â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock was written by Thomas Stearns Eliot and published in June of 1915. Eliot was born in St Louis, Missouri on September 26, 1888, where he grew up and lived until the age of eighteen. After high school, Eliot studied at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA and the Sorbonne in Paris, France. Eventually, Eliot ended up in England where he married his wife Vivien and spent the remainder of his lifeRead MoreThe Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock1966 Words   |  8 Pagessymbolism to capture the readers attention in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The poem has a dramatic discourse. The percipience of lifes emptiness is the main theme of the poem. Eliot exhorts the spiritual decomposition by exploring a type of life in death. T. S. Eliot, who in the Clark Lectures notes, Real Irony is an expression of suffering(Lobb, 53), uses irony and symbolism throughout the poem to exemplify the suffering of J. Alfred Prufro ck who believes he is filled with spiritual morbidityRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1005 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,† published in 1915, was written by a man named T.S. Eliot. The speaker of the poem begins to describe an evening that appears to be somewhat romantic and a little mysterious. As the reader progresses into the poem, the mood soon fades and the reader starts to figure out that this evening is not what they pictured. â€Å"Acquainted with the Night† is a poem written by Robert Frost. The poem was first published in 1927. The speaker of the poem has a similar mood as

Competitive Strategy Business and National Culture

Question: Discuss about the Competitive Strategy for Business and National Culture. Answer: Introduction: Strategy is often mixed up with terms like goals, tactics and objectives. It is used to understand the insights of the business. A good leader will always make a strategy that will have a vision and a better way of carrying out the ideas for the benefit of his subjects. The sacrifice of some people by the leader is necessary in order to reach the goal that is set by him. Some questions need to be kept in mind to formulate a good strategy (Verbeke 2013). The answers to these questions need to be found out so that the company can actually achieve its target. The idea of providing the best services to the customer needs to be identified by the company and should be the foremost goal of the company. Customization, reliability of the customers and the product styles needs to be maintained in order to gain the faith and trust of the customers (Walker and Madsen 2016). Henry Mintzberg divided the strategies in to three parts namely Intended, Emergent and Realized Strategy. Coca-Cola has been in the business for almost around more than a century and is still going strong in the market due to the competitive advantage that it has over other products that are available in the market. The stocks and shares of the company continue to rise and people always go after them because of their rising prices. The competitive advantage that the firm has over others is that the recipe, which is a secret for the company and tastes much better than all the other products that are in the company. The ability to develop new products and reinventing the ones that are already present in the market gives them an edge over other companies. Consumers are spoilt for choice as they offer more than four hundred brands in around 200 markets globally. The distribution system of the company is very good in comparison with the other companies as they maintain a huge network of operators worldwide (Menon and Yao 2014). The entire distribution team stays updated with the new technolog ies that are developing and they constantly keeps on changing these so that the consumers from every corner of the globe have access to their products. The far flung places in Africa have access to these products due to the excellent distribution strategy that is taken up the firm. The technology that is used to make the products is of high quality and up to date so that the company incurs low cost on production on manufacturing it. The distribution team maintains a strong bond with the manufacturing plants so that the products keep on flowing constantly to the consumers (Dawar 2013). This network enables the firm to gain maximum profits in comparison with the other companies. The efficiency and the strategies used by the Coca-Cola company is of great advantage and success of the company. CAGE Framework The CAGE framework states that the trade opportunities of a company depend upon the cultural, administrative, geographical and economical factors of the company. The cultural factor determines the habits of the people of that place through interactions with different companies and institutions. The differences in religion and languages can have a great impact on the trade factors (Ghemawat and Altman 2016). The administrative factor looks in to the history or the background of the place and the relations that it shares with the other countries in terms of trading activities. The geographical distances between two countries also needs to be considered as the borders and boundaries of the place play a huge role in the smooth functioning of the trading activities. The economical factor needs to be considered as well because it is seen that the companies that are in rich countries tends to do more cross country trade activities as compared to other countries (Lopez-Duarte, Vidal-Suarez a nd Gonzalez-Diaz 2015). The application of the CAGE framework fits very well in the Coca-Cola Company as the entry in to the Chinese market was of great benefit to the company. The cultural advantage that the company got in that market was that the product was refreshing and new in the market. The risk was that the tea-loving people of China never tasted a product like that before and it was going to cost a lot for the company to advertise their product in the age old norm markets of China. The administrative factors were that the country had a capitalist government, so to enter the market the company had to pass through many legal boundaries. The country had no previous ties with other countries so the recognition of brand was not possible to the people. The size of the country is huge and is highly populated, so to reach every corner of the country is difficult for the company. Due to the long distances and the failure of communication, the company had to face lots of problem in the starting years. Econom ically, the country was not in a good position since the buying capacity of the people was very less due to the low labor cost, which inflicted the country throughout. The company benefitted from this as the cost of labor was meager as opposed to countries like United States and Russia (Omar, Leach and March 2014). The governmental, marketing and the cost factors of the country caused great hindrances for the company. The success of the company depended on the experiences that it had due to the overseas trade and the knowledge of internationalizing activities that were taking place at that time. The availability of the resources in the company and the relationships that the company maintained with all the other nations gave a great boost in favor of the company. One of the major drawbacks that the company faced was that the operating country that is China was facing lots of difficulty due to the political unrest that was taking place throughout the nation (Ghemawat 2013). The compan y had high risks as how would the indigenous people react with their people as well as opportunities were also great due to the huge population and great marketing base. Reference List Dawar, N., 2013. When marketing is strategy.Harvard business review,91(12), pp.100-108. Ghemawat, P. and Altman, S.A., 2016. Emerging Economies: Differences and Distances 1.AIB Insights,16(4), p.7. Ghemawat, P., 2013.Redefining global strategy: Crossing borders in a world where differences still matter. Harvard Business Press. Lpez?Duarte, C., Vidal?Surez, M.M. and Gonzlez?Daz, B., 2015. International Business and National Culture: A Literature Review and Research Agenda.International Journal of Management Reviews. Menon, A.R. and Yao, D.A., 2014.Elevating Repositioning Costs: Strategy Dynamics and Competitive Interactions in Grand Strategy. Omar, A.T., Leach, D. and March, J., 2014. Collaboration between nonprofit and business sectors: A framework to guide strategy development for nonprofit organizations.VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations,25(3), pp.657-678. Verbeke, A., 2013.International business strategy. Cambridge University Press. Walker, G. and Madsen, T.L., 2016.Modern competitive strategy. McGraw-Hill Education.

Orwell Essay free essay sample

There are an abundance of themes and issues explored in Nineteen Eighty-Four (hereafter â€Å"1984†) that relate to the object of power and its representation through the political state of â€Å"the party†, rebellion and language. Similarly, these themes of the use, abuse, and manipulation of power are used in the Peter Nicholson Cartoon in the Daily Telegraph (1/03/03), and the ? lm Enemy of the State directed by Tony Scott. Orwell begins 1984 with an introduction to the responder of a bleak world where individual freedom and personal civil liberties are non-existent; a world where absolute obedience to totalitarian rule is demanded. Contextually, at the time of Orwell’s writing, Hitler and Stalin’s division of humanity was at its peak, encompassing Orwell’s fear of the ultimate suppression of humanity. In writing 1984, Orwell attempts to discuss fraud, dishonesty, and immoral behaviour within politics, and in conveying these ideas, uses a variety of literary features to convey to the responder the extent of the abuse of power. We will write a custom essay sample on Orwell Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Setting and placement plays an integral role in 1984, as it has been exaggerated to reveal to the responder that the dystopian world of 1984 is de? nitely not ‘right. ’ for example the responder learns that in this world the â€Å"clock strikes thirteen. † Orwell continues to describe the setting through clever irony, especially in relation to the ministries of Oceania. The ministry of truth concerns itself with the manipulation of history, and the ministry of love â€Å"was the really frightening one. These paradoxical concepts are a satirical comment upon the manipulative power that humans possess with the underlying discourse of power in 1984 being that power is an omnipresent force that corrupts all things associated with it. Orwell successfully overwhelms the responder with the description of setting that parallels the notion of the individual, Winston, shrinking under the weight of authority. This representation is successfully displayed because it disgusts the responder with an austere world, which unfortunately for the fate of humanity, Orwell surmises is entirely plausible. The structure of power through di? rent classes of society is a feature of an oligarchical society, where hierarchy exists to determine the methods of power used to keep society under control. The proles represent society’s lowest class of citizens, kept insigni? cant through poverty 1 of 3 www. kewpid. net and denial of resources necessary for them to develop into a threat. Yet, the proles are signi? cant for society, as Winston points out â€Å"if there is hope†¦ it lies in the proles. † For Winston, they stand as a symbol of the warmth of humanity, able to think naturally. Moving up the hierarchy, Big Brother represents the highest class in the party’s ultimate rule. Symbolism is signi? cant to convey the importance of these elements, where Big Brother is the symbol of complete control, along with the slogan â€Å"Big Brother is watching you. † However, perhaps a most signi? cant symbol is that of the paperweight, with its soft beauty that symbolised ful? lment, â€Å"a little chunk of history that they’ve forgotten to alter. † Another representation of the power of the state, are the telescreens which are used to monitor the activities of citizens such as Winston, depriving them of all their personal liberties and privacy. A similar technique is used in the ? lm Enemy of the State, where the protagonist, Robert Dean, unknowingly comes into the possession of a videotape tying the deputy director of the NSA (National Security Agency) to a political assassination. Dean is hunted by the enormous human and electronic capabilities of the NSA. Scott portrays this through the thoughtful use of camera angles, panning and visual special e? ects to show the level of surveillance and monitoring of Dean through surveillance camera and telephoto imagery from geostationary satellites. Scott also employs a clever pun on the American cliche to depict this event – â€Å"In God we Trust, all others we monitor. † The perversity and hypocrisy of power is represented by actions of groups of power in both 1984 and the Peter Nicholson cartoon. In 1984 this is speci? cally represented by the doctrine of doublethink, where the party deems it acceptable for people to hold contradictory ideas and opinions simultaneously. Clearly, in reality this notion is completely illogical and unorthodox. Yet, the populace of Oceania (and presumably Eastasia and Eurasia) have been so successfully brainwashed that they hold the doctrine of doublethink to be both true and acceptable. The hypocrisy of power is evident to a lesser extent in the Peter Nicholson cartoon, which depicts Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong-il as gorillas in a zoo, being observed by John Howard and Alexander Downer. It represents the situation earlier in 2003 where world leaders stressed the impending danger of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, and that unilateral military action was the imperative step to disarm Iraq. The irony of the text is that whilst the Saddam Hussein gorilla is locked in a cage, with a sign saying â€Å"Danger†, a larger gorilla, Kim Jong-il, walks past the Saddam cage, with human bone and ice-cream cone in hand leaving a trail of blood, unnoticed by Howard and Downer. It represents the government’s hypocrisy in dealing with almost identical situations. Whilst Iraq and North Korea were supposedly both of immediate threat 2 of 3 www. kewpid. net to world security, the world’s attention was focussed on Iraq, whilst North Korea posed and identical if not greater danger. The government hypocritically declared it would support military action in Iraq, but chose to support diplomatic action in North Korea. Again, the extent to which the state holds power over its citizens is repulsive to the responder, successfully representing a situation which despite its improbability, is still somewhat possible. The inevitable rebellion to power becomes a dominant theme as 1984 progressed, paralleling with Julia and Winston’s gain of power through continual de? ance of party codes. Their sexual encounters had â€Å"been a battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow struck against the party. † Nevertheless, Winston and Julia’s rebellious attempts against the party proved to be futile, as Orwell demonstrated ultimate power through the symbolic role of O’Brien, representing mistrust and guiltless enforcement. The ending of 1984 contains a dianoetic irony, which Orwell uses to show power by reason, speci? cally as O’Brien forces Winston to believe that â€Å"2 and 2 makes 5. † At that stage, â€Å"O’Brien contained Winston’s mind†, demonstrating an undenying power that was constant and never-ending. Power is represented in these texts as a corrupting force through a particular group’s abuse of power to gain complete and utter control of everything within their context. 1984 showed this absolute sense of power over individuals by essentially removing their personal liberty, creating a shift of power towards the state. Through representations such as surveillance by the state, hypocrisy of power, and inevitable rebellion, the composers of the above texts successfully demonstrate the use, abuse, and manipulation of power. Orwell Essay free essay sample Powerplay involves the interplay of di? erent types of power relationships between the powerful and the opressed, and the extent to which power resides in individuals. There are an abundance of themes and issues explored in Nineteen Eighty-Four (hereafter â€Å"1984†) that relate to the object of power and its representation through the political state of â€Å"the party†, rebellion and language. Similarly, these themes of the use, abuse, and manipulation of power are used in the Peter Nicholson Cartoon in the Daily Telegraph (1/03/03), and the ? lm Enemy of the State directed by Tony Scott. Orwell begins 1984 with an introduction to the responder of a bleak world where individual freedom and personal civil liberties are non-existent; a world where absolute obedience to totalitarian rule is demanded. Contextually, at the time of Orwell’s writing, Hitler and Stalin’s division of humanity was at its peak, encompassing Orwell’s fear of the ultimate suppression of humanity. We will write a custom essay sample on Orwell Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In writing 1984, Orwell attempts to discuss fraud, dishonesty, and immoral behaviour within politics, and in conveying these ideas, uses a variety of literary features to convey to the responder the extent of the abuse of power. Setting and placement plays an integral role in 1984, as it has been exaggerated to reveal to the responder that the dystopian world of 1984 is de? nitely not ‘right. ’ for example the responder learns that in this world the â€Å"clock strikes thirteen. † Orwell continues to describe the setting through clever irony, especially in relation to the ministries of Oceania. The ministry of truth concerns itself with the manipulation of history, and the ministry of love â€Å"was the really frightening one. These paradoxical concepts are a satirical comment upon the manipulative power that humans possess with the underlying discourse of power in 1984 being that power is an omnipresent force that corrupts all things associated with it. Orwell successfully overwhelms the responder with the description of setting that parallels the notion of the individual, Winston, shrinking under the weight of authority. This representation is successfully displayed because it disgusts the responder with an austere world, which unfortunately for the fate of humanity, Orwell surmises is entirely plausible. The structure of power through di? rent classes of society is a feature of an oligarchical society, where hierarchy exists to determine the methods of power used to keep society under control. The proles represent society’s lowest class of citizens, kept insigni? cant through poverty 1 of 3 www. kewpid. net and denial of resources necessary for them to develop into a threat. Yet, the proles are signi? cant for society, as Winston points out â€Å"if there is hope†¦ it lies in the proles. † For Winston, they stand as a symbol of the warmth of humanity, able to think naturally. Moving up the hierarchy, Big Brother represents the highest class in the party’s ultimate rule. Symbolism is signi? cant to convey the importance of these elements, where Big Brother is the symbol of complete control, along with the slogan â€Å"Big Brother is watching you. † However, perhaps a most signi? cant symbol is that of the paperweight, with its soft beauty that symbolised ful? lment, â€Å"a little chunk of history that they’ve forgotten to alter. † Another representation of the power of the state, are the telescreens which are used to monitor the activities of citizens such as Winston, depriving them of all their personal liberties and privacy. A similar technique is used in the ? lm Enemy of the State, where the protagonist, Robert Dean, unknowingly comes into the possession of a videotape tying the deputy director of the NSA (National Security Agency) to a political assassination. Dean is hunted by the enormous human and electronic capabilities of the NSA. Scott portrays this through the thoughtful use of camera angles, panning and visual special e? ects to show the level of surveillance and monitoring of Dean through surveillance camera and telephoto imagery from geostationary satellites. Scott also employs a clever pun on the American cliche to depict this event – â€Å"In God we Trust, all others we monitor. † The perversity and hypocrisy of power is represented by actions of groups of power in both 1984 and the Peter Nicholson cartoon. In 1984 this is speci? cally represented by the doctrine of doublethink, where the party deems it acceptable for people to hold contradictory ideas and opinions simultaneously. Clearly, in reality this notion is completely illogical and unorthodox. Yet, the populace of Oceania (and presumably Eastasia and Eurasia) have been so successfully brainwashed that they hold the doctrine of doublethink to be both true and acceptable. The hypocrisy of power is evident to a lesser extent in the Peter Nicholson cartoon, which depicts Saddam Hussein and Kim Jong-il as gorillas in a zoo, being observed by John Howard and Alexander Downer. It represents the situation earlier in 2003 where world leaders stressed the impending danger of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, and that unilateral military action was the imperative step to disarm Iraq. The irony of the text is that whilst the Saddam Hussein gorilla is locked in a cage, with a sign saying â€Å"Danger†, a larger gorilla, Kim Jong-il, walks past the Saddam cage, with human bone and ice-cream cone in hand leaving a trail of blood, unnoticed by Howard and Downer. It represents the government’s hypocrisy in dealing with almost identical situations. Whilst Iraq and North Korea were supposedly both of immediate threat 2 of 3 www. kewpid. net to world security, the world’s attention was focussed on Iraq, whilst North Korea posed and identical if not greater danger. The government hypocritically declared it would support military action in Iraq, but chose to support diplomatic action in North Korea. Again, the extent to which the state holds power over its citizens is repulsive to the responder, successfully representing a situation which despite its improbability, is still somewhat possible. The inevitable rebellion to power becomes a dominant theme as 1984 progressed, paralleling with Julia and Winston’s gain of power through continual de? ance of party codes. Their sexual encounters had â€Å"been a battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow struck against the party. † Nevertheless, Winston and Julia’s rebellious attempts against the party proved to be futile, as Orwell demonstrated ultimate power through the symbolic role of O’Brien, representing mistrust and guiltless enforcement. The ending of 1984 contains a dianoetic irony, which Orwell uses to show power by reason, speci? cally as O’Brien forces Winston to believe that â€Å"2 and 2 makes 5. † At that stage, â€Å"O’Brien contained Winston’s mind†, demonstrating an undenying power that was constant and never-ending. Power is represented in these texts as a corrupting force through a particular group’s abuse of power to gain complete and utter control of everything within their context. 1984 showed this absolute sense of power over individuals by essentially removing their personal liberty, creating a shift of power towards the state. Through representations such as surveillance by the state, hypocrisy of power, and inevitable rebellion, the composers of the above texts successfully demonstrate the use, abuse, and manipulation of power.

Inequalitys Philosophical Description

When examining the statement â€Å"there is hardly any inequality among men in the state of nature† by Rousseau one cannot help but think of the concept of the Ubermensch developed by Nietzsche. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Inequality’s Philosophical Description specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Nietzsche describes human beings as being in a phase of intermediate evolution between apes and the overman wherein due to this intermediary state humans can thus be broken down into two distinct categories of master and slave (White and Hellerich, 39). For Rousseau his argument focuses on the apparent equality of all human beings at the point of being born and it is only when outside environmental factors are introduced that the state of inequality among men occurs. This can take the form of having parents who are more economically well off, being born in a 1st world country or being within an area tha t fosters better growth and education. Rosseau does not mention factors relating to physical or mental superiority since for him such factors are developed as a result of environmental consequences and are not inherent in a person at the time of birth. It is only when sufficient environmental influence is enacted on the growth of an individual that true inequality occurs. As such, under the ideas of Rosseau can it can be presumed that if two men were born in exactly the same situation, in the same environment and with the same background and economic circumstances then these men would continue to be equal. Taking this particular viewpoint to its zenith it can thus be stated if a large enough population were born also under the same circumstances, environment, background etc. then everyone in it would be equal as well. This particular conclusion can be arrived to by assuming that the state of nature mentioned by Rosseau means a state with absolutely no outside interference and lett ing the natural progression of human growth take its place. The Master and Slave Concept of Nietzsche The inherent problem with the proposed concept of Rossaeu is that it fails to take into account the possibility of inequality naturally occurring as a result of the need for concerted effort in order to achieve a particular end. Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Nietzsche argues that humans can basically be divided into two distinct categories namely that of the master and the slave which in essence are distinctions used today in the concepts of leaders and followers (White and Hellerich, 39). It can be stated that from a certain sociological standpoint the concept postulated by Nietzsche does in fact have a basis in the way society is organized. For example, a progressive society cannot be composed entirely of leaders since someone has to be the one to actually follow the orders of the leaders on the other hand a society composed entirely of followers would be unguided and thus would not be able to actually effectively commit to a goal requiring concerted effort. While such a concept agrees with the statement of Rosseau that â€Å"there is no inequality among men in the state of nature† it based more upon physical and biological characteristics rather the psychological (Beyond Good and Evil, 1). By its very nature the concept of leadership places a person above another; Rosseau is actually erroneous in believing that the state of nature does not create inequality when in fact nature itself creates various examples of inequality. For example, packs of wolves have a leader who is the same physically and biologically as all the other members yet is made a the leader due to the necessity for most groups, human or otherwise, to have a guiding force behind the groups actions. This notion is applicable to humans as it is to animals since any concerted eff ort requires a certain dominating personality to be able to control individuals towards a particular goal (Allen, 386 – 402). Thus it can be seen that the concept of inequality occurs naturally in nature (Allen, 386 – 402). Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Inequality’s Philosophical Description specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the case of interpreting the state of nature as being an environment with no outside interference towards development inequality will still develop since if there need of any concerted effort in such an environment the concept of a leader will inevitably arise thus resulting in creation of a system of inequality where there is an individual dictating others what to do. Conclusion Based on the findings of this paper I can say that I disagree with the statement of Rosseaus since for me inequality is still evident in most states of nature. I can even go so far as state that inequality is even a necessity in the grand scheme of things. Works Cited Allen, James Sloan. â€Å"Nietzsche and Wilde: An Ethics of Style.† Sewanee Review. 386- 402. University of the South, 2006. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. â€Å"Beyond Good and Evil.† Ethics (Ready Reference series) (1994): 1. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. White, Daniel R., and Gert Hellerich. â€Å"The Ecological Self: Humanity and Nature in Nietzsche and Goethe.† European Legacy 3.3 (1998): 39. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This essay on Inequality’s Philosophical Description was written and submitted by user Zain Ellison to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Story of Eight Remarkable essays

The Story of Eight Remarkable essays When you think of the American Revaluation and the people who impacted it most, you think of Gorge Washington, Paul Revere, Thomas Jefferson or John Adams. Most people over look the significance of the other players, that we really dont hear or talk about. When you think of women who have played roles in the American Revelation you think of Betsy Ross the women who made our countrys flag. People don t look at the other amazing women like the 8 women of this book Glory, Passion and Principle: The Story of Eight Remarkable Women at the Core of the American Revolution. In the past people have disregarded the roles that women have played in our countrys birth. This book introduces the reader to eight women of the American revaluation. Melissa Bohrer, the author introduced us to Sybil Ludington, Phillis Wheatly, Abigail Adams, Mercy Warren, Lydia Darragh, Molly Pitcher, Deborah Sampson and Nancy Ward. Sybil Ludington was the female Paul Revere. She rode over 40-miles, twice that of Paul Revere to warn the militia that British troops were burning Danbury, Connecticut at the age of 16. To hear her story is unbelievable. Gen. Howe himself put a bounty on her fathers head, COL. Ludington. In April, 1777, the British army made a surprise attack on Danbury to seize and destroy Continental Army supplies stored there. A messenger told Col. Ludington that the British were coming so Col. Ludington began to organize the militia. The militia was scattered across Connecticut getting ready for the spring harvest, so it was hard for the messenger to find the militia. The massager soon became exhausted and he was not familiar with the area, and could not be find all of the militia volunteers. Sybil Ludington, who had just turned 16, was very familiar with the area, and volunteered to sound the alert. She left for her now-famous ride at approximately 9 PM into the rainy night, traveling 40 miles from her home in what is now the ...

Feminism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Feminism - Essay Example That function gives women such wisdom and power as no male ever can possess. When women can support themselves, have their entry to all the trades and professions, with a house of their own over their heads and a bank account, they will own their bodies and be dictators in the social realm. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1890 (Banner, 1980) The activists for women's rights in the nineteenth century may have read Godey's Lady's Book and the same domestic novels as their neighbors, but they believed that women's moral superiority justified their working for women's equality inside and outside the home. Why did they challenge the prevailing restrictions on women How did their own experiences in the family lead them to a feminist consciousness How did their domestic experiences shape their feminist thought and action Family issues--women's property rights, child custody, marriage, reproductive control, and divorce--were central to the early women's rights advocates' understanding of women's oppression. The Declaration of Sentiments passed in 1848 at Seneca Falls, New York, as well as the resolutions passed at other women's rights conventions, reflected the centrality of these concerns. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, along with many Quakers and Spiritualists, were the strongest advocates for marriage reform, both before and after the Civil War, when the women's rights movement as a whole narrowed its platform to concentrate on the vote. This emphasis on family issues stemmed from the supporters' own domestic experiences--empowering as well as restrictive--and from their outrage over the victimization of other women by abusive husbands. Aware of the precariousness of women's covert domestic power, many early activists for women's rights forged a feminist agenda designed to benefit women and their familie s. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Stone, Antoinette Brown Blackwell, and other notable feminists who were dismayed by the slow progress of achieving public power sought to apply feminist principles in their own lives. They pursued two major alternative strategies: combining marriage, motherhood, and careers; or choosing single celibate lives dedicated to reform (Banner, 1980). Many early advocates for women's rights came to a feminist consciousness as they perceived the disparities between their own experiences as wives and mothers and the cultural ideals of true womanhood. Some of them came to an awareness of their subordination when they were discriminated against in the abolitionist and temperance movements. In these movements they gained valuable political organizing experience through public speaking, lobbying, and petition campaigns. For others their feminist consciousness stemmed from their experiences as Quakers and Spiritualists. Women spoke in Quaker meetings, became ministers, held separate business meetings, and had equal educational opportunities. Feminists against the Traditional Family Certain topics were almost universally taboo in nineteenth-century America. Even husbands and their wives avoided discussing sex, homosexuality, prostitution, insanity, illegitimate children, birth control, and suicide. In a time when nudity was considered indecent, Hiram Powers's statue of a nude female titled Greek Slave caused uproar. Some museums had a "ladies hour" when women could view the statue

SWOT analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

SWOT analysis - Essay Example On the other hand, the findings of SWOT analysis lay the basis for developing tourism development and improvement programs that may come from the government. Therefore, this essay seeks to present a SWOT analysis of Malaysia as a destination and present the findings to the relevant authorities to find the best way of developing the country’s thriving and lucrative industry. Malaysia boasts of many tourist attractions ranging from the modern cities to the rich biodiversity (Chong, 2014). Tourists can enjoy themselves in a clean and large modern cities. On the other hand, the country offers opportunities for hiking where tourists can enjoy natural trails in the tropical jungles rich with plants, insect life, and animals. Tourists can also sunbathe on countrys unique sand beaches or can as well scuba dive in Malaysias rich coral reefs (Wong, Velasamy, & Arshad, 2011). The implication is that Malaysia, apart from the big and clean cities, is also rich in biodiversity but the effects that conventional tourism activities leave on the environment requires a deeper understanding of how to integrate tourism planning with biodiversity conservation. Moreover, the country provides mountain climbing experiences where tourists can tower the Malaysian mountains rich with strawberries and enjoy the view of tea plantations (Chong, 2014). Most of the Malaysian mountains lay within the central parts of the country, and the agglomeration of the modern cities provide unique experiences for visitors. Therefore, this essay seeks to carry out a SWOT analysis of Malaysias tourism industry. The government of Malaysia has put more effort to developing tourism in the country because it does not want the country to depend entirely on exports for economic growth. Thus, the government has initiated many projects with the aim of improving tourism sector to become a significant foreign exchange earner.

Employing Strategy in a Competitive Environment Research Paper - 1

Employing Strategy in a Competitive Environment - Research Paper Example It is important for the organization to review all the employment policies and do necessary changes to maintain its good brand reputation. Economical Growth of US economy got affected due to recent financial crisis and economic recession. Recently, people are trying to consume low priced quality products. In addition to this, competitive pricing strategy of several local and international competitors is affecting the market share growth of Walmart (Lamb, Hair & McDaniel, 2008). It will be effective if the organization tries to introduce economically priced differentiated products by reducing its business operation cost. Social The organization terminated employees during and after the financial crisis and recession. Although it is considered as the leading employer within the country, but this strategy affected its brand image. They need to focus on employee specific strategies and business practices in order to get support from government and stakeholders. Technological Technologica l development of US motivated Walmart to implement advanced technology in business operation process. This adoption of advanced technology is resulting in job loss of employees. It is creating a negative image and perception. The organization should use both manual and automatic process in business organization. A technological process or machine cannot run without effective knowledge of employees. Environmental Recently the organization faced several environmental issues regarding cutting of trees in order to produce and distribute wooden furniture to the target customers. Walmart should follow each and every environmental policy developed by government and should use substitute resources of wood in furniture manufacturing process. It would not hamper the market share as demand of customers is ever rising. Strength and Weaknesses This part of the report will evaluate the organization’s strengths and weaknesses based on above environmental scan. Strengths Walmart is the large st employer in US. The organization gets huge political support from the government as it helps to minimize the unemployment rate of the country. In addition to this, adoption and implementation of advanced technology in business process is helping the organization to meet customer satisfaction and current market demand. Differentiated product line is helping the organization to achieve phenomenal market share growth (Draft, 2009). Continuation of these strategies and business practices will help organization to reduce business operation time and develop a potential client base that can be considered as major competitive advantages. Weaknesses Lack of sustainability in business operation, failing to follow environmental policies, job loss during the economic slowdown and critical workplace conflicts are considered as major weaknesses of Walmart (Pride & Ferrell, 2004). The organization needs to reform and modify their business operation strategies to mitigate business associated ris ks and challenges. Competitors K-Mart is one of the major and leading competitors of Walmart in US market. K-Mart also operates within the same industry with similar kind of business model. This retail chain offers differentiated products in competitive price to increase the number of target customers and market share. But Walmart has effectively introduced several unique strategies that helped them to achieve potential competitive advan

The Benefits Of Bim Challenges Information Technology Essay

The Benefits Of Bim Challenges Information Technology Essay On January 21, 2008 the stock markets around the world tumbled. No one has felt the effects of the recession more than here in the United States. Many have compared these events to as the worst economical events since the great drepression. Thousands of companies have had to close doors because of the lapse in the economy. Construction type companies are some of those companies that have struggled emensly during the recession. Construction companies have had to do many things they would normally not do just to keep the doors open. Many cconstruction companies have had to look at inovaitive stratagies just to stay ahead of the competition. Companies such as J.F. Ahern Co., have began to use one strategy that that has cost them both time and money. Innovative stratigies are risky, they dont always work. However in this case the J.F.Ahern Co. has use this stategy to not only improve the product side of there product, but has also used this strategy to help inprove the experience for the customer. J.F.Ahern Co. has introduce the use of building information modeling as a strategy to keep them ahead of the rest. Body The use of BIM (building information modeling) has started to become very popular in the construction industry. It is being utilized by all parties involved in current building projects including architects, engineers, contractors, and even owners. BIM started out as a design tool as preliminary ideas but is now implemented into all the project phases from initial design to final completion. The questions about BIM in todays industry is, are contractors utilizing BIM to its full potential and is it worth the cost of implementing BIM? Its seems that larger contractors will be able to make the transition to BIM more easily than smaller subcontractors or specialty contractors. J.F. Ahern Co. is a mechanical and fire protection contractor that has been using BIM since 2003. What caused J.F. Ahern Co. to start using and continue using BIM during these challenging and tough economic times? They were using BIM before contractors were taking fewer profit margins on projects and prior to the building industry slowing down. J.F. Ahern Co. described the implementation of BIM in their company by saying we will continue to use it because it is the way the industry is going. Embrace it or be passed up by the competition. (Eichers) This shows that the industry is evolving into one that will be dependent on BIM in the near future. As a company if your competitors are utilizing BIM it will cause you to adapt in the same way. This means that small and large contractors will be caused to shift to using BIM practices sooner or later. The case study is to determine how contractors are affected by BIM and the cost to benefit. J.F. Ahern Co. has decided to be a leader in the industry regarding BIM so they can use it as a marketing tool to acquire more work. This would be worth the cost of implementing BIM because they are obtaining more work as a result of its use. They have continued to invest time and money to become knowledgeable and trained in order to better utilize BIM. J.F. Ahern Co. explained that many architectural and engineering firms are using 3-D modeling software like Autodesk Revit to model buildings and systems or equipment. The challenge is using the Revit models and converting them into usable models for design fabrication without having to completely redraw everything. Some contractors are hiring design technicians to work with 3-D model s and make them functional. This requires extra labor and is a cost of BIM that some contractors are willing to pay while others are not. J.F. Ahern Co. has not needed to hire staff for this position but they are keeping up with training due to changing technology and software. Another cost of using BIM technology for a contractor is the equipment needed to run the software. In their case they had to invest in computers capable running multiple 3-D programs at one time, RAM space, video cards and more. In their company not everyone needs to be BIM technology savvy. Only the CAD mangers of each disciplin e are the people directly working on BIM and the 3-D models. It seems the future of BIM is already here in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. In the summer or 2009 Wisconsin became the first state to require architect and engineers to use BIM on large public buildings explained by Jeff Brown in the article Wisconsin Bets on BIM. The Wisconsin Division of State Facilities (DSF) is the authorities who issued the requirements and guidelines on public projects. BIM will be required in all phases of design and up to date models will be provided throughout the construction process. The owner will receive a finished model at project completion. This shows that contractors of all disciplines and size will need to adapt to the changing industry. Companies like J.F. Ahern Co. are already ahead of the curve and seeing the benefits of using BIM. When asked about their company being ahead or behind the curve in the use of BIM they said Just ahead but everyone is catching up. At least everyone that wants to be a player in the industr y. (Eichers) They see that BIM is a vital part in the industry and will soon be a must. Large Contractors like Barton Malow Co. has been one of the leaders in the industry coordinating subs to work with BIM. They have seen some disciplines in the industry adapt to using BIM but others are behind. Alex Ivanikiw of Barton Malow Co. says The steel fabricators are clearly out in front of all other trades. The mechanical and electrical specialty contractors are getting on board, particularly the HVAC and their shop drawing guys. The ones behind the curve are the architectural trades. The concrete, curtain-wall and interiors people are well behind in adopting and implementing BIM stated in the article Subcontractors Take Their Time Adoption Follows Uneven Paths by Tom Sawyer. BIM has been utilized in the most costly part of construction projects. 3-D modeling software can be expensive and using the software can be difficult and timely. J.F. Ahern Co. uses several softwares including Autocad, Bentley Autoplant (industrial piping), Cad Mech (HVAC piping and plumbing), Cad Duct (HVAC Ductwork), Revit, and Navisworks. They use these 3-D modeling tools every day in many aspects. Each project is unique and requires different practices in utilizing BIM. They represent HCAV systems for design, coordination, and fabrication. BIM is a commonly used term in the industry and may refer to different things as contractors will use it for various benefits. J.F. Ahern Co. uses Building Information Modeling as a process of embedding information in the model that will be useful at a later date such as shop drawings, manufacturer data, service manuals and more. Contractors have only begun to use BIM as a project tool. When used effectively contractors can visualize and track other project data such as submittals. With better collaboration and co mmunication among party members in the project change orders and requests for information may be reduced. Another reason why contractors will need to transition into using BIM is the utilization in all construction phases. J. F. Ahern Co. uses BIM in design, pre-construction, coordination, fabrication, and installation. As a mechanical and fire protection contractor J.F Ahern Co. uses BIM for fabrication purposes. Prefabrication is the process of assembling systems and equipment in the shop and transporting them to the site for installation. BIM can be a great tool for prefabricated components in construction. There are many advantages of prefabrication including quality control, less construction waste, reduced labor in the field, and construction time is reduced. All these advantages can drive project costs down and lower the contract price. J.F Ahern Co. does a lot of prefabrication on the plumbing side that issued directly from the fabrication shop from the 3-D coordinated drawings. They do some prefabricated work on the duct side when it is possible to logistically get prefabricated items into the building. Their goal is to greatly increase the amount of prefabrication in the future. Using BIM and 3-D modeling enables J.F. Ahern Co. to make the installation of their systems and equipment go more smoothly. This is one of the aspects where BIM offers a great advantage over contractors who dont have the same technology. BIM offers various advantages throughout a construction project form initial design to final completion. The use of BIM allows J.F Ahern Co. to identify problems much earlier in the project and hopefully get the issues worked out before anything goes to fabrication and causes costs impacts due to changes that have to be made. The use of BIM also allows them to identify areas where architectural changes may have to be made to accommodate the mechanical systems. The earlier these changes can be made the less of a cost impact they have for the owner. J.F Ahern utilizes BIM as a quality control issue to make sure there are no mistakes that drive up costs in the end. This will increase the cost to benefit ratio because it will help keep clients and obtain work in the future. This requires coordination between multiple members on a project to ensure the entire project as a whole is problem free. Dave Morris is director of virtual construction for EMCOR Construction Services and on the Asso ciated General Contractors BIM forum subcommittee. In an article by Tom Sawyer Subcontractors Take Their Time Adoption Follows Uneven Paths, Morris explains that risk and liability to all parties can be eliminated by brining all trades early in the project phases to ensure constructability. Problems exist when underperforming subcontractors dont implement BIM when all other parties on the project do. This is when special coordination and collision problems arise causing delays and inefficiencies in projects. Morris explains that these types of problems have led to a recommendation by the AGCs BIM subcommittee to add protocol to contracts in an appendix or instruction to bidders that anything a subcontractor decides not to model cannot be installed until all modeled components have been. This is a sign that BIM will be mandatory on future projects. Companies like J.F. Ahern Co. are already ahead of the curve using BIM technology and will only benefit more as the industry changes. The y already have the infrastructure in their company and will keep seeing the benefits in the future. BIM can be used as a project management tool among other purposes. The question is how effective is it in a project being completed more smoothly with better coordination and communication among project participants. BIM is intended for everyones use from the general contractor to the smaller subcontractors. With better collaboration on a project there would be a lower number of requests for information and change orders. J.F. Ahern Co. hasnt seen a reduction in change orders or request for information but issues are identified much earlier in the project and reducing cost impacts. They feel in the future when BIM becomes more common in the industry they will see a reduction in change orders and requests for information when implemented as its intended use initial concept and design stages. BIM also offers much improved communication between the owner and project participants. Communication between subcontractors and general contractors is more efficient on BIM utilized projects. J.F Ahern Co. thinks it helps communicate a lot of the information in a much clearer venue. The information was always available but there was never a good way to convey it unless you were dealing with someone that understands the industry and construction. BIM is a great visual representation and easy to understand. It is a great tool to present to owners because they can understand how the construction process will work very easily. This is a great benefit of BIM and makes it worth the costs and time used to implement it. J.F Ahern Co.is maximizing its use for profit. The real question behind BIM is the cost to benefit ratio. J.F Ahern Co. wasnt able to quantify this in a number but the perception is that it does save money. Their process of design and installation gets done sooner, smoother with fewer problems so one would think that cost savings have occurred. They have seen savings in field labor on previous projects with the upfront work done correctly. Other subcontractors and specialty contractors do report savings in regards to BIM. Form the source of Ghafari/Barton Malow subcontractors report BIM savings in these categories: fabrication cost (3%), overall schedule (21%), shop drawing time (14%), installation cost (12%), material cost (11%), field supervision (10%). These are all substantial costs on a project and the argument would be that investing in BIM is worth its costs. Return on Investment Between Project Participants Return on BIM Investment Architects Engineers Contractors Owners Over 100% 5% 4% 10% 11% 50-100% 7% 2% 8% 2% 25-50% 14% 6% 11% 7% 10-25% 19% 11% 27% 34% Less than 10% 13% 22% 17% 16% Break Even 23% 22% 16% 25% Negative 19% 32% 13% 5% Source: ENR: Engineering News Record The above table shows the perceived return on overall BIM investment. The numbers in the table represent the percentage of respondents from the various disciplines of the construction industry. The information in the table was taken from the article Market Study Finds Engineers Get Lowered Return From BIM by Nadine Post. This information shows that contractors and owners benefit the most by using BIM. This is evident with J.F. Ahern Co. that they do save money and generate profits because of BIM. Larger contractors are able to invest more in BIM while medium size and smaller contractors have to make a financial decision based off of the return on investment. According to the market report, The Business Value of BIM issued by ENR showed that nearly 50% of the contractors who responded say BIM utilization increased profits. On another positive note about BIM is that 63% of participants say they see a positive return on BIM investment. Contractors of all disciplines and sizes should inv est in BIM and there are numbers to back it up. Even in the tough economic times contractors are finding ways to gain an advantage over competition. BIM and 3-D modeling is a great way to acquire future work and stay profitable. Its worth the cost to use BIM because even owners see a return on investment. Conclusion Even though the economy and the times have been tough, companies like J.F. Ahern Co. have used innovative strategies to help grow their business. They have seen quantitative benefits to their efforts of introducing strategies such as BIM. The widespread use of programs such as BIM can be seen throughout the construction industry and the results seem to vary. However, companies that are using BIM and using it well seem to be a cut above the rest. Its not easy for companies to begin new and expensive strategies during hard time, but J.F. Ahern Co. have seemed to have made the most of the opportunity. In the end, innovate strategies very well might be the piece of the puzzle that keeps midsized construction companies alive. The economy and construction industry might not see the immediate end to their struggles, however companies that are willing to adapt to new innovate strategies continually place themselves in positions to succeed.

The Odyssey Homer characterizes the Kyklops in such a way as to reveal :: Classics

The Odyssey Homer characterizes the Kyklops in such a way as to reveal the birth of Odysseus’s well profound strengths as well as his inability to exercise restraint.In this essay I will analyze the significance of the one eyed Kyklops The Odyssey Homer characterizes the Kyklops in such a way as to reveal the birth of Odysseus’s well profound strengths as well as his inability to exercise restraint. In this essay I will analyze the significance of the one eyed Kyklops Polyphemos as an attempt to study Homer’s characterizing of the main character Odysseus. I will analyze the Kyklops’s interaction with Odysseus and will identify the various literary techniques used by Homer while simultaneously explaining the significance and effectiveness of these methods to the plot development of this epic poem. In order to present this pre-eminent epic of action to a more striking effect, Homer uses two devices of characterization, the epithet and the simile in book IX when he describes the scene involving Polyphemos and Odysseus. Both techniques were used to provide additional information about the two characters and to reveal different aspects of Homer’s development of Odyssey’s state of mind. After the war of Troy Odysseus and his crew attempted to find their way back to Odysseus’s home Ithaca, but due to their lack of responsibility they were met with some resistance and choose to rest on a strange island inhabited by a Kyklops. Upon arriving on the island Odysseus and his men naively feasted on readily abundant food found in a secluded cave without first exploring the island to see whether any threats lay near. Then curious Odysseus suggested that they explore and seek knowledge about the native people of the unconquered lands in order to decipher whether they were â€Å"wild savages †¦ or hospitable†¦ god fearing men† (188 -189). This is the first instance amidst a series of others where Odysseus neglects his role as leader and causes the fate of his crew and the journey to become jeopardized. His decision to explore the island of is what caused his main goal of returning home to Ithaca to become destined for failure. Odysseus stumbles onto a prodigious giant; this giant was Polyphemos, son of Poseidon, Greek God and ruler of the seas. When Polyphemos returns to his cave (the same cave where Odysseus and his men feasted) he realizes that his unannounced guests were expecting a warm welcome despite the fact that they had just finished raiding his cattle. The giant understandably refuses to show them any hospitality and begins to devour them one by one. Through this chaotic encounter the consequences of Odysseus’s bad leadership skills materialize, and we The Odyssey Homer characterizes the Kyklops in such a way as to reveal :: Classics The Odyssey Homer characterizes the Kyklops in such a way as to reveal the birth of Odysseus’s well profound strengths as well as his inability to exercise restraint.In this essay I will analyze the significance of the one eyed Kyklops The Odyssey Homer characterizes the Kyklops in such a way as to reveal the birth of Odysseus’s well profound strengths as well as his inability to exercise restraint. In this essay I will analyze the significance of the one eyed Kyklops Polyphemos as an attempt to study Homer’s characterizing of the main character Odysseus. I will analyze the Kyklops’s interaction with Odysseus and will identify the various literary techniques used by Homer while simultaneously explaining the significance and effectiveness of these methods to the plot development of this epic poem. In order to present this pre-eminent epic of action to a more striking effect, Homer uses two devices of characterization, the epithet and the simile in book IX when he describes the scene involving Polyphemos and Odysseus. Both techniques were used to provide additional information about the two characters and to reveal different aspects of Homer’s development of Odyssey’s state of mind. After the war of Troy Odysseus and his crew attempted to find their way back to Odysseus’s home Ithaca, but due to their lack of responsibility they were met with some resistance and choose to rest on a strange island inhabited by a Kyklops. Upon arriving on the island Odysseus and his men naively feasted on readily abundant food found in a secluded cave without first exploring the island to see whether any threats lay near. Then curious Odysseus suggested that they explore and seek knowledge about the native people of the unconquered lands in order to decipher whether they were â€Å"wild savages †¦ or hospitable†¦ god fearing men† (188 -189). This is the first instance amidst a series of others where Odysseus neglects his role as leader and causes the fate of his crew and the journey to become jeopardized. His decision to explore the island of is what caused his main goal of returning home to Ithaca to become destined for failure. Odysseus stumbles onto a prodigious giant; this giant was Polyphemos, son of Poseidon, Greek God and ruler of the seas. When Polyphemos returns to his cave (the same cave where Odysseus and his men feasted) he realizes that his unannounced guests were expecting a warm welcome despite the fact that they had just finished raiding his cattle. The giant understandably refuses to show them any hospitality and begins to devour them one by one. Through this chaotic encounter the consequences of Odysseus’s bad leadership skills materialize, and we

America’s First Ladies

The Intrigues and Witticism of America's First Ladles Introduction According to many Americans, First Ladies usually play the normal roles of wives to their husbands, doing the regular activities that wives are supposed to do for their husbands. Such activities, of course, do not include the usual house chores such as doing the laundry and scrubbing the bathroom. These are left for their trusted maid servants. Apart from ensuring that the President's suits have been nicely pressed, the First Lady will also be expected to accompany her husband during certain state functions of which she is required to.However, as Bill Alder reveals, the White House Is not Just a place to sit back, relax, watch TV and Walt for Mr.. President to come back home from a busy day. There are a few secret activities that go on inside and outside the chambers of the White House which would raise a few eyebrows when revealed. The following is a review of the book America's First Ladles: Their uncommon Wisdom fr om Martha Washington to Laura Bush by Bill Alder. It takes a deeper look into how these ladies are perceived by Alder and his personal opinions on their witticism and amusing undertakings in the White House.The following Is an Insight of some of Hess ladies' lives. Mary Todd Lincoln In the book, Alder pits the wife of Abraham Lincoln as a big spender. When her husband was vying for the top seat In the country, Mary Todd once whispered to a friend of hers that if Abraham won, he would remain privy to her habit of spending wildly. On the other hand, Mr.. Lincoln would have a hard time to digest the fact that his wife Is a spendthrift If he won the presidency (Adler, 2002). During her childhood years, Mary belonged to the aristocracy of Lexington.Her association with a privileged class increased her love of elaborate and showy attire and accessories. Though she couldn't settle for cheap clothing and would never have dreamt of getting married to a man who was way below her class, she so mehow fell in love with Abraham Lincoln, a poor man who was raised in a log cabin. As soon as Mrs.. Lincoln set foot inside the White House, she became a fashion symbol and was often under scrutiny by Journalists. She was mostly criticized over the high costs of her dresses.Some media houses sometimes suggested that the state funds used to buy her dresses would have been used to send aid to American soldiers who were dying in the battlefield. By doing so, her spendthrift nature would have been curbed. Her redecorating of the White House raised many eyebrows including those of her husband. Her extravagance and explicit taste of fashion actually made some European fashion designers emulate her. French Empress Egg ©nine is one of the women who were spotted adorning similar dress designs as Mrs.. Lincoln.Her extravagance was way too much as compared to previous First Ladles and her stay In the White House was a clear indicator of a change in pomp and glamour. Julia Tyler In 1844, John Tyler became the first American president to marry while holding office. He stunned Americans even more by marrying a lady who was thirty years younger than him (Adler, 2002). 21 -year-old Julia Gardener Tyler, another descendant of a wealthy family, however proved to the world that despite her tender age, she had to play near role as First Lady. Much like Mary Todd, Alder describes Julia as an explicit extravagant.The First Lady was seen to preside over functions with a high- spirited attitude. Prior to her entrance in the White House, guests used to be received following procedures laid out by the Van Burn administration. But during her time, he totally changed the reception procedures. She adorned plumes in her hair as she received guests. In addition, her maids wore white dresses which was a new trend as far as observers were concerned. According to her, she made all the alterations to revive the White House in order to please her husband.Using her wit, she believed that Presid ent Tyler would gain a lot of satisfaction by watching people praise his young and vibrant newly wedded wife. Ellen Wilson Not all women who have lived in the White House are full of unprecedented drama. Ellen Saxons Wilson is portrayed by Adler as a calm and composed motherly Oman. Most Americans at that time viewed her as a sweet caring mother. Being a daughter of a church minister, her humble and serene background may have played a major role in developing such a character in her.She is also one of the few women who never saw what the big deal was in staying in the White House. She never showed great enthusiasm in being the wife of the president of the United States of America. However, Lade shows an interesting side of Ellen. Having known each other since they were kids, Ellen and Woodrow Wilson did not shy from showing how much they loved and cared for each other. During the course of their romantic relationship, they two are rumored to have exchanged more than 1,000 love lette rs (Adler, 2002). Despite giving it her all in showing romance to her husband, Ellen also had a soft spot for art.Her love of painting saw her put up a studio complete with a skylight erected inside the White House. She continued with her hobby unperturbed even after attending the weddings of her two daughters in a span of six months. Hillary Clinton Being among the most learned First Ladies to ever stay in the White House, Hillary Roadman Clinton made her presence felt in the most convincing way possible. In her ears as an undergrad, she was a member of the National Honor Society. She also honed her leadership skills back then by being a student leader.By the time her husband, Bill Clinton, clinched power, she had already been appointed to the board of Legal Services Corporation by President Jimmy Carter. After President Clinton assumed office, she was given another official role of chairing the Task Force on National Health Care Reform. Despite all these roles, Adler shows how she still tried her best to balance between family, work and service. Conclusion The book does a good Job in giving an insight into the secret lives of America's First Ladies. It also reveals the goings-on that many an American are not familiar with.The book mostly contains anecdotes such as the antics of Mary Todd Lincoln. It also does a fantastic Job in exposing how most of the First Ladies were major spendthrifts who did their best to leave a mark in the White House in terms of pomp and color. An example is Julia Tyler who completely revived the reception procedures whenever foreign personalities paid a visit. His extensive use of lengthy speeches can be commended and criticized as well. An example is the reproduction of Hilary Silicon's address at Wellesley College. The letter sounds interesting at first but becomes dull soon afterwards.

Charles Wade Barkley Essays - McDonalds High School All-Americans

Charles Wade Barkley Essays - McDonalds High School All-Americans Charles Wade Barkley Charles Wade Barkley is an American Professional Basketball Player, known to fans as "Sir Charles". He was born in Leeds, Alabama and later attended Auburn University where he started basketball and was named Basketball Player of the Year in the South Eastern Conference. He left college in the same year (1984) to be a part of the NBA. Charles Barkley was a top scorer and rebounder in the NBA. He worked hard to be in the NBA and had many awards like the NBA Player of the Month Award and the Most Valuable Player Award in the NBA . He was also a member of the "American Dream Team" that won a gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Leigh Montville reports in Sports Illustrated that {Barkley now ranks fifth in the NBA and is trying to get better every day. Barkley showed that he was still one of the NBA's best . After contemplating retirement in the offseason, Barkley stayed in the Phoenix Suns and was as good as ever, particularly in the second half of the campaign. He already ranked second in the NBA Playoff history with 456 rebounds. Barkley is also the shortest player in the NBA in rebounding.} Barkley's fans are crazy about him and don't care what he thinks of them, they still like him and want him to be the best. They know Barkley has a kind heart and is a pretty good person deep down. Rick Reilley, author of Sports Illustrated, Feb. 1993 in his report said that {Barkley doesn't even think about his fans, but they do care about him and think of him a lot. Barkley spares nothing and no one. He offers no apologies. He always thinks that he's right and doesn't care what anyone else thinks about him. After all this, he has the kind of fans no one else probably had. They could probably even risk their lives for him.} One of the severe injuries Charles got was off his back. Neff Craig says in Sports Illustrated that {because his back was vulnerable, he had problems playing and was even considering retirement for the season. He had a hard time with it until he got over it by having a surgery and by undertaking a program of stretching and weight training.} Barkley says "You don't have to be perfect to be a good role model and people shouldn't expect perfection". He says "We all don't choose to be role models, we are chosen. Our only choice is to be a good role model or a bad one". He also surprisingly said that he loves being a good role model and tries to be a positive one. Karl Malone in an article "One Role Model to Another" of Sports Illustrated reports that {Charles Barkley is a kind of a person who doesn't care what people think of him. He said "There are days when I don't want to pose for a picture with every fan I run into, when I don't feel like picking up babies and giving them hugs and kisses. Those are the days when I just try to steer clear of the public. I know what's right or wrong and I know what I am doing". He doesn't want people to mind his business, he wants them to mind theirs.} Neff Craig in Sporting News reported that {Barkley honors his teammates. He says that it's true his relationship with his teammates has eventually soured, but says that he has always been a player's player, a teammate's teammate. Charles says "I would always be there for them no matter if they be there for him or not". He honors Magic Johnson, and in the 1991-92 season, he switched his uniform numbers from 34 to 32 in honor of him getting retired from the NBA contracting HIV.} I would never knock someone for saying what he thinks of me or someone else. If Charles doesn't consider himself a role model, that's certainly his right. But I think he's a role model and a good one too. Charles is a very good and innocent person deep down. The thing I like most about him is that he doesn't really care what people think of him, he's not scared of anyone and has the guts to knock someone out just because he thinks the person is showing off. He is pretty good with almost all of his teammates and tries to be even better. He is one of my best