Preventing Workplace Discrimination Essay

â€Å"Discrimination undermines employee loyalty, destroys employee morale, and reduces productivity and work quality. It can also lead to costly and painful lawsuits and do irreparable harm to a company’s reputation† (Guerin & DelPo, 2007, p. 119). Preventing workplace discrimination, therefore, is important to companies because this will make an organization stronger and will provide the employees a more harmonious working environment. Discrimination can take several forms and there are more than one way of managing such situations, which was demonstrated by the simulation exercise. One of the discriminating actions a company can show is by not accommodating people with disabilities because they believe that these people are not as competent and skillful as people who do not have disabilities. The simulation had an exercise where in job advertisements were shown and the user had to determine the phrases that can come across as discriminating. One of the phrases in the simulation stated that the company needed an employee that was â€Å"fully mobile to run around to meet client needs,† which was discriminating to people with disabilities, specifically those who are in wheelchairs. This exercise teaches companies not to judge employees based on their physical abilities. If a person wishes to apply for a certain position, the company should allow him or her and see if he or she is capable of doing the required tasks without his or her disability becoming in the way of his or her work. The job advertisement exercise also required the user to determine a discriminating phrase regarding drug use and abuse wherein future employees will be required to submit to drug testing. There is nothing wrong with wanting to know if a person has drug problems because it will ultimately be for the best of the company. However, this should not be included in job advertisements because one, it is discriminating, and two, pre-employment tests usually cover drug testing so the company should not worry about it. It is also important for companies to determine a job-seeker’s attitude regarding work to see if he or she has the same drive that the company is looking for. No one wants to hire someone who has no passion for the work that he or she applying for. This will only be a waste of time and money for both parties. The simulation demonstrated this by including some facts about the five applicants that were shortlisted for the positions. Information like religious beliefs and practices and personal stands regarding important national issues are included for the benefit of the human resource department. Title VII can definitely override the employment environment and conditions detailed in a written employment contract between an employer and an employee because title VII is a federal law and should be followed no matter what the written employment contract indicates. In addition, employees should not agree to a written employee contract that does not conform to the conditions that are stated in title VII because this can only lead to legal problems in the future when they encounter discriminating practices in the workplace environment. In conclusion, companies need to remember that they have to adhere to the conditions that are stated in title VII to avoid costly lawsuits and prevent their reputation from being destroyed. They have to provide a fair and unbiased working environment to employees, future or tenured, to maintain a structured organization that will work toward the success of the company. Reference

The Baderman Island Resort Word Processing Software Upgrade

Smith Systems Consulting is IT services provider delivering business and office automation solutions country wide. We have expertise in project management, software application design, deployment and support. We also provide computing hardware and network installation services. To provide Baderman the most suitable word processing solution, our experts have worked out a plan comprising of three staged project plan based on time tested proprietary standards. Need Assessment Our experts will be involved in identifying current as well as future word processing needs for all users at Baderman.This activity will include documenting all features currently used such as word processing, desktop publishing, web publishing etc. Consultants will conduct interviews throughout the organization to document and compile an exhaustive in-use feature list. We will also collect valuable information about the current hardware and software configurations such, versions of operating systems, memory and pr ocessing power, currently used word processing software etc. Our IS auditors will collect all policies, procedures and guidelines governing the purchase, use and upgrade of computer hardware and software at Baderman.The objective of need assessment is to document all the requirements from various business units. It is an essential element of developing a business-case for any recommended solution. This business-case will help management understand the utility of such an investment, and create the executive’s buy-in necessary for the success of such a project. Product Identification Following need-assessment we will provide details of product(s) identified to best suit the current and future needs at Baderman. Our goal during this phase will be to provide a choice of options supported by data collected during need-assessment.The management may decide to opt for mix of products for different department such as word processing software for many and desktop publishing, web author ing systems for communication and marketing etc. Our proposed solution will accommodate such possibilities to avoid any repeat of work. As standard procedure we will also submit an impact analysis for each of the chosen products, on the currently deployed infrastructure. This will help develop accurate budget and expenditure forecast. Implementation The implementation phase will be further divided into three stages.Each stage will target a group of workers chosen to minimize loss of productivity in operational activities. First group will comprise of top managers from all the various business units. Installation and training will be provided to these leaders and consultants will monitor the progress continuously. These managers will provide the necessary momentum required to successfully implement the change at lower level. This exercise will create stake holders at department level ready to take a lead in adopting new solutionNext in line will be line managers reporting to lead man agers, and lastly all the knowledge workers using word processing software will be targeted. Following a strict step by step regime will allow deployment and training teams to focus attention on groups. This will deliver measurable and repeatable process for adoption of upgrades or new technology. We strive to provide the best quality of service to all our customers. Our planners, consultants and engineers will provide the right mix of skills and expertise to deliver favorable results.

Son of Satan

Summary Son of Satan is about an 11 year old boy who is the narrator, and his 2 buddies Has and Morgan. They are smoking and talking about another boy named Simpson who told them that he has bucked a girl under the narrator's garage. They agree to beat him up and walk to Simpson place, hit him a couple of times in his stomach and force him to go with them to the narrator's backyard. They agree that Simpson is guilty of lying and has to be hanged by the neck. And he therefore is.The 3 boys runs away but the narrator goes back and lets Simpson down, he take a long walk and hen return to his home where his father Is walling for him, they have a short conversation and then the narrator is getting beat up by his father. Characterization of the narrator and his relationship to his father The narrator Is the leader In a small gang of tree boys In the ages 11-12. The narrator Is a round non developing character because we know a lot about him from the text, but he isn't changing through the story. I believe that the narrator is insecure about himself and therefore Is afraid to show any weaknesses to his friends. L didn't want to go on with It any longer†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ UT I was the leader and I was going to have to fight Has afterwards and I couldn't show any weakness† (P. 42, L. 25-28) This shows me that he actually isn't as tough and stupid as he want to be and that the peer pressure is forcing him to act like this. As soon as his friends is gone he goes back to Simpson and helps him (P. 43, L. 5-9) also he feels bad afterwards â€Å"l felt as if my life was over† (P. 43, L. 22) and â€Å"l felt as If I had done something very bad† (P. 43, L. 25-26) which shows me that he actually regret what he have done.The narrator clearly has a bad relationship to is father, when he describes him, he only tells what he doesn't like about him. â€Å"My father was a big man, SIX feet two and one half. He had a big head, and eyes that hung there under bushy eyebro ws. HIS lips were thick and he had big ears. He was mean without even trying. † (P. 44, L. 2-5) everything on his father is described as big. That tells me that he feels suppressed by his father, the story ends with his father beating him up, which Indicates why the narrator is like he Is. I think that the narrator Is a good person. But bad parenting by his father have made him to a bad errors.Son of Satan By Experimental By Brian Jensen 1 N guilty of lying and has to be hanged by the neck, and he therefore is. The 3 boys runs then return to his home where his father is waiting for him, they have a short Characterization of the narrator and his relationship to his father The narrator is the leader in a small gang of tree boys in the ages 11-12. The narrator is a round non therefore is afraid to show any weaknesses to his friends. â€Å"l didn't want to go on with it any longer†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ But I was the leader and I was going to have to fight Has afterwards ND I couldn't sho w any weakness† (P. 2, L. 25-28) This shows me that he actually and â€Å"l felt as if I had done something very bad† (P. 43, L. 25-26) which shows me that his father, when he describes him, he only tells what he doesn't like about him. â€Å"My father was a big man, six feet two and one half. He had a big head, and eyes that hung there under bushy eyebrows. His lips were thick and he had big ears. He was beating him up, which indicates why the narrator is like he is. I think that the narrator is a good person, but bad parenting by his father have made him to a bad

Intercultural studies Finding Nouf Research Paper

Intercultural studies Finding Nouf - Research Paper Example The basis for major events in the story is when Nouf, a sixteen-year-old girl goes missing thereby triggering her family to organize a search. The family seeks for a lead from Nayir Sharqi, regarded as a desert guide, to help the search party. After 10 days of search, anonymous desert pilgrims discover her body just when Nayir was to give up. The test carried by coroner’s office indicates that the cause of death was drowning. The family’s dissatisfaction by the coroner’s investigation triggers Nayir to sacrifice on a journey of finding out what transpired at the time of death. The journey to determining the cause of death makes Nayir to seek for help from Katya Hijazi, who is one of the workers at the coroner’s office. Katya Hijazi is courageous enough to carry her own investigation even though her partnership with Nayir was at stake because of the cultural beliefs. Nayir has to antagonize the cultural limitation and his desire for a partnership with a fem ale character. The writer presents a society which enshrines discrimination by its cultural patterns. Intuitively, the presented society is deeply rooted in their Muslim culture which serves as the influence of the themes presented in the novel. The writer presents the culture as having different forms of patterns which serves in modeling the relationship between the people. Generally, one of the major cultural patterns presented is the need to shun any partnership between men and women. This is evident when Nayir goes to work in partnership with Katya to realize the cause of death (Ferraris, 23).

Pick an environmental issue and analyse that issue from within the Research Paper

Pick an environmental issue and analyse that issue from within the framework of at least two of the discourses of environmental - Research Paper Example ound environmental governance. Given the threats of environmental degradation and their potential risks to the survival of mankind, the need for sound governance of the environment is urgent. Cole and Foster reported that â€Å"many observers point to protests by African Americans against a toxic dump in Warren Country, North Carolina, in 1982, as the beginning of the movement.†6 By the word â€Å"movement,† Cole and Foster were referring to the Environmental Justice Movement. Most likely the report is inaccurate because peoples all of the world probably have their own respective histories of struggles for environment justice. Most important, peoples all over the world have their own respective movements for a green economy and society. For example, several authors have been claiming that indigenous peoples have visions of societies that are one with nature, societies that are environment-friendly, societies that are green. Environmental racism, of course, is a valid co ncern. Cole and Foster have an ample discussion on this point.7 For example, one of the Cole and Foster’s most important discussions on environmental racism revolved on the experience of Chester residents along Delaware River in Philadelphia. In the Cole and Foster narrative, â€Å"Chester is a small enclave of people of color within the predominantly white Delaware County.† 8 According to Cole and Foster, the â€Å"toxic assault† on the people of color of Chester began in the late 1980s in which â€Å"hundreds of truckloads of trash† were being brought to Chester every day.9 In many parts of the world today, a similar situation has been happening. Yet, the victims have been irrespective of color. The common denominator on why many people are living close or within the garbage dumps is that they are poor rather than the color of their skin. Thus, following the Cole and Foster logic and analysis, the participation of people irrespective of their economic s tatus in life in environmental governance is a crucial element towards the realization of Environmental Justice. II. Green Economy It should be emphasized that the assaults that the Cole and Foster struggles have occurred because governance has not been green in the first place. If governance has been green, the issue of environmental justice may not have existed in the first place. Thus, the title of the book Van Jones (with Ariane Conrad) had been appropriately titled, The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems. If an economy is green then there will be no environmental injustice in the first place. There would be no one from which to exact environmental retribution or justice

How is modern technology used in Medical centers Essay

How is modern technology used in Medical centers - Essay Example 2 Introduction A poet, philosopher and an artist of an early 20th century named Khalil Gibran, who lived in a pre-computer era, stated that (Pasupathy 18-21) â€Å"A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle†. It is surprising that he is concerned about the knowledge management systems in the 20th century. However, this idea has become more useful if this statement is meditative in the long-term care industry. In addition, by computerizing long-term care industry a massive enhancement has been noticed. But long-term care institutions still require a lot more knowledge associated with technology in order to enhance nursing homes, progress through administration techniques, improve the medical processes and gain knowledge associated with system management (Pasupathy 18-21). The administrator of a nursing home must understand the core objective of management system and the purpose of long-term care organizations before procuring, executi ng and promoting these systems, as it will consequently aid in understanding the characteristics and features of the system (Pasupathy 18-21). ... It is made possible by the sound knowledge in health care that locate a new direction in the field of health and social care system. A 24-hours care support has been established by the NHS that provides full support to the patients, as well as to the public keeping in mind the concept of primary self-care. However, the NHS must maintain the acquisition of new technologies and innovative working practices to facilitate people with long term conditions to live a healthy life (Robinson 9-12). Likewise, health services are provided to the patients via national ICT infrastructure that is designed to support multi-channel services in order to provide 24/7 constant recommendations and knowledge regarding self-management and the management of long-term health conditions (Bradbury 309-314). Moreover, many patients find it difficult on how to find adequate solutions related to any health condition or how to contact their regular care service providers in late working hours or in some cases aft er working hours. In 2004, the problem has been aggravated for several patients due to out-of-hours (OOH) services (Bradbury 309-314). The NHS direct has made this possible for patients to get reliable and useful information through any medium such as telephone, internet, digital TV (DiTV). In addition, NHS Direct is continuously providing sound knowledge to spread awareness among the patients (Bradbury 309-314). A number of communities are using different technologies such as, point-of-care (POC) documentation and financial software, as mentioned in a long-term living trend survey ('Long-Term Living's Survey of Technology Usage', 65-65). In that survey it was concluded that the latest technology acquisition will

Environmental Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environmental Economics - Essay Example Such rapid growth has brought about unprecedented pressure on the environment. It has been a challenge for India to ensure sustainable growth without hampering its environment beyond the acceptable norms. The key concerns that the country is facing today include its vulnerability to climate change, ability to maintain the balance between environmental concerns and development, setting the research and development priorities and mitigation of poverty amongst its masses (Dayal, Vikram and Chopra, Kanchan). It is important to recognize that natural resources are the prime source of all material inputs to economic activities. The environment acts as a sink of the various kinds of waste generated through human activity on a regular basis. A proper balance between the developmental needs of the country and its environmental concerns is necessary in order to pursue the path of sustainable development. Sustainable Development involves a durable and balanced approach to economic growth provid ing social protection and justice to all and ensuring environmental conservation all the time. Environmental Economics involves the relationship between environment and development. Three major aspects that are responsible for exhaustion of natural resources are over-population, over-production and over-consumption. In addition, there factors also lead to generation of massive quantities of waste if not managed properly. The equation between welfare and human development with protection of natural resource and natural environment has to be a balanced one for continued existence. Hence, while protecting environment is a must, without development it will be unsustainable and therefore it is essential to recognize that the two realities of growth and environment are to co-exist. The Government of India has recognized the importance of sustained development and its Ministry of Environment & Forests issued the National Environment Policy (NEP) in 2006, as a â€Å"response to our nationa l commitment to a clean environment as mandated in the Constitution in Articles 48A and 51A (g) and strengthened by judicial interpretation of Article 21.† (Ministry of Environment and Forests, Corporate Environmental Responsibility). The objective of the NEP is to bring to the mainstream all environmental issues in development activities. The governing subject of the policy is that â€Å"while conservation of environmental resources is necessary to secure livelihoods and well-being of all, the most secure basis for conservation is to ensure that people dependent on particular resources obtain better livelihoods from the fact of conservation than from degradation of the resource.† One of the primary requirements for growth is land. This limited resource is under severe constraint in India and two environmental issues are rigidly tagged to this constraint, the use of agricultural land for industrial purposes and forest land for all development activities. The law of the country mandates that any use of agricultural land for industrial purposes and clearing of forests for developmental activities are to the strictly cleared by the concerned State or Central Government. Forest clearances are to be granted only after careful consideration of the impact of forest diversion on biodiversity, wildlife, water and the local community. Similarly, agricultural land must be cleared by the local government before using for non-agriculture activities. Similar protective measures have also

Is Othello a Man of Honor Infected with Psychological Imperfection Essay

Is Othello a Man of Honor Infected with Psychological Imperfection - Essay Example A former black slave, Othello, is rather hailed and appreciated by the society -which is supposed to enslave him- because of his military prowess. In a racially segregated society, he rises at the height of celebrated influence and takes the daughter of a socially established member as his wife. Keeping aside his past, he looks forwards and endeavors to be accepted by the society on his military prowess and credits. Yet in the clandestine corner of his mind, he feels insecure and remains isolated and alien in the society which he does not belong to racially. This very isolation of Othello in the society is vividly depicted in his own words in the last scene of the play. While killing himself, once he repeats how he killed a Turk with martial prowess: â€Å"Set you down this, / And say besides that in Aleppo once, / Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk / Beat a Venetian and traduced the state, / I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog / And smote him thus†. (Shakespear e V.ii.341-354) At the same time, by comparing his self-killing with the killing of a Turk, he powerfully articulates the fact that he will forever remain an outsider and an alien to the society. Deep down in the heart, he suffers from a type of inferiority complex which, on one hand, blindfolds him from Desdemona’s virtue and purity, and on the other hand, keeps him obsessed with the fear of being deserted by his love, Desdemona, a symbolic platform of passion and status in the society. Just like his suspicion for the society, his fear of being deserted by his love pushes to the verge of insanity. His bluster and pride rather fuel his obsession and fear. In spite of his love for Desdemona, he cannot believe that his wife, that paragon of virtue and purity, could have settled for him. Such a man’s love for his wife is necessarily entailed with his continual fear of being rejected and deceived by his society as well as his wife. Iago manipulates this very weakness and p sychological imperfections of Othello. Indeed in the play Iago’s Machiavellian presence is not the root but the crucial cause of Othello’s insanity. He is more of a trigger of the event than the sole reason of Othello’s insane-like condition. He plays on the protagonist’s insecurities and â€Å"trigger off an engulfing suspicion and jealousy of his wife's supposed infidelity, which culminates in him murdering her† (Hamlin 34). Whereas the psychological imperfections lie in Othello’s circumstance-driven psychic mould, it has successfully been played on by Iago. Throughout the whole play, Othello remains calm, polite and respectful. He is neither rude nor offensive to Desdemona's father, Brabantio. Even being brave General his self-control is praiseworthy. When Iago tries to instigate a brawl by informing Othello of Brabantio’s armored arrival to his court, he remained calm and responds in the following manner: â€Å"Keep up your brigh t swords, for the dew will rust them. / Good signior, you shall more command with years / Than with your weapons.† (Shakespeare I.ii.59-61). He shows the highest revere to Brabantio. He assures him that he is respectful because of his age. Othello is never a violent man by nature. If he were, he would behave otherwise, in other words, violently. Even in the face of Branbantio’s racial insult, Othello retains his decency: â€Å"If she wasn’t bound in chains of magic, / Would a maid so tender, beautiful, and happy, / So opposed to marriage that she shunned / The wealthy, curled

Business ethics nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Business ethics nature - Essay Example Numerous ethical problems have been identified in the article which impact on the business of multinationals in foreign nations. Besides, the article highlights the aspect of culture which can also have an impact on ethical business performance (Lau, 2013). The objective of the report is to discuss the article in brief regarding the essence of its topic and ethical aspects. The report also discusses the ways of resolving the identified issues of ethics and culture faced by people. An Overview of the Essence of the Article The article discusses about globalisation, cultural shock and significance of teaching business ethics. It is a common awareness that business and ethics are not companionable, due to this reason, business at times contributes to unethical manners of commercial activities. Several business scandals, in recent times, prove the fact that unethical business activities are prevalent in organisations. However, unethical activities have their own costs. Due to these inher ent costs, which are related with unethical business activities, this trend is gradually changing since executives distinguish that unethical business decisions have an influence on the goodwill of an organisation (Lau, 2013). The article also emphasised on teaching business ethics in universities. Ethics in this context is considered as a set of principles people use in order to determine whether their actions are good or bad. Every organisation faces certain ethical consequences. Ethical organisations attract quality employees and the prevailing ethical practices result in higher level of job satisfaction. It is a common fact that in the long run, ethical organisations can financially overtake unethical organisations (Lau, 2013). Discussion The article discusses about globalisation and the impact of culture on making adjustments in a foreign nation. Furthermore, the article also discusses about understanding the importance of business ethics in modern day business environment. In this context, it can be stated that globalisation is creating universal standards for commercial activities and these activities are becoming more demanding in multinational organisations. Since more multinational organisations are adopting these standards, it becomes ever more vital for every business to develop companywide core principles, standards of behaviour and relevant policies which are in tune with the world ethics and compliance environment (Dutton, 2011). The article states about cultural shock which is experienced by students who arrive in a foreign country for the purpose of study or for occupation. In a foreign nation, people require to make certain adjustments. In essence, cultural shock is common for every individual when they experience an unaccustomed mode of life in a new nation. To put in simple words, cultural shock is considered as a simple travel to other sort of life. In modern days, cultural shock plays vital part in intercultural communication and in assoc iated disciplines such as cross-culture education (Dutton, 2011). The multinational organisations have to predominately deal with the notion of cultural shock amid a number of their expatriate

Repairing Refurbished Computers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Repairing Refurbished Computers - Essay Example CFS currently employs a number of persons as managers, team leaders and technicians. Additionally, during the summer CFS takes on volunteers in order to assist schools benefiting from its program to be up and running at the start of the new school year. Individuals who have disabilities or are unable to afford a computer at home can also be facilitated but they have to go through a school in order to benefit from the program. Computer for Schools (CFS) has been in operation since 1993 and has distributed more than one million systems all across Canada’s ten provinces and three territories since then. It is the largest computer refurbishing program in North America and the fifth in the world (Computers for Schools British Columbia 2011). The company has over 50 refurbishing centers and distributes over 80,000 computers each year. The computers include various brands such as IBM, Lenovo, Dell, HP and Toshiba. My department is located in Edmonton. It is one of the largest departments in Alberta. The role of the directors and management is to ensure that the resources available are adequate to ensure smooth operations. The organization is governed by policies and procedures which are in keeping with the objectives of the organization. Edmonton shop supplies the Edmonton area as and helps to provide continuity for the organization. According to Alberta CFS (2011) since the Alberta CFS program began in 1994 approximately 149,000 computers and 6,000 printers have been distributed. In 2010 the amount of computers distributed was over 14,000. This speaks volumes to the work that CFS is doing in Alberta alone. My role as the leader in my department is to set goals and to ensure that they are accomplished in an effective and efficient manner. I take the necessary actions to ensure that each team member carries out his/her role in relation to specific orders. I ensure that the product that goes out meets the standards of the organization by adequately monitoring the

Review of Frank McGuinesss adaptation Essay Example for Free

Review of Frank McGuinesss adaptation Essay On the 7th October, my Drama group and I went to see the Greek tragedy â€Å"Electra† at The Old Vic Theatre in London, adapted by Frank McGuiness. It was directed by Ian Rickson and starred Kirstin Scott Thomas who plays the lead role of Electra. This play follows Electra throughout all the different stages of grief she goes through following the murder of her father Agamemnon. Unwilling to forgive and consumed by a desire for revenge, her anger builds; on the return of her brother Orestes, Electra’s wrath then explodes without mercy, leading to a bloody and terrifying conclusion. Within this play there are strong elements of grief, addiction and an intense need for restitution. Electra is filled with loss from the pathological, addictive grieving over her father who was murdered many year before hand, by her mother and step-father, which traumatic aftershock has left Electra withered and motionless as well as in need of revenge as a sort of compensation for the loss of her father, to the fresh grief over her brother. The set of the play is extremely minimalistic, with small feature which make up the arena; a tap, a fire pit, a tree and two pillar with a door in between them are featured on the stage, and I believe these component are symbolic of the four element, fire, earth, water and air. The tree however is barren and the branches are cut off before their time. This is representative of Electra’s father, Agamemnon as he was murdered but also because his family line is no more, he can no longer have any more children to pass on his name. The door is old and decaying which represents Electra’s family as its slowly falling apart, however it also establishes a huge divide between the inside and outside, essentially creating two separate worlds. These two worlds represent places of oppression. The characters behave appropriately within the inside world as well as by the unspoken rule of the place. The outside is an area where the characters reveal their true colours, nevertheless at the end of the play the two worlds collide. The stage itself is in the round, meaning audience members are able to see each other’s reactions, this is effective as it adds a degree of intimacy to the play, but also because the audience is able to see the play but more importantly the characters from every angle creating a sense of vulnerability, as everything is exposed to the viewer’s eyes. Electra abandons the regal clothes bestowed to her by her mother and completely neglects herself. She is first presented in a ragged, grey dress, held together by a leather belts which eventually she takes off, representing the release of the pent up anger, which she has held on to for so long. She is constantly fiddling with her dress and putting it in between her legs, revealing a more immature nature but also that she’s ashamed of what makes her female. During the time that this play was set, women were constantly oppressed and were seen as unable figures, for example Electra wishes both her step father and mother dead. Electra lacks the capacity to do so, as she is restricted by her gender, which is shown at the end, as despite all of Electra’s defiant speeches, ultimately her brother Orestes is the one who kills both their mother and step father. She also appears shoeless which suggest that she has freed herself from the class system, as an individual without shoes is normally associated with the lower class, however she comes from nobility, which previously was one of the elements that oppressed her, also she is presented with wild hair illuminating a feral nature. Opposingly Electra’s mother Clytemnestra is presented in regal clothing, and is always composed, she tends to move in line rather than curves which Electra moves in. When Electra confronts hers mother, although she holds herself in a strong position, she can never look her mother, which suggest a strong hatred towards her mother. She cannot even follow the general etiquette that one gives another when conversing, controversially it could also mean that she is still bound by her daughter status, as although she’s disowned her mother, she cannot face her as an equal. The actress Kirstin Scott Thomas really emphasizes how the situation has trapped Electra in a terrible stilted adolescence. Her defined features shining with hungry, immature naivety, she moves about in her grey shift like the ghost of someone whose life was been allowed to waste away, permanently on hold. She tortures the audience in a manner of a teenager, through her defiant authoritarianism, serving the audience as a reminder of what is lost in middle-aged compromises, for example the naivety of youth. And yet, there is not an ounce of nostalgia in her performance. When she is finally reunited with her brother Orestes she gives way to an unbound joy, as if all her issues are now resolved. Far from their being any hints of incestuous affection in this encounter between these long-lost siblings, Scott Thomass Electra presses her nose to parts of his body and snuffles up his smell like a wild animal trying to get its bearings. This and her rapid U-turn into optimism brings a deliberate comical note to the gathering doom. In conclusion, the overall production was impressive, from Scott Thomas’s indulgently neurotic performance, which give us a first impression of an independent women who sets herself free from the previous ties and status which has oppressed her for so long from speaking up about her father’s death, however Scott Thomas slowly reveals to the audience that Electra has been maddened by grief for so long, it has trapped in an disillusioned adolescence, to the in the round stage which enables the audience to emphasis with Electra, as it adds a degree of vulnerability, as everyone is visible from every angle you look at them, from the play to the surrounding audience.

Hedda Gabler Essay Essay Example for Free

Hedda Gabler Essay Essay In Ibsen’s drama Hedda Gabler, Hedda was a wealthy woman with a great background, until she marries Mr. Tesman. When she is chained down to this man she starts to become unstable and reveals how truly devilish she can be. From manipulating her loved ones to down-right killing them. These incidents occur because of jealousy and boredom. Hedda’s first act of despicableness is first presented when she talks to her husband’s aunt. She mentions that the maid will be unsuitable because â€Å"She’s left her old hat behind her on the chair. †, when really, it was Miss Tesman’s hat. We later find out when she is speaking to Brack that she had known all along it was her hat and just wanted to insult her. This shows how bored Hedda is where she feels the need to come up with something like that. She is also unhappy with her marriage so she doesn’t want to get close to any of her husbands family. In act 4 of the play Hedda gives Lovborg a pistol so he can â€Å"die beautifully†. She does this because she is still somewhat attached to Lovborg and is jealous of him and Thea’s relationship that was forming. She even starts to go somewhat mad after Lovborg and Thea leave. The manuscript begins to get ripped apart by Hedda, as she throws it into the fire saying, â€Å"I’m burning your child Thea!† This shows that she has basically reached a breaking point and has officially gone off the end. Hedda is a very hard character to play. This is because she is very contradicting, as Ibsen states, â€Å"sympathetically unsympathetic†. You feel sympathy for Hedda because she seems to be broken. She has been socially trapped into marriage and baring a child. Although this does not justify her actions which still keeps you scornful towards her. All in all Hedda is a very indifferent woman with a independence that she will not be taken away from her. She manipulates and deceives people in order to get her way. Yet she was slowly killing herself by doing so. This may be why her character is so hard to play, she is in a way, a very non-relatable character.

Imagined community

Imagined community According to Benedict Anderson, what is an ‘Imagined Community? How does this relate to the contemporary world? â€Å"I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can† George Bernard Shaw (Wisdom Quotes, 2009). Such views demonstrate that communities are an integral part of day-to-day life within the contemporary world, be this in a tiny, remote village in rural India or the thriving capital city of Beijing, China. This essay examines communities within the international sphere, focusing primarily on Benedict Andersons theory of ‘Imagined Communities. The first section of this essay examines Anderson as an academic scholar and his views towards nationalism, including of course a detailed understanding of his theory of ‘Imagined Communities. The second section then goes on to explore other political theorists take on Andersons work, focusing on three such theorists: Ernest Gellner, Anthony D. Smith and Eric Hobsbawm. This theory and reasoning behind Andersons and these three other theorists work, is then used as the foundation on which to build when looking at the contemporary world, focusing on the case study of Great Britain and how this study is of relevance to contemporary political issues. Communities within Britain are examined in terms of the imagination Anderson refers to, namely the Ukrainian community and also the Sikh community, both within multicultural British society. Andersons background is that of anthropology and when assessed, it is clear that he falls within the Modernist school of thought, arguing that nations are simply a product of modernity, in existence to cater to political, economic and military needs. Andersons theory of ‘Imagined Communities has been widely spread and applied to the field of international relations and political science, a theory which has been influential in carefully examining the politics of identity and the formation of communities across the globe, also known as nationalism. Anderson explores the modern nation in terms of its development throughout history, aiming to understand the emergence of these nations and how they have remained as nations in terms of status (Higson, 1998, p.355). Nationalism took form and began as an ideology during the eighteenth century, and more recently has undergone a global movement across the varying borders and boundaries of nations. It has three generic goals: â€Å"natio nal autonomy, national unity and national identity, and for nationalists, a nation cannot survive without a sufficient degree of all three† (Smith, 2001, p.9). National identity in particular is fundamental to the order of the contemporary international sphere. According to Anderson (1991) therefore, the building and construction of nation states is an imitative action in that it follows similar patterns and trends as used by fellow nation states. Nationalism, in Andersons (1991) eyes is thus an instrument and product of such social constructions and all of this was in actual fact an American construction. Additionally, he contends that nation building is consistent of and on a par with fictional narratives, a point which agrees which Smith (2001), discussed later on in this essay. With such a clear focus on nationalism, Anderson (1991) studies the idea of membership of a community, the idea of membership as boundaries defining ‘us and ‘them, and the idea of the community as an equal comradeship, thus collectively leading to the creation of an identity. Under the umbrella of nationalist thought therefore, Anderson is largely interested in the formation and preservation of political identities. His key argument is as follows: communities are in fact imagined ones as, in truth, individuals residing in one particular place i.e. Britain, will never know, see, meet, converse or have any sort of relationship with all other residents, yet this ideological concept of a ‘British community still exists. Anderson thus is focusing on nationalism, in particular nations and their identity building processes, a nation being â€Å"an imagined political communityimagined as both inherently limited and sovereign† (Anderson, 1991, p.7). In his argument, the a nation is imagined as limited in that, even the one holding the greatest number of human beings, each community has finite boundaries, beyond which are other nations (Anderson, 1991, p.7). The nation is imagined as sovereign as the concept emerged during a time in which â€Å"Enlightenment and Revolution were destroying the legitimacy of the divinely-ordained hierarchical dynastic realm† (Anderson, 1991, p.7). Finally, the nation is imagined as a community as despite inequality and exploitative behaviour that may occur, the nation remains a â€Å"deep, horizontal comradeship† (Anderson, 1991, p.7). Such ‘imagined communities are in actual fact socially constructed entities, consisting of individuals who have similar, if not identical, interests, these interests forming the basis for their grouping choices and decisions, and allowing the individuals to identify with one another. Andersons theory therefore comes from the location of individuals within specific ordered communities, as members of bounded communities whose members have common traits and concerns. His idea of this type of a community existing emerges from how the general public, according to him, identifies and understands themselves with respect to the community of their nation. As a result, all individuals have a horizontal relationship with all other members of their supposed ‘imagined community and this creates identity. Such identity provides safety and security to members of the imagined community, providing a sense of belonging to a group of people who are on the same wavelength and have similar i nterests and motivations (Anderson, 1991). This is of course, opposed to the previous identification which was wholly concerned with pre-existing religious systems and dynasties, which have now collapsed. Anderson (1991) then goes on to examine the fall in access to privileged scripts and discourse such as Latin, the movement to eradicate ideas and commands of the monarchy and divine rules of power and finally the emergence of print capitalism in terms of the media and how this is related to the concept of nations. The final point here is of greatest relevance to this essays discussion. From first thought, it is common to think that no real relationship exists between media and communities, yet on closer inspection, it becomes clear that this is not the case. Anderson (1991) argues that the media is the key group creating these ‘imagined communities through their mass audience targeting procedures. The media often makes generalisations to the ‘public and when thought about, is most definitely an ‘imagined community in itself. Anderson (1991) therefore argues that national media and education systems have a critical role in ensuring a nation imagines itself as  "a coherent, meaningful and homogenous community† (Higson, 1998, p.355). His primary concentration however lies with newspapers, which he argues are a fundamental part of print-capitalism, this being the key commodity in the generation of new ideas and concepts (Anderson, 1991, p.37). Print-capitalism contributed greatly to the imagined communities that exist within nations and will continue to do so in the future. He argues that newspapers allow shared experiences of resenting authority to take form, this not being beneficial as this gives rise to the marketplace, where print-capitalism is produced and invoked within consumer society in terms of profitability. Print-capitalism is, in Andersons opinion a commodity which is vital to current and forthcoming generations of completely new ideas and concepts (Anderson, 1991, p.37). His argument focuses primarily on the impact of the Reformation, this being: â€Å"the coalition between Protestantism and print-capitalism, exploiting cheap popular editions, quickly created large new reading publicsand simultaneously mobilized them for politico-religious purposes† (Anderson, 1991, p.40). He posits that much of the success of the Reformation is as a result due to print-capitalism itself (Anderson, 1991, p.39). Thus in Andersons critique with regards to the promise of the media in the public sphere and whether or not they invoke public debate, his answer is yes i.e. it was a vehicle for the American war of independence. The key example however given in his work is that relating to the Protestant and print-capitalism coalition, which he argues, was detrimental through the exploitation of cheap popular print-works (Anderson, 1991, p.40). Such â€Å"administrative vernaculars† (Anderson, 1991, p.41) led to religious and printing upheaval during the sixteenth century, and is regarded by himself as an â€Å"independent factor in the erosion of the sacred imagined community† (Anderson, 1991, p.41). In terms of ‘imagined communities and its relationship with the media, film and cinema are good areas to explore. Film is often indicative of â€Å"consensual images of communities† (Higson, 1998, p.355) and is keen to show individuals from varying backgrounds coming together in shared interests. The British musical Sing As We Go (1934) (cited in Higson, 1998, p.355) for example deals with this same image as explained above and ends with the ‘imagined community being explicitly â€Å"nationalized† (Higson, 1995, cited in Higson, 1998, p.356) in the final scene. It is important to distinguish though that not all of the ‘imagined communities Anderson refers to are united. Particularly within the contemporary multicultural location that is Great Britain, nations can be presented and represented as being in disarray (Higson, 1998, p.356). Higson (1998) refers to the British film named The Beautiful Laundrette and how this is demonstrative of such a thing, providing images of â€Å"social and cultural disturbance and fragmentation† (Higson, 1998, p.356) as opposed to images of consensual imagined communities. This is therefore raises questions of what it is like to be British and to hold such an identity. Films like this consequently oppose what Anderson claims to be the truth, displaying that national identity in contexts like this one are not â€Å"as consensual but as hybrid, not as pure but as variegated† (Higson, 1998, p.356) and so this challenges Andersons point. This theory of ‘imagined communities has often led to various branches of thought, one of the key ones with relation to this topic being that of ‘imagined geographies, a concept which has emerged from Edward Saids work on ‘Orientalism a theoretical framework which argues that Europeans define themselves against their cultural contestants i.e. people from the Orient and as a result define themselves against this. Back to ‘Imagined geographies though, this is a form of social constructivism, referring to the perception of space and boundaries within texts, illustrations and of course, discourse. Arguably, there is no real geography and that imagined geographies can be compared with, thus posing problems of comparative analysis. So the argument lies that such imagined geographies must not be taken as given, but rather they should be deconstructed in order to display the various power sources which have been embedded in them. Ultimately, although Anderson is sceptical of the general public in their decision to be part of ‘imagined communities, he acknowledges that in the current day and age, nationalism and the idea of community has taken to other extremes i.e. projecting fear and hatred towards the ‘Other, being deeply affiliated with racist and discriminative behaviour (Anderson, 1991, p.141.) He critiques this though by reinforcing how such communities are supposed to bring individuals together as opposed to dividing them further, and thus communities need to be reminded that â€Å"nations inspire love, and often profoundly self-sacrificing love† (Anderson, 1991, p.141). Other theorists however conflict with what Anderson (1991) poses as the function of nation building, namely Ernest Gellner, Anthony D. Smith and Eric Hobsbawm. Their proposals of national identity vary with respect to one another. Firstly, anthropologist and philosopher Gellner (1983) argues that nationalism is ultimately political in that it acts as the foundation for politics and nations as being on an equal footing. In his critique, nationalism only emerged within the modern sphere very recently, becoming a necessity in sociological terms, and thus has not been embedded within history. Smith (2001) was a student of Gellner yet did not completely agree with the argument made by his teacher. His argument therefore depends on his creation of an approach to nationalism termed ‘ethnosymbolism, this being a combination of traditional as well as modern views toward the theory and practice of national identities (Smith, 2001, p.13). Smith (2001) distinguishes between the concept of the term ‘nation and another word he terms ‘ethnie, this being: â€Å"a named human community connected to a homeland, possessing common myths of ancestry, shared memories, one or more elements of shared culture, and a measure of solidarity at least among the elites† (Smith, 2001, p.13). Thus in his critique, the imagined communities Anderson speaks of do have a cultural and historical background to them, and so they arent completely imagined but have some substance behind them. Smith (2001) on the other hand, studies nationalism in terms of ethnic groupings. To him, the concept of the nation is: â€Å"a named human community occupying a homeland, and having common myths and a shared history, a common culture, and a measure of solidarity at least among the elites† (Smith, 2001, p.13). Within this though he narrows down further his understanding of nations, consisting of what he terms â€Å"ethnie† (Smith, 2001, p.13): â€Å"a named human community connected to a homeland, possessing common myths of ancestry, shared memories, one or more elements of shared culture, and a measure of solidarity at least among the elites†(Smith, 2001, p.13). Hobsbawm (1992) too examines nationalism, a concept which he refers to as the same as defined by Gellner: â€Å"primarily a principle which holds that the political and national unit should be congruent† (Gellner, 1983, p.1, cited in Hobsbawm, 1992, p.9). He contends that imagined communities act as a shield for and to religious-based nation states, which in turn allows individuals from a vast array of backgrounds to come together through the notion of compromise (Hobsbawm, 1992, p.14). One of his key arguments is that nations are: â€Å"dual phenomena† (Hobsbawm, 1992, p.10), by which he means that they are socially constructed from both above and below, with regards to the â€Å"assumptions, hopes, needs, longings and interests of ordinary people† (Hobsbawm, 1992, p.10). Thus he reinforces the central and underlying importance of nationalism throughout history in relation to political evolution. With respect to this, we identify that no real national conscienc e is forged within his text, and later on he makes clear the number of incited mass movements of nations i.e. he refers to the liberalisation of countries like Italy. National identity has a huge role to play within countries across the globe. In particular, it is focused on and can be identified during sporting games i.e. football or cricket, avid fans supporting their nation to be successful and triumphant. National identity can however also be associated with negativity and can create tensions, as demonstrated politically within international relations more generally. This section focuses on Britain as its key contemporary example but compares and contrasts the experiences within Britain with those of other countries too. Britain, quite clearly, consists of a multicultural society, one which is made up of a variety of community groupings. Community-World (2009) provides examples of many of the community groupings that are existent in modern day Britain, i.e.: regional, ethnic, religious, charity/voluntary and finally miscellaneous ones which include vegetarianism and so on. In many cases, such communities are reflective of Andersons thought of ‘imagined communities. An example of this can be seen with respect to the South-Asian community in Britain, formed of Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and many more, yet all come together under the umbrella term of South-Asian community even though it is most definitely likely that not all of these community members know each other nor have they seen each other nor, in reality, will they ever really do so. Such a community, although to be congratulated in bringing people of similar backgrounds together, is in actual fact a socially construct ed entity according to Anderson. In my critique of this however, such groupings are embedded in human nature in that terms like this have not been created as a product of society and societal views but rather because of religious, cultural and historical backgrounds. Thus they are not socially constructed. Andersons concentration of the media too is useful here when looking at Britain in that, in the contemporary world, his point that the print media, namely newspapers, is largely to blame for the creation of communities is only somewhat true. This is due to the rise of other media forms, particularly the internet, which has led to newspaper sales and general success of them falling over recent years. Greenslade (2009) in review of 2009 and the past decade identifies the spectacular decline of this once thriving industry: the Daily Mail recorded a fall from 2,777,501 to 1,260,019, a decline of 55%, whilst the Daily Express experienced sale plunges of 33.7%, the Daily Telegraph losses of nearly 27% and the Guardian a fall of just over 23%. Although newspapers are now widely available online, combining the previous paper form with the recent phenomenon of the internet, this does contradict with Andersons core argument. As sales of print newspapers have fallen, this suggests that readers hip too has declined and thus communities are less likely today to identify with communities within such media. Fisk (2010) makes an interesting point though in his work, arguing that many human communities within Great Britain have been abandoned since the Middle-Ages and so he works to commemorate such communities and identify their reasons for abandonment. Contrastingly, Hall (2004) examines the process of immigrants becoming citizens, with a particular focus on the Sikh community within Britain, namely second-generation ones. Her argument is that cultural politics have a huge role to play and in terms of the formation of nations, yet many more cultural processes are also at work: the role the media has in circulating religious, national and ethnic illustrations and political imaginaries; youth movement between cultural worlds in the home, at school and professionally; the frequently contradictory nature of the schooling system; and the cultural matters which flow across transnational and diaspora networks and communities (Hall, 2004, p.118). Thus Hall (2004) is suggesting that although this Sikh community may live and reside in Britain, this does not instantaneously make them a fundamental part of the imagined ‘British community, but rather due to their heritage and ancestral roots, many British Sikhs often find themselves to b e torn between identifying with Britain and identifying with their parents country of origin. Hence individuals can be part of a series of imagined communities as opposed to simply one as posed by Anderson (1991). Hall (2004) does however agree with Anderson (1991) to the extent that the media is incredibly influential in the contagion of national and cultural identities across various borders and boundaries. Similarly, Smith and Jackson (1999) studied ‘imagined communities with respect to Ukrainian communities living in Bradford, UK. Their argument was one of this sense of community, being shaped by Ukrainian history and the ever-changing global political climate (Smith and Jackson, 1999, p.367). For many Ukrainians living in Bradford, Ukraines independence in 1991 was symbolic of de-stabling an unsettled, often imaginary, sense of â€Å"Ukrainianness† (Smith and Jackson, 1999, p.384). Furthermore, they propose that recent cultural and historical change has led to an over-complication of the way in which the Ukrainian community within Bradford, UK is imagined and thus poses problems in terms of narratives and discourse. In my critique, although cultural influences are considered by all of the previously discussed political theorists, economics in terms of social status and inequality is not considered. It is no surprise that the creation and preservation of ‘imagined communities as discussed by Anderson (1991) leads to â€Å"fractionalization† (Alesina et al, 2003, p.155). My argument contends that such fractionalization is the cause of the observed rise in cross-country inequalities, Britain included, and Anderson (1991) fails to account for this. A broad view of heterogeneity demonstrates that anything that generates groups, as Andersons theory does, has both political and economic consequences, ultimately leading to greater inequality. In Britain for example, we can see that Central London, in most cases, is a highly affluent area. The outskirts of Greater London though vary in affluence such that groups are formed and located according to these same groups. Research has proved such theses to be correct i.e. Alesina et al (2003) examined approximately one hundred and ninety countries, concluding that â€Å"ethnic, religious and linguistic fractionalization† (Alesina et al, 2003, p.155) increases corruption, infant mortality and illiteracy, and reduces democracy and political rights indexes. Thus this supports my point of critique, that although ‘imagined communities bring people together from similar backgrounds and who have shared interests, the creation of such groupings leads to divisions and ultimately, in many cases, such divisions are indicative of social status, welfare and affluence. Hence Anderson (1991), along with Gellner (1983), Smith (2001) and Hobsbawm (1992), did not investigate this. Theorists in future should therefore research this area, building on the work mentioned above. In an age where it is extremely common for â€Å"progressive, cosmopolitan intellectuals to sit on the near-pathological character of nationalism, its roots in fear and hatred of the Other, and its affinities with racism† (Anderson, 1991, p.141), it is crucial to remember at all times that â€Å"nations transpire love, and often profoundly self-sacrificing love† (Anderson, 1991, p.141). Hence whether communities within these nations are imagined or not, which Anderson (1991) would say they are, they act as the fundamental foundation for society to communicate, evolve, exchange information and knowledge and ultimately to progress. Thus communities are incredibly important in multicultural Britain but also on a transnational scale too. To conclude, Andersons work on ‘Imagined Communities is one which has been used largely within the realm of political science and international studies. It does provide the reasoning as to why people commune together in the majority of instances yet at the same time, is rather broad in its explanation and thus has limited generalisation and applicability to the modern world that is the twenty-first century. The theory of ‘Imagined Communities is rather useful though in terms of understanding community and group formation with regards to historical, religious and cultural contexts across the world. This essay has examined what Anderson terms to be an ‘Imagined Community and how this has been used within the Social Sciences, in particular International Relations and Political Science. It has then later gone on to look at Britain as a contemporary example of how a series of ‘Imagined Communities have been formed i.e. the Sikh community and the Ukrainian communit y. Thus it is important to recall that nationalism is not simply a â€Å"sociological or cultural phenomena: it is also a powerful political instrument which†¦has played an important part in both the creation and the reform of modern states throughout the world† (Jackson, 2003, p.610). Bibliography Alesina, A.et al (2003) â€Å"Fractionalization† in Journal of Economic Growth, Vol.8, No.2, pp.155-194. Anderson, B.R. (1991) Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (Revised ed.), London: Verso. Community-World (2009) Community-World UK [online] Available from: http://www.community-world.co.uk/ (2001) in Durham, M.G. and Kellner, D.M. (eds.) Media and Cultural Studies: Keyworks, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Fisk, A. (2010) Abandoned Communities [online] Available from: http://www.abandonedcommunities.co.uk/ [Accessed 14th March 2010] Gellner, E. (1983) Nations and Nationalism, Oxford: Blackwell. Greenslade, R. (2009) Newspaper sales plunge over the decade [online] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/dec/14/national-newspapers-sales-decade [Accessed 14th March 2010] Habermas, J. (1989) The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society, Cambridge: Polity. Hall, K.D. (2004) â€Å"The Ethnography of Imagined Communities: The Cultural Production of Sikh Ethnicity in Britain† in Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 595, pp.108-121 Higson, A. (1998) â€Å"Nationality: National Identity and the Media† in Briggs, A. and Cobley, P. (eds.) The Media: An Introduction, Harlow: Longman, pp. 354-364 Hobsbawm, E.J. (1992) Nations and Nationalism since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality (2nd ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Inglis, F. (1993) Cultural Studies, Oxford: Blackwell. Jackson, J. (2003) â€Å"Book Review Nationalism and the state: John Brueilly, 2nd edition (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1993), pp. 474,  £40.00 H.B.,  £14.99 P.B.† in History of European Ideas, Vol.21, No.4, pp.608-610. Smith, A.D. (2001) Nationalism: Theory, Ideology, History, Cambridge: Polity. Smith, G. and Jackson, P. (1999) â€Å"Narrating the nation: the ‘imagined community of Ukrainians in Bradford† in Journal of Historical Geography, Vol.25, No.3, pp.367-387 Wisdom Quotes (2009) Community Quotes [online] Available from: http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_community.html

IT and the Business Cycle :: essays research papers

IT and the Business Cycle There is a regular business cycle, which lasts for about 9 years. The cycle is characterised by a period of growth, then strong growth and then recession. Unfortunately, the cycle isn't exact and it isn't dependable, or else you could make money out of it, by gambling on it. Sometimes it lasts 7 years, sometimes 10 or 11. In the later stages of the last business cycle some odd things were happening. Growth in the US economy was much higher than anyone expected and unemployment much lower. Productivity statistics from the US Government suggested that from 1996 productivity was improving at an average 2.2 percent per year, which was a dramatic improvement on the 1 percent average for the previous 25 years. The point at which productivity turned up coincided with the point at which the Internet started to become visible. That may have been a coincidence, but there was another strange quirk in the figures. Investment by US companies since 1990 has been static in every area except in IT, where it rose dramatically by a factor of 14 over the decade. And to cap it all, the bulk of the productivity improvement in the US economy was confined to the IT industry itself. In theory, IT should be counter-cyclical and it usually is. The benefit that IT is supposed to deliver is automation. It either cuts costs and/or improves productivity, accordingly. The figures from the US suggest that it was doing the latter in the glorious 90s and particularly in the later years. In the current part of the business cycle it will be cost cutting that matters. The heady days of optimism are over and the era of cautious IT investment has arrived. So what are the information technologies that will do well in this era? Here's one thought. Consider the anomaly of Moore's Law. This suggests that CPU power will double every 18 months and it has done just that for over 30 years. Actually Moore's law doesn't just apply to CPUs, but also memory, disk, buses and just about every aspect of a computer or network. One would think then, that it would have brought down the cost of computing as a matter of course. However, it didn't have that effect until recently, because most of the accelerated capability was delivered to the PC where its contribution to productivity was minimal.

History Of Cleveland :: essays research papers

Cleveland, Ohio has been in existence for 203 years. There are more than 500,000 people living in Cleveland, yet few know about its past. In this paper, I am going to take you along as I tell you the history of Cleveland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On July 4th 1796 the Connecticut Land Company sent out a search party to find new land. General Moses Cleaveland headed this search party, and on July 22nd of 1796 they found their new land, naming it Cleaveland after the leader of the search party.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The beginning of the population was predominately white. In 1800 the population of Cleaveland was what now would be an unheard of 7. In 10 years however the population grew to 57, 10 years following that increasing by almost %1100! What did 1840 now spell, as â€Å"Cleveland† was the 45th largest city in the nation at 6,071 people. Decade by decade Cleveland grew, becoming more of a populated city then others. Just 40 years after being the 45th largest city in the nation it was the 12th. When the 20th century came around Cleveland was proud to be the 7th largest city in the nation with 381,768 people. Although Cleveland never became the largest city in the nation, the closest they got was 5th with 900,429 people. Interesting enough, even though that was the highest position Cleveland ever got, that wasn’t the highest the population ever was. In 1950 the population was 914,808 which put them in 7th place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With large populations came major events. The first major event for Cleveland is one that now is a regular occurrence. A year after it was founded, the first wedding was held in the settlement of Cleaveland. In 1803 mail service was extended to Cleveland making the town able to communicate with the rest of the nation. In 1810 the first doctor arrived, followed 3 years later by the first courthouse being built. Some things even happened that are still around today, such as the bridge across the Cuyahoga River and Ohio and Erie Canal. Newspapers were established and the Old Stone Church that is still standing was built in 1820. The first street light, which is now seen everywhere, was placed in 1849. In 1866 the Cleveland Police Department was established, which like the street light is still seen today. The first phone company began service in 1880, giving people another way to communicate.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow :: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Look then, into thine heart, and write! â€Å"Master Henry Longfellow is one of the best boys we have in school. He spells and reads very well. He can also add and multiply numbers. His conduct last quarter was very correct and amiable.† This quote is from a letter sent home from Longfellow’s school when he was just six years old. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine. He was the son of Stephen Longfellow and Zilpah Wadsworth Longfellow. Early on, his parents could see that he had an interest in literature. His mother read to him frequently. Don Quixote was one of his favorites but it was Washington Irving’s Sketch Book that influenced him the most. Sent to school at just three years old, Longfellow graduated from Bowdoin College at 19. Upon graduation he was offered a job as professor of modern languages, a program that the college was just putting together. He accepted the position with the stipulation that he would be given a period of time to travel and study in Europe. It was on this journey that he was able to retain many ideas for his future writings. Longfellow walked through the countries so that he could stop at inns and cottages and talk to people. He met peasants, farmers and traders. He traveled to Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and England. Returning to America in 1829, he started his career as a college professor. He had to write his own texts because there were none at that time. In 1831, Longfellow married his first wife, Mary Storer Potter. In 1834, he was offered a professorship at Harvard. Once again, he set out for Europe to prepare himself to teach. His wife accompanied him on this trip and died in Rotterdam. Arriving at Cambridge alone, he took a room at historic Craige House. Eventually, the house was purchased by Nathan Appleton. Seven years after Longfellow came to Cambridge he married Mr.

Past formal or informal language learning experiences.(any language which is not your first language. Essay

My mother tongue is Bengali which is being spoken in our house since my childhood. I have done my preliminary education from Doon. While schooling I’ve studied in English as my first language and Hindi being the second. Thereafter after completing my secondary education I came to Kolkata where in I got a chance to learn Bengali i.e. my mother tongue. As I didn’t like the language I didn’t learn it very sincerely also. As English was my favourite subject during my school days. After finishing my higher secondary, I applied for my Graduation in Communicative English where my subjects were Functional English, Business English, Alternative English & General English .We never had general classes or so called text books but main emphasis was given on communicative language based teaching. CLT is usually characterized as a broad approach to teaching, rather than as a teaching method with a clearly defined set of classroom practices. We were made to interact more and more by giving different situations based topic to discuss so as to practice group discussion in class; authentic texts were used to make the learning meaningful like reading newspaper headlines and describing the situations to the class. We were given role plays based on situation practice. For e.g a visit to a doctor for treatment of any disease. Then we were made to practice speaking, listening skills with audio/video aids. The objective of the course was to express yourself fluently in different communicative contexts (both professional and everyday usage).It taught me English Grammar along with speaking, reading, writing as well as listening skills. I was able to improve my pronunciation and intonation and where to stress on syllables. It also helped me learn business communication; call centre English, report writing for mass communication. It also helped me enhance my public speaking skills, preparing me for job market. Hence I would say consider this aspect of teaching more effective rather than traditional mode of teaching

Bros before hoe’s in masculinity Essay

Although there are some men that break the mold, the majority of men will never fully endorse women’s equality. This is not because most men are pigs looking to degrade women, it is because of the concept of the paradox of men’s power. Men as a social group are powerful and yet so many men feel weak, especially in relationships with women. Women seem to have the power to put a leash on men. Many men feel in control when they have the support of their fraternity of brothers. Most men are not willing to let their brothers down by siding with pro-feminists. Siding with pro-feminists, as a male, could be seen as trying to escape from the box that is hegemonic masculinity. There has been a destabilization of hegemonic masculinity with the movement of civil rights groups, namely the women’s rights movement. There are many arguments in favor of equality amongst men and women. In the past women were seen as the homemakers, that there was no need to educate them and there was clearly no place in the workforce for their sex. â€Å"The time when girls needed no education, because all they had to do was to pick one of a troop of suitors, marry him, keep house for him, and live on his wages, is gone forever, for the very simple reason that no woman can consistently live on a man’s wages any more (Kimmel and Mosmiller, 1992: 178-179).† Early in this nations history, men were viewed as the breadwinners; it was very seldom that one would see a woman in the workplace. As the years have progressed however, there has been a steady shift towards a society where just as many women are working as men. It has also become more common to see stay at home dads. By 1999, the percentage of women in the workforce was nearly sixty percent and men had fallen to about seventy-five percent according to the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America’s (UAW) website. R.W. Connell states that there are many reasons why equality in the workplace would benefit men in his article â€Å"Change among the Gatekeepers.† â€Å"For instance, very large numbers of men are fathers, and about half of their children are girls (Connell, 2005: 617).† Men with daughters will clearly want their children to succeed and have the same opportunities as other children, regardless of gender. Connell also states that the role of breadwinner is a burden that many men feel compelled to fill. Over the years this has led to health concerns as a result of stress and work related  illness and injury. With more women in the workplace the number of men with these problems should significantly decrease. Recently there has been a surge of women in the political realm. Hillary Clinton running for president and Sarah Palin being picked, by a man, to be his vice presidential running mate shows that times have changed immensely. If a woman were to run for a position such as this early in America’s history, she would have been laughed at. The idea of a female president still is not completely accepted by everyone, but Clinton did have her share of male supporters. Connell states that men would be subject to less violence if more women were in the workplace and if they held high power positions such as governor and president (Connell, 2005: 615). People in high power positions are often targeted for acts of violence, for instance John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, and Robert Kennedy, just to name a few. It is not often that one turns on the news to hear of a female being assassinated. Men’s violence towards women will also be decreased(Kimmel and Mosmiller, 1992). â€Å"Many pro-feminist men have embraced a feminist analysis male violence against women, particularly battery and rape (Kimmel and Mosmiller, 1992: 371).† The idea is that if equality is reached in society, men and women will have more meaningful relationships thus increasing understanding of one another and decreasing hostility and aggression. â€Å"In our society, caring (for children, sick people, the elderly etc.) is viewed as a ‘woman’s business’. The ‘art of caring’ appears almost as a natural condition of being a woman: ‘Being a woman means being good at caring for people.’ However, in many parts of the world, we are seeing more men carrying out tasks associated with child care, either inside the home or in institutions (Lyra, 2004: 3).† Although many believe that women should have equal rights, there is still a sense that a woman’s place is in the household. These beliefs have been proliferated for centuries from the establishment of the United States. In the beginning this was how society was organized, a somewhat caste-like system. Now there has been a shift, but the ideas still remain. For example when Hillary Clinton ran for president if these issues did not still exist then the fact that she is a woman would never have been as big a talking point as it proved to be. Many men and women for that matter refused to support her simply because she was in fact  a female running for president. The problem with universal equality is that one group will always be looking for an advantage over another group. â€Å"An essential question for any pro-feminist man must be whether or not it is possible for men to act against their own collective material interests (Douglas, 1994: 33).† As Michael Kaufman states in his idea of the paradox of men’s power, men as a group are powerful. For as long as this country has been in existence, men have had the certain privileges over women. This may not seem fair and to be honest it isn’t, but it would be interesting to turn the tables and see how women would act then. Would they be as fiercely in favor of equal rights, or would they do as many men do and just leave the system alone? This is a clear question that could easily cross the mind of any male pondering gender equality. The answer is not so cut and dry, this is why it will be difficult, even after many years, to get all men on board with the women’s rights movement. â€Å"The pro-feminist men’s movement starts from the acknowledgement that men have power and privilege in a male-dominated society (Kaufman, 1994: 156).† This idea is a problem for many men, so much so that there are even Men’s rights activists. Not all men are willing to admit that males have an advantage over women in society. â€Å"Men’s rights activists fight perceived men’s oppression, including selective service registration, unfair legal decrees of alimony and child support, and domestic violence against men (Fox, 2004: 104).† A common argument that I’ve heard is that women are looking for equal rights, but everyone on that side of the fence seems to be perfectly content with only allowing men to be drafted for wars. I don’t wish to sound like a hostile sexist because I am most definitely in favor of women’s rights, I just don’t see it as a reality for any time in the near future. The fact of the matter is that you cant have it both ways. In order for full equality, the feminists need to take the good with the bad, otherwise it is not equality that feminists are looking for, but instead to gain the upper hand on men. I feel that many men recognize this fact and it is for this reason they shy away from supporting the feminist movement. Most of this issue lies on the idea of equality in the workplace. â€Å"Let the ablest of the sex be called to the lecture room, to the temperance rostrum, and whenever a post office falls vacant and a deserving woman is competent to fill and willingly take it, let her be appointed (Greely, 1852: 167).† If I am the candidate for a job and I am up against a woman, I am not going to step aside and say ‘you take this position because women have been oppressed for quite some time.’ I, like Horace Greely, believe that the most qualified person should get the job. I know that I’ve seen many women, who are clearly in favor of equal treatment, bat their eyelashes, show some cleavage, and flirt with police officers to get out of a ticket. The same thing occurs in the workplace with interviews, some women will cast aside their beliefs in order to flirt their way into a job. As an on-looking male, I must make note that these women are playing on the very stereotypes that they seek to eliminate. This makes it even more difficult for men to take up the fight for pro-feminism; if women cannot take their fight seriously, how can men be expected to join? Most men are all for women fighting for equality and many will not be completely opposed to those men who do choose to fight on the pro-feminist side. There is a sense that these men are leaving the brotherhood. Some might say that it is almost an oxymoron to be a pro-feminist man. If a complete level of equality among genders were to be reached, which I don’t see anytime in the near future, it would be as a result of the lowering of men’s rights in order to level the playing field. Many men hold this view and this is why men who choose to fight for women can be viewed as traitors in a sense. A lot of men can feel constricted by women who often use tools like sex to get what they want. It is in these times that men usually turn to their ‘brothers in arms’ to loosen the collar that women impose as a means of control. As bad as it may sound, a lot of men will be in favor of women’s rights, but do nothing about it. Honestly what group with power is looking to relinquish their supremacy? The way society progresses is through competition. Most people, men and women alike, will always be looking for the upper hand. It is for this reason that full equality among genders is not a realistic goal. View as multi-pages

Keeping Two Sets of Records

Ethical Dimensions of Financial Accounting: Keeping two sets of Records Financial Accounting is an informational tool intended for both managers of a company and for external parties of an organization as defined by Garrison. There is also an existence of some regulatory bodies requiring the use of different principles accordingly within companies’ jurisdiction. In some cases, companies are required to keep two sets of accounting records. For example, publicly traded companies are required to use GAAP by the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission.But GAAP and IFRS depreciation rules don't always match up. Companies routinely account for earnings and expenses differently on their annual reports, compared with their tax returns . A contributing factor to keeping separate records is the different treatment in measuring income. The two approaches used in measuring income is the accrual-based and cash based accounting. As defined in our textbook Managerial Accounting by Garrison, Accrual accounting measures income as the difference between revenues recognized in the period versus and the expenses that are matched with those revenues.In contrast, cash basis accounting measures sales unless cash is actually received similarly with costs; they are deducted from sales in the same period they are paid for cash disbursements. Varying approach to accounting for depreciation is also permiited such as charging expense over a short period of time compared to its useful life of certain assets. (straight line method versus the accelerated depreciation). This lets the fixed assets expense higher at the early years of its acquisiton, thereby reducing taxable income.This approach to depreciation poses a benefit to a company to actually invest in fixed assets which may lead to operating efficiences. Another perspective is that businesss usually does a separate keeping of record for tax accounting purpose in order to minimize the possible amount of taxable income. In realit y, companies tend to overstate income when the financial information is being presented to external creditors or investors, whereas understating it to government regulators.This is practically done by businesses to stay in business—which is logical and legal. The most important thing to be adhered is to report financials set within accordance to the tax regulations, otherwise a company will be subject to loss of credibilty and trustworthiness to stakeholders and other external parties. References: Is It Legal for a Business to Maintain Two Sets of Accounting Records? | eHow. com http://www. ehow. com/info_7840065_legal-two-sets-accounting-records. html#ixzz29M1e7rFq

David Jones SWOT Essay

David Jones Ltd (DJS), one of Australia’s oldest and most recognised department stores was founded in Sydney in 1838 and is a retailer of diversified products ranging from clothes to daily home products. This report’s purpose is to provide the David Jones’ Board and Senior Management advice through the assessment of SWOT, resources, capabilities and strategies with a Balanced Scorecard and Strategy Map as the measurement of the strategies. Part A-1: David Jones Strategic Analysis – SWOT STRENGTHS †¢ Brand Name, Product and Brand Portfolio DJS was the first department store in Australia and its black-on-white hounds tooth was judged one of the Australia’s top ten favourite trademarks in 20061. DJS maintains a wide variety of products and brands ranging from fashion to electrical goods with a portfolio of over 1000 brands covering international and local labels as well as its own internal DJS and DJS Plus brand names. †¢ Services Portfolio David Jones offers both in store and financial services to cater for customers. In store services include personal shopping, style advisors, beauty and free health screening services. Financial services provided include David Jones Platinum AMEX, Qantas Frequent Flyers points and the DJS Store card. Corporate services provided include DJ gift cards. †¢ Store Portfolio Operates 35 stores and two warehouse outlets in metropolitan locations nationally. The four premium Sydney and Melbourne CBD retail properties are owned outright with 85,000 sqm of retail space plus existing leased properties and the opening of new village format stores in areas with appropriate demographics with no major shopping centre. †¢ Capability for Fund Raising Even with challenging retail conditions, DJS’ balance sheet exhibits strong fundamentals exhibited by solid cash flows, low debt to equity and debt to asset ratios in FY11 and FY12. WEAKNESSES †¢ High Brand Switching – Low Brand Loyalty DJS is primarily a mid to high-end luxury brand. With the multitude of product and service options available for consumers from direct and indirect competitors and the current economic environment, David Jones target market is now seeking out bargains when it comes spending. †¢ Limited Global Penetration With the globalisation of retailing, DJS faces formidable competition in an attempt to increase its penetration in domestic and international markets as confirmed in the IbisWorld Report, â€Å"the globalisation of this industry is low but the trend is increasing†. †¢ Weak Profitability Indicators Volatility in the global equity markets, financial uncertainty in Europe and the US and weak domestic consumer sentiment impacted on DJS’ financial performance leading to a decline in all profitability ratios in 2012 as compared to FY112. †¢ Narrow Target Market David Jones focuses on the premium market and with a key external driver of retail sales being real disposable income, DJS’ market primarily comprises of the â€Å"baby boomers† with high disposable income, who under the current economic climate have reduced their spending dramatically. (IbisWorld 2012 p.15) OPPORTUNITIES †¢ Growth prospects: E-Retail With developments in technology and an increasing number of people utilising either computer or smartphone platforms, the trend towards online shopping is increasingly popular market both for its high efficiency and convenience with massive potential still to be explored in Australia. Statistics show 12% of sales earnings are derived from e-retail in UK compared to 4.9% in Australia. †¢ Business transformation With the rise of E-commerce, consumers have more options than ever before. To seize the opportunity and become a more enhanced profitable unit is to be vigilante across channels thereby giving customers many options for purchasing products, which involve providing the personalisation of physical stores, online options for convenience and engagement through social media. †¢ Brand expansion Globalization brings in more brands and more competition from other countries. Instead of being a competitor, DJS sees this as an opportunity of a ‘win-win’ situation by cooperating with more international suppliers evidenced by the introduction of 300 new brands over the past 26 months. †¢ Business expansion The physical store is an â€Å"experiential centre† where customers are able to interact with the brand and although e-retail provides choice, convenience and access, face to face customer service still reigns supreme (business insider article) the physical store plays an important role in the retail industry allowing consumers to touch, feel and take a product home fast. By increasing physical presence, and improving systems and processes, companies will be able to enhance the customer experience. THREATS †¢ Customer income and preference influence Real household disposable income has reflected a downward trend from 2009 to 2013 and household saving did not decrease during 2012, which reduced the level of cash flow meaning store sales will be affected by a decreased level of income remaining for shopping after spending on daily necessities. In addition to this, switching costs remain low for customer changing their preferences because of the diversity of options like Myer, K-Mart or the brand retailer like ZARA and Gucci. †¢ Counterfeit goods market As globalisation brings in new and various products, counterfeit goods also spread quickly. This has a negative influence on local retailers and trademark owners by taking away part of their local market share, taking advantage of the designs of a brand’s products as well as the millions of jobs lost, lost tax revenue and additional welfare spending as a result of counterfeit products. †¢ Competitive environment There are an increasing number of overseas and online competitors entering the Australia market. In addition, a strong Australia currency and online business exploration is also seen as a threat to retailers for it has a  deflationary impact on domestic sales4. †¢ Growing employment and wages – rising cost of doing business in general IbisWorld has stated that the capital to wage cost is expected to be 1:6.590 in 2013. Although industry research indicates employment and wages reducing in 2013, David Jones is increasing sales staff working hours and introducing hundreds of new positions in a bid to improve customer service and engagement. Part A-2 From our analysis on the external environment we have understood that in recent years the Australian department store industry has been characterised by increasing competition due to the presence of online competitors and overseas specialists, like Zara and Top Shop. Moreover, adverse macro-economic conditions further decrease the potential profitability of the industry. In fact after the GFC, a deteriorated â€Å"consumer sentiment index† and a reduced real household disposable income together with a strong Australian dollar increase the level of rivalry significantly. In this kind of environment, we strongly believe that DJS must rely on two fundamental capabilities: first class customer engagement and customer service and Brand Positioning. These two capabilities are mainly based on a common group of resources in addition to some specific resources that are tabled in Appendix X in detail. Upon analysis of the internal environment of DJS, the key factors for the success of the firm are: †¢ The property portfolio, which includes a basket of extremely well located and high-end profile buildings in all the major cities in Australia. These stores are unique and highly desirable assets for a premium retailer, are highly costly to imitate and difficult to substitute for potential premium competitors since they are a highly scarce resource. †¢ DJ’s is a particularly well-capitalised company with significant borrowing capacity as demonstrated by a gearing ratio of 13%, interest coverage ratio of 14.5x (FY12) and excess cash held allowing the company to continue investing in the development of its strategy. †¢ The brand portfolio; with over 1000 brands DJS can meet the expectations of its customers and ensure the preservation of its premium brand leadership as â€Å"home of brands† †¢ The employees and management culture; DJS has and continues to invest in training and development programs to ensure that the â€Å"face† and the â€Å"leaders† of the company are strongly oriented to customer retention and satisfaction. In assessing whether the two capabilities  mentioned above constitute a core competency for DJS, we have reached the following conclusion: 1) Ability to develop and maintain first class customer engagement and customer service Criteria Assessment Valuable Yes A high level of customer service is a key element for the success of the David Jones’ differentiation strategy. Rare Yes In the department store competitive arena only Myer have achieved a similar level of customer service. Non-substitutable Yes On-line based competitors can circumnavigate some key resources of this capability such as premium store locations and well-trained employees through an efficient on-line web store, however the physical experience of shopping in the store cannot be replaced. Costly-to-Imitate No First class customer service is extremely difficult to imitate and would require any potential competitor to heavily invest in training and services, although as Myer (Roy Morgan Awards in 2012) has shown this capability can be replicated in the long run. According to our vision, DJS has a temporary competitive advantage from its first class customer engagement and service since, at the status quo only Myer has a similar capability. However, it is of primary importance that DJS keep improving, for instance through an impeccable implementation of its OCR strategy in order to further improve the quality of its customer service so as to avoid new entrants reaching the same level of service. 2) Brand Positioning: ability to maintain premium leadership status in the department store market as the â€Å"Home of Brands† Criteria Assessment Valuable Yes This capability helps DJS to justify its premium price and to increase customer loyalty. Rare Yes The premium brand of DJS is a unique capability; no ones in the actual competitive environment can rely on a similar core competency. Non-substitutable Yes There is no strategic substitute for this capability; the DJS brand is one of the most iconic brands in Australia. Costly-to-Imitate Yes Developing a brand identity comparable to DJS is not one that can be achieved easily by competitors due to the massive investment required and the unique historical conditions that have contributed to form it. DJS has a Sustainable Competitive Advantage from its brand and in our opinion, the firm should heavily leverage on it to successfully implement its future strategy. PART A3 – Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder group Specific interest Assessment of Shareholder value alignment 1. Employees Employees in David Jones as same as other employees who are interested in premium payout, promotion, training and recognition from employers. Fair company policies e.g. safety workplace and effective company communication and structure are additional requirement staff are looking – Employee reward to encourage employee to flow in their idea to the business e.g. Innovation Workshop – Training provided to retain staff: executive leadership program, Future leaders program, Operations Online Compliance Training – Incentive program in different level of management that align with shareholder value, e.g. New Frontline Incentive Incentive program only represents part of employees’ salary which means employees’ interest is not fully aligned with shareholders. 2. Customers Customers in David Jones prefer exclusiveness. The products they purchase from DJS won’t be able to find outside the store. That also applies to  shopping experiences which they are serviced in professional and friendly environment that cannot be experienced in other shops. Customers expect DJS can provide the best brand with premium quality and reasonable price. Only added value products can be found in DJS Customers are common to look for better price with top quality and service however shareholders expect DJS to be more profitable with generous dividend, especially DJS have maintained GP in these few years. It is a fact that both parties’ interests are contradicted. Ultimately customer satisfaction draws higher sales and margin. Mainly happy and loyal customers can maintain the profits in long term which shareholders can receive benefit 3. Suppliers They want to maintain good relationship with David Jones and make long term contract to get good margin for their business. Because of the reputation of DJ, suppliers want to achieve their brand recognition in the market. Suppliers’ value do not align with DJ’s shareholders’ value, they desire to maximize their margin but the cost of goods increase which lower shareholders dividend. But considering the brand recognition and reputation, both shareholders and suppliers want to capture market shares. They have to obtain a balance between their interests. 4. Community The community expects DJ concerns more about corporate social responsibility such as social wellbeing and environment sustainability such as producing environmental annual report and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. DJS outlines a list of environmentally sustainable managements to eliminate greenhouse gases, wastes and promote energy saving. DJS give charity leave to employees to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation and monetary support other charities. Community is not fully satisfied as DJS only concern a small portion of the society. Every group of stakeholders’ value has certain degree of alignment with shareholders but none of them is fully in lined. DJ relatively put more effort to appreciate employees who are the key personnel to draw the sales. However, the unbalance of stakeholders’ investment will disappoint the others and DJS should be careful to avoid any relationship damage. Part A-4: David Jones Generic Business Level Strategy In a highly concentrated and competitive retail environment, David Jones  pursues a Differentiation Strategy. It has historically targeted the 30 to 54 year old high income woman and the strategic factors relevant to her and is now seeking to expand this market to include the younger generation with medium to high disposable income. David Jones is known as a â€Å"quality† store and to achieve this, it focuses on providing a combination of exclusive product ranges, a high standard of customer service, image and store presentation and location. This is directly evidenced by optimisation of the David Jones private label and the introduction of over 300 new brands over the past 26 months. Additionally, further investment in customer service and engagement via increased frontline staff hours and in-store events as well as its continued focus on its personal shopping service and the introduction of style advisors offers their target shopper the complete shopping experience. PART B Transformation Suitability According to pro-rata population, the number of online customers in Australia ranks the third, but the sales generated from e-channel are far lower than other countries (IBIS-pp33). Although there is increasing competition in online business, retailers need online channels to expand business and take advantage of e-commerce to serve both national and international customers (IBIS-PP4). Feasibility In 2012, David Jones invested more than A$11 million in Technology CAPEX (AR12) and allocated a 200 person team in collaboration with IBM to successfully implement its â€Å"technological† revolution. High bargaining power with suppliers and very strong brand identity can greatly assist in the Price Harmonisation Process. Overall, David Jones has the necessary borrowing capacity and management skills to properly implement its turnaround strategy. Consistency DJS strategic point of â€Å"Transforming the Business† is not entirely consistent with its generic business level strategy but aims to provide a solid structural retail platform upon which its supplemental strategic points of â€Å"strengthening the core business† and â€Å"growing the store network† can  flourish as signified by price harmonisation which allows DJS to be competitive on price but not a â€Å"discounter†. Shareholders Value Implication This is risky to conclude that Omni channel is profitable when other competitors have already got a well developed system several years ago. The cost to maintain and develop this channel will take a couple of years to recover and reduce profit margin in the short term. Better customer engagement via mobile or internet and price reduction through price harmonization will attract more customers to shop at DJS over competitors, with potential to offset the expenses and eventually increase profit margin in long term. Strengthening the core business Suitability After the global financial crisis, expected profit margin decline to 3.9% in 2012-2013’s department industry with scaling back of disposable income, cost reduction becomes a key factor for keeping GP margin (IBIS pp19). Keeping high margin categories helps to increase GP margin. Brand portfolio is also important for mitigating competition from the effect of globalization. However, even though DJS has a better inventory management system, cutting time for clearance events may still cause excess inventories, which may incur inventory costs. Overall, this strategy is suitable in the current environment. Feasibility In 2012 David Jones added 85 new brands into its â€Å"Home of Brand† model. DJS can leverage on its brand positioning and on its knowledgeable merchandising team to develop its brand portfolio. DJS has the financial resources to fully complete the store refurbishment program. This together with the change in product mix (Fashion&Beauty/Home) should guarantee a higher GP margin. The reduction of the CODB is based on the management team’s capabilities and on the new investment in technology that have allowed a more efficient way of conducting business. Consistency â€Å"Strengthening the Core Business† is directly related to DJS generic strategy  of differentiation through its focus on â€Å"Offering the best National and International Brands† and the high value refurbishments it is undertaking. By continuing to invest in and expand its brand portfolio as well as the image and presentation of its stores and the provision of accompanying services, DJS provides an experience not offered by any other department store in Australia. Shareholders Value Implication In the short time, expanding labels and store refurbishment will lower DJS margin. In long term, the aim for David Jones is to minimize COBD and strengthen GP generation which improves operational profit and ultimately increases dividend to shareholders. B2 – Key Stakeholder Implications Impact on this stakeholder group Proposal to better align stakeholder interests with shareholder value 1. Employees Positive: open challenge and opportunity. It is risky but it will be profitable if success Negative: senior management was forced to leave DJS due to internal restructure happened in 2012.Time to adapt new systems and management. High risk to fail the negotiation with supplier to harmonise the cost. 2. Customers Positive: better shopping experience (store refurbishments). Open another channel to shop (Internet/mobile); welcome lower price; better customer service ; more brands to shop   Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Increase customer retention and loyalty (more exclusive brands) – profitable customers which drive higher profit and give out more dividend. – Lower price encourage to choose DJ over competitors and potentially improve margin – Store refurbishment attracts more customers to come and visit. 3. Suppliers Negative: Cost of good is entitled to price harmonization agreement. Profit is minimised. Increase competition between suppliers when DJS introduce more labels to sell. – Increase brand awareness and market share to offset the margin loss due to price harmonisation. Shareholder is also benefit if sales are promoted by lowering the price. 4. Community Positive: Mobile apps and website will facilitate the communication with the community and provide more business opportunities to benefit the society. Introducing more products of choice to society and encouraging employment rate. Negative: refurbishment and new stores increase greenhouse gas emission and wastes. ​The new strategies have both positive and negative impact on stakeholders. The above analysis gives us a picture that customer is clear winner and supplier is loser in these new strategies. DJS has a lot of works to do in order to create the links of interest between all stakeholders and shareholders. Suppliers’ benefit will be captured in long term if DJS can achieve the goals of these strategies and increase sustainable sales.