Practices prevent the abuse of school funds Essay

The education of students and the welfare situation of the staff are paramount issues in addressing school finance. The nature of the education cadre in high schools is an important part of the formal education of the young child who has in between the childhood and adolescent stages of human development. It is therefore important for he head teacher who is saddled with the responsibility of promoting education within the school to commit the available resources to the right channels to achieve the intended results of infrastructure development and provision of facilities to ensure continuity of education in the school. Some of the Infrastructure development- that needs be upheld include library, art and technical studios, computer rooms, music room; environmental sanitation, provision of teaching and learning aids, game centre and kits, award ceremony for staff and students In this age and time, it is needful to realize that education is a social and economic good; this implies that it is an avenue to build viable human capital which would contribute to , national economic wealth and health alongside the effective utilization of material, capital and natural resources within the environment. This economic good also contributes to individual health by establishing an individual as a positive force within the community where he resides. Although education does not preclude evil but its positive impact apparently outweighs its negatives. This issue is important because it informs the decision of the principal of head teacher of the high school about the judicial use of the funds available to him from various sources. What are these sources of funds to the high school? These include the federal allocation to public schools, the state allocation to schools within the jurisdiction. These two forms the socio-political source of funds, while there is the local source from payments by the attending students. Besides, there could also be internally generated funds from projects, programs and economic activities approved for and/or by the school. Realizing the economic good in education and the source of funding of schools are important tools that can contribute to stemming abuse of funds in schools especially high schools. While it is illegal to misuse funds for personal goals, aspirations like acquisition of political power or savings towards retirement, it is necessary for head teachers to realize the role of education in the growth and development of the adolescent child that attend high schools. If they realize the import this can have on the morals and social development of these kids, the propensity to embezzle schools funds would diminish in our schools. One of the practices that prevent abuse of funds includes fiscal accountability. Realizing that for every allocation by the government or payment by the attending students would be accounted for contribute to stopping the abuse of funds. This fiscal accountability is achieved by tracking fund though the means of revenue and expenditure track, monitoring of accounting transactions and auditing. As part of this measure, auditing is an inevitable tool; it includes internal and external audit. While the former uses local staff, the latter adopts using the appropriate institutions within the society which can rarely be influenced the caprices of a local head of high school. In any situation there is inconsistency in the tracking of the funds, which shows that there is need for more scrutiny of such heads. If this auditing can be effectively carried out at all levels of education especially at high schools, it would drastically change the shape of funding and spending within schools by their principals. Another equally important tool is Budgeting: this includes organizing financial transactions, balancing them through stipulated revenue and expenditure plan with a view to meeting staff needs, fund student activities and attain social and local goals. Organizations can incremental, use of school site, outcome-focused or tailored towards program planning. Balancing includes planning revenue and expenditure in such a way as to achieve a balance, deficit or surplus. The aim of budgeting is basically to draw a financial plan to meet specific needs. This gives rooms for identifying challenges and tackling them within the limit of available resources. A comprehensive budget would meet staffing needs which covers recruitment and selection, compensation, and continuous training and retraining on advancements in technological and teaching practices. It would also make provisions for student’s activities and embark of appropriate programs that can meet school and district missions. There would also be allocations for infrastructure development to cover construction works, architectural lay-out and provision of necessary education facilities. Such a budget would encompass all areas that need improvement within the school; when these goals are outlined and there is institutional will to meet them, it would be difficult to abuse funds. Usually available funds may not even be sufficient to meet needs driving fund-raising and capital programs for increased revenue generation. When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable. This is the essence of the budget. Realizing the importance of good governance with respect to financial prudence on the morals of staff and students makes a leader a judicious custodian of available financial resources. Fiscal accountability through auditing by internal and external outfits dampens the propensity to divert school funds towards personal goals. Since knowledge does not preclude this evil, strict disciplinary measure meted to offenders who are convicted of this white collar crime is another practice that militates against abuse of school funds. These are measures that prevent misuse of school funds. REFERENCES Safeguarding School Funds by Henry Linn. 4th edition. †¢ Review of Educational Research, Vol. 3, No. 5, 399-408 (1933) 1933 American Educational Research Association Chapter VI: School Finance †¢ Does money matter? GT Burtless – Policy Studies Journal, 1997 †¢ Pritchett, Lant & Filmer, Deon, 1999. What education production functions really show: a positive theory of education expenditures. Economics of education review. Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 223-239, April. †¢ Goldhaber, Dan D. , 1996. Public and private high schools: Is school choice an answer to productivity problem. Economics of education review. Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 93-109, April.

Organization of International Business

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. was incorporated in 1969 and now is the world’s largest and most successful grocery retailer which was selected as world’s largest company in 2007, by Fortune 500. It has 8,970 stores in 15 countries and total revenue of $421,849 billion (2010). Wal-Mart’s main business strategy is ‘EDLP-Every Day Low Price’ which is the key-point of their success. To accomplish this strategy, they mainly focused on efficiency of distribution structure. They used ‘Cross-docking system’, ‘POS’ system, ‘QR-Quick Response’ System. All those strategies core values are ‘Time’ and ‘Response’.Shorten the time for everything includes distribution, storing, etc directly affected lower the price of goods which could be best response to customer need. In other words, Wal-Mart has been successful since they always managed their time and response to customer. Those points were same for Wal-Mart ’s â€Å"International division† startegy. Their international division wasn’t like these days at the early stage. The international division was centralized so the branches needed to get approval for every action and decision from headquarter in USA.However, this centralization process made whole process slow and it harmed the core value of Wal-Mart. Also, they realized that the system can’t be same in other countries. It needed to be changed and modified in order to fully get into each local market place. By the late 1990’s they started to change their policy for international division. They gave more responsibility to each division so that they don’t have to wait for approval and response from headquarter. By this change, each international divisions could meet their local market’s need more rapidly and effectively.2. Why did the centralization of decisions in Wal-Mart’s international division at headquarters create problems for the company’s different national operations? Has Wal-Mart’s response been appropriate? The headquarter first thought that centralization will help them get into other countries cause the methods and ways they used were already proved in domestic market. The centralization wasn’t that bad when they started because there were not many things to care about. However, by the international division gets bigger, they had to deal with bunch of things from lot of different countries.The headquarter had to consider tons of decisions and problems. Of course the whole process got into arrears. In other word, the headquarter of Wal-Mart was overloaded. This condition was natural because the domestic way couldn’t be fitted same in other countries. Each international division tried their best in order to make maximum profit on their market, and that effort caused lot of things to be approved by headquarter. To solve this problem, Wal-Mart started to decentralize th eir international division. This helped each division to tailor them self more easily for the local customers.They could make decision and take action faster. Also they could response to local customer’s need instantly. I think this decision was pretty appropriate. Headquarter can focus to their main domestic market without waste their energy and international division also can make best result in their local market. 3. Do you think that having an international division is the best structure for managing Wal-Mart’s foreign operations? What problems might arise with this structure? What other structure might work? I think international division is moderate choice for Wal-Mart’s foreign operations.The head quarter can easily replicate the domestic structure to international division so that they don’t struggle from start in new local market. However, I think there could be problems arise with that way. There could be damage to headquarter’s reputatio n they’ve made in domestic market if international division makes mistake or distortion of core value while they try to adjust to local market. It will seriously harm whole Wal-Mart’s name and will affect their sales. For example, while they try to get into Korea, they didn’t know about Korea’s atmosphere and condition.They struggled in Korea for years and finally got out of Korea without getting anything. This mistake damaged Wal-Mart’s name maybe not only in Korea division but also in headquarter. In this case for Wal-Mart, Worldwide Area Structure could worked, too. If they use this structure, the great system they proved in domestic market can be used in all the areas but all the other things can be adjusted to each area’s property. In that way, they can reduce possibility of failure in certain country like Korea or German.4. Conclusion Wal-Mart is one of biggest company in the world and they’re making huge amount of money all ove r the world. There is no doubt that they are successful. But it doesn’t mean that they have nothing to fix or improve. If they want to expand their business, they should make their international division more efficient and effective. That means, sure they should use their great system they have used in domestic market to international division but those strategies are needed to be reformed in each countries. In that way, they might able to make high profit all over the world without struggling from cultural and industry difference.

Case Study (Business Research Methods) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case Study (Business Research Methods) - Essay Example Thus, there is no need in explanatory research. There are definite questions Joe has to answer in the process of his research. He has already done a previous research in the Internet and found some articles comparing and discussing taste of coffee from Starbucks, McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Burger King and other smaller local coffee shops. However, not all of the studies found by Joe are relevant. The first study done by only one person, who purchased different types of coffee revealing his point of view about their taste and prices, is rather irrelevant. Such kind of information is neither objective nor representational. It cannot be regarded as a serious research after all. Moreover, since McDonald’s was best in this study, it can be claimed that it’s just pro-McDonald’s mini-campaign. The second study on the best-tasting coffee is interesting to read, but does not represent a great value. One and the same type of coffee can be prepared differentl y and, thus, have a different flavor. I think the last study is the most relevant and representational. A sample of 50 interviewed consumers of St. Louis, Missouri represents tastes and preferences of the locals regarding coffee and tea experiences. Joe has to take into account the methods used for the research in considering the coffee taste studies. A point of view is not a study as I have already mentioned above.

Marketing Planning and Strategy (The Buying Process)2 Assignment

Marketing Planning and Strategy (The Buying Process)2 - Assignment Example This is a remarkable need that has been substantially developed by the marketer through the online description of the product alone. In particular, target customers who are in the arena of influencing people will eventually realize to desire for a need for this product offering. Ideally, people involved in the field of persuading other people would want to become effective here (Larson, 2012). Thus, in their current state, they want to improve more in their skills of persuasion. Thus, the marketer has made the right choice of placing the actual description of the product that will trigger this need. The product is like a helping guide that aims to improve its users’ experience with persuading people. Concerning this, the marketer is able to implement the idea particularly in seeking value on the part of the customers relating to their personal experiences of influencing or persuading people. For this reason, the product is trying to suggest scanning one’s memory in line with the importance of persuasion. One’s memory with product or related experience is a fundamental source of information from the point of view of the marketer (Kimmel, 2012). Such idea brings forward to the primary source of internal information about the customers’ buying behavior. On the other hand, the dominant source of external information that the marketer showcased on the site is the presence of helpful customers’ reviews with significant ratings. Customers’ reviews are essential ways to trigger positive customer’s response on the product or service offerings (Schneier, Shaw, Beatty & Baird, 1995). Marketers believe that this could trigger customers’ buying behavior. Aside from the product description and customers’ reviews, the product conveys the need to have it through editorial reviews too. These reviews are essential justifications of the

Morality Plays and their influence on Shakespeare Research Paper

Morality Plays and their influence on Shakespeare - Research Paper Example Depiction of medieval morality traditions is the hallmark of most of the Shakespearean traditions, whether tragedy or comedy. Morality is the dominant trait of the heroes in the works of Shakespeare, like Macbeth, Hamlet, Tempest, Twelfth Night, etc. The final outcomes/conclusion- of his dramas highlight a significant moral choice. With hard options left to the characters as for the moral order, the plots of his dramas attains new dimensions. How is the theme of morality explored in Shakespearean dramas and what techniques are used to show this? Some of his works are examined in this paper. Macbeth: Macbeth, a tragedy by Shakespeare (1992), has several violent incidents, with a strong undercurrent of morality relating to Macbeth’s violation of ethical norms prevailing in that era. Macbeth’s violation of the moral order with his pre-planned murder of Duncan indicates Shakespeare’s intricate representation of evil and the reaction to such deeds. Christian morality is put to severe test in this drama. In the initial stages of the drama, Macbeth is an honorable, brave soldier. But his encounters with witches cause a dent in his moral standards. It kindles the fire of ambition in him. His action of murder of King Duncan in order to enthrone himself as the King is a mean, evil action by moral standards. His loyalty is proved dubious. Initially he had set the highest standards of morality for him and his abidance in religious principles is total. One needs to read his soliloquy (I, IV, 12-28) to understand his clear-cut stand as to why he should not kill Duncan on three counts. He is "his kinsman," "his subject" and "his host." He pays highest tributes to his angelic qualities, which again indicates his inner moral inclinations. But the evil in Lady Macbeth intervenes to ill-advise Macbeth. She ridicules him that he is a coward, if he decides not to kill Macbeth. Macbeth is in a dilemma. As a soldier and as husband he does not desire to be labeled as a coward. His virtue and moral standards stand subjugated by his self-image and ambition. The moral dilemma doesn’t end with the murder of Duncan, but intensifies. He totally surrenders to the evil by challenging Fate and he kills Banquo and his descendants. One evil deed follows the other and he loses his power of discrimination and is engulfed in desire for power. His convictions are now â€Å"foul is fair and fair is foul," and thus he has become a morally bankrupt individual. In the end he pays the consequences for his immorality. Hamlet: The corrupted moralities in Hamlet’s moral choices have far-reaching consequences and ultimately lead to the devastation of the royal house of Denmark. The moral rule will not continue indefinitely, evil results follow in a time-bound manner. Every individual has to suffer the consequences in proportion to the intensity of such deeds. The negative vibrations generated by bad action will not go unpunished. The concept of reven ge is a pagan act that goes against the morality of Christianity. The approach of revenge with Hamlet’s order to kill Claudius by his father’s ghost is one such act. To commit this act, Hamlet goes through one of the worst moral dilemmas, and his fears about going to hell are genuine. Finally, Hamlet achieves his moral goal by exposing the guilt of Claudius

Ban smoking in public places Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ban smoking in public places - Essay Example Smoke from cigarettes is affecting the environment as a whole and is also affecting the individuals who smoke. This is the very reason that smoking is being banned in public places so it cannot harm other individuals. This argumentative essay would further expand the points of smoking ban on public places and would provide with a definitive conclusion as to which side is more convincing (Vallero 2008, Goudie 2000 & Cooper 2001). The proponents of the ban on smoking in public places present with researches carried out on the topic which clearly shows that smoking in these public places is harmful to the health of many individuals who are exposed to the smoke involuntarily (Carb 2003). They argue that the smoke in these public places can cause non smokers to passively smoke and some asthmatic patients can have a triggered asthmatic attack because of it. (National Health Survey 1994). Similarly patients who are already suffering from fatal diseases would be triggered by this tobacco smoke if they are exposed to it highly as reported by the CDC (Washington Post 2004). They bring forward laws which provide every human life in this world with the right that they should not be exposed to carcinogens which would affect their health and if this ban on smoking does not take place then these individuals would be exposed to the carcinogens of cigarette (U.S Department of Health and Human Services). They also bring forw ard other harms which may be caused by cigarette smoke to the society. The cigarette butts that are left behind by the smoker can be a cause of fire at many places and by imposing ban on smoking the government can ensure that these incidents are avoided (Daily Courier 2004). Similarly it is found that these butts of cigarettes also constitute a great part of the litter found on the beaches and if bans are strictly imposed on these recreational places the cost of cleaning the places would be much low. (Chicago Sun Times 2003). It is seen that many of the

John D. Ashcroft, Petitioner, V. Abdullah Al-Kidd Case Study

John D. Ashcroft, Petitioner, V. Abdullah Al-Kidd - Case Study Example Al-Kidd further alleges that during the trial of Al-Hussayen, he has never been called as a witness and also that the authorities have â€Å"never meant to do so† (p.1). Therefore, the petitioner challenges the constitutional validity of Attorney General’s â€Å"alleged policy† in authorizing his detention on the pretext that he is a material witness in the trial against Sami Omar (p.1). Initially, the case has been heard by the Ninth Circuit Court, which held that the action of the Attorney General has violated the individual’s rights under the Fourth Amendment which disallows â€Å"pretextual arrests† in the absence of a possible cause of a criminal activity (p.1). John Ashcroft, the Attorney General, challenging the decision of Ninth Circuit Court, has filed the suit to Supreme Court appealing for a review. On a petition by Al-Kidd, the Ninth Circuit Court has heard the case and ordered that the Attorney General’s action of securing a warrant under the pretext that the petitioner is a material witness in another case and hence he cannot leave the country, and his detention for this reason, is a violation of his constitutional rights. Therefore, the court has denied Ashcroft’s motion to dismiss the petition on â€Å"qualified immunity grounds† (p.1). The main issue present in the case is the question of the validity of the detention of Al-Kidd from a legal perspective, under the prevailing threat to national security of the US. The Attorney General has allegedly secured a warrant under the federal statutes relating to â€Å"material witness† for the detention of the former (Abrams, 2011, p.1). It becomes relevant here that the action of the Attorney General in securing the warrant for the detention of the petitioner is well within the relevant laws and thus it is purely legal. Under the prevailing circumstances in the country, when terrorist activities have been rampant in the nation, the petitioner has been detained because of his relevance

International business class (Discussion Board) Assignment - 1

International business class (Discussion Board) - Assignment Example Demand conditions simply meant the domestic demand for a product. Demand encourages production because of the incentive of profit. The more the company creates a particular product, the more they become good at it. Related supporting industries are complementary firms that make an industry benefit through it and enhances its competitiveness. Firms strategy, structure and rivalry simply meant the regulatory conditions in a certain country that could encourage innovation and rivalry that would ultimately make firms competitive. If Porter’s theory is to be taken as an absolute truth especially with his factor conditions that the availability of resources would make a country competitive, then Africa would have been one of the richest countries in the world because almost all raw materials in production can be found there. But as we already know, Africa is one of the poorest continent in the world and this posits that natural resources alone is not enough to make a country competitive debunking Porter’s first notion of factor condition as a prelude to national

Delta Air Lines Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Delta Air Lines - Term Paper Example Today the company consists of a fleet size of 722 different passenger and cargo aircraft as well as more than 80,000 employees working across the world. Company has its major assets at eleven airports and its 247 aircraft operate at 247 international routes (Delta Stats and Facts). By the end of 2011, Delta Airline was enjoying a net income of $854 million with its total assets around $43.49 billion (Delta Airlines Annual Report, 2011). After five years of operations, Delta Airlines got a contract from United States Post Office. This contract made the company to shift its major set up from Georgia to Dallas. The company shifted from Atlanta (Georgia) to Dallas on 5th August, 1934 and after seven years returned back to its parent city. With the passage of time, Delta Airline followed on growth strategy as in 1953, it acquired Southern Airways and Chicago. In 1972, it did acquisition with Northeastern Airlines as well therefore; it expanded its routes to get an edge over its competitor s. Delta Airlines executed its growth strategy quite well till the end of 1970s. Due to transporting of more than 3.3 million passengers in 1978, the company was ranked No.3 in the industry; however, the same year US government enforced the Federal Airlines Deregulations Act of 1978. The act put a negative impact on Delta Airline and some other dominating companies and therefore set a base for Low Cost Carriers (LCC). Moreover, the airline industry was serenely affected by several factors in 80s and 90s. These factors included global recession of early 80s, rising fuel prices towards late 80s, and first gulf war in early 90s. Delta Airlines also affected by these, however, its strong management and infrastructure made it again at No.3 in position in the airline industry. This year it took around 67.2 million passengers to their destinations in different parts of the world. The company also generated revenue of about $8.5 billion. Along with its successful growth, one of the biggest achievements of the company is its employee reward system which enabled the company to maintain a high employee retention rate. CULTURE According to a survey conducted by J.D Power, Delta Airline has been recognized as the 2nd best airline company with respect to customer service. In 2009, the company won three awards of ‘Business Traveler Magazine’ for the fourth consecutive year. These awards were given in the categories of ‘Best Airline Web Site’, ‘Best Frequent Flyer Program’, and ‘Best Airport Lounge’ (PR Newswire). Due to its vast experience in air operations, the company has created warms relations among its employees that have great retention as well as loyalty with the company. For example in 2006, pilots of the company got themselves away from a probable strike by accepting a deal with the organization in terms of their salary and other package. This willingly accepted agreement not only enabled the company to save about $280 million per year but also kept it firm with its routine operations. CURRENT OPERATIONS By April 2010, the

Etiquette Essay Example for Free

Etiquette Essay Discuss the importance of business and dining etiquette for international/global business students for their career success. Etiquette is a kind of rules that apply to social communications, professional workplaces and other important areas. In today’s business environment, proper business etiquette is a kind of business skills, which makes us stand out from others and makes a good impression to others, enhance our opportunities to be success (Sheahan, K. , 2013, para. 1) Proper business etiquette can help us to make a good impression during our job interviews. In a business environment, interviewers are more likely to be attracted by the interviewees who show good professional skills. Using proper business etiquette when we participate in a job interview can make a good impression to the interviewer, this increases our opportunity to be hired. For an instant, an interviewee who attends an interview on time, with proper wear, bring a pen to be in case, make more eye contact and understand the proper time to be the turn to speak has more chances of impressing the interviewer than the interviewee who is late or always talking without listening. These interviewees act good etiquette can make interviewers believe they are respected, professional and serious. Good business etiquette can promote our careers in the future (Sheahan, K. , 2013, para. 3). There is no doubt that the networking is significant for today’s business success, and etiquette is one of the key ways to build good relationships with others, so that our personal network could be expanded positively. There are number of business etiquette rules we should follow during our daily business activities, such as hand shaking, eye contact, and listen to others. And also dining business is very common in today, business dining etiquette is a kind of common business etiquette. If we do not understand the dining etiquette we may easily hurt our business relationship, so follow the dining etiquette is as important as daily face-to-face business etiquette (Hickman, K. , 2011, p90).

The Language Of Shop Signs English Language Essay

The Language Of Shop Signs English Language Essay In the present study, the linguistic landscape will be established as a field of sociolinguistic inquiry. The focus will be on one aspect of urban language contact on written medium: the language of Tunisian shop signs. This paper will also examine the effect of such practice on young Tunisian people. The broad objective is to investigate the current status of English in relation and in contrast with French and Tunisian Arabic. 1.2. Background Many studies have been conducted to investigate the use of foreign languages on private shop signs and displays (Dimova, 2007; Hasnova, 2010; McArthur, 2000; Stewart and Fawcett, 2004; Schlick, 2002). McArthur (2000) examined this sociolinguistic practice in Sweden and Switzerland, Stewart and Fawcett (2004) in northern Portugal, McGregor (2003) in Japan. Common sociolinguistic patterns are observed. This evidences the important effect of globalization on visual aspect of trade. Scholars interested in LL show differences in perspectives. Some of them choose to compare the findings between cities belonging to the same country; while others limit their investigation to the shop signs that exist in a single city. The comparison between cities will be then drawn in forthcoming studies. There are also scholars like Schlick (2000) and McGregor (2003) who confine their surveys to examine the degree of the use of foreign terms on shop signs. Others like Dimova (2007) further explore whether there is a correlation between the languages used and types of shop. Rationale The linguistic landscape is part of our everyday experience and its importance as a social practice has been overlooked by sociolinguists. The study of LL enlightens the linguistic situation prevailing in a particular area. Torkington ( 2009) maintains that through an examination of these practices that symbolic power relations may be revealed (Torkington, 2009:123). This study will then use LL as a platform for sociolinguistic study. Expected young readers will be given voice through a questionnaire exploring their attitudes towards the languages used on shop signs in general, and English language in particular. The city is generally known as a place of language contact. Tunis center forms then a perfect field of investigation. Not only is it a place for talk but also a place where written forms do exist. From an academic perspective, writing is of equal importance to the spoken mode. Public written signs provide useful contextual information pertaining to the investigated environment. They would help the researcher to decode the multilingual situation. So, the analysis of the cityscape or one element thereof would provide a unique perspective on the coexistence and competition of different languages and their scripts, and how they interact and interfere with each other in a given place (Backhaus, 2007:145). Language attitude among expected young readers will be taken into consideration. It will be investigated to know whether visual interfaces influence language beliefs of these people. This stems from the general assumption that younger generation is fascinated by visuals. Along with the analysis of shop signs, language attitude investigation will hopefully provide a more valuable picture of the multilingual situation in Tunis. Traditional sociolinguistics is geared towards analyzing aspects of speech, such as pronunciation and accent, in order to determine how language varieties are expressed and represented within communities. LL research (Backhaus, 2007; Gorter Shohamy, 2009), on the other hand, examines language in its written form. Its broad objective is to determine the degree of multilingualism found on street signage in a specific area. The present study will be different than precedent sociolinguistic studies that focus on spoken mode of a language or a variety at the expense of its written form. It will examine scripts displayed on shop signs in Tunis. Literature review This literature review introduces the concept of linguistic landscape research in relation to sociolinguistics. It examines the similarities between linguistic landscape and advertising. It also discusses a number of empirical studies related to one component of LL: the language of shop signs. It finally tackles language attitudes in relation to shop signs. 2.1. Linguistic landscape and Sociolinguistic: Sociolinguistics is the study of language in relation to society (Hudson, 1996). One of the key values of this field is the social context in which language is learnt or used. Sociolinguists study language in relation to social factors such as age, gender, class, social distance, and social status. They are also concerned with identifying the social functions of language and the way they are used to convey social meanings. But, it is important to note that sociolinguistics focuses on speech at the expense of written form of language. The bias is displayed even in the definition of language. The language is what the members of a particular society speak (Wardhaugh, 2010:1). The study of public signage has emerged presumably in the seventies. However, the term linguistic landscape was introduced by Landry and Bourhis (1997). Linguistic landscape is also used interchangeably with the term cityscape because the mainstream of LL literature selects urban public space as a place of investigation (Coulmas 2009: 13). The LL research is mainly descriptive: it observes and records how language is actually used. Coulmas (2009:14) defines LL research as the study of writings on displays in the public sphere. The constituents of LL are more detailed in the definition of Landry and Bourhis as follow: The language of public road signs, advertising billboards, street names, place names, commercial shop signs, and public signs on government buildings combines to form the LL of a given territory, region, or urban agglomeration(Landry and Bourhis 1997: 25; as cited in Backhaus, 2007:9). Ben-Rafael et al (2006) refute this definition as it consists of texts that are only o utside buildings. They maintain that LL does incorporate signs that are inside and outside public institutions or private businesses. Sociolinguistics and LL research have common threads. They both seek to understand how language is actually used. They also focus on urbanized settings as a place of analysis. They may be then combined to analyze distribution of languages and varieties in the city. Language in public signage can be a fertile ground for sociolinguistic investigation. The study of LL may even help the sociolinguist to more understand the nexus between language use in public signage and other social attributes like identity. 2.2. Shop signs versus advertising A successful ad is expected to accomplish five functions: attracting attention, commanding interest, creating desire, and provoking action (Vestergaard Schroder 1985:1, as cited in Sandhya, 2000). Likewise, a business name is good if it succeeds to catch the eye of the reader, stimulates his or her desire to buy goods from the shop. It is not a random use of words and expressions, but rather an art that aims to catch the readers eye. Shop owners are certainly aware that language has a powerful influence over people and their behavior. They try to be selective when naming their shops. They tend to use eye-catching phrases and word-triggers. Economy of words is also to be taken into consideration. Business naming is like usual ads, in that the language in use may not be correct. Business names are then a form of display advertising. But, this type of ads has certain specificity. It does not adopt any prescriptive or normative approach to language use (Bhatia, 1987:35, as cited in Thon us: 1991). 2.3. Anglicization of shop signs: With the growing interest in the concept of signage in public sphere, there have appeared a number of interesting articles in various journals, especially in English Today. Most of them focus on English spread in environment space in general and on shop signs in particular. This spread is obviously due to the political and scientific power of United States (Thonus, 1991). The appeal of Anglo-American cultures, lifestyle and values has further boosted the status of English language worldwide (McArthur, 2000). In Portugal, shop signs are mainly monolingual; mostly are in Portuguese and the larger remainder is in English (10%) (Stewart and Fawcett, 2004: 57). Two striking features are depicted in the aforementioned study. First, the six investigated cities are near to Spain, but Spanish words were never seen on any shop sign. Second, roughly two-thirds of English shop signs displayed Snack bar. This shows the lack of creativity. The authors found that even stop signs for the control of traffic in Portugal and those in United States are the same. This ascertains the widespread of English language not only in Portuguese shop signs, but in the overall Portuguese landscape. Even Post-Soviet states, like Uzbekistan, no longer view English language as the language of Western imperialism but a language of modernity and elitism (Hasanova, 2010:1). Hasanova (2010) examined 97 shop signs scattered in five districts in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. The number of shop signs in English (55.6%) is more important than those in native languages: Uzbek(17.5%) and Russian(24.7%). One may find that this is unusual insofar as English in not even a second language in the country. According to the author, English language is abundantly used in shop signs because it is the most widely learned foreign language in Uzbekistan. It is worthy to mention that English language appear not only on signs of stores but also in front of bazaar covered stalls. The superiority of English language is displayed in terms of frequency and appearance. This is manifested in non-English writings that appear in small scripts across the awnings and marquees of the investigated shops. Besides, most Englis h names were written in Roman letters and not transliterated in Uzbek or Russian. Hasanova (2010) found out that the choice of language used in naming depends on the store type. Shops that basically sell electronics and computers were named in English language. Surprisingly enough, none of them was named in Uzbek. On signs of Internet cafà ©s, the dominant language was English (62.5%), followed by Russian, than Uzbek (12.5%). Most English names were either compound nouns or meaningful words. On the other hand, Uzbek names either were proper names or simply indicated the type of the shop. Dimova(2007) examined the use of English language in a larger sample: 346 shop signs in Veles, Macedonia. It is worthy to mention that the data corpus include brand names and window slogans. The results of her investigation showed that English is the most dominant foreign language in shop signs (36.9%). According to Schlick (2003), using English in business names is a tendency to Westernize Veles and other cities, like Ljubljana and Kranjarea, after the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia. This can be evidenced by the extensive presence of Western consumerism marked by the important presence of American brand names such as Coca Cola. The study also showed that bilingual English shop signs are more common than unilingual ones. Remarkably, none of the investigated shop signs feature words from English and other foreign language like Spanish or Italian. Dimova noted six patterns of use among English- Macedonian bilingual shop signs in the sample. One of these patterns is juxtaposing Macedonian names with brand names. Dimova focused on the subdivisions of business signs that were in English language. But, her study did not show how these English texts appear. It did not indicate whether Macedonian words are spelled in original, i.e. Roman Latin, or Cyrillic. Like the study of Hasanova (2010), it proved that Anglicization of shop signs depends on the type of business. English words and expressions appear in all signs of Internet cafà ©s. They are likely present in all signs of fashion and entertainment businesses. Hasanova (2010) also noted incorrect spelling of certain English words like cafà © which was written as caffee in almost all signs. McGregor (2003) examined 120 shop signs in central Tokyo. The findings of her research show that shop signs appear primarily in Japanese (43.3%) then in English. One-quarters of the investigated shops, especially womens clothing stores and hair salons, are named in only English language. This echoes the common belief that western Fashion is superior to Japanese one. English words are believed to ornament goods, namely clothing. They function as status-enhancing embellishment (McGregor, 2003: 21). Creativity is manifested in English-looking signs, called also made-in-Japan English signs. McGregor explains that those signs comprise loanwords from English language but with new meanings. Sometimes those words are meaningless. What is important is their visual charm (McGregor, 2003: 21). Thonus(1991) collected her business signage data from Yellow Pages telephone directories of seven Brazilian cities. She confined her investigation to the use of English in relation with Portuguese. The results show that only 10% of the investigated shop signs contain English terms. Hybridized business names are the most pervasive (56%). In these names, the generic element appears in Portuguese; and the specific element in English. Thonus noted that the spelling of 9 % of the investigated English naming in Porto Alegre is deviant in a way that it looks more Portuguese ,for example My-Deia instead of my dear (Thonus, 1991:72). There are cases that display the incorrect use of the genitive such as Silvascar (Thonus, 1991:72). Kashru (1992) distinguishes between a mistake and a deviation which is the result of the new un-English linguistic and cultural setting in which English language is used ( Kachru, 1992:62). He explains that The reincarnations were essentially caused by the new bili ngual (or multilingual) settings and by the new contexts in which English had to function (Kachru, 1992:6). But, among deviations characteristic is being systematic and not idiosyncratic (Kachru, 1992:62). According to Thonus, this deliberate spelling deviancy is simply perceived as an attention-getting device. Fused compounds and doublets consist of roughly 6% of the sample. They are mechanisms used in modernization (Dsouza, 1987:64, cited in Thonus, 1991). She noted confusion about word-order restrictions not only in English but also in their own language. For instance, a hotel is named Hotel Center Park instead of Center Park Hotel (Thonus, 1991:73). It is not clear whether the name-givers are attempting to adopt English nomenclature consciously, or merely to imitate English sounding words like the case in Japan. However, what is clear is that English terms in a business sign serve as a modern ring to the offered products in order to impress the passer-by. According to Thonus, En glish is used on shop signs to impress the Brazilian everyperson not the tourist (Thonus, 1991: 68). In the main, the aforementioned studies examined languages displayed on shop signs and their relative weight. English names are used in token of modernity and fashion (Dimova, 2007; Hasanova, 2010). They may be incomprehensible for some people, but attractive for the entire population (Hasanova, 2010). The English language depends on the type of the shop (Dimova, 2007; Hasanova, 2010). But, the name itself at times has no relation with the type of business. For example, SAPIX is an acronym formed from Science, Art, Philosophy, Identity, plus X despite the fact that science, art, and philosophy are not taught at cram schools in Japan (McGregor, 2003: 21). 2.4. Multilingualism in Shop Signs: The LL literature sheds light on multilingual practices in the written form. It reports that shop signs are increasingly multilingual worldwide. In urban space, written language mixing is examined in terms of types and functions. Recent studies of shop signs have documented a growing tendency to language mix in business naming (Shlick, 2003; McArthur, 2000). Apparently, one language is presumed to be not enough visible without the support of a foreign language, namely English. Apart from visibility, there is another function of language support especially when the local language and foreign language are used together. This combination makes it easier for the local community to understand the shop name (McGregor, 2003). This explanation is more valid for countries where the foreign language education is primarily given in translation. McArthur explains mixing languages on shop signs, apart from trendiness, as an attempt to revive the local language (Schlick, 2002). Multilingual signs contain real or coined words from two or more languages (Schlick, 2002:5). Certain messages are traditional and bland like Farmacia; while others are unusual and quirky such as Restaurant le bourjolais (McArthur, 2000:35). The stu dy McAthur(2000) focuses on the strength of macaronic usage in street and shop signs (McArthur, 2000:34). Such vigor is mainly due to two features: the creativity and the interplay (McAthur, 2000:41). Signs with macaronic tendencies are believed to be doubly eye-catching (Schlick, 2002:5). However, shop signs may lose their macaronic quality when translated. Besides, if they are naturalized into a language, they are no longer seen macaronic by native speakers (McArthur, 2000). Addison 1710 states that the great art in writing ads is finding out a proper method to catch the readers eye; without which a good thing may pass over unobserved'(as cited in Bassiouney, 2009:283). Alternating two or more languages on a shop sign seems to be a proper method to get the customers attention. This tendency is flourishing (McArthur, 2000:43). But, the degree of multilingualism differs from a city to another and from a country to another. For example, the study of McArthur (2000) shows that shop signs in Zurich are highly multilingual. The linguistic nature of Switzerland accounts for the great number of multilingual shop signs. Switzerland is known for being a multilingual country where English, French, German and Italian are in daily use. Japan, however, is different in terms of linguistic ecology. It has been known as one of the prototypes of monolingual society (Backhaus, 2007). This explains the predominance of Japanese language in business naming: Japanese is the la nguage used in 43.3% of unilingual business names. The research of McArthur (2000) is highly original in the conceptualization of the language of shop signs. The language of shop signs appears to be universal, whimsical, and translinguistic (McArthur, 2000:36). It is simply called interanto (McArthur, 2000:36). The opening element inter- refers to the internationalism and interplay of the language of shop signs. The suffix -anto , as in the artificial language Esperanto, adds an exotic meaning to the word it is attached to. The universality is depicted through the use of key international words like parking, restaurant, boutique, etc. Such words are no longer perceived foreign especially in urban environment. Whimsicality is the outcome of language mixing, and particularly when such mixing is unpredictable. It is often displayed in a sign that contains words from mother tongue and foreign language. Such a sign would mark trendiness and being rooted with ones soil at the same time (Schlick, 2002:5). A word is said to be translinguisti c when it has no precise canonical form or meaning. The translinguistic aspect is particularly manifested in bilingual and trilingual European shop names. Biona Reformhaus, a healthy food store in Zurich, is one of the hybrid constructions (McArthur, 2000:35). It includes Greek (bio- and -na), French (reform-), and German (haus). Language mixing can be at the level of lexicon, syntax or script. McArthur states that hybridization is a phenomenon happening on top of an ancient inclination to hybridize (McArthur, 2000: 35). Ancient hybridization actually refers to word adaptation. Hybridization comprises all cases of clipping, tacking, deviant spelling, and fused compounds. For example, sole in Studio Sole refers to the French word Soleil. The spelling is modified in order to match the phonetic reading of its Japanese counterparts, so-ray (McGregor, 2003:22). Besides, Language mixing can be at the word-order level. For example, the STEAK HOUSE POLAIRE sign in the study of McGregor comprises not only a French adjective: POLAIRE, but also French word-order (McGregor, 2003:22). However, it is worth to mention that a linguist may be often trapped in possibilities. In the aforementioned case, McGregor states that the context can be also Japanese. Transliteration is another type of language mixing. Backhaus (2007) con tends that a transliterated or translated text on a shop sign is designed for people with foreign backgrounds. Transliterated shop signs are considered clever names in Japan as they often acquire double meaning (McGregor, 2003:19). This accounts for the significant number of transliterated Japanese business names to Roman letters. The name manpuku, for example, means Im full and happiness. Transliteration is also depicted from Roman letters to Japanese script. The American giant McDonalds appear in Katakana. Shop owners in other countries avoid the transliteration to the local language script. For example, Uzbek shop owners avoid the transliteration of shop names to Uzbek or Russian script (Hasanova, 2010). In summary, the language of shop signs is universal, whimsical, and translinguistic. Multilingualism should be approached lexically, syntactically, and in terms of orthographically. It is very interesting to study unusual and quirky texts. 2.5. Methodological difficulties: The investigation of shop signs seems easy. The scholar would stroll along two or more streets and collect names of businesses, and analyze them afterwards. But, many methodological hurdles should be considered and dealt with first. To begin with, the unit of analysis can be a problem. The definition of a shop sign is controversial. Some scholars consider window-filling slogans part of shop signs (McArthur, 2000; Schlick, 2002, Dimova, 2007). Others exclude the names of internationally known products from the analysis of shop signs such as Coca Cola, Kodak, Fujifilm, etc. (Hasanova, 2010; Stewart and Fawcett, 2004). However, if brand names are eliminated from the data corpus, the linguistic impact of trademarks on individuals and groups would be denied. The overall understanding of shop signs would be then affected. Besides, when the term shop sign varies in scope from one study to another, the comparison between those surveys becomes impossible. Besides, the taxonomy of shop signs is difficult. Business names do not always fall into neat categories because of the word formation. For instance, there are true English loanwords and quasi-English words which are usually the result of back clipping (Gorach, 1989:303, cited in Thonus, 1991). Words pertaining to the second type are called so as they do not conform to the English norms. Adoption and adaptation process impedes an easy classification of shop signs. The term glass, a shop name in Sweden introduced in the survey of McArthur (2000:38), illustrates this ambiguity. One may think that it is an English word; while it is rather an adapted form of French glace. Ateljà © is another translinguistic word; and it is a Swedish adaptation of French atelier (McArthur, 2000:38). The ado in this case is whether or not to classify the adapted word if recognized in the class of etymon, i.e. the language of origin. McArthur (2000) suggests that an adapted cognate is naturalized into a di fferent language; and accordingly it must not be attributed to the language of origin. So, glass and Ateljà © are Swedish; they belong to German and not to French language. Besides, certain terms, such as restaurant and cafà ©, have become international and are no longer seen foreign (Schlick, 2002). So, to attribute cafà © or bar to English language can be also discussed as these words have the same form and the same pronunciation in a number of languages (Stewart and Fawcett, 2004). Furthermore, methodological decisions seem to heavily depend on the investigators perspective. In most LL research, the sites of investigation are chosen in central cities because they are the busiest streets or squares according to the scholar. Dimova (2007), for example, opted for a large city situated in central Macedonia. Others, like McArthur (2000), chose the more touristy streets in the city (McArthur, 2000:33). Besides, most studies of shop signs are based on quantitative approach. The perplexing question is whether the selected streets are representative of the whole city. Besides, some scholars tend to include all businesses they encounter; while others like Dimova (2007) limit their counting to only one sign per business. In conclusion, the study of texts on shop signs is difficult because different languages have the same form and pronunciation of certain words. Besides, the representativeness of investigated shop signs can be questioned because the site selection and the sample size depend on the investigators perspective. Moreover, the comparison between certain studies becomes impossible because the unit of analysis differs in scope from one survey to another. 2.6. Language attitude: Language attitude was introduced by the Canadian social psychologist Wallace Lambert. It started to intrigue the sociolinguists only in 1970s. Since then, many sociolinguists have been studying the language attitude that communities share. The mainstream of the studies; whereas, is geared towards attitudes towards speech styles. LL research provides an insight into the actual use of languages in environmental print. But, it does not indicate how these languages are perceived by the local community. The investigation of language attitude would help to produce a more complete picture of multilingualism in the city of Tunis. The present study will not be confined to the mere listing and enumeration of languages. The language used on shop signs is a standing point for a comprehensive understanding of linguistic situation in the city of Tunis. Gorter (2007) ascertains that language used in open environment affects language perception. He maintains that LL has some bearing on peoples perception and attitude about language, influences the use of language in society. He states that [t]he linguistic landscape has an added value because of the impact it can have on the people who see the signs (Gorter, 2007:24). So, the investigation of language attitude of the young expected readers of shop signs would be significant ly relevant to the study of language choice in a multilingual society. It would determine whether there is a nexus between linguistic choice of the shop owner and linguistic preference of young customers in Tunis. It would also examine whether there is a significant effect of visible signage in public space on language beliefs among the young readers (Coulmas, 2009: 28). In other words, it would clarify whether seeing abundant use of foreign terms in public space changes the customers language attitude favorably. The visibility of these scripts on shop marquees in great number must have some bearing on the individuals language attitude. This stems from the belief that Language has a powerful influence over people and their behavior. In a nutshell, the investigation of language attitude would foremost give a more comprehensive insight into the multilingual situation within the territory of Tunis. Baker (1992) states that attitude can be either instrumental or integrative or both. An instrumental language attitude is characterized by a desire to acquire or learn a particular language in order to fulfill material needs. An integrative attitude, on the other hand, reflects a desire to be identified as a member of the culture and community related to the language. According to Baker (1992), the language attitude is a construct of three components: cognition, feelings and readiness for action (Baker, 1992: 13). The cognitive component is made up of the beliefs and opinions about an object. The second component clearly refers to the emotions that the individual feels about that object. The behavioral component refers to ones actions or behavioral intentions towards the object. Questionnaires are generally used to explore one of the intricate and fascinating ways in which language can influence the individuals everyday thoughts, feelings and behavior. This is illustrated in the stat ement of Al-Saidat Emad (2009): An attitude is individual, but it has origins in collective behaviour. In the present study, it is hypothesized that the visibility of English language in streets develops positive attitudes towards English. When language becomes part of the individuals experience, one would embrace it to his/her linguistic repertoire. In conclusion, individual language attitude is a psychological construct that affects the reality of language for the whole society. Its investigation would help to understand the language growth, restoration or destruction. Methodology 3.1. Research questions: Q1: What is the linguistic classification of shop signs in Tunis? Q2 : Are unilingual signs more pervasive than multilingual ones? Q3: What is the most prominent language of store signs in Tunis? Q4: Is English the most attractive language in Tunisian shop signs? 3.2. Research hypotheses: H1: Shop signs in city center of Tunis can be divided into unilingual, bilingual and multilingual signs. H2: Shop owners prefer to mix two or more languages than to use a single language. H3: French is the most frequent language, then English, then Tunisian Arabic in business naming. H4: English is the most attractive language in Tunisian shop signs. Linguistic data: will be captured by a digital camera from two central shopping streets in Tunis City: Habib Bourguiba Avenue and Paris Street. More than three shopping centers happen to be situated in the survey area. Accordingly, the present study will compile a large electronic corpus of signs.  All signs of private businesses will be analyzed except those that display brand names. The classification will be according to the language used and the dominant language in each sign. Attitudinal data: will be collected from Tunisian informants through a questionnaire designed to investigate their attitudes towards the languages seen on shop signs: Tunisian Arabic, French and English. The investigation of language attitude can be at all the linguistic levels: accent, grammar, pronunciation, spelling, etc (Garrett: 2010). The present study will tackle how people perceive languages used on shop signs in terms of words and spelling. The research instrument is a questionnaire. The sample: will consist of pupils and students selected in the survey area. This study is interested in the language perception of youth. So, the age of the respondents will range from 15 to 25 years old. The selection will be based on convenience sampling. The questionnaire: comprises two parts. The first section consists of ten items that examine how young people perceive the languages used on shop signs in general. The measurement is five-point Likert Scale. The second part consists of multiple choice questions. The choices are real shop names that are seen in the survey area. This section is an evaluation of the responses given in the first part of the questionnaire. It examines how the informants perceive words from Tunisian Arabic, French and English in terms of likes and dislikes.

Articles Of Confederation 4 :: essays research papers

After the Revolutionary War, the United States government was in a state of frenzied disillusion. In an attempt to solve the problem of a lack of a functioning government, the Articles of Confederation were formed. Often times called the “Articles of Confusion';, the Articles of Confederation paved the way to our modern system of government. Out of the unreliable and unstable Articles, the Constitution was formed. Though the Articles instilled a seemingly well functioning governmental establishment, the Articles were far from a flawless governing mechanism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early days of the new British-free America there was a great fear of the new system of government being of the same mold of their former, a monarchy, or even a dictatorship. There was one group of revolutionaries that supported a monarchy being formed. This faction was a section of the Continental Army called the Society of the Cincinnati. They urged the rise of George Washington, a veteran colonial general, as the country’s new king, but Washington refused. In an effort to subside the uproar of the common folk, and to prevent eventual isolation of sovereignty of national affairs unto one person, the Articles granted each state exclusive governing powers over it’s own political matters. By doing this, the Articles prevented the new-formed states from revolting against their own government, and they also gave the states absolute control over their own local and regional matters and political conflicts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In an effort to create a greater sense of unity and national pride in the States, the Articles forced most states with western land claims to forfeit their claims to the federal government, so that the smaller, less populated states would join the union . This did not make any of the states with western territorial expansion content. They felt that the government was starting to take too much authoritative control. With this in mind, the representatives in congress made the promise that when specified parcels of the lands had a population of sixty thousand or more, they would be eligible for statehood. The requirements that were used for birth into the union are the same that are used today. This helped to suffice the desire to extinguish the current government, and contributed to a greater feeling of pride and unification amongst the states.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A piece of the Articles that was very popular with most of the public was the inability of the government, or congress, to enforce taxes on the general public, or individual states.

The New International Economic Order Essay -- United Nations Economics

The New International Economic Order In the early 1960's the economic gap separating the first world from the third or other world began to explode. With the industrialized states controlling more than 3/4ths of the global economy the disadvantage facing the third world could easily be seen. Third world countries lacked the start-up capital, the education, and the technology to compete with the first world. In the early 1970's the United Nations began to listen to the cries from these third world states, and set out to develop a strategy at which to combat these problems. This strategy lead to the development of The New International Economic Order (NIEO) or the Group of 77 in 1974. The group consisted of 77 members " which would rectify what they see as the structural, global, economic inequality that operates to the Other World's distinct disadvantage" (Weatherby 90). The NIEO convened at the United Nations and proposed 6 major issues which they felt needed to be agreed upon in order for the third world states to clos e this economic gap which they faced. The first of these issues was the idea that each state would be free to determine their own economic and political structure. This has not been the case though with Neocolonialism. On the surface it looks as though these third world countries have control over their economic and political structures because the control exercised over these states is indirect. " This influence is exercised through the interaction of the dominant nation's banking, business, cultural, and military leaders with the Other World's elites" (Weatherby 35). Because of the third world's dependence on dominant powers for economic survival they must in essence follow the desires of the more powerful... ...United Nations where each country would deposit 1% of its gross domestic product (GDP). This aid would then be distributed to countries on the basis of needs and not beliefs. As it stands right now the United States only gives 0.017% of it's gross domestic to foreign aid programs. In conclusion the NIEO was a strong attempt at closing the gap between the rich and the poor countries. But in the end the rich and more powerful countries still control everything. The developed countries continue to develop faster everyday. Making it harder and harder for the third world nations to catch up to our pace. It will be the developing nations final decision whether or not we will ever allow the third world to share in the same kind of lifestyle we have developed for ourselves today. Works Cited Weatherby, Joseph N., et al., eds. The Other World. New York: Longman, 1997.

Essay --

The suffrage movement first emerged at the turn of the century and Civil War when African American slaves were denied the right to vote, a benefit that a majority agreed was associated with citizenship, and therefore should be applicable to all freed slaves. This set the grounds for a suffrage movement that later evolved into a larger issue centered on antislavery reform. Joining together to fight for benefits that were being withheld from American citizens, the role of women came into play during this time as the most active abolitionists who came together to organize petitions, conventions, and raise funds to help further the movement. Women played a vital role in being heard through protests and local publications of their thoughts. Novels such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Clotel, along with articles in popular news publications, shed much light and attention on anti-slavery reform, while also sparking the inspiration for women’s rights (Britton, 2006). As this movement was slowly developing, women continued to fight for anti-slavery reform. During this, opponents to women participation in the efforts came forth and voiced their own critical opinions. Around 1837, the General Association of Congregational Ministers of Massachusetts had issued their "Pastoral Letter," a response to the political activity of the Grimke’s, two sisters who were heavily active and public in their fight for anti-slavery reform. In this letter, the ministers urged women to reject stepping out of the â€Å"public sphere† and to instead embrace the private, encouraging "the cultivation of private Christian character, and private efforts for the spiritual good of individuals" (General Association, 2006). In response to these views, Susan Grimke challenged the le... ...of the electoral vote in critical swing states necessary for Obama’s reelection victory (Casserly, 2012). Candidates now address issues entirely centered on women’s needs and concerns, knowing any win is impossible without support of female voters. This validates the current power women hold in the political arena today, and the impact their voice has made to society since being granted the freedom to vote. Through the use of messages such as public conventions, speeches, literary pieces, published works, unions, groups, and memorabilia, the suffrage movement’s goal of achieving equal voting rights for women to be the same as men can be credited as providing the stomping grounds for women to seek a stronger hand in society and to the evolution of women’s rights to include equal freedoms to men in arenas such as education, the work force, and military involvement.

Critical analyzing of the knowledge Essay

The role of a manager can be a complex job and although I have opted for five topics there are many more attributes to this position. Using my previous experiences, various research from books that I have read and the internet I will try to explain the rationale for my conclusions. In this essay I will look at the following five topics, Leadership, Communication, Delegation, Decision Making and Support which will help conclude, in my opinion, the five most important skills required to successfully fulfill the a position of a twenty first century manager. These skills underpin the knowledge and abilities which are of key importance to the pivotal role of the manager. LeadershipLeadership is about focusing on the most important resource available to them, i.e people. This process should include the development, academically and professionally of your people. It is important to encourage communication, engaging their thoughts and ideas to promote a win win situation. A manager should always motivate, encourage and promote excellent work, even in the most trying circumstances. A leader must always be aware of the ultimate goals of the organization, and know how their own objectives fit with them. Once these goals have been established you must ensure that your team understands the direction in which they are heading and why, and the purpose of their own activities within the overall plan. The ultimate objective should be broken down into attainable yet challenging goals that ideally will be inspiring and motivating for the whole team. Aims should also relate directly to the specific skills of the individual within the team. Working together towards a shared goal gives people a sense of ownership and responsibility, and  builds an atmosphere of team spirit, (Effective leadership by Robert Heller 1999). The written text of Robert Heller highlights in my opinion that every form of leadership requires strength, perseverance and dedicated staff to be able to fulfill a successful workplace. By choosing the correct employees to fit to you model enables yourself time to pursue further challenges. In my experience you have to show an open mind even to what might appear as, most off the wall suggestion. This shows the interpersonal skills to absorb the information, have time to think situations through and give effective feedback. This inturn promotes diversity amongst the employees that even the wildest suggestion is given time and thought. This objective way of empowering employees give positive vibes to each and every employee whatever their job role within the company or organization may be. With this in mind you can gain valuable commitment and engagement from the most un-co-operative people. Without being a positive open minded leader of people’s thoughts and ideas it is impossible to deliver results by which every leader is judged. A quote which sums this up is,`In fact, Leaders that go from good to great start not with `where` but with `who`. They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. First the people†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦then the direction` (Jim Collins, Educational Quotes for the 21 Century)This quote confirms to me the important role each person has in a well run, successful organization. Without this and total co-operation from all parts of the company, from senior management to the youngest most inexperienced person, failure would not be long from coming. Communication The art of communication can be a very complex situation unless steps are taken beforehand to ensure any messages relayed from higher management are correctly and concisely passed on in a positive manner. In my experience as a manager previously I have taken steps to prepare exactly what I was going to say in a manner which was clear, understandable, concise but most importantly which had enough open ended opportunity’s for two way discussions enabling myself to listen and give every opportunity for even negative feedback to be viewed as an opportunity for improvement. In my first few months as a manager within my company a position to which I was promoted from the shop floor, I was expected by the other employees to be able to change all forms of workmanship problems, health and safety issues, right down to the microwave being broken. I had up to then been part of a work force that had so bitterly complained of lack of information. My first steps were to gain trust from higher management to show I was as astute as previous managers and capable of moving on in a way which gave me time to bond as a manager with the employees and gain valuable experience in the role from which I was expected to get results from. My winning formula was simple; to put together a feedback questionnaire which involved everyone from the site leader to the cleaner. Each person was given 25 questions, some relevant, some comical and some which I thought were burning issues. All I asked from the employees was for the questionnaires to be filled out  with honesty. I requested any feedback, positive or negative be given in such a way which could be an opportunity for the company to move forward. The questionnaires themselves were voluntary and anonymous in case employees feared there would be reprisals afterwards. My next step was to get the 6 team leaders to put the questionnaires together in bar graphs, to offset a negative thought of management fiddling the results to look good for them. The findings were presented in an open meeting of 75 employees, which just coincidently fell at the same time as the area manager being on site looking at our set up. The outcome even surpassed my widest dreams, Ideas were given time and place, open discussions followed on subjects which some of the other managers were unaware of. But most importantly as a result of my actions a discussion group was formed which consisted of one manager, three employees, two team leaders and most importantly one of the junior employees the cleaner. All this led to a positive communication line from top to bottom. Everyone now felt they had as much responsibility as the next person, views were discussed openly, and problems dealt with by everybody. My ideas had ultimately been successful with some of the ideas being transferred into cost cutting and work improvement measures. One of my most positive actions was to get the microwave fixed. This gave me a foot into the door of management while successfully putting my  knowledge of frustrations of earlier years on the shop floor into good use. I learnt it is far better to listen and communicate then in a real way rather than pay lip service only. Action speaks louder than words. DelegationDelegation is probably one of the most arduous things a manager or leader has to do. Balancing the work load, too little and the person loses interest, too much and the person cannot successfully achieve the desired results for which you are looking for. And the reason for delegation?As a manager it is impossible to achieve everything yourself. You also need the support of subordinates(Team leaders, Supervisors) to process daily routines maybe now not on the top of your list, such as team meetings, daily forecasting, filling out of charts and overall managing of a team environment but yet pivotal to the success of your company. This also empowers employees to show their leadership qualities and the effectiveness of their skills. Choosing the right person to delegate to is vitally important. They have to have the knowledge, skills, motivation and be given sufficient time to be able to fulfill the tasks you are asking them to do. At most times these skills are not most openly visible so you have to choose the person you feel has the necessary intelligence and willingness to move up within your organization. With this you also have to give support, guidance and time to fulfill your expectations. The best way to achieve this would be to give smaller less important tasks to start with to build the person’s confidence, monitor the results, and gradually increase the level of responsibility so that the person`s powers of judgement increase with the more demanding work load you require from them. Delegation not only helps you get your work done; it can be used to improve your subordinates’ performance and therefore your trust in their ability to carry out more responsible work. Instruction training and development are part of the process of delegation. (How to be an even better Manager Sixth Edition, Michael Armstrong 2004)As I mentioned previously my early days of Management were extremely testing trying to find the right balance between concentrating on my new duties and trying to also hit production targets with ever changing goal posts. My attitude at first was to complete my work load given to me by my Manager then spend four more extra hours of the day completing work which I had left behind to make the transition. I was wrong, but this carried on until I was asked to attend a manager’s course in the Lake DistrictIt was basically 6 people from different backgrounds all sent on a course which fundamentally had the same out come whatever we were doing. Each day had a specific task, leading, assessing, team building, support and guidance and funny enough delegation. Each day a different person had to lead the task and by coincidence I had the day which turned out to be delegation. The task was for me to play draughts, I was in the control tower, and I had two people in a shed with whom my only contact was through a two way radio, and three people on the board moving the pieces. Initially my thought was to quickly make up a board with 64 squares and make my moves using this board and by radioing my moves to the two people in the  shed who would then run to the other three people who would make the move. They would then radio to me my competitors move and so on. My problem was I was still thinking of work and how if a problem arose I would try solving it myself, but what a big mistake. The game had a limit of 15 minutes and although I had thought my ingenious way of winning was superb I was ultimately beaten by blind foolishness, stubbornness and of course lack of delegation skills. It wasn’t till afterwards I realized how easy it would have been to let the two people in the shed co-ordinate with the three people on the board to solve a winning formula. It was a valuable lesson learnt and one I didn’t dither on too much when I returned to work, I used it to my advantage and re-assessed my team leaders performances and gave them new responsibilities which increased my time for more demanding business issues of which my new position entailed. Decision MakingDecision making is about thinking out a problem or situation, working out possible causes of concerns and making the correct choice or option. A decision is a judgement. It is a choice between alternatives. It is rarely a choice between right or wrong. It is the best choice between almost right and probably wrong- but more often a choice between two courses of action neither of which is probably more nearly right than the other (Peter Drucker, The Effective Executive, 1967)Every good Leader can expect praise by making decisive decisions based on the information gathered at any given time although census shows making excellent decisions is generally based on two or more conflicting disagreements, this enables the Leader to gauge opinion, have time to access the information and proceed with the best course of action. Many rules have been written about the best way to proceed when making the  best decision but from my experience getting the best answers means possibly accumulating five or six different reasoning processes and making the correct one, which I have listed below. Based on this way of thinking decisions become easier as time goes by, but as a leader you must have the confidence to implement and stand by your decisions. SupportAll good managers only become great leaders by entrusting the support of the work force of which they have been chosen to lead and visa versa. Experience tells me that trust can be very difficult to build and very easy to lose, as many employees have a `them and us` attitude towards management, so building trust can also bring loyalty amongst your workforce towards you. Building the initial trust is a very difficult thing to achieve as you have to prove your support towards them; This can be achieved by reassuring them you have no hidden agendas, and continually keeping them up to date on any information that affects them and keeping promises when made. Providing the workforce with the equipment and resources to succeed in their job also enlists support from them as well as recognizing successful targets achieved, this can be a motivator in itself. By appraising individuals and teams in successful target achievements with an  audience present can build a confidence within that teamUsing the team to present the results through interaction reinforces their stature of a job well done. Some mistakes are undoubtedly bound to happen in a high pressure situation where targets are hard to achieve but making sure any reprimand serious or not is made on a one to one basis is criticalThis does not undermine the individual or their performance but can be used as a learning curve on the way to build positives from a negative situation. Being a supportive leader means addressing all kinds of situations. I once had an employee who had just gone through a separation from his wife, was only seeing and visiting his children once a fortnight and was hitting the drink in such a manner that I had to warn him of his behaviour towards other employees around him. We both decided that visiting the dedicated counsellor was imperative and I took immediate action and drove him there the same day and waited for the session to end. I didn’t have to stay but I felt responsible for his welfare as a valued member of my team. It took many more sessions for him to finally turn his life around and get on the straight and narrow once again and finally earn some respect from his co-workers, but he managed to stand up in front of them and apologise for the sometimes meaningless disruptions he may have caused. Although I dealt with it in a sympathetic manner and got him the help he required, he was fully aware of the consequences of me assisting him instead of neglecting the situation and throwing the book at him. Sometime later he moved on to be one of my trusted team leaders. I truly learnt the difference between being a manager and a leader in those few weeks. As a manager you are asked to look after the business side of  things, targets goals etc and as a leader you have to look after people and the daily roles of different personalities. Combining both makes you a stronger more competent person able to adapt to any given situation. Conclusion To be successful as a Manager and leader in my opinion you have to have a work range that compares to a Politician and a Football Manager. As a politician you have to be diplomatic when required often in difficult situations, be able to judge and compare when best to communicate sensitive information and of course when to lead. Where as a football manager chooses his squad, puts his players in the best position for him and the team and is judged by results. Both these professions need dedicated people to run them and committed people to assist and participate wholeheartedly. In each case knowing the objectives, goals, targets, providing direction and facilitating change, enables the Manager a platform in which he can be competent to achieve the desired outcome which the position requires. Essentially Management is about setting out what work to do and getting it done through the co-operation of people to achieve this!Realise that the greatest asset is the co-operation and dedication of your staff. I hope my essay sheds some insight into the way I feel a manager of the 21st century should conduct themselves to become a successful part of their organization. Bibliography Teach yourself Leadership, Catherine Doherty and John Thompson, Hodder Education, 338 Euston Road, London 2007. On Leadership, Allan Leighton with Teena Lyons, Random House business books, 20 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London 2007. The Rules of Work, Richard Templar, Pearson Education Limited, Edinburgh Gate, Harlow 2003. How to be an even better Manager, Michael Armstrong, Kogan Page, 120 Pentonville Road, London 2004. Effective Leadership, Robert Heller, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London 1999. Modern Management, Siobhan Tiernan, Michael j. Morley, Edel Foley, Gill and Macmillan Ltd, Hume Avenue, Park West, Dublin 12, 2006. The Effective Executive, Peter Drucker, Heinemann, London 1967. www.leading-learning.co.nz/famous-quotes

Explain the Problem of Evil Essay

The problem of evil refers to the nature of God. Many assume that God is benevolent but hardly anyone really considers the possibility that God is not all good but rather an all evil, malevolent God. The question is if God is all good and all powerful, then why did he create a world full of evil and suffering? There is so much suffering in this world that a lot of people find it hard to believe that, if God does exist, he is good. There is the argument that an all good, all powerful God would create some suffering in the world to perhaps allow people to achieve greater goods. However, in all honesty, there is more evil than good in the world and so the likely hood of that isn’t very high. So in order to explain the nature of the problem of evil, then one has to consider the possibility of an evil God as well as a benevolent one. Is God willing to prevent evil, but unable to? Is God able to prevent evil, but unwilling to do so? Or is God able to prevent evil and willing to? If everyone goes along with the assumed theory that God is all good, it is harder to come up with reasons and theories that would explain Gods reason for allowing evil and suffering in the world. However, if you consider the idea that God is not all good but rather evil, then everything becomes clearer. Then again, there is the question of if there is an all evil God, then why did he create beauty and happiness in the world? Or why did he bother creating the world in the first place if he was just going to see it destroyed by the evil within human nature? The answer is this; he simply created beauty and goodness so that he could take it all away, to see us all suffer. This theory however, only seems to raise new questions rather than just answering the old and so it still leaves the question, is God good or bad? Another argument would be free will. The Bible states that God granted humans the gift of free will. However some would say that as a result of this, we have created our own evil and suffering. We start our own wars; we are the reason so many people are dying of starvation. But then there are those who would argue that it is better to have free will because it is a good that ‘far outweighs the evil it produces’. The Ireanean theodicy attempts to explain natural evil as well as moral evil. This theodicy states that things like bad experiences can make a person stronger. For example people who have suffered through a life threatening disease and survived may say that they have actually gained something from it,  regardless to how much pain it brought. Similarly, by creating natural evil, God is allowing us to ‘grow and develop morally and spiritually’. However the issue with this theory is that it fails to explain why God allows suffering to be distributed to some, while others enrich themselves in luxury. Therefore we are again brought to the question ‘is God good or bad?’ There are other ways of explaining why evil happens. One is Augustine’s theory that evil is the result of angels who turned away from God. Generally, Augustine’s theodicy is the traditionally accepted one. He based his theory on two key passages from the bible: Genesis 3 and Romans 5:12-20. Augustine believed in a good God who created the world with goodness and evil is a ‘privation of good’, not an entity itself but something that lacks goodness.

Marketing Project Essay

China with its population of over 1.3 billion and the GDP growth rate of 7.7% is obviously a major player in the global market based on its size and growth potential. In recent years, the consumer food service industry in China has significantly grown, driven by the change in consumption patterns of urban Chinese consumers amid the robust Chinese economic growth. A number of Western-style franchise chains are increasingly crossing national boundaries and looking for growth among customers in China. In provinces and regions of better economic development and faster lifestyles, quick service restaurants make up a large share of the total food-service sector. Guangdong province can be chosen as a potentially profitable market where the fast-food market contributes about 90% of the total food service sector’s revenue. Mad Mex, as a new entrant in the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry, is ambitious to penetrate this promising market with the goal to open the first franchise r estaurant in February 2014. Situation analysis: ACMR-IBISWorld (Jan, 2013) estimates that the fast-food restaurant industry in China will generate revenue of $89.60 billion in 2012, up 14.1% from 2011. The pace of urbanization and the higher disposable income urge lifestyle changes and the increase in demand for fast-food. Chinese people have less leisure time to eat in traditional full-service restaurants and prefer to treat themselves in fast-food establishments. Moreover, the rapid development of fast-food service providers and new brands and food styles with improved chain store contribute to the strong growth of the industry in China. The geographic popularity of China’s fast-food restaurants industry is consistent with China’s economic development level. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong are three of the most developed provinces and regions in China, which account for about 45% of total industry revenue in 2012 (ACMR-IBISWorld, Jan 2013). These regions witness the relatively well developed fra nchise operations. Porter’s Five Forces Industry Analysis Figure 1: Forces driving industry competition Source: Porter (1980) â€Å"Industry structure has a strong influence in determining the competitive rules of the game as well as the strategies potentially available to the firm.† (Michael E. Porter 1980, P.3) The Porter’s Five Forces Model introduced a concept of structural analysis as a framework for understanding the five basic competitive forces in an industry. These forces, which are shown in Figure 1- new entrants, rivalry among existing competitors, threat of substitute products or services, bargaining power of buyers, and bargaining power of suppliers, reflect that the competition â€Å"goes well beyond the established players† (Porter 1980, pp. 6). Both potential and established players can influence average industry profitability. The threat of potential entrants is balanced by the entry barriers like economic of scale, product differentiation, capital requirements, access to distribution channel, etc. The intensity of rivalry determines industry attractiveness but figures out the extent to which the value created by an industry will be dissipated through competition. Sharon M. Oster (1999) asserts that subsitute products or services play an uneven role in industry dynamics. They can play a modest role in highly competitive industries or during periods of excess production. But subtitutes become significant when demand rapidly increasing or in markets with few competitors. In these cases, the availability of good substitutes influences the profits of the existing firms in a market. Buyer power is varied across markets and constituted by the most important determinants of buyer power in a market, which are the number of buyers and the distribution of their purchase, characteristics of product (for instance, standardization of products increases buyer power). In an industry, powerful suppliers can affect their bargaining power over firms by controlling prices or qualities of supply. Depending on each industry and the particular conditions of the industry, different forces will be more or less prominent in the industry competition. And the collective strength of these forces determines the intensity of competition in the industry and the potential profitability. â€Å"Knowledge of these underlying sources of competition in an industry highlights the critical strengths and weaknesses of the company, animates its positioning in its industry, clarifies the areas where strategic changes may yield the greatest payoff, and highlights the areas where industry trends promise to hold the greatest significance as either opportunities or threats† (Poeter 1980, pp.4). Once understanding these forces and their strategic implications, the company can formulate an effective competitive stratey, which enables it to defend itself from the existing array of competitive forces, affect them in its favour thereby improves the firm’s position in the market. Porter’s Diamond Model Figure 2: Porter’s Diamond Model The theorical framework, which examines the competitive position of a nation and its industries, consists of four determinants: factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries and firm strategy and rivalry. According to Porter (1998), factor conditions refer to production endowment that players need to compete in an industry. These factors are discriminated into basic factors versus advanced factors, and generalized factors versus specialized factors. A basic factor is passively inherited, for example natural resources and unskilled labour. Meanwhile advanced factors include what nations can create during their industrial growth like capital, infrastructure and highly educated labour forces. The standard for production factors is gradually rising due to the improvement of knowledge, science and technology. A nation can possess competitive advantage in an industry when it is able to create new competitive factor conditions and/or upgrade the needed factors. Demand conditions refer to the nature of home-market demand for an industry’s product or service considering in terms of quantity and quality. The size of the home market, the presence of demanding and sophisticated domestic buyers pressure companies to innovate and upgrade, meet high standards in order to respond to more diverse and higher levels of customer needs. â€Å"The presence of suppliers and related industries within a nation that are internationally competitive provides benefits such as innovation, upgrading, information flow, and shared technology development which create advantages in downstream industries† (Porter 1998). A nation thereby gains competitive advantage in an industry when it has competititve edge in the number of related industries. Another determinant is firm strategy, structure, and rivalry, referring to firms’ organizational structure, management situations and the performance of competitors in domestic market. The presence of intense rivalry in the home base is important, because it is powerful stimilus to creation and persistence of competitive advantage. Two external factors are chance and governments. Chance can discontinue the possibility of some companies to gain competitive position and some lose. Governments have an overarching effect on all the players. In many industries, government is a buyer/ supplier and can influence the competition of the industry by its policies. Government can also affect the relation between an industry and subsitutes through regulations and other means. They play a role in shaping the context and institutional structure surrounding companies and in creating an environment to support companies to gain competitive advantage. SWOT Analysis Internal analysis: Strength: Mad Mex is known as a gourmet restaurant with a healthy, fresh approach to Mexican cuisine. Its philosophy is to offer food servicing in a fast paced environment to create a high volume takeaway business but a unique and high quality product offer that is sufficient to command a premium price point. This concept will bring it the competitive advantage in food service industry relative to other global QSRs in China at present. By remaining true to the founding principles: Fresh and Healthy, Fast and Delicious, Authentic and Exciting, Mad Mex gradually broadens its business with 15 stores opened in just over four years and makes effort to arm itself with a team of business savvy, hands-on, franchisees. Weakness: Established in 2007, Mad Mex is still a baby to global giant fast-food restaurants like Mc Donald’s or KFC with its limited presence in three states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland within Australia. It is regarded as a strange brandname to the worldwide food service industry and particularly the Chinese market. External analysis: Opportunities: Chinese consumers are believed to have a positive image of quick service restaurants (QSRs) and good perception of their meal quality and customer services. The average level of consumer satisfaction yet high loyalty of Chinese customers is attracting to Western fast food restaurants franchise to engage their business in this market. According to a study on International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management regarding perceived service quality in the fast food industry in China, â€Å"reliability, recoverability, tangibles, and responsiveness were all significant dimensions of perceived service quality†( Hong Qin, 2010). As the study mentioned, all these positive perception in turn influenced the customer behavioral intentions in the industry. Despite the increasing customer preference for Western-style â€Å"to-go† restaurants in the Chinese market, the QSRs market share accounts for only 9.8 percent of Chinese sales for outside meals (Datamonito r, 2007). This means the unprecedented opportunity for Western restaurant chains to operate in China. Threats: The segmentation of QSRs in China is witnessing a tougher competition between international brands like MacDonald’s and KFC and myriad domestic companies like Yum!Brand and Ajisen. Besides, Asian QSRs are the largest sub-sector in the QSRs in China, in which Chinese cuisine is dominant. It is explained by the fact that Chinese people prefer their tradition rice-based dishes and their price sensitivity when choosing the lower dishes in the Chinese restaurants. Furthermore, for the first time penetrating foreign market, the inability or unwillingness of the company to face dietary and cultural challenges will lead to the failure in the image of Mad Mex in the global market. To succeed in the Chinese market, Western-style QSRs are required to examine Chinese customer behaviours and develop marketing strategies that adapt to the Chinese cultural environment.