City of God vs. The Protestant Reformations Essay

Introduction: The belief that God is present to the human mind and soul, and can be found is part of the Christian tradition. Many Christian philosophers seem to regard this as the concern only of specially devout persons and of no interest for philosophical purposes. The evidence for it, they think, it too slender to be taken seriously by academic philosophers without particular interest in religion, who tend to regard anything in the nature of religious experience as suspect. So, philosophical discussions about religion are usually concerned with rational arguments for and against theism, usually of a technical kind. In this article, I want to discuss the Augustine world with the reformist will as proposed by Martin Luther. One of the great cornerstones in the history of Christian thought, The City of God is vital to an understanding of modern Western society and how it came into being. Begun in A.D. 413 by Saint Augustine, the great theologian who was bishop of Hippo, the book’s initial purpose was to refute the charge that Christianity was to blame for the fall of Rome (which had occurred just three years earlier). Augustine’s City of God, a monumental work of religious lore, philosophy, and history, was written as a kind of literary tombstone for Roman culture. After the downfall of Rome, Augustine wrote this book to portray the corruption of Romans’ pursuit of earthly pleasures: â€Å"grasping for praise, open-handed with their money; honest in the pursuit of wealth, they wanted to hoard glory.† Augustine contrasts his condemnation of Rome with an exaltation of Christian culture. The glory that Rome failed to attain will only be realized by citizens of the City of God, the Heavenly Jerusalem foreseen in Revelation. On the other hand Hans J. Hillerbrand in his book â€Å"The Protestant Reformation† says â€Å"When the reformers who had first ventured a new interpretation of the gospel had passed from the scene, the question which had haunted the Reformation from its very inception–where is truth?–was still contested by the proponents of the old and the new faith. But one fact was beyond dispute: Western Christendom was tragically divided†¦into no less than five religious factions†¦.Though these divisions were the result of intense religious conviction, they could not help but lessen the intensity of religious belief in Europe. The Reformation of the sixteenth century was the last period in the history of Western civilization when men were preoccupied with religion, argued it, fought and even died for it. Its consequences are still with us†. Argument: The two cities in city of God and the two wills in Lutheranism No book except the Bible itself had a greater influence on the Middle Ages than the â€Å"City of God†. Since medieval Europe has been the cradle of today’s Western civilization, this work by consequence is vital for an understanding of our world and how it came into being. St. Augustine is often regarded as the most influential Christian thinker after St. Paul, and this book highlights upon a vast synthesis of religious and secular knowledge. It began as a reply to the charge that Christian otherworldliness was causing the decline of the Roman Empire. Augustine produced a wealth of evidence to prove that paganism bore within itself the seeds of its own destruction. Then he proceeded to his larger theme, a cosmic interpretation of history in terms of the struggle between good and evil: the City of God in conflict with the Earthly City or the City of the Devil. This, the first serious attempt at a philosophy of history, was to have incalculable influence in forming the Western mind on the relations of church and state, and on the Christian’s place in the temporal order. It is more than a question of setting down on paper a series of abstract principles and then applying them in practice. Christianity is more than a moral code, more than a philosophy, more than a system of rites. Although it is sufficient, in the abstract, to divide the Catholic religion into three aspects and call them creed, code and cult, yet in practice, the integral Christian life is something far more than all this. It is more than a belief; it is a life. That is to say, it is a belief that is lived and experienced and expressed in action. The action in which it is expressed, experienced and lived is called a mystery. This mystery is the sacred drama which keeps ever present in history the Sacrifice that was once consummated by Christ on Calvary. In plain words–if you can accept them as plain–Christianity is the life and death and resurrection of Christ going on day after day in the souls of individual men and in the heart of society. It is this Christ-life, this incorporation into the Body of Christ, this union with His death and resurrection as a matter of conscious experience, that St. Augustine wrote of in his Confessions. But Augustine not only experienced the reality of Christ living in his own soul. He was just as keenly aware of the presence and action, the Birth, Sacrifice, Death and Resurrection of the Mystical Christ in the midst of human society. And this experience, this vision, if you would call it that, qualified him to write a book that was to be, in fact, the autobiography of the Catholic Church. That is what The City of God is. Just as truly as the Confessions are the autobiography of St. Augustine, The City of God is the autobiography of the Church written by the most Catholic of her great saints. Evidently, the treatment of the theme is so leisurely and so meandering and so diffuse that The City of God, more than any other book, requires an introduction. The best we can do here is to offer a few practical suggestions as to how to tackle it. The first of these suggestions is this: since, after all, The City of God reflects much of St. Augustine’s own personality and is colored by it, the reader who has never met Augustine before ought to go first of all to the Confessions. Once he gets to know the saint, he will be better able to understand Augustine’s view of society. Then, no one who is not a specialist, with a good background of history or of theology or of philosophy, ought not to attempt to read the City, for the first time, beginning at page one. The living heart of the City is found in Book Nineteen, and this is the section that will make the most immediate appeal to us today because it is concerned with the theology of peace. However, Book Nineteen cannot be understood all by itself. The best source for solutions to the most pressing problems it will raise is Book Fourteen, where the origin of the two Cities is sketched, in an essay on original sin. On the other hand the protestant reformation deals with the religious movement which made its appearance in western Europe in the sixteenth century, and which, while ostensibly aiming at an internal renewal of the church, really led to a great revolt against it, and an abandonment of the principal Christian beliefs. The causes of the great religious revolt of the sixteenth century must be sought as far back as the fourteenth. The doctrine of the church, it is true, had remained pure; saintly lives were yet frequent in all parts of Europe, and the numerous beneficent medieval institutions of the church continued their course uninterruptedly. Whatever unhappy conditions existed were largely due to civil and profane influences or to the exercise of authority by ecclesiastics in civil spheres; they did not obtain everywhere with equal intensity, nor did they always occur simultaneous in the same country. Ecclesiastical and religious life exhibited in many places vigor and variety; works of education and charity abounded; religious art in all its forms had a living force; domestic missionaries were many and influential; pious and edifying literature was common and appreciated. Gradually, however, and largely owing to the variously hostile spirit of the civil powers, fostered and heightened by several elements of the new order, there grew up in many parts of Europe political and social conditions which hampered the free reformatory activities of the church, and favored the bold and unscrupulous, who seized a unique opportunity to let loose all the forces of heresy and schism so long held in check by the harmonious action of the ecclesiastical and civil authorities. Luther’s theology is his understanding of God that can be summarized as Gottes Gottheit, which means â€Å"God is God.† In the deepest sense, Luther believes that God is above all and in all. God, through his creative power, reveals that he is free and immutable. He alone can bring life into existence. He alone sustains life. He alone freely wills. Moreover, what God wills can not be impeded or resisted by a mere creature. God is all-powerful and therefore, God’s will is alone immutable. Any person, therefore, that appeals to the freedom of human will attempts to usurp for themselves an attribute that belongs only to God. The free and immutable will of God is, in Luther’s writings, fundamental to a right and proper faith. Without it, God is not God and Scripture would, therefore, have to be annulled. In BOW, Luther constantly emphasizes these two characteristics of the will of God and points out their significance for the Faith. In addition, Luther argues that God has two wills as pertains His nature: (1) the revealed will of His word and, (2) the hidden or inscrutable will. These characteristics of God’s will provide the basis for understanding and interpreting Luther’s conviction that the human will is enslaved. For Luther, the free will of God is not simply God’s limitless and unobstructed ability to choose between any set of variables in any set of circumstances. Rather, it is God’s unique ability to transcend all these variables and circumstances to perform, or not perform, any action that He desires. God’s will is not contingent upon the will of any other being. In ceaseless activity, God creates the possibilities. As such, the free will of God is most plainly revealed to humanity through His creative acts. God freely chooses to create our present reality and likewise, He freely sustains this reality. In fact, reality does not exist except by the will of God. To this all-encompassing extent then, Luther asserts that God is all in all. Nothing is that God does not declare to be. And, it is this creative power that manifests God’s freedom, His free will. In recognizing Luther’s pronounced emphasis on God’s sovereignty, Paul Althaus declares: â€Å"God is the first or principal cause, all others are only secondary or instrumental causes. They are only the tools which he uses in the service of his own autonomous, free, and exclusive working; they are only the masks under which he hides his activity†. The second characteristic of God’s   will that is crucial to Luther’s understanding of the bondage of the human will, is its immutability. That is, God’s will can not be changed, altered or impeded. The immutability of God’s will is the logical conclusion to the freedom of God’s will. God’s sovereignty and almighty power demands that whatever God wills happens by necessity. Nothing occurs contingently. God’s will does not act independently of reality, as the human will does, but rather, God’s will creates reality. In Luther’s theology, the will of God is not contingent and so likewise, the foreknowledge of God is also not contingent. For whatever God wills, he foreknows and so, whatever He foreknows must, by necessity, happen. For if it did not happen, then God would be fallible and His will contingent which Luther declares â€Å"is not to be found in God!†   It is the immutable will of God, acting freely, that provides the Christian with â€Å"the assurance of things hoped for† (Heb 11:1), namely that the promises of God will be fulfilled. As Luther suggests, â€Å"the Christian’s chief and only comfort in every adversity lies in knowing that God does not lie, but brings all things to pass immutably, and that His will cannot be resisted, altered or impeded. â€Å"Indeed, for Luther, the conviction that God’s will is free and immutable must be central to the Faith. Yet, Luther’s theology presents a problem: if God wills everything and everything He wills comes to pass then one must conclude that God wills the salvation of few and the damnation of many (cf. Mt 22:14). Luther answered this dilemma by teaching that God has two wills, the revealed and the hidden. As Luther declares in BOW, God’s decree to damn â€Å"the undeserving . . . [who are] compelled by natural necessity to sin and perish† does indeed seem horrible. Moreover, all rational and philosophical knowledge of God can not avoid the terrible reality of this conclusion, for as Luther concedes, the â€Å"injustice of God . . . is traduced as such by arguments which no reason or light of nature can resist†. Luther understands this horrible decree in light of God’s justice in two ways. For Luther, the answer to these questions is twofold: (1) we must simply believe that God’s justice is righteous because in Christ God has proven His love and compassion and, (2) we should not probe into the hidden or inscrutable will of God wherein God operates paradoxically, i.e. righteousness made evident through unrighteousness. Luther’s twofold answer to the questions of damnation reveals a high view of God’s sovereignty and majesty. Moreover, the answer is in accordance with Luther’s view that God’s will is uniquely free and immutable. The answer also demands that the Christian simply trust in God. The Christian must believe all that is revealed in Scripture, not merely those things that are pleasant to the senses, and as such, we are compelled to accept the fact that God actively chooses to reject certain people. Nevertheless, if God has said in His Word that He is loving and gracious, and He has revealed himself to be such through His forbearance with the Israelites and the glorious plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, but what right can we judge the manner in which God oversees and sustains the world? For Luther, this is precisely the point at which the Christian must heed the words of God, spoken through the prophet Isaiah: â€Å"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts† (Isa 55:8-9). Luther would likewise appeal to God’s answer to Job in Job 38-41 and the words of Paul in Romans 9:20 as yet other examples of the futility of comprehending the incomprehensible and inscrutable will of God. Luther, therefore, answers the critics of predestination and defends God’s decree to affect unbelief in people by appealing to this inscrutable wisdom and will of God, a will that cannot be understood by any attempt of human reason. Because God is God, He has the right to condemn man for sins that God works in Him.10 And so, it is by faith that the Christian simply trusts that God is righteous, loving and gracious in so working. Luther consoles the Christian by exhorting them to look only to the revealed will of God that promises salvation to all who receive Christ. Thus, He does not will the death of a sinner-that is, in His Word; but He wills it by His inscrutable will. At present, however, we must keep in view His Word and leave alone His inscrutable will; for it is by His Word, and not by His inscrutable will, that we must be guided. Yet, for Luther, knowing that God does possess a hidden and inscrutable will of God provides valuable insights for the Christian. The inscrutable will of God tempers the revealed will of God. The doctrine of the free, immutable and inscrutable will of God, therefore, contributes three important foundations to the Christian Faith: (1) God is sovereign, all-powerful and therefore, even evil is under the sway of His goodness and as such, the Christian can be certain that the promises of God will be realized, (2) humanity is not free to earn or demand anything of God and so, God’s gift of salvation can truly be called free and gracious and, (3) the Christian, in response to these truths, is properly humbled and learns, in reverent adoration, to fear God, who acts freely and immutability for His glory. In consequence of his view of God’s will, Luther’s view of the human will is necessarily placed in total subjection to the Divine. It is in this respect that Luther stands in contrast to Erasmus. Luther’s discussion of this topic is theocentric, beginning with a discussion of God and His attributes whereas Erasmus belies an anthropocentric view, beginning with human experience. For Luther, that God’s will is immutable logically demands that man’s will is mutable. For if God’s will is not contingent but immutable and free, no other will can be also be immutable and free otherwise these wills could impede one another and consequently, these wills would no longer be immutable and free but rather, they would be subject to one another. As such, Luther rightly proclaims the inconsistency of the term free will. In Luther’s writings, there are three primary considerations to consider in evaluating the characteristics of the human will: (1) the human will is mutable, (2) as a consequence of the Fall, the human will is enslaved to sin and, (3) the human will requires the grace of God, offered through the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ Jesus, to affect any positive change in a person’s life. Luther’s position on the Divine and human wills was not a small matter to him. In Table-Talk, Luther once stated in regards to his position that â€Å"I know it to be the truth, though all the world should be against it; yea, the decree of Divine Majesty must stand fast against the gates of hell.† The belief that humanity is enslaved to sin and that it is only by sovereign election that God saves a person formed the basis for Luther’s conviction of justification by grace through faith. Grace is one the most important principles of biblical interpretation to Luther and no where is divine grace more evident than in the doctrine of election. And, it is this sola gratia principle of Luther’s faith that preserves the eternal significance of Christ’s death and resurrection. It is by his sacrifice, not by our own works, that God graciously extends salvation to the elect. As Luther often remarked, to assert the freedom of the will is to deny the necessity of Christ’s atoning work. Conclusion Augustine produced a wealth of evidence to prove that paganism bore within itself the seeds of its own destruction. By means of his contrast of the earthly and heavenly cities–the one pagan, self-centered, and contemptuous of God and the other devout, God-centered, and in search of grace–Augustine explored and interpreted human history in relation to eternity. Saint Augustine examines the failure of Roman religion and the flaws in human civilization, thus creating the first Christian philosophy of history. Against the ‘city’, i.e., society, of many gods, there is but one alternate society, this Augustine calls The City of God, adopting the expression found in several of King David’s psalms. Not only is the society of many gods the society of polytheists, it is also the â€Å"city† of pantheists, atheistic materialists and philosophical Cynics. In the case of the Cynics and atheists, these false gods are the myriad gods of self, indeed, at least as many gods (selves) as there are believers in them. Thus there are two â€Å"cities†, two loves, two ways to understand the big questions of existence, two destinations. Says Augustine:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The one City began with the love of God; the other had its beginnings in the love of self.† XIV:13. â€Å"The city of man seeks the praise of men, whereas the height of glory for the other is to hear God in the witness of conscience. The one lifts up its head in its own boasting; the other says to God: ‘Thou art my glory, thou liftest up my head.’ (Psalm 3.4) In the city of the world both the rulers themselves and the people they dominate are dominated by the lust for domination; whereas in the City of God all citizens serve one another in charity. . .† References 1. http://www.newadvent.org The Catholic encyclopedia The Journal Of Religion, J. Jeffery Tyler, volume 85, Part 1(2005), pages 317 – 319 Althaus, Paul. The Theology of Martin Luther. Translation of 2nd edition by Robert C. Schultz. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Fortress Press, 1966 –. Luther’s Works, Volume 31: Career of the Reformer I. ed. Philip S. Watson. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Fortress Press, 1957.

Critique: Effects of Class Size and Instruction on Kindergarten Achievement Essay

Introduction This article discusses some very important points that will affect many children as they begin the first steps of their education. It is fairly clear that the authors have done quite a bit of research on the effects of the classroom size and the achievement of kindergarten students. Both authors are affiliated with the same school, the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In reviewing the article, the authors point out some important details pertaining to the quality of the teacher as well as their method of teaching in an effort to keep in line with the NCLB Act(No Child Left. Behind Act). The main aim of the authors is to prove that the size of the class may affect a student’s academic progress because there have been mixed findings in the past as to the validity of this issue. Literature Review One of the main sources used by the authors in their review of literature was an experiment done by students in Tennessee in the 1980’s called STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Ratio). â€Å"Researchers have referred to STAR as: â€Å"one of the great experiments in education in U. S. history (Mostellar, Light, & Sachs, 1996). † The variables are mainly the  Kindergarten class size and the teacher’s instruction methods which are well defined throughout the article. Statement of Problem This research study was conducted to determine whether teacher quality is more important than class size for achievement. The hypothesis is explicitly stated in this article and gave sufficient understanding of the specific variables that were to be studied in the article. An example of the hypothesis would be â€Å"teachers may teach differently in larger and smaller classes, Experimental Design 3 some instructional practices may be more effective than others in a smaller class, students may  behave differently in larger and smaller classes†. (Milesi & Gamoran, 2006, pp. 291-293) The authors have made a very convincing argument concerning the stated hypothesis because they used reading and math data collected from children’s classroom experience, classroom size and their teacher’s instructional methods to come up with their definitive conclusion. Methodology The kindergarten class size was measured from a sample of 21,260 children that were enrolled in approximately 1,000 kindergarten programs. It also consisted of children from various racial and ethnic backgrounds as well as socio-economic backgrounds. Some of the children studied were from private kindergartens and others were from public school kindergartens (Milesi & Gamoran, 2006, pp. 293-294). Data was collected twice throughout the year, during the spring and the fall. Most of the authors mentioned used data that was supplied at the beginning and at the end of the student’s kindergarten year. The parents were asked questions concerning their socio-economic background. In determining the student’s cognitive achievement, information was gathered from the children using a one-on-one computer assisted interview. Data in the areas of reading, math and general knowledge was used to assess the students. In evaluating the teachers, they were interviewed in the fall and in the spring of a particular kindergarten year (Milesi & Gamoran, 2006, pp. 291-293). There was some concern about the validity of the study because there were some limitations on how the data was gathered from the teachers. There were questions as well as interviews which investigated the teacher’s instructional methods because it captured more of what a teacher’s intentions were as opposed to the teacher’s accomplishments through the year. Experimental Design 4 The authors had a few limitations but if they wanted to use the descriptive method to demonstrate whether or not the quality of a teachers’ instructional method versus the size of the class played a larger part in a kindergartner’s achievement, it was a necessary step (Milesi & Gamoran, 2006, pp. 296-297). Results The researchers presented very descriptive statistics for all the student levels and class level variables that were used in the analysis. There were descriptive statistics presented for large and small classes. The researchers weighed the statistics at the student level but not at the class levels but they used descriptive statistics for both the original and the mean-imputed variable (Milesi & Gamoran, 2006, pp. 299-306). Discussion The researchers have offered no evidence that the class size affects reading or math achievements for kindergarten. The major findings were that class size does not affect the achievement of kindergarteners on an average nor does it affect any particular group of students. The researcher’s findings for the class size differ from those of Project STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Ratio). It was not determined whether the same teachers use different instructional methods in classes of different sizes (Milesi & Gamoran, 2006, pp. 299-309). Experimental Design 5 References Mosteller, F. , Light, R. J. & Sachs. J. A. (1996). Sustained injury in education: Lesson from skilled grouping and class size. Harvard Educational Review, 66, 797-842. Retrieved on February 17, 2011 from ERIC. Milesi, C. , Gamoran, A (2006). Effects of Class Size and Instruction on Kindergarten Achievement. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 28:4, 287-313. Retrieved on March 17, 2010 from http://eepa. aera. net.

Growing Up Essay

This short story looks at children and two of Carys ovels were directly concerned with childhood. Themes Children and growing up is the central theme of this story, as it is with several of the other stories in the Anthology. However, the central character is an adult and so it links well with ‘Flight’, where the story follows the emotions of a grandfather trying to accept his granddaughter’s forthcoming marriage. Your Shoes’ also has a central narrator, although that story is written in the first person. This short story is certainly concerned with relationships between the generations. Children as a destructive orce appear in ‘Growing Up’, in the came way that the boy in ‘Chemistry has an urge to damage his mother’s boyfriend. ‘Superman and Paula Brown’s new Snowsuit’ also examines the theme of the destructive power of children. Adults struggling to understand the behaviour of children are a central issue in ‘Growing Up’, as they also are in ‘Superman and Paula Brown’s New Snowsuit’. Notes The first paragraph establishes the central character, a businessman Robert Quick. He is named, unlike the anonymous central characters of several of these stories. He is described as a conventional businessman, in a dark suit and hat. Significantly, he sheds some of his formal clothes as he goes into the garden, perhaps representing that the rules and values he will encounter there are far from civilised. Ls. 7 – 19 The garden is described as a Wilderness’. It has been neglected because Mr and Mrs. Quick are too busy to tend it. It has suggestions of other gardens, perhaps the Garden of Eden, or Paradise. Perhaps also there is a suggestion that Mr and Mrs. Quick are too busy to other civilising their daughters, Just as they have ignored their garden? Could the story symbolise the wild, untamed nature of the children who run wild in it? l. 23 ‘a suggestion of the frontier, primeval forests.. ‘ Cary hints that there may be the possibility of fear and menace in the garden. It is not a place of easy comfort, as Mr. Quick thinks. L 27 the children have previously enjoyed a close relationship with their father and have made a fuss of him when he returns home. However, this contrasts with the way they ignore him this time. Is the reason they snub him because he is a man? Quick recognises that they will be women soon in lines 42 to 49; later on in the story they are wellbehaved for their mother and he feels rejected. Cary is specific about their names and ages; Jenny is twelve and Kate thirteen. They are both deep in their own worlds and Quick doesn’t mind that they pay hardly any attention to his arrival. He thinks it represents their honest attitude to him. Perhaps he is too easy going with the children. Do they need to show him a bit more respect? Ls. 58-81 the two girls

What are the Key Reasons Why Traditional Expatriation Appointments and Essay

What are the Key Reasons Why Traditional Expatriation Appointments and Repatriation Often Fail What can MNCs Do about this - Essay Example In this regard, it is observed that most of the MNCs in the current globalized world is encountered with the high rate of the expatriates and repatriates failure. Such failure witnessed by the MNCs has reduced their capacity to sustain their business smoothly and profitably in the overseas market. At the same time, the increasing failure rate related to traditional expatriation appointments and repatriation has drawn urgent demand for resolving these challenges faced by the MNCs (Harzing, 1995).   Collings & et. al. (2007) asserted that staffing issues in the international context are complex and challenging. Despite the challenges associated with the staffing issues, it has been argued that MNCs are using traditional expatriation appointments on a frequent basis. Accordingly, myriad reasons have been propagated behind the use of traditional expatriation appointments. In this regard, one of the potential reasons has been associated with the rapidly growing demand for competent and experienced global managers which is accompanied by the reduced supply of the same. The other reasons include the desire of the parent company to acquire centralized decision making and control over the operations of the subsidiary located in the overseas market. Thoo (2013) has defined expatriate failure as â€Å"as the expatriate’s premature return to his or her home country prior to the completion of his or her actual assignment duration†. Accordingly, Thoo (2013) has identified multiple reasons that contribute towards expatriate failure.

International Politics in Twentieth Century Essay

International Politics in Twentieth Century - Essay Example I will begin by giving a liberal account f the relationship between the economy, the state and power. Liberal idealism in international politics did not re-emerge, after the devastation f the Second World War, until the 1970s. Rapid advances in technology, the growth f organisations like the European Community, and the impact f events like the 1973 oil crisis pointed towards evidence f growing interdependence between states. At the same time liberal literature made significant inroads into the rigid inside/outside, domestic/international distinctions characteristic f realism, with the emergence f trans-national relations and world society. Modern interdependency theory uses free trade and the removal f barriers to commerce as prof to their claims. "The rise f regional economic integration in Europe was inspired by the belief that the likelihood f conflict between states would be reduced by creating a common interest in trade and economic collaboration amongst members f the same geographical region." European powers, instead f resolving their differences militarily, would cooperate within a commonly agreed economic and political framework for their mutual benefit. Eventually cooperation between states would increase and broaden as mutual advantages could be gained. Membership f the European Union would entail compliance with its rules, which itself would discourage the absolute pursuit f national interests and weaken state sovereignty. Liberal institutionalists such as Rosecrance argued that the "growth f economic interdependency had been matched by a corresponding decline in the value and importance f territorial conquest for states." In the modern world the benefits f trade and cooperation among states greatly exceed that f military competition and territorial control. Traditionally nation states regarded the acquisition f territory and land as the means to increasing national wealth. The state has transformed from being a 'military state' to a 'trading state'. Statesmen increasingly became aware that the accumulation f national wealth and development relied more heavily on macro-economic policies that increased the competitiveness f their economy compared to other states. Higher levels f efficiency, technology intensive modes f production and valuable human capital all give incentives for multi-national corporations and businesses to invest in the country. Neo-liberals point out that commercial relations between businesses and individuals have diminished the influence and power f the state. Although there is suspicion the role oil has played in the ongoing war in Iraq one cannot doubt the repercussions the war has had internationally. Britain and America have to some extent isolated themselves diplomatically from Europe (their closet allies) and the wider world. Nowadays due to the complications f economic interdependence it makes states less able to act aggressively because otherwise they face risking economic penalties imposed by other members f the international community.

International Financial Market And Modern Capitalism Case Study - 1

International Financial Market And Modern Capitalism - Case Study Example The market has evolved to inject more liquidity in the global economy. In between certain developments have taken place but the evolution is still on. Many people argue that this kind of money helped in creating inflation in the economy. Today the major stock markets are the London Stock Exchange, NYSE Euronext, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, NASDAQ and Shanghai Stock exchange. The recent one is NYSE Euronext, headquartered in New York, was established on 4th April 2007 (NYSE, 2009). London Stock Exchange, being the oldest among these major stock exchanges, has a history of 300 years; though in 1801 it was formally formed under the name of London Stock Exchange. Starting its business in a coffee shop in London, now this exchange has its own TV studios for live financial broadcasts throughout the day. In October 2007 this exchange was merged with Borsa Italiana to emerge as Europe’s foremost exchange business, London Stock Exchange Group. The exchange is having the largest number of countries admitted to trade there, making it the most international among all the stock exchanges of the world (London Stock Exchange, 2009). The very first financial market evolved was Amsterdam stock exchange, in 1600. In 1602 the Dutch East India Company pioneered trading with issuing the first share on this exchange. Even in the 1960s, Amsterdam was the first mover to introduce currency swaps in financial markets. Then the 1970s came with the innovation of some new instruments. Floating rate instruments, trading of futures on foreign currency, interest rates and on stock market indices were introduced within this period. Whenever one instrument is introduced, the market remains mostly unregulated. After a certain time, regulatory constraints get introduced to make the market more regulated and more liquid. For an example when floating rate instruments came into the picture, it was the first instrument that was linked to a floating interest rate (LIBOR).

Review a concert about jazz performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Review a concert about jazz performance - Essay Example Interestingly, even though most true jazz musicians seek to distance themselves from the understanding the jazz is ultimately a form of dance music, society’s perception of jazz continues to be concentric upon the belief that jazz is ultimately an early form of modern dance music. Some various jazz songs could be said to incorporate this element where the musicians thought it would be healthier to do something different instead of the ordinary music production. Likewise, for purposes of this performance review, the author will focus upon the following pieces and analyze how they were played and how this author reacted to the music: Andy Page’s â€Å"Up-End Adam† and â€Å"Jazzin’ in Jazz Town†, Brian Heater’s â€Å"Imagination†, and Mitch Rivet’s â€Å"Dancing with Pinkie†. The first two pieces to be discussed, those composed by Andy Page was magnificent in that the audience instantly engaged with the content. The trumpet was the lead instrument in this performance, which appeared to guide the artists. It carried the melody of every tune. This was an interesting dynamic to note due to the fact that regardless of the musical genre that one seeks to discuss, ultimately a single instrument or a group of instruments will seek to differentiate themselves from the others as a means of providing a firm and solid lead. Oftentimes within classical music this is realized within the lead violin or other instrument. Similarly, within rock ‘n roll this is oftentimes realized with regards to the lead guitar. Invariably, jazz exhibits the same constraints and allows different instruments to perform the lead even within the same song; thereby helping to set jazz apart from the other forms of music that a previously been listed by way of the fact that it is able to integrate and incorporate a number of instruments within any given piece that all can serve as the lead instrument. The second song, also of Andy P age was not about the sharp nines, flat fives, substitutes’ chord or metric subdivisions. The feeling, message and honesty the artists gave the crowd was just phenomenal. What gave the performance an intellectual aspect was the emotional ends. A person could feel connected to the artist and his message. The mental aspect of the song was that, in the middle, it gave someone a funky feeling through the solos, which included drums beats, as well as the saxophones, being played unaccompanied. It was within this very performance that the impacts of jazz upon modern music could be seen. Although the saxophone is not necessarily seen as a contemporary instrument within popular music, the means by which the saxophone solo was utilized to invoke strong melodic realizations and a differentiation from the remainder of the piece was munch it can to the way that modern singers perform a capello segments within their own songs. Though jazz oftentimes incorporates a vocalist, the utilizatio n of the saxophone is almost indistinguishable from the way that a vocalist might operate within a jazz band. The trumpet, in this performance, was the loudest, cutting instrument, above all others. The instruments guided other soloists in carrying out their performances. It was like the "alpha" instrument. The fourth piece which will herein be discussed is that of Brian Heater’

Opinion Essay on Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Opinion on Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - Essay Example I like the novel because it shuns away from discussing the pre-colonial life Eden. Instead, the author sketches a world in which war, suffering and violence exist, but are balanced by a powerful sense of social coherence, ritual, along with tradition. I also liked the fact that Achebe’s Ibo protagonist, Okonkwo, was a self-made person (Roberts 14). Okonkwo was the sons of a charming neer-do-well, who worked extremely hard all his life to triumph over his fathers weakness. As the novel progresses, this young fighter eventually gained prosperity, and became a widely respected person in his village, Umuofia (Roberts 17). His villagers could now depend on Okonkwo for advice. Okonkwo was a prosperous farmer, a champion wrestler, father to several children and a husband to three wives. He was also a person who exhibited flaws well-renowned in Greek tragedy (Achebe 34). Okonkwo controlled his household with a grave hand. His spouses, in particular the youngest, lived in unending fear of his burning temper, and also his little children. This portrays how African families lived before the European exploration. Such a line also shows how African men were powerful in the colonial days (Achebe 36). Maybe Okonkwo, down in his heart, was not a mean person. However, his entire life was subject to fear, the fear of not succeeding and of weakness. It was more intimate and much deeper than the fear capricious gods, evil and magic. Oknokwo was also more fearful of failing than the fear of forests and nature. Okonkwos fear of failing was much greater that the factors mentioned above (Roberts 23). It could not be observed openly, but lay deep within himself. He feared that one day he might follow the steps of his father, living as a deprived person. It is essential to note that Africans, back in the colonial days, were extremely superstitious. Therefore, for a p erson to not believe in nature among other factors is overwhelming. Such as

Management (individual influence on the organization) Essay

Management (individual influence on the organization) - Essay Example For instance, while developing plans, the roles of individuals along with their leadership styles also their decisions, will deeply control how they plan their tactics for the future. In specific the behavioral and the cognitive styles of leadership have deeply affected the organizations of today. With reference to some of the experts in the field, an independent leadership style gives in positive energy to the triumph of a corporation whilst a dramatic imagination, the tendency to believe in provisions of metaphors rather than expressions, as a rule generates a better level of leadership decisions. There are a lot of instances of where the disparity amid triumph and collapse of a business entity has been unswervingly accredited to the leadership style of its higher management. Complete organizational tasks bring about a limitless level of patience for dissatisfaction mainly as leaders set a soaring accent on the outcomes. Nevertheless, the efficient leader recognizes that realizing these outcomes impose joint efforts for which the leader ought to be people orientated. So, the value of leadership styles towards the success of a corporation cannot be modest. Thriving leaders have to be efficient altering agents. They have to be able to come to terms with the varying outlook of their elements.

The Greek mythology Essay Example for Free

The Greek mythology Essay The Greek mythology is one of the most exciting yet complicated subjects when studying literature. Not just because it’s a foreign subject but because the mythology itself, the stories about the Greek gods and the adventures of the mortals with superhuman strength, takes us out far and wide away from the four corners of the classroom. In Greek Mythology, there are two characters that would be the focus of this paper. This are Jason of Iolcus, of the Argonauts and Golden Fleece fame; and Paris of Troy, of the Trojan War and Helen of Troy fame. These two personalities will be introduced one after the other and their respective adventures will be narrated. Jason and Paris are one among many who were very controversial because of their decisions in life and their relationship with women. Henceforth, the topic of this paper is to point out the comparison between Paris and Jason, as well as their differences. In determining these things, we arrived with a question that in the course of this paper, we attempted to answer. [Given the circumstances of their existence, who was the better man?] The term better is subjective and would be matter of argument, but we have come up with a few criteria so as to have a basis for the final answer that would be summarized in the conclusion. The statement better man would be founded on this grounds: Valor, dignity, bravery, fighting skills, tasks performed (rate of success), relations with the gods, effect on history and mythology, relations with women (husband-like qualities), relations with offspring (Father-like attitude), relations with family member, relations with followers (leadership qualities), and the ability to survive. This paper will start off with the introduction of Greek mythology. Who are the gods and what their business are and what their powers are. Especially the god of gods Zeus, his brothers Poseidon and Hades, his wife Hera, his daughters Athena and Aphrodite and his son Apollo. Other minor gods who played a part on Jason and Paris’ lives such as Eris, Eros and Hermes would also be related. After which, Paris and Jason’s lives would be unraveled such as their birth and the oracle; their lives away from their supposed to be real lives; their adventures and their deaths. Through out this, an analysis of their judgment, personality and decision making based on the mentioned criteria would be applied. The Greek Mythology: Who are the gods? Greek mythology is one of the most widely read and most interesting subject in English literature. Its where most fascinating stories come from, from equally intriguing characters, akin to having an alternate universe where the gods were the movie stars and Olympus was Hollywood. The Olympian era starts off with Zeus overthrowing his father Cronus, who was the ruler of the elder gods known as the Titans. Most of the Titans fought with Cronus against Zeus and when Zeus won the battle, he exiled these Titans in a land called Tartarus in the underworld. Zeus then divided the Universe between himself and his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Zeus took the heavens on top of Mount Olympus where he lived with his wife and his sisters and children. Mount Olympus is the highest mountain range in Greece located in the north of Greece. Zeus is the most powerful of all of the ancient gods; people loved and feared him at the same time. He embodies justice, morals and law. His weapon is a thunderbolt, and is also famous for his numerous infidelities to his wife Hera. Hera is also a sister of Zeus, and is worshipped as the goddess of marriage and birth. Hera is portrayed as a jealous wife always on the lookout for the various activities of Zeus and his numerous love affairs and his illegitimate children. Hera was always depicted as someone who would destroy with utmost and unreasonable fury the lives of Zeus’ lovers and their children. Zeus and Hera had three children, Hephaestus, the god of fire and volcano; Hebe, goddess of youth, and Ares, god of war. Hephaestus is said to be the ugliest of the gods and because of his physical appearance, it was said that Hera flung him from Mount Olympus to the ocean and in doing so broke his legs, that’s why Hephaestus is lame. He is the industrious forger who made all the weapons of the gods, he is also known as the patron of all craftsmen. Hephaestus married Aphrodite, who is also rumored as Zeus daughter with another minor goddess Dione. Aphrodite is the goddess of love, desire, sex and beauty. Like Zeus, Aphrodite’s love affairs are also well-publicized. Aside from her husband Hephaestus, she had an affair with the most handsome mortal named Adonis, the Trojan Anchises, the half-god half-mortal Dionysus, the winged god Hermes and Ares the god of war and brother of Hephaestus. The goddess of wisdom, Athena, is also one of Zeus children from his many infidelities. However, Athena was born in a very unique way, of springing forth from Zeus forehead all grown up and fully armored, that’s why Zeus favored Athena a lot, even having the privilege of using Zeus’ thunderbolt weapon at times. Apollo and Artemis are the twin children of Zeus from a Titan goddess named Leto. Apollo is the god of music, healing, truth and prophecy. The oracle of Delphi is dedicated to him. He is also known as the Archer and the patron god of the Trojans. Artemis, Apollo’s twin sister is the goddess of chastity, virginity and hunting. She was the one who calmed the seas when the Greek King Agamemnon killed one of her sacred deer so that they could not launch their ships in the start of the Trojan War. In order to appease her, Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to be one of the goddess’s priestess. Another deity is Hermes, another one of Zeus’ illegitimate children, who is also known as the messenger of the gods. He is always depicted having winged sandals, winged helmet and a magic wand. Businessmen and thieves worship him as their god. Second in power to Zeus is his brother Poseidon, god of the sea. He holds a weapon called trident, which he uses in to strike the ground, causing earthquakes when he is angry. He is known for his violent behavior, temperamental disposition and like Zeus, also fathered a lot of children. Now, Eris, the goddess of discord and strife is also said to be one of Zeus’ children and is the constant companion of Ares, the murdering yet coward god of war. It is Eris who threw the apple of discord with the inscription â€Å"To the Fairest† in the wedding of the mortal Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis (parents of Achilles), wherein three of the goddesses, namely Aphrodite, Athena and Hera laid claim to it. They called on to Zeus to award the apple to the fairest of them but since Hera is his wife and Athena and Aphrodite are his daughters, he called on to the mortal Paris to do the judging. Paris awarded the apple to Aphrodite because of her bribe of giving him Helen, the most beautiful woman on earth. This event is called the Judgment of Paris, and the commencement of the ever famous Trojan War. Who is Paris? His Birth and the Oracle When Hecuba, Queen of Troy was pregnant with Paris, she dreamt that she had brought forth a firebrand that would be the source of destruction of Troy. Seers or prophets interpreted her dream that the child she is carrying, which was Paris, would destroy the city of Troy, therefore the child should be killed. Priam, the King of Troy and Hecabe were not able to slay baby Paris when he was born, so instead, Priam gave the baby to a servant named Agelaus with the instruction to expose him on Mount Ida, a mountainous area near Troy. However, after nine days when the servant came back to bury the supposedly dead child, he was surprised to find baby Paris still alive, because apparently, a bear had nursed him. Astonished with the baby’s fate, Agelaus took baby Paris to his home and raised him up as his own son; he gave him the name Paris. Paris grew up to be a strong and handsome young man. Alexander was fair, tall, and brave. His eyes were very beautiful, his hair soft and blond, his mouth charming, and his voice pleasant. He was swift, and eager to take command. (qtd. In Dares the Phrygian)

Theories of Kant for Company Ethics

Theories of Kant for Company Ethics Early growth in computer processing had little effect on jobs, But as year goes by artificial intelligent had evolve to a point where it is able to think like a human as more and more large amount of new skills were being captured. With these robots, automation or software it is possible to replace people who’s worked in manufacturing industry, service industry or even agriculture industry. Since the notable advancement in computing technology which moves from improved industrial robotics to automated translation service. Andrew McAfee believes that these transition had becoming the reasons behind the sluggish employment growth of the last 10 to 15 years as the rapid technological change has been destroying job faster than it is creating them. (Andrew McAfee, 2012) Therefore, a new argument had risen over the years among employer and employees whether should companies should be responsible for the unemployment caused by their information system. Hence several ethical point of view had been brought up to response to this issue where from ethical egoism point of view believes that companies should not responsible for unemployment as with the information system they are able to benefit from a long term profit therefore this is a morally right action. But Kantianism point of view will be discussed throughout this article to respond to this issue. Kantianism is a deontological ethical theory that concludes that the only good thing in the world that can be called good without qualification is a good will. (Michael J.Quinn, 2003) This bring us back to the issue where should companies be responsible for unemployment caused by their information system. From Kantianism perspective, companies should be responsible for unemployment as Kantianism theory had pointed out that when ones struggles between what ones’ want to do and what ones’ ought to do, what ones’ want to do is no longer important. Ones should only focus on what ones’ ought to do (Michael J.Quinn, 2003). Therefore, the discussion below will look into several categorical imperative formulation that were proposed by Kant to have an in depth view to determine whether companies should or should not be responsible for from Kantianism perspective. Categorical Imperative first formulation poses the basic conception of fairness and universalizability where there will be a consistent law that were tailored for everyone and not there cannot be one rule for me and another for everyone else. For examples, if a company starts to retrench employees that were caused by their information system and felt that it is ok for that company to retrench their employees by doing so companies will be denying and destroy the relationship between employees and employers where employees will lose trust in their employers as they might just get replaced anytime by Information System which leads them to lower productivity and the whole act of making them unemployed will be self-destructing. The desire for consistency will drives the first formulation where could companies retrench employee cause of their information system? Of course not, If every companies in the whole starts to implement information system and replacing their worker with it, it will cause an immense chaos to the world economy where 40% of low income manual labor will lose their jobs in United State and also shifting the bull’s eye onto the middle class workers where jobs like accountant might be replaced by software too. This would lead to severe loss of foundation income for their families where day to day expenses will be a huge problems for these families. (SHOULD ADD MORE IMPACT ONTO THE WHOLE SOCIETY LATER)Since if every company implements information system and causes unemployment, everyone would be unemployed which will disrupt the whole economy and lead the whole world to poverty all because of a personal interest. Therefore, it is wrong for a company to cause unemployment due to their implemented information system and company have to responsible for this issue that were caused by them solely for maximizing their profits. Categorical Imperative second formulation can be seen as the act in such a way that you always  treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a mean but always at the same time as an end. (Michael Rohlf, 2010). Therefore, portrait that rational agency is to be valued for its own sake â€Å"as an end† and that it is therefore illegitimate ever to treat a rational agent merely as a means to an end. Looking back to the case study provided, by implementing information system and causing unemployment, company had treated their employees as a mean to an end. The company sacrifices the job opportunity of their employees in order to achieve a lower cost for their product and higher productivity but at the cost of retrenching their workers. It was wrong for the company to retrench their employees as the company is treating their employees as a working machine rather than a rational agent with whom they could work with and try to collaborate machines with human instead of replacing all of the employees to solely automations. According to Kant there are two types of beings one being known as persons and other known as things.(H.J Paton, 1964) A person consist of infinite worth whereas things have a finite worth and can be bought or sold. In this case, company had treated their employees as a ‘things’ instead of a ‘person’ as company weighs them as a finite worth and retrench them in order to achieve company’s need which is to obtain a low cost production and being able to maximize shareholder’s wealth. Therefore, company is responsible for the unemployment cause by implementation of information system as according to categorical imperative second formulation, there should be moral exchanges between parties, as each parties treat each other not solely as an object of instrumental value alone but as objects of intrinsic value too. Thus, company should recognize their employees as au tonomous and rational human beings that are capable of willing freely and not upset or frustrate the freedom and autonomy of their employees by channeling forces or threats to retrench them just because their productivity is not on par as machines. Categorical Imperative third formulation stated that all maxims as proceeding from our own making of law ought to harmonize with a possible kingdom of end. In lay man’s term it means that in considering morality, we need to imagine ourselves making law in a Kingdom of people who are ends in themselves and should not act selfishly or be swayed by emotions which in our case company implementing information system in their organization. Whilst these automation could help in increasing the overall productivity, lowering down total product cost and also results in a higher earning does not mean that ones have to do it, instead company should integrate or implement partial machines that could help in increasing the overall productivity. In so doing, these company will make law for rational people where when we are torn between universal moral laws (retrenching employees without any proper reason will cause upsets to them which will demoralized them and ending their source of income) and particular desires produced in us (implementing machines to maximizes profit), you find a rational solutions to aid the problems (inter-cooperate human and machines together) which does achieve a particular desires and does falling towards either side. That said being able to look at several Kant’s point of view, we could conclude that Kant had several point of view where first formulation focuses on universalized rules where ones act only on that principle of action through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law where if rule is universalized, any companies that implemented information system will have to retrench their employees, employees loses their job and thus lowering the purchasing power which would results in more economy downturn. Therefore the rules is self-defeating and it company should be responsible for the unemployment caused by their information system. However, the second point of view focuses on looks into treating people as ends in themselves rather than means to ends. Therefore, company should not treat employees as a mean to end by retrenching them just because they had found a better substitute for them instead company should treat them as a rational people where coll aborating them into catching up with new skill sets to work on other fields. Lastly, Kant’s third formulation states that in everything ones do and every autonomous action ones makes, ones is required to picture himself/herself as a person writing the law for a new kingdom where everybody must treat everybody else as end in themselves which company have to find a rational principle of act to solve the issue between maximizing profit and unemployment where it will harmonize both parties. #Provide real world examples. References http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/515926/how-technology-is-destroying-jobs/ http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant/ http://hercules.gcsu.edu/~hedmonds/lecture%20notes/kant%20lecture%20notes.htm http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/50-economic-numbers-from-2011-that-are-almost-too-crazy-to-believe https://financesonline.com/blue-collar-blues-are-we-losing-our-blue-collar-workers/ http://www2.fiu.edu/~harrisk/Notes/Ethics/KANT.htm Biblography http://thepietythatliesbetween.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/kantian-ethics-part-3-second.html http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/06/this-is-the-way-blue-collar-america-ends/276554/ http://www.businessinsider.com.au/why-blue-collar-jobs-are-dissapearing-2012-1 http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2011/12/15/9461848-dismal-prospects-1-in-2-americans-are-now-poor-or-low-income http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/5i.htm http://thepietythatliesbetween.blogspot.com.au/search?q=kantian+ethics http://www.rsrevision.com/Alevel/ethics/revision/kant_aspects_of_theory.pdf

Leadership Theories Relevant In Contemporary Organisations Management Essay

Leadership Theories Relevant In Contemporary Organisations Management Essay Introduction Leadership theories talk about different methods or ways that a leader follows to complete a given task with a group of people (followers or subordinates). These theories also talk about leaders behavior, character, knowledge, and the environment the team is working in. as it is the leaders task to complete the given work in given time and environment. Different theories talk about different leadership styles or methods a leader can choose to follow to complete the given task. Leadership theories relevant in contemporary organisations: Leaders play a vital role in determining the organizations effectiveness. Effective leaders are critical to the effectiveness of the contemporary organizations. Whether leadership can be taught, or even how effective it might are the question to answer (Collinson and Keith in year 2005). Leadership is not just a single man process, but it is a shared process (Hunt and Murrel 1997, 2004), leaders can become followers and followers can become leaders depending on the process, situation and the task. In simple terms, leadership is a process in which an individual or a group influences others to accomplish a specific task providing the necessary directions to the organization to become more effective. With growing technology and globalization, organizations are competing with each other like never before. As a result, how well and organization can use its resources plays a very important role. Some also argue that the effects of a leader on an organization are less when comparing with po litical, economical and environmental forces (Lieberson and OConnor, 1972; Pfeffer, 1977), natural disaster in Japan recently is a perfect example of this. Situational Leadership Theory The situational leadership theory which is first introduced as life cycle theory was developed b Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard says, the effective leadership varies not only with the person or group but many other factors influencing the organization like environment, politics, economics, etc, which can affect the workflow of the organization. So, the most successful leaders are those who can adapt their leadership styles according to the situation and to the maturity of the individual or group they are attempting to lead or influence. Maturity can be seen as 1. The ability or capacity to set high but achievable goals. 2. Responsibility and commitment to complete the task. 3.Relevant education and experience with respect to task. There are two fundamental concepts in Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership theory. Leadership styles. Individuals or groups maturity level. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory) Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership theory talks about four different leadership styles and four different maturity levels of the individual or group. How different leadership styles can help different maturity levels is what the theory is about. M1/S1: If the individual or group is not matured enough, leader should constantly tell them and direct them towards the goal. M2/S2: If the maturity level is medium and skills are limited, leader should coach them and direct them towards the goal, not constantly. M3/S3: If the maturity level is medium and the skill level is high, leader should participate with the group or individual and support them to achieve the goal. M4/S4: If the individual or the group is highly matured, leader involves him/her self in the process to check the development or the progress of the task. (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_44.htm). Some of the factors that will affect the leaders decisions are: Capacity and the influence of the leader. Capacity and motivation of the subordinates or followers. Relation between leader and team. How serious is the situation or amount of the pressure on the leader and the team. What are the resources available for the leader and the team? As a leader plays a major in any organisation, it is important to have necessary information and knowledge about the planning and should have a clear vision. So, he or she can help the team or subordinates to have clear vision and together they can archive the common goal. There are many strategies a leader can approach (like task oriented or people oriented etc). However the approach can change according to the situation. In many areas situation plays major role, so understanding the situation and supporting the team will help the leader and the team to reach the desired goal. Leaders should mainly know about: Subordinates or followers motivation and capacity to work in various situations. Do all the subordinates know or understand what they should do ( action plan or vision )? How the work is organised. Understanding between team members (it plays a major role in completing task). What are the resources that are available? Information about external groups that a leader can coordinate and take support form in unpredictable situations. Herseys and Blanchards Situational Leadership Theory illustrates the development of the team in four stages. The four stages are: Forming: Forming a team. It is important for the leader to select a team with a group with enough information and knowledge which helps leader forming plans and take actions to complete the tasks. Storming: leader should have a clear vision of what he or she is doing and should have a clear plan how to do it. Leader when has a clear vision he or she can help the team to form a clear vision which helps the team to reach their goal. Clarity is very important for the leader and the followers. Norming: Understanding between the team members or followers is very important for the team leader, as it plays very important role for the leaders life. If the team members have a good understanding it is easy for the leader to complete the task with less trouble in unwanted situations. Performing: Leader with all the information and knowledge about the task and all the resources that organization has, to complete the task. Making a perfect business plan is just beginning but performing according to the plan is tough and not easy. With proper motivation and leaders charm it is possible to complete the task. (http://www.businessballs.com/slanalysis.htm) (http://www.ehow.com/situational-leadership/) (http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_44.htm) Disadvantages/Limitations of the Situational Leadership Theory This model was unable to differentiate between management style and leadership style. What leadership is all about, is it making decisions or motivating and inspiring and helping followers / subordinates? Concentrates a lot on what leader does for him/her self and for the team and for the organization. (http://www.12manage.com/methods_blanchard_situational_leadership.html)

Hawaii Essay -- Personal Narrative Traveling Vacation Essays

Hawaii I stepped out of the flight gate at the Honolulu airport, and into another world. This world was strange, yet somehow familiar. There was the Starbucks, and the frazzled travelers, but to my left were huge open-air panorama windows. These did not look out onto grey pavement, and unruly Colorado skies, but into a lush forest of palm trees and tropical scents. The moisture of the air clung to my cheeks, and made my already thick hair seem much thicker. But the awe slipped away, as I struggled to find the baggage claim. My beloved boyfriend was still looking about him with admiration and the joy of a child, but I felt hot and was scurrying away to find my luggage. Down the escalator we went, and into the more familiar world of spinning luggage and unpleasant sounds of machinery. I frowned wondering where our famous lei greeting was. After all, we had requested it, they should have been at the gate. My head was full of visions of grass-skirted Polynesian women smiling and hanging fragrant necklaces around our shoulders. We waited patiently on a bench, thinking perhaps they would come find us there. Finally, David went in search of the traveling agency, and I soon followed. After a few minutes of waiting, a tanned teenage boy came out of the back and examined us with bored annoyance. After explaining that we had not received our leis, he yawned and tossed two of the flower garlands at us. Here ya go, he said, and disappeared into the door from which he came. David and I exchanged glances, and wondered if this was an omen. I decided firmly not to let this minor setback get in the way of my enjoyment of this trip. We now had to find the rental car, which involved more waiting, this time in the hot sun with other disg... ...re soon full of jade and coral, fans and sarongs. David was in search of a black and white hibiscus shirt, which turned out to be quite hard to find. We finally found one, after looking through about twenty clothing shops. Contented, we returned to the room, and floated away on the soft cries of merchants and drums. Our final day, we simply went to see a movie. Here we finally saw true locals, dressed in shabby t-shirts and shorts, complaining cheerfully about the heat. I wondered what it would be like to live here, in this peaceful place, where even the grocery workers are laid back, and calm. I imagined myself living in a beach front house, being able to simply walk to that azure water. When our plane took off that night, I pressed my nose to the glass, and sighed. Despite my poor bum, and the vertical driveway, I knew I'd left part of my heart there in Hawaii.

pete rose & the hall of fame Essay -- essays research papers

Pete Rose & the Hall of Fame When I go watch my Chicago Cubs at beautiful Wrigley field I am concerned with the game and what is in front of me, not what is going on off the field. I go to enjoy the game and the talent of the athletes that play. I could care less about what Sammy Sosa is doing off the field, he is the man because of his skills on the field and what he does for Americas’ past time. Last time I was sitting on the third base line and Sammy stepped up to the plate I did not think to myself â€Å"I wonder if he hits his wife like he hits a baseball,† or â€Å"he looks like a big time gambler,† I was shouting his name and clapping in support for hope of another homer being sent over the ivy covered wall. My enthusiasm was booming for this mans talent and what he brings to the table to help my cubbies win. Now would you not think that a baseball player in the Hall of Fame should be looked at the same way? Should a hall of famer not be jugged based on his baseball skills and what he did on the field? Well that does not seem to be the case when it comes to Pete Rose. Since being banned from baseball in 1989 for off field actions he denies, he has repeatedly been denied access to Cooperstown. Pete Rose was one of the greatest baseball players ever and should be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame because of it. Pete was placed on the ineligible list of baseball players in 1989 for allegedly betting on baseball, the worst baseball â€Å"sin† you can commit. He was reported to the FBI by one of his bookies, Ron Peters. â€Å"Peters testified that Rose also bet on his own Reds (only to win, allegedly), even placing calls from the stadium† (Goldman 23). Rose claims that he never bet on baseball only other sports, but various bookies say otherwise, claiming that Rose started betting on baseball after losing largely on other sports. Checks received by bookies had been linked to Rose through finger prints and handwriting further incriminating him. With no direct proof that he bet specifically on baseball Pete Rose was still banned from the game. â€Å"I can't say if Rose bet on baseball—I don't know. But he has paid his dues. The guy deserves to be back [in baseball] and in the Hall of Fame,† former Cincinnati Reds player Tommy Helms told newspapers. In 1991 one year be fore he would be eligible to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, players banned from the game coincidently ... ...amidst the crowds roar, I can only imagine what the suspense must have been like when Rose tied the all-time hit record in the windy city, a game before his home crowed in Cincinnati. What Pete Rose did for the game is undeniable. Alleged actions should not restrict one of Baseballs all-time greatest players from being inducted into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose’s records will continue to stand further on reminding us all of his greatness! Goldman, David. â€Å"The Saga of Pete Rose.† Biography. April 2003. Vol. 7 Issue 4: Academic Search Premier. http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=9299185&db=aph Sowell, Thomas. â€Å"Pete Rose & Shoeless Jackson.† Human Events. March 24, 2003. Vol. 59 Issue 10: Academic Search Premier. http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=9357506&db=aph Kindred, David. â€Å"Give Pete a Chance? No way.† Sporting News. March 17, 2003. Vol. 227 Issue 11: Academic Search Premier. http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=9296786&db=aph Orecklin, Michelle. â€Å"Another Rose May be Blooming Again.† Time. Vol. 160 Issue 26 p1/5 Costas, Bob, Joe Garner, and George Foreman. And The Fans Roared. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks Inc, 2000. www.PeteRose.com

Critically Analyse How Your Contribution to Your Ipe Team Impacted on the Functioning and Ultimate Output of This Team

This essay will demonstrate to the reader how my personal contribution to the inter professional education (IPE) team impacted towards the purpose and output of team working throughout this module. The essay will aim to draw upon several theories in order to support the research gathered on different ways of effective team working methods. In addition to this, team working roles will be discussed and will include the contribution I made as an individual. Furthermore, the essay will draw upon how this experience will affect how the student approach’s team working within the healthcare setting. The IPE team consisted of five individuals, all from different professional disciplines: two radiographers, a paramedic, a physiotherapist and myself a paediatric nurse. A productive team is essential for the success of any task and for this to take place the team needs to develop over several stages prior to the productive stage (Wong, 2007). The model constructed by Tuckman and Jenson (1977) involves four stages; forming, storming, norming and performing. Looking at the four stages, not all teams go through all the above stages and not all teams go through the stages in the same way. However, a successful team is one who can adapt through the different stages as and when required (Borrill, 2002). Our team fluctuated many times through these different stages, however, this can be seen as a characteristic of a successful team (Avery, 2004). Looking at the theoretical behaviours of the team throughout the different stages, the team had reached the performing stage, meaning the team were producing outstanding results. This involved the members of the team working together to undertake the task at hand. During week two of the module, the team met and each team member introduced themselves. Moreover, the group took time to inform each other about their roles within their different healthcare professions. At this stage, all members of the group were rather quiet and from the onset there was no leader that I could identify. This was because we were in the ‘forming’ stage of group development (Tuckman & Jenson, 1977). As the team had never met prior to this stage, the forming stage was possibly the most important. Our first task to be carried out as a team was to create and present a presentation on the topic of new ways of working. As a team we identified our own individual strengths and weaknesses and also took this time to get to know one another better. We discussed the role of appointing a team leader, however at this stage no one wanted to take up this responsibility. By not assigning a leader at this point, can be seen as a disadvantage as this meant there was no specific person delegating the work between the members of the team (Fisher, 2000). Therefore, we agreed to work together and decided to distribute the work evenly between us. By doing this, it can be said that we were a consolidating team as each of us knew what work had to be done for the following meeting (Woodcock, 1979). Each member kept to their designated tasks and completed it well however exact roles within the group were not noticeable. As time was a huge factor, I felt the team pulled together very well, producing and delivering a successful presentation. Having delivered the formative presentation, at the end of week two, each team was given the remit for the summative presentation. As a group we came to the decision that we would meet before members went out to practice placements. In the first meeting where the summative presentation was discussed, as a group we decided the initial research for the topic should be split equally between us. As we recovered an excellent result whilst doing the formative presentation, we felt this method worked for us. We then agreed that the next meeting should consist of sharing the different information each group member had obtained. This would then enable us to decide what our presentation would be based on and hence what information should be provided in the presentation to acknowledge the audience about our service. The ‘storming’ and ‘norming’ stages of Tuckman and Jenson’s (1977) model took place in the following meetings. At this point I felt there were more evident roles within the team although it was clear each team member had their own individual strengths. According to Belbin’s (2001) team roles, I felt within the team we had a co-ordinator, implementer, plant, team worker and a specialist. As a team we were able to share ideas and work together to help each other out. The roles within the team changed overtime nd it could be seen some members of the group undertook more than one role. The group shared their ideas with each other in order to come up with a reasonable service to provide for the public. However, the team faced obstacles as the initial service did not meet the aims and objectives set out. To overcome this, we conversed as a team and did not let this fall back put our spirits down. Thinking of a service to involve all of our different professional disciplines was hard for the team as it had to focus upon paediatrics, as my course is directed at paediatric nursing. Some members of the team found it hard to grasp the concept of the service being aimed at paediatrics only, as their individual professions include treating adults as well as children. At this stage I found myself taking on a slight leadership role as my profession involves taking care of children and ensuring their needs are met. According to Belbin’s (2001) team roles, I felt my role in the team was a co-ordinator as well as a plant. At the end of meetings I found myself delegating small tasks to each individual so that research gathered could then be brought together in order to begin to build a foundation for our presentation. Another member of the group also took this role and we found working together produced efficient and faster results. As time progressed, members of the team began to notice a couple of the group members were struggling with research and were not pulling their weight as much as the rest of the team. During our meetings, it could be seen that these members of the group, took on a specialist role within the group (Belbin, 2001). Even though they provided some knowledge and skills to the group, this was seen to be on a rare basis and contribution to the task was minimal (Belbin, 2001). Personally I was disappointed as time was a factor and certain areas of research were not being carried out. A team leader can be defined as one who can persuade people to agree with their way of working through a non coercive manner (Marquis & Huston, 2009). On the other hand, any one can be a leader, and each can have their own different behavioural style (Cartwright, 1951). Looking at this, any of the team members could have spoken to the remaining group members regarding their lack of input towards the presentation. Analysing the situation, shows that I took more of a Laissez-faire type of leadership style as I never confronted the group members who did not contribute as much as others (Cartwright, 1951). As the deadline approached, the team members carried out the remainder of the research in order to finalise the presentation. My role had now become a completer/ finisher as well as still aiming to co-ordinate the team and be a team worker. This meant along with helping others, I also had the task of ensuring all the work was completed to a high standard. With the help from other team members, I was able to ensure all outcomes had been achieved, ready to deliver the final presentation. Fortunately we moved into the performing stage fairly quickly which aided making up for time lost during the extended storming phase. The team worked very well together and rarely needed my input as a co-ordinator. Members were working harmoniously in order to complete the task and therefore, my main role at this stage was to facilitate the process and complete my aspect of the task. As stated above, taking the role as completer, I made sure everything was done to the best of the team’s ability. Mini deadlines were set to keep the team working at a comfortable pace, ensuring all team members could discuss their progress with one another. The other two members of the team as well as my self, who shared the role as co-ordinators, set a deadline before the presentation was to be delivered in order to give us enough time to correct any problems. This gave the group enough time to rehearse the presentation and ensure that the work produced was to the best of our ability. The latest vision for the improvement of healthcare states a greater level of communication between healthcare professionals is vital (UK Department of Health, 2008). Going through the process of working with other healthcare professionals was a simulation of what working inter-professionally in the real world would be like. The conflicts that were come across, especially those that arose from members having different healthcare backgrounds and therefore making time an issue, gave a true picture of how difficult this new vision will be to achieve. However, it also taught us how these problems can be overcome and how having an understanding and appreciation of other healthcare professional’s responsibilities is crucial for integrated patient care. Simple things, for example, re-iterating common goals made the team’s performance more focussed. On the whole, the process and concept of inter-professional learning to achieve a successful outcome was a very valuable task in preparing us to work as a team in the healthcare environment and is now crucial to achieve the best possible patient care available.

Overview of the organization of Wal-Mart Essay

Today, one of the most common places known to everyone (Except Paris Hilton) is Wal-Mart. Last year, Wal-Mart had revenues of $191 billion and has 1,283,000 employees, as of 2002. Wal-Mart is the largest retail store in the United States, and is larger than any other retail chain in the world. Currently Wal-Mart operates over 4,150 retail facilities globally. According to the Fortune 500 index of the wealthiest and most powerful corporations in the world, Wal-Mart holds the number one spot, ranked by its total sales. The company is ranked as the second most admired company in the world by Fortune (www.fortune.com). With all these numbers, you would think they had a long drawn out plan with goals as long as their success, but when Sam Walton created Wal-Mart in 1962, he declared that three policy goals would define his business: respect for the individual, service to customers, and striving for excellence (www.walmart.com). Three very short, but successful goals, which have been worki ng since. As I researched goals and planning, Wal-Mart’s goals are not the standard goals that I found. In the textbook there is information concerning characteristics of goals. Characteristics of Well-Designed Goals: 1) Written in terms of outcomes rather than actions. 2) Measurable and quantifiable. 3) Clear as to a time frame. 4) Challenging yet attainable. 5) Written down. 6) Communicated to all necessary organizational members. Management (Page 166 Para. 1) As we redirect to Wal-Marts goals, we can see that they would not be defined as well designed. Not many of the six characteristics would fit Sam Walton’s goals. 1) Respect for the individual – This could not be considered for outcomes rather than actions nor is it measurable and quantifiable. It contains no time frame and I hardly consider respect as a challenge. However the goals were written and have been communicated to all employees. When it comes to the respect from Wal-Mart stores many individuals feel Sam Walton has lost his sight. I researched what others had to say about the goals. â€Å"Everyone says the store really got bad after Sam died,† one individual explains. http://members.aol.com/walmopboy/abuse/strl.htm (Look Before You Leap) The site contains articles customers and employees have posted about the treatment they have received at various Wal-Mart stores. 2) Service to customers – Once again this fits only the last two characteristics explained. It is written and has been communicated. 3) Striving for excellence – This, compared to the other two fits the characteristics best. It could be considered for outcomes rather than action, and could be considered challenging. It is not measurable and quantifiable, nor clear as to a time frame. However, it is once again written down and communicated to the employees. When I researched how well these goals were communicated to the employees, I found that they are printed on the hiring paperwork. Once the paperwork is complete the employees do not see or receive the goals. Therefore, I do not feel the goals are communicated effectively among the employees and organization. In order for the goals to be achieved, I feel the employees must be aware of Sam Walton’s sight. I believe the first step to achieve these goals effectively would be to instill them within the employees. They should be explained clearly and constantly. They should also be printed, in clear sight. This would help to  remind employees and show customers their attitudes. I also feel that the goals should have a clear time frame and measurable. For example: In one year, cut complaints to less than 20 per store. There should be some way to ensure the goals are being reached. By setting time frames and a measurable form the store can see how well or terrible they are doing. Resources: 1) Wal-Mart Homepage http://www.walmart.com/ [Accessed 18 July 2004] 2) Fortune http://www.fortune.com/fortune/ [Accessed 18 July 2004] 3) Wal-Mart Horror Stories – Archives http://members.aol.com/walmopboy/abuse/strl.htm [Accessed 19 July 2004] 4) Robbins, Coulter (2005) Management Eighth Edition Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Custom Publishing

How can Wal-Mart Keep Low Prices

When Sam Walton opened his first store, the Five and Dime, he had no idea that he would become a success. He started his first store with one vision – to keep prices as low as possible. He knew that by keeping the prices low, his profit would not be as large as his competitor’s but he also knew that he could compensate this by the volume of sales. Soon he was opening new stores in other states and its sales reached millions of dollars. At present, Wal-mart is the biggest corporation surpassing its competitors (Jim Hightower) It has over more than a hundred retail stores all over the world making the Waltons some of the richest people in the world. S. Robson Walton is ranked by London’s â€Å"Rich List 2001† as the wealthiest human on the planet having more than $65 billion surpassing Bill Gates. (Jim Hightower) Its present status was however not attained overnight. There were several strategies adopted by Wal-Mart which made it the world’s largest retailer. The first is the use of technology. Wal-Mart was the first to use the Universal Bar Code system. As the largest retailer, Wal-Mart was able to force manufacturers of products to adopt a common labeling called the bar code. The bar code contains details about the product which tells the retailers information such as how many of the said products have been sold and how many are still remaining. This system helped improve the way inventories are done in stores. With the bar code system, retail store owners no loner need to hire employees to conduct the inventory and the inventory system is now more accurate. Another business strategy adopted by Wal-Mart to keep prices low is its adoption of the corporate culture of frugality. The Waltons were very careful about spending their money and they lived a very simple lifestyle. They also demanded frugality from their employees. Frugality is so imbedded in its culture that even the company’s headquarters is located in Arkansas which is very old and looks dull. The executives of the company do not ride in fancy limousines and nor do they reside in expensive hotels. Instead, the executives shared budget-hotel rooms with their colleagues. (Caroline Wilbert) The corporate culture of frugality was manifested in the way the wages of their employees are being paid. It is said that the company pays an average wage of $9. 68 an hour which is definitely not enough for the employees to maintain a decent standard of living. (Gregory Heires) There have been complaints that the said company even compels its employees and managers to work overtime without paying them additional compensation for overtime work. The employees do not have adequate health care insurance and other benefits. Health care insurances are essential especially for employees who are earning barely enough for their daily living. Even if these employees get sick they will get some help from health care providers for their medicine and hospitalization expenses. Research, however, shows that â€Å"Wal-Mart's health insurance covers 44% or approximately 572,000 of its 1. 3 million U. S. workers. [In comparison, Wal-Mart rival Brown & Cole Stores insures approximately 96% of its 2,000 eligible workers. Further, Wal-Mart spends an average of $3,500 per employee for health care, 27% less than the retail-industry average of $4,800. †(â€Å"Wal-Mart†) Wal-Mart adopted an aggressive policy against labor unions. The role of unions in workplaces is very important. They ensure that the employees are given the wages and benefits which the law gives them. It is said that in North America, Wal-Mart has thwarted efforts to create union through aggressive anti-union tactics such as managerial surveillance and pre-emptive closures of stores or departments who choose to unionize. (â€Å"Wal-Mart†) Initially, Wal-Mart advertised the â€Å"Buy American† campaign. However, in order to maintain its low prices, Wal-Mart had to look for other suppliers which offered products for a lesser price than the suppliers in the United States. Eventually Wal-Mart began looking at other countries for the cheapest source of production. In 1995, Wal-Mart said that 6 percent of its total merchandise was imported. A decade later, experts estimated that Wal-Mart imported about 60 percent of its merchandise. (Caroline Wilbert) Today, Wal-Mart is considered the largest importer of Chinese-made products in the world, buying $10 billion worth of merchandise from several thousand Chinese factories. (Jim Hightower) There is, however, a price for the success of this management policy of Wal-Mart. For the company to maintain low prices for its buyers and customers, it has to reduce its expenses in the barest minimum – including wages, benefits, working conditions, supplies and products. As a result, Wal-Mart has been criticized worldwide for its business policies by other business organization, religious organization. Among the issues raised against it are: a) low wages it pays to its employees, cases of union busting, lack of health care and employee benefits, use of foreign labor, discrimination against women, It bears stressing that the current management policy of Wal-Mart is devastating for the millions of its employees worldwide. Though it may have generated employment, it has also created unemployment insofar as the employees of their competitors are concerned. For its existing employees, their working condition is far from being ideal. The purpose of this research project is to prove that it is possible for Wal-Mart to improve the wages and benefits it gives to its employees and at the same time maintain the prices of their products low. The philosophy is clear and definite – Wal-Mart can maintain the low prices of its products without hurting its employees. The persons who will be interested in this research project are not only the employees who will be benefited by the increase in their wages and benefits but also the consumers who desire to ensure that the prices of products in Wal-Mart remain the same. II. I believe that it is possible for Wal-Mart to improve the wages and benefits it gives to its thousands of employees and at the same time maintain the prices of their products low. As proof, I aim to use studies made by economists and researchers. One potential secondary source that will prove the said point is the studies conducted by the Economic Policy Institute which is cited in the article of Emily Kaiser entitled â€Å"US: Wal-Mart Could Hike Pay and Keep Prices Low: Study. † Researchers have also concluded that if only Wal-Mart would reduce its profit margin to about 2. 9%, where it stood in 1997, from the 3. 6% margin it recorded last year that would free up about $2. 3 billion to pay workers without raising prices. † (Emily Kaiser) The primary research tool that could be used for this research is the examination into the Income Statement of the Wal-Mart Inc. These are public documents which could be looked into by any citizen. By examining the company’s Income Statement, we will be able to find out just how much money the company is earning in a year. If a small portion of these earnings will only be equitably distributed, then the employees will experience an improvement in their living condition. Another primary research tool are Internet sources which shows the extent of the complaints, criticisms and suits against Wal-Mart. By looking into the information from these sources, one can conclude that the wealth and success of Wal-Mart was made at the expense of its employees.

Alara Agri Case

1. Should Taner engage in consumer research for Alara Agri’s prepackaged cherries or should he attempt to persuade German and Belgian retailers to conduct some test marketing in their stores? Taner should engage in consumer research for Alara Agri’s prepackaged cherries because throughout the case, German and Belgian retailers were very pessimistic of the idea of prepackaged cherries, believing that the packaging would deter the consumers in their countries from buying because it does not give the â€Å"farm fresh feel. The German and Belgian retailers also stated that their consumers were more price sensitive, and would not be prone to packaging unlike other countries such as the UK which is an island. German and Belgian retailers were under the assumption that the UK consumer would pay more for packaged goods because they are an island, and it is not as easy to obtain such fruits and vegetables all year round.After reading studies, a Belgian report showed, â€Å"an in-store survey revealed less than 40 percent of consumers are able to state the correct price of a jar of mayonnaise immediately after purchase, more than 20 percent having no idea at all of the price charge. † A German study of consumers at supermarkets found a staggering number of just under 70 percent of purchases were made at the point of sale, and that brand meant a lot, because it distinguished quality items from not. 2. If you think consumer research is appropriate, what are the specifics of your research plan?The specifics that would be most appropriate for the research plan, would have to be having a brand/label test, as well as a price test. The ultimate goal is to propose the plan to the German and Belgian retailers, which is already touchy. The plan is to show a minute cost increase but with a return far greater with the idea of longer shelf life, as well as a brand that would stick. The challenge to overcome is to figure out how to convince the German and Belgian retailers that the cost of convenience and quality would catch on quickly as it did in Europe.The research plan will also include test marketing in the stores, perhaps with a credit to the retailers whose shelf space was wasted as a result of a failed attempt to gain a new base of consumer. All in all, getting the brand name out and getting it to stick with the meaning of quality, with an offering of good faith that if the attempt fails, the retailers would be reimburse to the fullest. 3. If you think test marketing by retail customers is appropriate, what are the specifics of your research plan?Test marketing is absolutely appropriate by retail consumers, because it allows a company to not throw all of their eggs in one basket only to have it fail. It gives the company an opportunity, as well, to determine whether or not it would be appropriate to make such a drastic change in an already established market. In order to do this, we would need retailer willingness of shelf space for any certain amount of time. We would also have to implement a consumer report of customers who picked through cherries, as opposed to customers who picked up the â€Å"punnets† of cherries.This type of comparative data would allow us to show the Belgian and German retailers an analysis of growth, profit, and gross margin, ultimately convincing, or proving the Belgian and German retailers correct. 4. Do you have any other recommendations for Mr. Taner? My only other recommendations is that Mr. Taner prove his brand and quality meet the expectations of those he is trying to convince. Rightfully so, Mr. Taner has all of the tools he needs in order to perform a thorough study which should allow him to obtain shelf space in German and Belgium, on the pretense that his changing of the market is an actual success.