My Gesellschaft Society Essay

Many young people in this day and age are tying to look act, and overall seem older. I deal with these struggles everyday in my life. Kids face many dilemmas in their trek to adulthood yet, they still try to obtain adulthood earlier by going through the â€Å"proper† rites of passage. These things create dilemmas, which can help or hinder lifetime goals. Two of the dilemmas that young people face today are peer pressure, and adult pressure. Kids today in the modern society encounter things such as smoking, drinking, and violence. In a Gemeinschaft society peer pressure is not going to be a really big issue in a teens life. All of the people in that society are probably going think and have the same ideal as everybody else in their community. Although in a Gesellschaft society, teens are going to struggle with different issues because no one thinks the same or follows the same ideas or trends. I know in my life it is very hard to stick to what I believe in. There is always going to be someone out there to tell you a different side of a situation. In some ways seeing two different views of a problem is good. It helps to weigh out the good and the bad. I live in a Gesellschaft society. The friends I hang around with have many different beliefs about everything. There is no way that we can all believe or follow the same ideas. Peer pressure is a very major dilemma when friends or peers try to get a person to do what they, the majority, like and not what the individual likes, or does not want to do. Peers create some of the so-called rites, when one follows, more start to follow, then it becomes the scenario of follow the leader. For example, some teens think that drinking is a passage into adulthood because the law states you must be 21 to drink. The logic of some teens indicates that if you drink you are considered an adult. Therefore if one teen tries it he/she is supposedly accepted as a more mature person, so more people will follow. Many adolescents fear their peers because of the fact that the peer group may  have set certain ideals, yet the individual may or may not have the resources to obtain the ideals. If there is a lack of resources then the individual may have a very low level of self-esteem. Many individuals do not care for the ideals yet they allow themselves to be converted to the majority and this can also create a problem with ones self-esteem. Peer pressure is not a bad thing. We all are influenced by our peers, both negatively and positively. It helps define who we are and how we feel about subjects in our lives. It is how we chose to react to peer pressure that defines who we are as an individual. Are we a leader or a follower? Both types of people are needed to make the world go round. Basically, the difference between negative and positive peer pressure is the outcome. The reverse of the situation above is negative peer pressure. The situation itself is positive peer pressure. For example, a teen really doesn’t like sports, but pushes himself to do it to please his friends or to be accepted. Therefore, he probably doesn’t do too well at it, and gets only criticism, which lowers his self-esteem from the very friends he is trying so hard to impress. That is a form of negative peer pressure. Another kind of pressure is adult pressure, adults create many dilemmas in a teens life. Adults tell teens what and what not to do. They make things harder by the fact that adults pressure teens into colleges, jobs, careers, and life over all. Adults also create self-esteem problems in teens by not respecting choices or decisions made by teens. For example, children are taught by their parents to supposedly know what is right or wrong. The child may not like their parents’ answer to a question or situation, and in some cases get furious at the decision and go and do the wrong thing. In a way this is a case of peer pressure because the child wants to do what his/her friends are doing which could be the wrong thing and the child gets mad at the parents because they say no. Adults pressure teens into not doing things also. Drugs, sex, and alcohol are some of the many things peers and adults disagree upon. The style of clothes one wears is also a big disagreement between the two groups. In a way adult pressure is worse than peer pressure. Adults control teens lives until they are eighteen years old or older. Adults may force a son or daughter to go to a certain college that the teen does not want to attend, or obtain a career that the teen does not want. Peer pressure is a normal aspect in a teen’s life. For example, if a parent doesn’t like the current teen fashion does not mean that a parent should have to fight it. When everyone at school is wearing jeans that are five times too big for them, and a teen wants to also, you can cut them some slack. But, if everyone is wearing these jeans down around their knees, you should have a battle. In conclusion the two pressures of peers, and adults are often conflicting. Sometimes neither is good, and other times both are good. Adult pressure is by far the worst creating many problems with youths today. Peer pressure may also create problems yet they are easier to deal with. The best thing to do is to respect one’s own decision for one’s self and no one else’s.

A Farewell to Arms †Existentialism Essay

Ernest Hemingway’s ‘A Farewell to Arms’ explores notions surrounding both love and war. However it is not a love story, and nor is it a war story. It is a combination of both that allows for Hemingway to discuss what he is truly interested in: Existentialism. Existentialism is a philosophy that developed from the concept that there is no inherent meaning in life. However, we can create meaning. A Farewell to Arms is an exploration of this, but more than that, it’s an exploration of the reality of this in that; meaning in life doesn’t last forever, and when it’s gone, it leaves us with no logic and no hope, just nothingness. Hemingway uses his protagonist Frederic Henry to support his existentialist views. He does this, firstly by creating meaning in Frederic’s life. Hemingway creates Catherine for him. Their love is only a game at first, Frederic admits â€Å"God knows [he] had not wanted to fall in love with anyone. † However, it becomes so much more than that. Towards the end of the novel, if Catherine isn’t with him he â€Å"[hasn’t] a thing in the world†. Hemingway makes a point of foreshadowing this inevitable fact early on, when we are privy to Frederick’s thoughts as he contemplates that â€Å"It was a long time since [he] had written to the States and [he] knew [he] should write but [he] had let it go so long that it was almost impossible to write now. † Throughout the book, the people he associates with; Rinaldi, the men in his regiment, everyone, they all disappear. Finally, he’s left with Catherine, and their unborn baby. Other than them, he has no one. If they were to leave, he would be left alienated. Hemingway was not interested in the love story, or the war story. He was merely interested in communicating his views on the world to his readers. Predominantly, he was interested in communicating his views on existentialism. He was interested in what he considered to be reality. In reality, people die. In reality, our loved ones leave us, and in reality, when that happens there is no meaning, no logic and no hope. Hemingway demonstrates this through the climactic, yet painfully dismal ending to his piece. In bringing about the possibility that Catherine, Frederic’s only meaning in life, could die, he creates a springboard for discussing his philosophical views through Frederic. This forces us, as an audience, to contemplate upon his contention; â€Å"That was what you did. You died. You did not know what it was about. You never had time to learn. They threw you in and told you the rules and the first time they caught you off base they killed you†¦ they killed you in the end. You could count on that. † Hemingway uses his protagonist to establish this, and through Frederic’s reaction to Catherine’s death, he reveals to us the truth within his philosophy. It’s a point that is slowly built up to within A Farewell to Arms, but it’s one that hits Hemingway’s audience with a sounding resonance. The last line to his novel conveys the perfect, dismal imagery of a man with nothing left; a man who has â€Å"left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain†. Throughout the whole novel ‘rain’ has symbolised loss and grief. It leaves a strong impression, making it the final last word of the novel, Frederic having now lost the last thing that made his life worthwhile. Hemingway’s entire novel is a lead up to this one point on existentialism. The world has no inherent meaning. We can create meaning within it, and any meaning that is within it has been created by us. However on the flip side of that, when the meaning that we have created is gone, there is nothing left for us to fall back on. When that meaning is gone, we’re left staring into an abyss. A Farewell to Arms is not a love story, and it’s not a war story either. It’s a comment upon the actuality of, and the nature of, existentialism as a prevailing philosophy. By creating Frederic and the characters around him, Hemingway demonstrates the logic of this theory, and he shows how when a man loses everything that he has created himself, in his life, in the end there is no more meaning, there is no logic, no hope. In the end, there is really nothing left, but the rain. Kaitlin Cushing.

Cultural Norms Essay

Society comes from the French word â€Å"socià ©tà ©Ã¢â‚¬  and the Latin word â€Å"societas† which mean fellowship and companionship respectively. Other popular definitions of society are; a group of people living together because of their same interests and ways of living. All countries of the world have their own set of societies that varies depending on its citizens preferred ways of living. Societies are defined by historical events, norms and the cultures that the specific society has become accustomed to. The most influential aspect of a certain civilization to a society is its culture.   The word ‘culture’ has many meanings. It could mean the way of living of certain societies or the cultivation of plants and other things that could be cultivated.   Culture is one of the strong driving points of a society because, from its definitions, it is the collection of traits that define the people of a society and even a whole civilization.   It is the collection of traits that has been acquired by people from different experiences and events that have happened in their and other people’s lives.   Culture greatly defines the kinds of societies.   But, culture is broad.   It consists of several other ‘traits’ that give it definition.   One of which is ‘norms’. Norms are the practices that people in societies call normal.   If having unlimited children in a society is a norm, then having unlimited children is normal. Thus, if you have no children or refuse to have more than what you already have, in that society, you would be considered abnormal.   If norms are what define cultures and cultures are what define societies and civilizations as a whole, by deductive reasoning, the norms are what support the societies. Different countries have different cultures.   This is because different countries are composed of multitudes of different norms.   Norms are commonly established when a majority of the society’s population practice a particular or common habit of living.   Other justifications are when the leader of that society orders its subordinates or people to follow his rules thus making his preferences norms. Norms and cultures have broad meanings that are difficult and complex to explain.   To help explain these ideas, use of examples would be most appropriate.   A particularly good example that can help explain the function of ‘norms’ in defining a culture is the general differentiation of the East from the West. The people of the Orient consider living with nature while practicing art in forms of sculpture, pottery, painting, and writing poems as the general norm.   On the other hand, the West considers building and using machines and other inventions in making discovery, art, and everyday living more bearable and easier for its people.   The Orient used herbs and natural oils in curing their sicknesses and relied on priests to make the sicknesses go away.   In the West, discovery of medicines and other man-made products that help make the common people healthy is the norm for medicines. The general norms of the East and the West were established from the habits that the residents of the different cultures have grown to practice.   Their geographical location also helped in establishing their norms.   Also, in some countries, the rulers dictated the norms.   Other factors that gave their cultures essence are religion, art, war, and ethics which were established from their norms. I am an American citizen.   Living in America has taught me to be self-confident and judgmental at times but I understand that today, skin color, artistic preferences, and religion are more similar in every culture than different and I believe that to close the gap between the culture disparities of different nations, understanding of other cultures must be exercised before making judgments. References: Bibikova, A. and Kotelnikov V. (n.d.). East versus West. Retrieved September 18, 2007 from http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/cultures_east-west-phylosophy.html Calverley, N. (2006). â€Å"Where did the term â€Å"The West† originate?†. Retrieved September 18, 2007 from http://hnn.us/articles/25977.html Culture. Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Retrieved September 18, 2007 from http://m-w.com/dictionary/culture Norm. Merriam-Webster online dictionary. Retrieved September 18, 2007 from http://m-w.com/dictionary/norm Swindler, A. (n.d). Culture in Action: Symbols and Strategies. Retrieved September 18, 2007 from http://www.asanet.org/galleries/default-file/Unit3.pdf

Dealing with angry patient in emergency department Essay

Dealing with angry patient in emergency department - Essay Example Patients who visit an ED would be prioritized that the more serious cases would be attended to first before the physician can attend to them. A who was suffering from a bad sore throat visited the emergency when I was the doctor on duty attending my shift. At the same time a critically injured person was being rushed into the emergency on a stretcher. The person was engaged in a serious car accident and needed immediate attention. The sore- throated patient had already been waiting for an hour when I was busy in attending to another emergency case involving that of a broken limb. After attending to the serious cases I came out and ushered in the next patient who seemed extremely angry and showed his anger by throwing the newspaper that he had been reading on the couch as I approached him and told him that he would be the next patient to go inside. While emphasis is being laid on the acquisition of examination skills, less importance is being given to the communication process while filing a patient’s history. Recent studies have shown that a â€Å"patient –centered† approach is much better and more useful during a consultation because it places the patient and his cares at the centre of the inter-action. â€Å"A patient –centered approach is built on the philosophy that a patient is not a passive recipient of care and recognizes the importance of the patient’s knowledge and experience using it to guide the inter-action. (Bryne and Long, 1976) Preoccupying the patient by asking the right questions helps to create a communication channel which is vital to a patient- centered approach. The Emergency Doctor should practice a consultation style that is open, relaxed and responsive to patient’s cues. It also helps the doctor to understand and address the patient’s concerns because â€Å"it is therapeutic and sets the consultation within a truly holistic framework†. (Greenhalgh & Hurwitz,

American Airlines (AMR Corporation) Research Paper

American Airlines (AMR Corporation) - Research Paper Example This is because the business of stock trade holds no assurances and one has the potential to either enjoy large amounts of profit from their trades or suffer huge amounts of loss as well if things do go as expected (DePamphilis, 2009). The public companies whose shares are involved in this trade are able to profit as well in terms of stock value, which has the potential to raise the value of their company in general. This is to say that, the higher the price of their stock, the higher the value of the company. Due to this relation, senior management in such companies tends to focus on stock prices and ways that they can be increased on the market in the short term so as to raise the value of the company. This can read to unethical behavior as a result as the management may be tempted to trick individuals into thinking that their stock is worth more than it is in actuality (Sandage, 2006). The increase in the value of stock leads to an increase in demand for the stock which in turn ra ises the value of the stock even higher and it is this co relation that may tempt senior management to tamper with realistic value of their stock so as to cause a rise in demand which will in effect actually raise the value of the stock as a result. ... By postponing this responsibility, the company was able to keep hold of the funds that would have been used for this activity and include it in the earnings reports that they put out. Thus, it would look like the company is doing better than it actually is as those studying the results would not be aware that the funds displayed were partly increased by the postponement of an expense which would have to be dealt with eventually. 2 Deferring the aircraft maintenance was harmful and unethical to both the shareholders of the company6 as well as the customers who used their services. This is because the company dealt in a very sensitive area of transport (air transport) where the good condition of the crafts used was essential in their everyday business. It was unethical to the shareholders as they were made to believe that the stock they owned was doing better than they thought through the manipulation of funds (DePamphilis, 2009). It also put them at risk of suffering losses should any accident have occurred as a result of shunning this maintenance responsibility as the stock value would have dropped drastically as a result. Their actions were even more dangerous to customers who used their services as they put their lives at risk through failing to perform scheduled maintenance on their aircrafts, which could have led to an accident that may have resulted in the loss of lives. This is a more serious offence than tricking those trading in shares into thinking that the company they have invested in is doing well and involved potentially more devastating results than the simple manipulation of earnings through other means. 3 In 2011, American Airlines decided to file for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy that the management saw was

Membrane Transport and Extreme cold tolerance Essay

Membrane Transport and Extreme cold tolerance - Essay Example There are different types of membranes like the plasma membrane. The plasma membrane serves the purpose of ensuring effective transportation of compounds like nutrients, ions and metabolism. The plasma membrane provides a wall or separation between extracellular and intracellular spaces and serves a critical and important function in exchange of materials. The membrane also serves as a detective by transmitting extracellular stimuli signals. The transmission of the signal is done by the proteins contained in the membrane. The membrane is made in a way in which it withstands stress stimuli from the extracellular space. For effectiveness of transportation of compounds, the membrane should adopt to all types of stress including hot, cold and warm climates. In case the membrane is not able to cope with the stimuli in the extracellular space, transportation of materials does not take place. The cells which adapt to the stress have proteomic properties which help the cell to adopt to any e xternal condition. For growth and living a health life the organism should have a membrane that can adopt any condition.Any membrane like the plasma membrane is made to adapt to abiotic stresses. The abiotic stresses restrict the growth, distribution and reproduction of an organism. The abiotic stresses include things like extreme cold temperature, light, drought, salt and physical pressure among others. The availability of the proteomics in a membrane has shown that organism is able to cope with extreme cold temperature.

Totaltarian Regimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Totaltarian Regimes - Essay Example In addition, totalitarianism is considered as a system of rule guided by an ideology whose perspective is geared on achieving a certain favorable political, social, and economic end by guiding every aspect of society to that goal with the use, to some extent, of "propaganda and terror"(Pleuger, "Totalitarianism," par.2). The system is also described as "both a form of social control as well as a method of social control" facilitated by advancement of technology and mass communication (Keis, "The Age of Totalitarianism," par. 10). Within the context of those definitions mentioned above that our discussion of totalitarianism will be based. In discussing history of totalitarianism, we do not consider intensively the birth of the concept of totalitarianism but we look into regimes that fit into the character as described by scholars as it occurred in history. We look deeper into what are the motives of totalitarian leadership and its impact on the society. By definition, it can be inferred that like any other form of governments, the system, by the perspective of the rulers, is anchored on the goal of total development for the country. Whether the approach would benefit a select few at the expense of other sector the concept of total development would likewise benefit the entire society. Taking violence, war, and human rights abuse and violations out of context, we can see that development brought by totalitarianism is highly considerable as shown by Russia's might in the Cold War era, the totalitarian monarchies in the Arabian region, and China's rise to economic dominance in the present times. Most totalitarian regimes with autocratic leadership hold on to power by imposing an official ideology upon its people. The master plan is laid and facilitated by controlling all means of mass media and information systems. There is only one political party which in some case becomes an alter ego of the leader and the exercise of free well and freedom of speech is being suppressed. Critics are subject to intense surveillance and executions are frequent with the use of strong police and military backing. All these are utilized to achieve the goals of the leadership. Dirty as it can be described, however, in dealing with totalitarian regimes it is argued that totalitarianism is different from authoritarianism although most totalitarian regimes are governed by authoritarians and dictators, but which is not always the case. Monarchy can be considered totalitarian but the role of a king is not as intimidating as a dictator. Of course, this point had its share of arguments in the past and is also a point of controversy in political science today. But looking at the present times we can see that monarchies rule in the principle of totalitarianism yet democratic processes are being recognized like the case of Britain, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and the other present day monarchies. This argument is the reason why the term totalitarian democracy emerged. Therefore we consider the brutal totalitarian regimes as a manifestation of extremism within the totalitarian concept. History of Totalitarianism Within

Frightening Incident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Frightening Incident - Essay Example The incident, which I am going to relate, is an on-the-job incident in which I saved my friend from a big injury. The injury would have made him disabled for his whole life. My friend and I worked in my uncle’s sugar mill in New Orleans a couple of years ago. We had summer holidays at that time. We wanted to spend that time in a useful way. Therefore, my uncle suggested me to join his sugar mill to pass the time and get some professional experience. I also asked my friend to accompany me. My friend agreed and we started working. We worked in that mill for 3 months as sugarcane chopping machine operators. Here, I would like to mention that a number of processes take place that convert raw form of sugar into the usable form. Sugar cane chopping is one such process in which large moving gears chop the sugarcanes. Operating the chopping machine is not an easy task. One needs to apply force on the paddle through hands to keep the gears moving. Therefore, managers of sugar mills usu ally hire more than one operator to reduce the workload. Each operator operates the machine usually from 60 to 90 minutes in each turn.

OPM300 - Intro. to Operations Mgmt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

OPM300 - Intro. to Operations Mgmt - Essay Example From here the products move into the maturity stages and finally into the decline stage. Hence the product life cycle fits in the Regal products perfectly and each product that the company produced goes through the product lifecycle before declining and exiting the markets. It is important for Regal to identify the stages where each of its products is so that it can develop new products in a planned manner.  In order to remain competitive Regal produces all boats in four stages, i.e. introduction, deign conceptualisation and once the design is conceptualised, then it tends to be more easier to put the design through the CAD models as well. The next stage includes the introduction of the product into the market. Here due to the innovations and the constant corrections and improvements, the products of the company grow well and fast in the markets and also helps in keeping a constant mix of new designs within the markets. This then leads to the maturity stage of the life cycle. The c urrent strategy adopted by Regal is the product differentiation. Here the company keeps developing innovative products to meet its competition and to also provide better and higher value to the customers. For example it developed a 3-passenger Rush a boat priced at $11,000 that could pull a water skier.

Organizational Culture in Multinational Corporations Research Paper

Organizational Culture in Multinational Corporations - Research Paper Example The culture in general and broad-spectrum comprises of assumptions, beliefs, values, norms, customs, artifacts, and several other components, likewise organization also have its norms, values, principles, and policies that makeup characteristics of the organization. In the view of many experts and theorists, culture can come under illustration and distinguish itself on three levels (Schneider, 1988). Behavior and artifacts are considered the most obvious and manifest level as it encompasses the behavioral structure of the populace of a particular culture. Values or the principles are the subsequent levels that motivate, inspire, and figure out the actions of the people. Assumptions, hypothesis, values, and attitude are the distant and rooted level and considered the most vital and imperative level to apprehend (Schneider, 1988). In order to understand the effective functioning of the organization, it is pivotal to identify with the culture first as it is a complete experience of the happenings and circumstances that encircles the entire population of the world (Alvesson, 2002).  Ã‚   Although organizational culture has come under analysis and study from a wide variety of aspects, yet it does not have a solitary and distinct definition as it is complicated and tricky to articulate in a noticeable or apparent manner. Some schools of thought even refer the organizational culture as a system where the key in elements are the response and opinion from various characteristics such as the general population, laws, and ethical, moral and competition principals. The beliefs, hypothesis, ethics, and customs based on factors such as time, money, people etc. amalgamate as a process that produces the output in the form of the consequences including the organizational behaviors, strategies, policies, products, brand image and many more (Brenton &  Driskill, 2010). For the last few decades, organizational culture has gained substantial recognition, and outstretched and broad acknowledgment amongst the employees of the organization as it has been a pivotal source for identifyi ng and becoming aware with the behaviors and attitudes of the human systems. Organizational culture is the combined recipe of principles and attitudes that make up the inimitable and distinctive shared surroundings and atmosphere for the enterprise (Brenton &  Driskill, 2010). In other words, organizational culture is the merger of values, beliefs, experiences, assumptions, documented and unrecorded rules and regulations, policies and viewpoints of the organizational members that contributes in the company’s brand image, internal working environment, communions and dealing with the external sources, and upcoming prospects and opportunities since the time the enterprise initiated until the current date (Alvesson, 2002).  

African Americans jazz Essay Example for Free

African Americans jazz Essay Many believe that jazz is a music that African Americans played together with the Creole musicians during the 19th century in New Orleans, Louisiana in United States that bind the race together, black and white Americans. This is also considered as the ancient and most distinguished musical genres in North America and known as â€Å"America’s classical music. † Based from the quote of Gerald Early, a lecturer and a writer of African – American studies, he emphasizes that America will be known from three things: in the Constitution, sports (baseball), and in jazz music, since these are the most captivating things that they developed. Jazz is a type of lyricism that reflects on the Great American promise and expresses hope for freedom in slavery. It is also illustrated by the exceptional attribute of collective improvisation and should be performed with the right feelings about it. According to Louis Armstrong if you will ask, you’ll never know. He discovers the secret behind the jazz music, that’s why he became known as one of the successful musicians and leading stars in the whole world. The early jazz musicians create a great impact to the life of many as they change their point of view towards music. Although, jazz music is originated from the black, who are considered outsider but living in America, wherein they use this as a passage to be accepted in the society, still America truly owns this music. I prove it accurate because the New Orleans jazz musicians improve, develop, and patronize this music until the whole world has known it. One more thing, jazz has a big role to the history of America. This music becomes the expression of freedom because way back in 1970, it played a major role in the life of African American culture. Their longing for freedom is emphasized as they sing. I also believe that jazz eliminates the discrimination between the white and black people, that’s why I strongly agree that jazz belongs to America because the whole history of this country is the song itself. The history of jazz is deeply rooted in America and until now the musical tradition lives here. Works Cited The Importance of Jazz in American Culture | Jazz More http://jazz. learnhub. com/lesson/6809-the-importance-of-jazz-in-american-culture#ixzz0ESyZePQVA The Importance of Jazz in American Culture http://jazz. learnhub. com/lesson/6809-the-importance-of-jazz-in-american- culture#ixzz0ET3vi6UcA A History of Jazz http://www. historyjazz. com/ The History of Jazz Music http://meltingpot. fortunecity. com/zaire/721/introframe. htm Jazz Music http://www. smallsjazz. com/

The novel Lord of the Flies Essay Example for Free

The novel Lord of the Flies Essay Imagine being on a deserted island with no rules, no civilization, nothing besides the need to survival. The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding and the short story The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell are two fictional stories that deal with this concept, exploring the behavior of humans in such a primitive, unstructured environment. In both stories, a distinct division develops between hunters and the hunted, and while each story conveys and focuses on slightly different aspects, the two stories more importantly share the same fundamental view on the overall, underlying theme in regards to human nature. In The Most Dangerous Game, general Zaroff is the hunter. As the title of the short story implies, hunting is a fun and thrilling game to Zaroff. His cunningness and his natural instinct for hunting led to his many successes as a hunter because as he said himself, The animal had nothing but his legs and his instinct. Instinct is no match for reason' (Connell, 47). Using his instinct and reason, the hunter in this short story demonstrates an exceptional super ego. However, his instinct is evil. With his superiority to animals, Zaroff was no longer satisfied with hunting animals, so he progressed to killing other animals with both instinct and reason-humans. His disregard for human life shows Zaroffs twisted nature. During his hunt of the human Rainsford, Rainsford thought: Only the devil himself could follow that complicated trail through the jungle after dark. But, perhaps, the general was a devil (Connell, 54). Throughout the book, this being an example, Connell alludes to the evilness of Zaroffs character. Zaroffs mind and his nature illustrate him as cunning, but corrupt person. The group of hunters in Lord of the Flies also becomes animalistic and savage. At one point, Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering (Golding, 115). Even Ralph, who is considered to be more mature and civilized than the others, became caught in the thrill of the hunt. This is because in Lord of the Flies, the hunters completely lose their identity and sense of reason when they hunt, relying purely on their instinct. The evil actions of the hunters when theyre following their instinct show how humans are evil in nature. Despite the hunters brave act and their domination over the island, they all fear the unknown Beast. Jack, the head of the hunters, describes it as a dark thing, a beast, some sort of animal. (Golding 89) The Beast, which is given a physical form as the pig head and as Lord of the Flies, symbolizes the Devil that is within all the hunters and the human race in general. In this aspect, the state of mind of the hunter is Lord of the Flies is similar to The Most Dangerous Game because both stories suggest that humans are primitive and evil in nature. The hunters in both stories enjoy killing, starting with animals and moving on to humans. However, Zaroff also does not seem to fear anything, unlike the boys in Lord of the Flies who fear the Beast. Zaroff also uses his mind a lot more than the boys who completely lose their sense of reason once they become entranced by the hunt. In a sense, Zaroff is the more terrifying one because he reasons that it is completely acceptable to kill humans, whereas the boys mindlessly kill. If there are hunters, then there must be the hunted. At the beginning of The Most Dangerous Game, Rainsford expresses his attitude towards hunting in his conversation with Whitney: Great sport, hunting. The best sport in the world, agreed Rainsford. For the hunter, amended Whitney. Not for the jaguar. Dont talk rot, Whitney. (Connell, 39) Ironically, later on in the story, Rainsford is the one being hunted. His attitude towards hunting changes. He acknowledges that animals feel terror, having played the fox (Connell, 54) himself. When being hunted, Rainsford felt panic and dread and knew the full meaning of terror (Connell, 55). Even though Rainsford had previously hunted and been in the war, it was different to be hunted. He would do anything to stay alive. Rainsford fights to keep his nerve throughout the hunt, but taken over by fear, his instinctual, animal side surfaces. At one point during the hunt, Rainsfords impulse was to hurl himself down like a panther (Connell, 54) even though his reason told him not to. His instinctual act of jumping into the sea and then proceeding to kill Zaroff saves him in the end. Like Zaroff, Rainsford uses both his mind and instinct-his super ego. Originally a hunter, Rainsford finds himself on the other side as the animal in fear, using his wit and instinct to overcome the hunter. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph also becomes trapped in a situation being hunted by others. Through his fear, Ralph tries to devise a rational plan, but he was beginning to dread the curtain that might waver in his brain, blacking out the sense of danger, making a simpleton of him (Golding, 196). Ralph fears losing his reason, and he fights to keep his reason while all the other boys lose theirs. There are moments where Ralph loses it, particularly near at the end of the novel. When being hunted by the savages, Ralph becomes hysteric with fear: Dont scream. Youll get back Ralph screamed, a scream of fright and anger and desperation He swung the stake and the savage tumbled over (Golding, 199). With his life in danger, he forgot his wounds, his hunger and thirst, and became fear (Golding, 200). Previously sheltered from danger, Ralph did not know true fear until he became exposed to evil on the island and realized the evil the hunters are capable of. When pushed into a corner, Ralphs panic and his need to survive made him act on instinct, becoming like a savage as a result because humans are evil by instinct. In both The Most Dangerous Game and Lord of the Flies, the hunted initially start out as hunters. The quick turn of events demonstrates how fragile status can be based on differences in reasoning and power. Although Rainsford and Ralph try to keep their nerve, they experience terror and desperation when their life is in danger. Instinct shows dominance when the prey is in fear, and as a result of the need to survive, the hunted commit animalistic acts to defend against the evil hunters. The incorporation of hunters and the hunted contributes to the theme of humanity in The Most Dangerous Game. The story suggests the idea that the world is made up of two classes-the hunters and the hunted (Connell 40). It is because of this division that fear, struggle for survival and power exists, bringing out the worst in humans. Humans are degraded to the level of animals in The Most Dangerous Game. In Zaroffs point of view, a thoroughbred horse or hound is worth more than (Connell 49) the human scum of the earth (Connell 49). Zaroffs heartless view of humans illustrates his evil nature. In his regard, humans are essentially all animals with reason, and like all animals, humans in their simplest form feel fear. Whitney contradicts Rainsfords belief that animals have no understanding: I rather think they understand one thing-fear. The fear of pain and the fear of death (Connell 39). Fear is a primal instinct that everyone harbors. Put into an unstructured environment, fear brings out the worst in humans. It causes people to lose their nerve and act instinctively without thought. In humans, fear of death brings out the raw need to survive. In the short story, Rainsford was willing to do whatever it takes to ensure his survival, even if it meant killing his pursuers. The hunted sink to the same level as the hunters because it is kill or be killed. This shows how human nature is evil, selfishly treating others to fulfill their own desires. The Most Dangerous Game suggests that the bad nature of humans surface when engulfed by fear. Lord of the Flies also contains a message regarding humanity. In his novel, Golding advocates that humans all feel fear. A concrete example of this is shown in the novel where the boys fear of the Beast tears them apart. As discovered when the Beast addresses Simon, Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill You knew, didnt you? Im part of you? Close, close, close! Im the reason why its no go? Why things are what they are? (Golding, 143) Tainted with fear, the evil nature in humans grows. The desire for power is also an aspect of human nature that separates people. There is a conflict of power between Jack and Ralph, and as a result, a division occurs between the boys. The fact that most of the boys choose Jacks authoritative power over Ralphs democratic power shows how humans respond better to fear and brutality rather than rules and reasoning. Even though the boys have their own system of power on the island, their own rules are very much different from the rules of the civilization they came from. As the story progresses, the influence of the civilizations rules decrease and the savagery of the boys increase. For example, at first when Roger was throwing rocks, there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life (Golding 62). Lord of the Flies stresses how civilization protects the innocence of humans, preventing them from being exposed to the evil nature of humans. The evil nature of humans is brought out by fear in both The Most Dangerous Game and Lord of the Flies. There is a struggle survival in both stories, although as the boys in Lord of the Flies lose their sense of reason, they dismiss being rescued, and their attention is more focused on the conflict of power and hunting. Both stories are set on an island away from civilization where havoc activities occur, but the need for civilization is emphasized more in Lord of the Flies. While there are these minor differences, the underlying message about humanity is the same-human nature is bad. The Most Dangerous Game conveys this message by representing humans as animals acting instinctively to survive, and Lord of the Flies emphasizes the message through the symbol of the pig head being the Devil. In the end, both stories effectively express the idea that humans are evil in nature. The Most Dangerous Game and Lord of the Flies are two stories that both include the components of the hunters, the hunted and a message about humanity. While there are differences within these elements, the overall moral about humanity remains the same in both stories. That is, that human nature is bad. Implementing the hunters and the hunted emphasize this idea. Connell and Golding share a similar vision. Humans stuck on an island with no rules is not a good idea. Bibliography Connell, Richard. The Most Dangerous Game. Currents in Fiction. Virginia: McGraw-Hill, 1984. Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House, 1999. Print.

The Strategy Of Managing Human Resources

The Strategy Of Managing Human Resources Strategy of managing human resource refers to the how ADIDAS treat and manage the employees. With the strategies ADIDAS able to maintain the loyal of employees to the ADIDAS and the willingness of employees to do the hard job in order to enhance the productivity of the organisation. Furthermore, employees are the internal customer of ADIDAS. So, ADIDAS need to satisfies the employees before satisfies the external customer. External customers refer to the people that purchase the product produce by ADIDAS. When the internal customers of the organisation satisfies the treatment of the organisation the external customers also will satisfies the product of ADIDAS. The next part of this assignment will discuss the strategies that ADIDAS use. 2.1) Talent management Talent management refers to retain the employee in the ADIDAS. So, ADIDAS use this strategy to develop the old employees that have the opportunities to their career. By using this strategy ADIDAS able to hold the quality employees stay in the organisation and built up the loyalty of the employees. Besides that, talent management also include recruitment. Recruitment refers to the process of recruit and selecting the qualified new people that in order fit to the job 2.2) Employee-oriented leadership Employee-oriented leadership refers to the communication between the manager and the subordinates. By using this strategy ADIDAS able to know the employees need and want. This is because this strategy consists of employee feedback system. Employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s feedback system refers to the satisfaction level of the employees to the job. The employees are the internal customers of the organisation, when the employees satisfy their job the productivity of the organisation will automatically increase. This is because the organisation given a good environment to the employees in order to satisfy the employees and the employees will do the hard job to the organisation to as the repay to the organisation. 2.3) Remuneration Remuneration means the salary of the employees get month by month. The salary related to market requirement and performance level. That means ADIDAS set the salary according with market requirement and performance level. The ADIDAS on time pay the salaries in order to give the good reputation of the organisation. When the organisation do not delay paid the salaries to the employees the employees will loyal to the organisation this is because the employees will feel the safety in the organisation to work. 2.4) Bonus In ADIDAS the remuneration consists of bonus. In ADIDAS the individual performance will related to the remuneration. Bonus means the company pay extra money to the employees to motivate the employees. The main purpose of given bonus is to motivate the employees. Motivation is psychological process giving behaviour purpose and direction (Kreitner,2009, p.369 ). By given the bonus the employees will put more effort and hardship to the job. 2.5) Long-term incentive programmes (LTIP) This is specialising for senior manager, this is three year plans based on the achievement of financial as well as compliance target. So the senior manager that achieves the long-term target of the company will get the bonus. The bonus was depended on the organisation whether the bonus is money or others benefit. 2.6) Performance management Performance management is a feedback for the management team. The management team will observe to the employees in order to take care the employees and if the employee does not do well in the jobs the management team will send the employee go to training. Furthermore, certain employee did well in their job will get promoted. So, in this strategy the employee able to learn and get the improvement by giving the benefit and training. Furthermore, ADIDAS always looking for the potential employees so, ADIDAS will observe the performance of each employees and give the opportunities to get promote. Besides that, ADIDAS also observe the people that innovative and creative. This is because ADIDAS need the peoples that contain the high imagination people to give the idea to produce the design of the product. So ADIDAS will observe about it and pick the people that have the potential skill switch to the creation and innovation team. ADIDAS found that the people who are having different backgrounds, perspectives and skills can make the best team in order to achieve the maximum creation of the design on the product. Before ADIDAS forming the potential employees into a team, ADIDAS will send the employees to training. This is because the team need contains the different imagination, perception and culture. This is because ADIDAS is a global organisation within the different perception can built up a multi-skill team. With t his the ADIDAS can manage many of the country culture and habit in order to product suitable product to the public. 2.7) Work-life balance Work-life balance is flexible working hour. Flexible time is a scheduling policy in which full-time employees may choose starting and ending times within guideline specified by the organisation ( Raymond A. Noe, Barry Gerhart, Patrick M. Wright, John R. Hollenbeck, 2009, p.106). Every employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s quality of life should be improved by working to the organisation. So ADIDAS have the responsibility to address flexible working hour. The main purpose of work-life balance is give harmonise of the private and family needs to the employees. So the organisation was think about the benefit of the employees. Furthermore, this strategy able to give the employees a comfortable working hour and with the harmonise family the employees will put more effort in the working hour. As an example the working hour is 8 hours per day. The employees can select their working hour in the day and the lump sum of the working hour 8 hours. If the employee starts working at 11:00AM so the employee leave the organisation in 19:00 PM. Recommendation ADIDAS was looking the professional as the members of the families. ADIDAS treat the employees as their familiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ members, care about the private sector of the employees. So, ADIDAS able to perform well in the market. ADIDAS doing these because ADIDAS was found that when the employees happy the productivity of the organisation will increase rapidly. As the comment to the ADIDAS, ADIDAS should recruit the people that from others competitor. Recruit the quality people from the competitors can decrease the productivity of the competitor and increase the productivity of own. Recruit the quality peoples from competitors is the good ways to find the potential employees if the organisation was lack of such potential employees. Furthermore, the organisation also need to prevent the self employees go the others organisation. For this, ADIDAS was did well this is because ADIDAS consist of flexible of working hour, talent management and performance management. These strategies might build up the loyalty of the employees in order to prevent the employees leave the organisation and work with competitors. Conclusions The strategies use by ADIDAS was aim to giving the benefit to the employees and always think of the employees so, the loyalty of the employees will build up automatically. After that, ADIDAS provides a lots of benefits to the employees by the way the employees will be motivated and the case of absenteeism is very low. When the employees interesting to work, the productivity of the organisation will automatically enhanced. When the productivity was increase the profit of the organisation also will increase so the organisation able to pay more to the employees. When the organisation pays more to the employees the employees will be motivated. Finally, ADIDAS is a very good organisation that works in ADIDAS, the benefits provides by the organisation was attractive to all the employees. So, the benefits not only giving to the employees but also give the public know that ADIDAS such organisation and work with ADIDAS is suck happy and satisfy. There were the ways and style ADIDAS manage the human resource. ADIDAS was known that when good manage in human resource the benefit to the organisation will increase automatically such as productivity. Lastly, ADIDAS is a nice organisation that consists of many benefit to the employees and hopefully ADIDAS can do better in future and the comment would help ADIDAS be a better organisation.

Frankenstein: Shelley Use of Mascuine and Feminine Roles :: Free Essay Writer

Frankenstein: Shelley Use of Mascuine and Feminine Roles Shelley began writing ‘Frankenstein’ in the company of what has been called ‘her male coterie’, including her lover Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and his physician John Polidori. It has been suggested that the influence of this group, and particularly that of Shelley and Byron, affected her portrayal of male characters in the novel. As Ann Campbell writes: ‘[The] characters and plot of Frankenstein reflect . . . Shelley’s conflicted feelings about the masculine circle which surrounded her.’ Certainly the male characters in ‘Frankenstein’ are more developed that those of the females. Elizabeth Fay has suggested that the female characters are ‘idealised figures’ in much of Shelley’s work, particularly in the descriptions of Caroline and Elizabeth, the two mother figures in the novel. Caroline is, on surface value, a perfect parent, together with her husband, which renders Victor’s irresponsibility in abandoning the creature more unforgivable. She ‘possessed a mind of uncommon mould’ which was also ‘soft and benevolent’; she is compared to a ‘fair exotic’ flower which is sheltered by Alphonse; she drew ‘inexhaustible stores of affection from a very mine of love to bestow’ on Victor, and her ‘tender caresses’ are some of his ‘first recollections’. She is the idealised mother, a figure that Shelley viewed wistfully, as her own mother died when she was ten days old to be replaced by a disinterested stepmother. Caroline’s parenting provides the care that Frankenstein might well have lacked, had he been left to his father alone – his father dismisses Agrippa’s work without explanation, thereby setting Victor on his course towards ‘destruction’. This is the first introduction of a theme that continues throughout the book, that of the necessity for female figures in parenting and in society. Without a mother figure and left only with Frankenstein who subsumes both parental roles, the creature’s life is blighted by his imperfection and lack of companionship. However, Caroline is also the trigger to Alfonse’s chivalry, thus presenting him in an improved light and allowing his character to develop at the expense of her own weakness. This is a feminist comment from Shelley, whose mother Mary Wollenstonecraft was a notorious feminist and an important influence. Justine, too, is an ‘idealised figure’, described during the trial as having a countenance which, ‘always engaging, was rendered, by the solemnity of her feelings, exquisitely beautiful.’ She is the archetypal innocent, being beautiful, weak and entirely accepting of her fate to the point of martyrdom.

The Character of Athena in Homers Odyssey :: Homer Odyssey womody

Character of Athena in Homer's Odyssey Imagine living in another world and time, one where you were not only a god but could also take the form of any object or person that you chose. Athena, the daughter of Zeus, has this ability. Of all the characters in the Odyssey, the most interesting to me is Athena. In my opinion, she guides the main characters of the Odyssey in the right direction. She kind of looks over their shoulders and serves as a guardian angel. Athena makes Telemachos go to Pylos and Sparta. Athena says, "My advice to you is this, if you will let me advise you. Get the best ship you can find, put twenty oarsmen aboard, go and find out about your father and why he is so long away. Perhaps some one may tell you, or you may hear some rumour that god will send, which is often the best way for people to get news." (Homer 17) If not for Athena, Telemachos might have taken his father for dead and encouraged his mother to marry one of her suitors. But Athena, under the disguise of Mentes advises Telemachos to go on a journey to try to find out what happenened to Odysseus. This is important because the journey of Telemachos played an important part of his becoming a man. Athena also rescued Odysseus from certain death at the hands of Poseidon Earthshaker and brought him to the island of Phaiacia. "Now it was the turn of Athenaia the daughter of Zeus, and this was her plan. She tied up the courses of all the other winds, and commanded them to rest and be quiet; but she sent a steady wind from the north and broke down the waves in front of Odysseus, that he might make his way and save himself alive." (Homer 70) At this point in the novel Posiedon is enraged with Odysseus because he is about to make it home. It seems every time that Odysseus is about to make it home, Poseidon is reminded that Odysseus killed his son Polyphemos. Again Athena saves Odysseus, this time from Charybdis. "Then his skin would have been torn off and all his bones

Affirmative Action and Discrimination :: Free Essays Online

Affirmative Action and Discrimination 1. Race relations in general and affirmative action in particular have arguably been the most divisive and hotly contested issues in contemporary American politics. Many people feel that affirmative action is necessary to either counteract injustices or ensure the advancement of certain minorities. Affirmative action proponents generally point to four justifications. These are racism, poverty, diversity, and the problem of underrepresentation. Proponents point out that many blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans live in substandard housing, go to substandard schools, and live in neighborhoods where crime is rampant. They claim that they are victims of daily racism and that this hurts their chances for advancement. Proponents point to small numbers of these minorities in certain desirable jobs (i.e. CEOs of corporations and high elected office) as evidence of underrepresentation of minorities and a need for diversity both in the workplace and in higher education. 2. There are several different levels of affirmative action. They include: quotas, preferences, and outreach, in lessening order of severity. Quotas, also called â€Å"set asides†, deal with having a certain amount of jobs or college spots reserved for a particular group. For example, if a University admits 1000 students every year and sets aside 150 seats that are open to blacks only, this is an example of a quota. In the Supreme Court case Bakke v Regents of the University of California , the court ruled that these quotas could not be used by the system but that race could be considered a plus in admissions to the medical school. This brings us to preferences. Preferences are when persons from certain groups (usually groups that have been underrepresented or disadvantaged) are given a ‘boost' in admissions. An example of this would be the practice at the University of Michigan, which was recently overruled by a U.S. District Court. At the University of Michigan, appli cants are graded on a 150-point scale. Blacks, Hispanics and American Indians get 20 points for their race, equal to raising their grade-point average a full point on a 4 -point scale (Focus on Affirmative†¦). This case has recently been appealed to the Supreme Court, casing new light on this decades old question. The third and least severe form of affirmative action occurs when no preferences are given, but when special efforts are made to recruit members of certain groups. This is called outreach. An example of this would be when a Hispanic student receives a letter from the minority recruitment office at a prestigious university urging him to apply (Ezorsky, 34).

Cholera Outbreak

Haiti Jessica Ganzalez LHHS MUN 2011 WHO Cholera Outbreak Position Paper Background: Cholera is a disease that starts in the intestines, caused by the consumption of impure food or water with the bacteria Vibrio Cholera. The two most common indication of Cholera are diarrhea and excessive vomiting. Cholera is an extremely virulent disease and affects both children and adults and can kill within hours, if left untreated. During the 19th century, cholera spread across the world from its original reservoir in the Ganges delta in India.Six subsequent pandemics killed millions of people across all continents. The current (seventh) pandemic started in South Asia in 1961, and reached Africa in 1971 and the Americas in 1991. Cholera is now endemic in many countries. This disease is not a complete threat to countries that have regular access to clean water and hygiene. The more urbanized Asian nations such as China and India have developed medical treatments for this deadly disease, but the l ess developed countries have yet to find ways to be less influenced by this broad topic. UN Involvement:The World Health Organization (WHO) has greatly influenced the discontinue of Cholera by launching the WHO Global Task Force on Cholera Control in 1992 following the adoption of a resolution on cholera by the Forty-fourth World Health Assembly. The plan was to lessen death associated with the disease and to deal with the social and economic consequences of cholera. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and numerous other committees are also working on proposals and resolutions to decrease the number affected by this preventable virus with the help of the World Bank, grants given by nations, and NGOs.The United Nations have also donated thousands of medical kits and supplied countries with doctors to treat those affected. In addition the United Nations agencies and their partners today appealed for $164 million to support Haiti’s efforts to fight the deadly chol era outbreak that has already claimed several hundred lives in the small Caribbean nation. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 12,000 Haitians having been hospitalized so far, and over 800 people have died from the disease, which is spread by contaminated food and water.Country Policy/ Possible Solutions Haiti has been overwhelmed with famine and disease for years, but after the massive January earthquake hit, it put Haiti in even more misery then before. Recently they have had close to none clean drinking water and food. The cholera epidemic has killed 1,110 people and sickened 18,382 as of November of 2010, and has piled depression on the Caribbean country. The violence in Cap-Haitian prevented cholera patients from reaching hospitals and halted distribution of medicines and caused many injuries. Protesters blamed U.N. Nepalese peacekeepers for bringing the cholera to Haiti, a charge denied by the U. N. mission. Anti-U. N. riots in the Haitian city of Cap-Haitian have upset worldwide efforts to undertake a spreading cholera epidemic, increasing the risk of infection and death for tens of thousands of poor Haitians in the north. With the number of cases from the current cholera outbreak in Haiti in the thousands and the number of deaths in the hundreds and rising, it is only a matter of time before this treacherous disease spreads into further more severe matters.A possible solution would be to provide a large administration of sugar water, and an increase in the number of clinics and medical facilities that offer intravenous fluids. If my resolution is promoted this issue would slowly fade because oral rehydration salts and oral electrolyte solutions are a simple, cheap, and effective treatment for diarrhoea-related dehydration such as Cholera. I also believe that if there is enough evidence to guarantee widespread use of the oral cholera vaccine people in Haiti and other nations would become healthier, preven ting them from infectious diseases such as cholera.The World Bank, UN, and other organizations willing to participate in this mission would help fund the project. Not only would these solutions ensure health, but it would also bring contributor nation’s one-step closer to the millennium goals of Combating Diseases and Environmental sustainability. Before cholera spreads to the U. S. and around the world, we need to see this outbreak contained and controlled in Haiti. More than anything else, we need big infusion of sugar/electrolyte drinking water and intravenous salt solution to be sent to the countries suffering with diseases along with a program to vaccinate travelers and everyone living there. Sources http://www. reuters. com/article/2010/11/17/us-haiti-cholera-idUSTRE6AG3ZC20101117 http://www. globalsecurity. org/military/library/news/2010/11/mil-101112-unnews03. htm http://www. who. int/cholera/en/index. html http://medical-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/cholera htt p://www. who. int. mediacentre/factsheets/fs107/en/index. html http://www. undp. org/mdg/basics. shtml

A Comparative Study of Retailing in India Essay

BACKGROUND: According to AT Kearney, India’s retail industry comprises US$ 435 billion. It entails only 6 per cent of itself as organised retail segment as of 2010, according to Booz and Co (India) Pvt Ltd. Hence, there is a great potential to be explored by domestic and international players, especially after Cabinet’s decision to allow up to 51% foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail sector and 100% FDI in single-brand retail. (Why India is a big market: refer page 23, Annexure) The Business Monitor International (BMI) India Retail Report for the fourth-quarter of 2011 forecasts that the total retail sales will grow from US$ 411.28 billion in 2011 to US$ 804.06 billion by 2015. The report has underlined factors like economic growth, population expansion, increasing wealth of individuals and rapid construction of organized retail infrastructure as major drivers for the optimistic forecast figures. (Refer Annexure, fig 2) According to a research report named ‘R etail Sector in India’ by Research and Markets, Indian retail sector accounts for 22 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and contributes to 8 per cent of the total employment. FDI in single-brand retail currently is 0.03% of cumulative FDI of around $149 billion from April 2000 to September 2011. The announcement is expected to generate 10 million jobs over three years, without impacting smaller and domestic retailers. FDI in retail will provide the farming community a new support by investing in good farming practices and providing them with better prices. The international players will bring a sophisticated front-end that will boost investment in infrastructure by retail players, third-party supply-chain companies and the government. This will improve efficiencies in the supply chain, cut wastage, increase efficiency and bring down consumer prices. India has been ranked as the fourth most attractive nation for retail investment among 30 emerging markets by the US-based global management consulting firm, A T Kearney, in its Global Retail  Development Index (GRDI) 2011. India’s MGR (Mass Grocery Retail) sector remains dominated by small-scale traditional retail outlets. All four key modern formats (supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience and discount stores) are already present within India’s MGR market but these stores are largely operated by a handful of local retailers. Structure of India’s MGR market till 2010 (Estimated number of Outlets: fig3, Sales by Format: fig4) is given in Annexure. Collaborative model for international products — Joint ventures (JVs) are emerging as the preferred model for new entrants, wherein foreign players leverage the knowledge of the local player and focus on key issues such as quality, pricing, promotions and brand management. Key examples include the Bharti Groupà ¢â‚¬Ëœs JV with Wal-Mart for retail in the Indian market. MGR sales growth for 2011 = +19.7%; compound annual average growth rate to 2015 = +17.6% (Refer Annexure Fig 5) Increased exposure to Western consumption habits has fuelled consumerism in developed and emerging Asia. Wealthy consumers in major towns and cities turn to modern formats in search of the convenience and quality that they now desire and can increasingly afford. A lot of international retailers are planning to enter and expand their operations in India after the reforms introduced in the FDI policy in retail sector, like Walmart, United Colors of Benetton (UCB), Da Milano. According to a report by research firm CB Richard Ellis India, over 6 million square feet of retail mall space was added across India in the first six months of 2011 (Refer Annexure Fig 6); primarily due to aggressive expansion by organized retailers. The potential cities which are good for entering are given in Annexure Fig 7. Cumulative foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows in single-brand retail trading during April 2000 to June 2011 stood at US$ 69.26 million, according to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). There are a lot of entry modes to enter a country, here India. (Refer Annexure Fig 8) And also refer to the growth trend that was observed quarterly in India, last year. (Refer Annexure Fig 13) BHARTI-WALMART â€Å"India is a price sensitive market and therefore we will be devising our  strategy for her very carefully†¦Retailing is like a game of three dimensional chess where we operate as a local, regional and global player, so depending on the needs of the market we shall change our format and adapt.† – John B Menzer, President and CEO, Wal-Mart International. 50:50 joint venture: In India, Wal-Mart has a 50:50 joint venture with Bharti Enterprises in the wholesale cash-and-carry segment, since 2007, under the brand Best Price Modern Wholesale. Total retail units as of October 31, 2011: 9 Best Price Modern Wholesale 9 Associates: 3,372 These stores have been opened in Amritsar, Zirakpur (Near Chandigarh), Jalandhar, Kota, Bhopal, Ludhiana, Raipur and Indore. The JV in India expects to open 10 to 12 new Best Price Modern Wholesale stores and employ approximately 3,000 – 4,000 people by end of 2011. On 16 Sept’11, it opened its first Best Price Modern Wholesale cash-and-carry store at Nidamanuru, National Highway-5 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. New outlet will also have a â€Å"Mera Kirana† program sharing best practices such as various aspects of using low-cost modern techniques and processes such as assortment planning, layout and fixtures, displays, backroom, licenses, safe food handling, customer retention and value added services with small and medium retailers. On 30 Sept’11, it opened a new store format, â€Å"Easyday Hyper†, at Magnet Malls, Bhandup, Mumbai. Currently, the company has 140 ‘easyday’ stores, 13 ‘easyday Market’ outlets and 1 ‘easyday Hyper’ store. Advantage of Wholesale Cash-and-Carry: These benefit retailers as it is a is a one-stop shop that meets the day-to-day needs of restaurant owners, hoteliers, caterers, fruit and vegetable resellers, kiranas, other retail store owners, offices and institutions. More than 90 percent of these goods and services are being sourced locally; thereby helping keep costs to a minimum, adding to the growth of the local economy and creating job opportunities, with the cash and carry store directly employing more than 200 local people. A typical wholesale cash-and carry facility will stand between 50,000 and 100,000 square feet. The joint venture works with the existing supply chain infrastructure to help make it more efficient, thereby maximizing value for  farmers and manufacturers and retailers. The supply chain operation supports farmers and small manufacturers who have limited infrastructure and distribution strength and help minimize wastage, particularly of fresh foods and vegetables. An efficient supply chain can play an important role in transforming farmers and small manufacturers into successful entrepreneurs. Technical Collaboration: Walmart provides certain technical support to Bharti Retail for its front-end retail venture where Bharti Retail requires critical retail technology and technical know-how. Walmart’s Direct Farm Program: Multinational retail giant, Wal-Mart’s Direct Farm Program in India is a partnership with 110 small and marginal farmers near Ludhiana in Punjab where it en courages cultivation of safe, high-quality, seasonal vegetables. Farmers are advised at every stage of cultivation by field agronomists. Farmers learn about nursery management, transplanting, nutrient management, as well as harvest and post-harvest practices. Sourcing from India: Walmart has been sourcing a variety of products from suppliers in India for more than 20 years. Walmart’s office in Bangalore serves as Walmart’s Global Procurement (GP) hub for the sourcing of merchandise from India and Sri Lanka to Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs globally. GP India also manages Global Procurement from Sri Lanka. Major categories sourced from India include home textiles (including towels, shower curtains, bath mats, etc.), apparel (including woven, knitwear and leather footwear), leather accessories, fine jewelry and house wares (like fine dining ware, home dà ©cor, etc). The main categories sourced from Sri Lanka are apparel, textiles and gifts. Launch of its 1st store in India, 2009: The reason for Wal-Mart’s entry in India was clear – The Indian middle class, on which it had been working for around two years. Mom-and-pop stores (or the Kiryana stores) and traditional distribution networks dominated the Indian retail market. Wal-Mart’s first outlet was set to launch in the city of Amritsar, Punjab in North India. The first store air-conditioned and built over 50,000 sq. ft. was on the outskirts of the city, Amritsar. The store employed 200 locals and was likely create 500 indirect jobs. In the first few weeks itself, the company had managed to sign on close to 35,000 members. Training Center: Bharti Wal-Mart has opened a training centre in Delhi to bridge the gap between demand and supply of skilled manpower in modern retail. It will provide free retail sector-focussed vocational training to candidates. A  memorandum of agreement (MoA) was signed in this regard on July 22’11 between Bharti Wal-Mart and the Delhi government’s Department of Training and Technical Education. Bharti-Walmart plans to invest over USD 15 mn in Andhra Pradesh this year and impact lives of 25,000 women through multiple initiatives by 2016, it has already created more than 2,000 job-ready women in 3 years through Bharti Walmart Training Centres. Walmart Labs in Bangalore: In addition to its R&D centre in the Silicon Valley, Wal-Mart plans to set up another facility in Bangalore, India (expected to be set up by Dec 2011) with about 100 developers to work on technologies and solutions for Wal-Mart’s global e-commerce business. UNITED COLORS OF BENETTON The Benetton Group, with brands such as UCB, Sisley and Playlife, has a presence in 120 countries. It has network of around 6,000 stores. India has a local production of their collection too. Almost 100 per cent of the products are sourced from India. The product line remains uniform geographically. At present Benetton has over 425 franchised stores in India (since 1991) and the number is likely to double in five years. Now it is also focusing on smaller cities and towns given the growth in brand awareness and disposable income levels. â€Å"Even if FDI in single brand retail is opened up, we will continue to operate like a wholesaler and follow the franchise route,† Mr Mohanty (Benetton India MD) said. It has launched its first Concept store in Connaught Place. Stores are an important communication platform for Benetton as it is here that we showcase the depth of our brand offering to the customers. The launch of the new store strengthens Benetton’s presence in the Indian market. Global brands work everywhere. Consumers currently are very global as they are accepting products that have global appeal. In fact, it has always positioned itself as a colorful brand which has worked wonders for the Indian market. Also it focuses more on consumer experience like store ambience and window merchandising rather than advertising. Almost 40% of our budget is spent on that. However, it is now looking at in-film placements as the next branding strategy. (It has already tied up with an upcoming John Abraham movie 1-800-Love.) It is looking forward to being clothing partners of programmes  or events, which are true to their product. Recently, this Italian casual wear brand opened an outlet at Magneto Mall, Raipur. Spread over an area of 1,000 sq ft, the store stocks a range of clothes and accessories for men and women. The retailer has a revenue-sharing model with the mall. DA MILANO Da Milano, the international luxury brand with its range of premium leather goods and accessories is synonymous to precision, craftsmanship and exclusivity. Da Milano imports 70% of its leather and accessories from Italy for its leather goods retailed in India. It has 2 state of the art company owned manufacturing units at Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh equipped with the latest and most advanced machinery. They have a highly skilled workforce operating under the guidance of Italian technicians. They also have an exclusive tannery near Chennai in TN where leather produced is benchmarked to the latest process technology. By September’11, it has 32 signature Da Milano stores across the country. It recently opened 5 flagship stores in Maharashtra. The brand’s presence can be seen in 10 cities – Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. Recently it opened its showroom at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. The store is sprawled over 850sq.ft and is embellished with all-glass frontage. The appealing visual merchandising of the store also includes an off white backdrop, wooden shelves, soft green wall paper, illuminating marble flooring etc, and is done to entice passers-by and draw footfall. The luxury brand could soon be seen announcing the launch of two of its sub brands Rosso Brunello and Da Milano Home. While the former will offer premium hi fashion foot wears for men and women, the latter will be offering leather accessories for home and office. Rosso Brunello foot wears will be made available at select Da Milano exclusive stores, while Da Milano Home and Office accessories would be retailed at Da Milano stores. Well, a lot of scope is there in India as compared to other countries in the world as the organized retail penetration level is only around 5% as compared to 85% in USA, 80% in France and 20% in China. (Refer Annexure Fig 9) PROBLEMATIC SITUATION/DIFFICULTY FACED IN INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Price issue: In India the majority of retail outlets sell products at maximum retail price (MRP), which are administered by the government and printed on each item by manufacturers. Thus, there is minimal price competition among the various store formats. The arrival of International retailers, with vast sourcing networks, may eradicate the importance of government-imposed MRP, as these are likely to focus strongly on low prices as a competitive tool and as a means of encouraging new consumers to try the modern concept. Poor Infrastructure: The road infrastructure is poor and federal and state tax laws are complex, which make cross-state transportation difficult. India’s transport networks/highways, rural infrastructure certainly need investment. Bharti has announced to invest INR 125bn in agriculture and supply chain. It will also invest on specific distribution and transportation storage solutions (ie refrigerated trucks and logistical initiatives, such as electronic product tracking). The relatively slow pace of MGR growth in India can be largely attributed to two key factors: (1) massive income inequalities and (2) tough FDI regulations Labour displacement issue in India: The entry of International retailers with efficient systems will destroy the traditional retail sector, making people’s requirement at minimum in these new retail stores. JOB losing fear: If we assume 40 mn adults in the retail sector, it would translate into around 160 mn dependents using a 1:4 dependency ratio. These people are unlikely suitable for other areas of work either. Thus, there is a need to enact new laws to check the prolific expansion of the new foreign malls and hypermarkets, like China, Malaysia and Thailand. (Refer Annexure Fig 12 to see the Asia Pacific Retail Sales by % share) Change in Retail FDI policy: On November 24th the coalition government, led by the Congress party, said that in cities of over 1m folk, foreign firms could now own 51% of â€Å"multi-brand† retailers, such as supermarkets (up from zero), and 100% of single-brand chains (up from 51%). Multi-brand foreign chains, such as Walmart and Tesco, must operate as joint ventures, of which they may now own up to 51%, and may operate only in cities of 1m people or more. The new reform is timely. Growth has dipped below 7%. The rupee is weak, investors are nervous. But still, the  government needs to lift confidence, and organized retail could work. (Refer to Annexure Fig 10 to see the Indian economic activity showing the nominal GDP and GDP per capita.) Political issues: The FDI reform is too controversial to be enacted. The main opposition party, the BJP, which enjoys the support of millions of stallholders, is doing its best to whip up anger. Many Indians feel an emotional attachment to little kirana stores, and fret that foreign invaders will destroy them. Indian states are not obliged to follow the FDI reform. Many may refuse to liberalize foreign ownership on their territory. Standard Chartered Bank, reckons that of 53 cities with over 1m people, 28 are run by politicians who say they will block the reform. India’s leftist parties had called for a nationwide strike on Dec. 1 in solidarity with the Confederation of All India Traders, who are among the most vocal opponents of full FDI in retail. The BJP leader Uma Bharti publicly threatened to set fire to any Walmart that opens. Fragmented Market: The retail shops are very fragmented with only very few supermarkets and no dominant chain. Farming is also fragmented. A rickety legal system makes it hard to enforce contracts. Under the latest FDI reform, foreign-controlled shops will have to buy a chunk of their processed and manufactured goods from small firms, which may add to their costs. High Land prices in India: Foreign retailers will have to find affordable land in packed an d expensive cities. Western luxury-goods firms may be able to tolerate extortionate rents for central locations. Some may prosper with a few out-of-town stores that people visit infrequently, spending lots. But general retailers need both cheap land and proximity to their customers—not an easy mix. People’s habits: Indians are in the habit of shopping for their fruits and vegetables almost every day which get the customer into the shop every day, and chances are she’ll buy something extra. Building a Walmart-style supply chain of fruits and vegetables requires a lot of investment in improving the productivity and quality of farmers. E.g. showing a tomato farmer how to improve his yields by using wooden stakes for his plants. That farmer doesn’t have to sell his tomatoes to Walmart, but when he sees that he can get a better price, he often does. To woo farmers away from the system they are used to — selling produce at the local mandi, or market, at a price dictated by traders — Walmart has set itself a target of increasing farmers’ incomes by 20% over five years. Farmer’s Income: By  law, farmers are required to sell their produce only to approved mandis and have to pay the mandi taxes. (Walmart has to pay the mandi tax even when farmers sell to them.) They travel for hours to get here, and then take whatever price the wholesale buyer is willing to give. The buyers don’t inspect the produce and offer better prices for better quality; they just sell the 100-kg sacks of vegetables to another set of middlemen, who break it into smaller lots that eventually find their way to vegetable vendors and small retailers. By the time it reaches the consumer, that produce will have been marked up by three to four times or more, but nearly all of that goes to the middlemen, not the farmer. Meanwhile, about 30% of the produce also spoils along the way for lack of cold storage, contributing to India’s soaring food inflation. Distribution issue: remains a major challenge to retail expansion. India’s infrastructure is a lot inadequ ate. A 500km road journey can take as much as 24 hours, owing to poor road conditions, congestion and toll booths. Preference for Kirana/local retailers (cheap price offered): According to ASSOCHAM’s survey 2010, in which it interviewed 5000 shoppers in various cities in India, kirana stores (mom and pop stores) and local retailers were the preferred destination for shoppers as compared to shopping malls. The survey found that goods were less expensive (as much as 25%) in local kirana stores as compared to big shopping malls with more variety and affordable options with sustainable quality at a negotiable price (reduced margins) Walmart’s strict union policy: The company’s clearly defined anti-union policy aiming at preventing its work force from gaining collective bargaining power can result in increased wages. Low overhead costs: Small retailers in India already operate with such low overhead costs (by relying on informal labor and making minimal investment in any technology, even refrigeration) that it’s hard for Walmart to compete with them. (India’s traders have, however, invested in their relationships with state and local politicians, who count on their support around election time.) Elsewhere, Walmart may have pioneered the use of low-cost retail labor; in India, the cost of labor in retail is already about as low as it can get. STRATEGY ADOPTED TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE Issuing Loyalty cards: Keeping customers loyal is a problem retailers often grapple with. Over the last decade, Indian companies that are focusing on acquiring and retaining customers have become aggressive about giving out loyalty cards. As a result, 42 percent of Indians in the SEC A, B and C categories are now part of at least one loyalty program in India’s $4 billion-a-year loyalty market. (This figure includes the market for gifts, which a lot of companies use as a surrogate for loyalty programs.) Loyalty is seen as the number one tool that allows retailers to access data on customer tastes and preferences. Pearson: conducted an extensive customer research through Colloquy, its research arm: only 20 percent of Indians in the SEC A, B and C categories are loyal to a particular brand. Offer a better deal and they are more than willing to shift. Improving Infrastructure: Tesco is planning to work with Tata’s Star Bazaar hypermarket business on a franchise basis, providing expertise and technical support in return for a fee to the fast-expanding network. Star Bazaar stores, potentially meaning that Tesco-branded private-label goods could appear in consumer retail outlets in India. It provides employment for some 3,000 local workers at its global service centre in Bangalore. More Partnership: Wal-Mart is also considering a partnership with Indian counterpart Future Group to strengthen its presence in India. Also, Walmart is on an expanding spree in India and wants to cover maximum areas in India, even the interior regions. Recently, it opened a new store format, easyday Hyper, at Magnet Malls, Bhandup, Mumbai. This is Bharti Retail’s first store in West India. Spread over 60,000 sq.ft., the outlet stocks over 20,000 products displaying 475 new items, including personal care products, stationery, household articles, hosiery items and daily-need groceries. Introduction of Innovative ideas: Walmart is also introducing innovating ideas to differentiate it from other retailers, like the recently opened store also has a section called ‘Baby World.’ Currently, the company has 140 ‘easyday’ stores, 13 ‘easyday Market’ outlets and 1 ‘easyday Hyper’ store. Cluster approach strategy: Walmart follows a cluster approach strategy and initially largely focused on Punjab, although it opened stores in other places also. It has covered the four big markets (in Punjab) already. Price  settling: Government of India should introduce the concept for the organized retail by setting a minimum price for a commodity, below which a retail store cannot sale the product. This should be done to avoid the occurrence of monopoly of a retailer in the country. Personalized Offer to Customer: The current retailers in India should take an advantage of the prior knowledge of the customer requirement and customer nature in India. They should provide customized deals and service to them, so that they may retain the old customers even on the opening up of new international retail stores whose service is not personalized. LESSONS LEARNT Clearly, once the equity caps on foreign investment are lifted, the India MGR sector will witness tremendous flows of investment from global retailers, which leads to our projection of 155.6% in MGR sales to 2015. Its retail market is forecast to nearly double to $850 billion by 2020. (Refer to Annexure Fig 11 to see the forecast for 2020 in terms of sales in organized and unorganized retail market.) Also, when a retailer (say Walmart) enters a new market, a lot depends on the kind of a partner it has. As Bharti itself has ambitions to be a major retail powerhouse in India, thus there is a strategic conflict between their interests. As, sooner or later India will permit foreign retailers to have direct equity ownership in India, then what will Walmart be left holding? Bharti has retail ambitions, thus it will want to buy Walmart’s shares, rather than sell. Bharti-Walmart stores are branded BestPrice, and not with Walmart’s name. Thus, Walmart could have thought of India as a portfolio of regional markets and work with smaller regional partners. It’s hard for the local kiryana stores, etc. to have much bargaining power or have national ambitions. They would have been happy to brand them as Walmart and when regulations change, Walmart would be able to buy them out. Walmart India probably will invest in a joint venture with Kishore Biyani-led Future Group soon. The report is not confirmed yet. On Tuesday (March 29’11), a leading business daily in India reported that senior executives of Future Group and Walmart had met at least five times in four months, raising possibilities of an alliance. More important, the debate over Walmart’s effect on retail employment misses a larger point. In India, the majority of the population is employed in agriculture, and Indian farmers stand to gain a lot from greater investment by anyone — foreign or  domestic — in the supply chain that bri ngs food from the field to the consumer. CRISIL, a research firm, reckons the reform could attract up to $3 billion of foreign investment over five years—welcome, but not nearly enough to fund India’s current-account deficit or transform the industry. India’s consumer-goods firms, among its most profitable, have thrived in the era of backward retailing and supply chains, but are betting on gradual change. The biggest, Hindustan Unilever, has seconded staff to stores in America and Britain to learn how they work. In an interview earlier this year its boss, Nitin Paranjpe, said he was â€Å"absolutely certain† that rganized retail would take off. But he reckoned it would take a decade to capture a quarter of the market. Entering a market as big and complex as India’s is a big bet, even for experienced international retailers. Success is by no means guaranteed: citing example of China, where Tesco’s Chinese operations are only breaking even though they have been in the country for seven years. Walmart is doing better, but this was helped by its takeover of Trustmart, a Taiwanese supermarket. Carrefour and Auchan, two French supermarket chains, are doing best, because they adapted more than their rivals to the taste of the Chinese and their shopping preferences, says Ben Cavender at China Market Research in Shanghai. Carrefour, for instance, introduced what is known as â€Å"wet markets† in most of its outlets: open food markets that sell live animals. To be successful in India, Walmart, Carrefour and Tesco will need to give their local managers a lot of autonomy to adapt their stores. India boasts more than 20 official languages, three major religions and many, very different culinary traditions. Big Bazaar, one of the few Indian hypermarket chains, shows how far such adaptation will have to go. Instead of copying the narrow aisles in Western stores, designed for individual shoppers with carts, the firm has packed its stores with clusters through which shoppers have to navigate. This recreates the organised chaos Indians know from shopping in real bazaars: bumping into people, chatting and eating. All these international retail shops offer a wider variety and larger quantity of some items, but lacked the personal touch. They do not have the quality of personalized touch that a normal Kiryana store offers to its customers, thus it will take a long way to establish the retail market in India, but the wait is for the final say by the government of India. REFERENCE www.walmartstores.com http://www.ey.com/IN/en/Newsroom/News-releases/Published-editorial—FDI-in-retail—MNC-retailers-to-select-partners-with-suitable-capabilities FDI in India’s Retail Sector More Bad than Good? – By Mohan Guruswamy, Kamal Sharma, Jeevan Prakash Mohanty, Thomas J. Korah http://business.in.com/article/magazine-extra/walmarts-strategy-through-the-world/6042/1#ixzz1fpdJwzyd www.indiaretailing.com http://business.in.com/article/web-special/loyalty-networks-poised-to-enter-indian-market/30972/1#ixzz1fpikaw00 http://www.ibef.org/download/Retail_270111.pdf http://retail.franchiseindia.com/interviews/Debutant/Bagging-profits-59/ Issue 37 September 2011: http://www.dnb.co.in/Ind_cursorpdf/Industry_Cursor_September_2011.pdf http://www.ramms.co.in/admin/application/source/files/news/39_RRN-Sept%202011.pdf FDI in retail: MNC retailers to select partners with suitable capabilities: Economic Times By Paresh Parekh, Tax Partner, Ernst & Young

Social Inequalities

To find out as to what extent social class not only shapes attitudes, values and beliefs, but also has a significant impact on life chances, I will begin by defining social stratification, social class and life chances. Sociological theories will also be used to help understand society. Education and employment impact on society will also be discussed using journal articles obtained as a guide. To understand social stratification, it is important to make a distinction between social inequality, which refers to the existence of socially created inequalities whereas social stratification is a particular form of inequality. It refers to the presence of distinct social groups which are ranked one above the other in terms of factors such as prestige and wealth. Using the functionalist theory, we can understand stratification better as this theory views society as a system that is set of interconnected parts which together form a whole. Talcott Parsons (1902- 79). Davis and moore (1945), claimed that all societies have some form of social stratification. George Peter Murdock (1949) maintained that the family exists in every known human society. All these people seem to suggest that individual families and social stratification meet needs that are common to all societies. I agree with the functionalism theory as it is small groups such as families that make up society as a whole. Each family trying to survive and do better than others in the process bettering the society. For a society to survive, functional prerequisites of society are required as Marion J. Levy (1952) argued that a society would cease to exist if its members were absorbed into another society or involved in a war of all against all. Marion J. Levy ’ s argument can be challenged. With the shortage of housing, families getting absorbed into another society would be replaced by families searching for accommodation. On the other hand, ethnomethodologists follow Alfred Schutz (1932) in believing there is no real social order as other sociological perspectives assume. Social life appears orderly to members of society only because members actively engage in making scence of social life. According to Zimmerman and Wieder (1971), society go about the task of seeing, describing and explaining order in the world in which they live. Social class – Savage et al. described social class as social collectivises rooted in particular types of exploitative relationships. These collectivises are groups of people who share levels of income, lifestyles, cultures and political orientations. An example of this could be a group of footballers, would share the same level of income, with similar lifestyles will act or be seen or perceived differently to golf players who are equally rich but may have a different lifestyle to footballers. This can be linked to Marxist theory. Karl Marx (1818- 83) regarded people as both the producers and the products of society. People are regarded as producers as they make society and themselves by their own actions. People are regarded as products of society in that they are shaped by the social relationships and systems of thought they create. To support Karl Marx ’ s comment on people being a product of society, a real life example could be given where a student joins university for the first time. University can be regarded as a society with different individuals, all trying to achieve the same thing. It is up to the new student to choose the group he joins and this will affect the student ’ s life at university if in a bad group or good group thereby making the student a product of that society. Life chances- Gerth and mills, (1954) stated that a person ’ s position in a stratification system may have important effects on many areas of life. It may enhance or reduce life chances that is their chances of obtaining those things that are desirable and avoiding those things defined as undesirable in their society. (Max Weber). To help determine whether in fact social class not only shapes attitudes, values and beliefs, it is important to categorize social class. Social class refers to the persistent social inequalities. Two distinct types of social inequality have been identified by researchers working with two different sociological theories. One theory is derived from the work of Karl Marx the other from the writings by Max Weber, which are somewhat critical of Marx ’ s work. Marxian approach suggests that social class was defined by ownership of the means of production bourgeoisie who exploit the workers who do not own the means of production (proletariat). Source: the Canadian encyclopedia. Marxian approach can be challenged as it does not refer to occupation or levels of income. Marxian approach regarded everyone that did not own land as proletariat. This would mean that senior managerial administrative and manual working class would be regarded as being in the same class (proletetariat). There is a vast difference between the income and benefits of senior managers compared to manual workers therefore it wouldn ’ t be right to put the two in the same class. Ethnic and gender factors are mportant in differentiating people and in relating them to the general division of labour and inequalities of opportunity and conditions which are associated with it. Another way of categorizing class is by referring to upper class, consisting of property owners (bourgeoisie), middle class consisting of senior managers, middle managers and supervisory and service worker class and finally the working class or lower class consisting of manual work ers. A variety of studies have shown that non-manual workers enjoy advantages over manual workers in terms of their life chances. The office for national statistics (ONS), has compiled a range of statistical evidence on inequalities between classes in England and Wales. (Focus on social inequalities 2004). In 2002, 77% of year 11 children with parents in higher professional occupations obtained five or more GCSE ’ S at grade C or above, compared to 32% of those with parents in routine occupations. In my opinion, the above statistics suggest that parents can also act as role models to their children. An example is that if a parent is CEO of an organization, he/she will encourage their children to do well at school and reach the same level or above the parent position. Just for being CEO, this parent has set a target level for his/her children which is quit hard to archive but with the parent ’ s income, the child can go to private school and increase life chances. On the other hand, it would be hard for a parent in manual labour to encourage their child to reach CEO position. This child may see this as an impossible task and will settle for the same factory job or aspire to be the factory supervior. This child ’ s parent income could not be enough to better life chance. Social class does really shape attitudes, values and beliefs and this can be supported by the common American saying â€Å" The American dream † . The American dream can be explained as a belief and the freedom that allows all citizens and residents to achieve their life chances in the USA. Today, in America it generally refers to the idea that one ’ s prosperity depends upon one ’ s own abilities and hard work. ( wikipedia encyclopedia). This is a message passed on to all people in America but in my opinion, people from the lower class are likely to believe in the American dream as some form of comfort or assurance that things could get better in future. The journal article below is by Andrew Billen. The Times. London uk. Aug 20, 2007. Pg 19(Full article can be found on Appendix 1) Page 2 In last night ’ s season opener, the fascistically titled the will to win[Robert Winston] fretted at age 7 their fates may already be sealed. Certainly, by the programme ’ s end it looked if the Jesuits knew what they were talking about. As little William sprinted ahead of the pack to the finishing line of his private school ’ s egg and spoon race, his ambitious mother was convinced he was already the person he would become. â€Å" I ’ m definitely going to win, † he had confidently predicted half an hour earlier. â€Å" And I ’ m going to come second, † chipped in his friend, the sort of friend William would need. Down at the other end of Britain, where life chances are more ragged, was [James], whose ambition in life had hardened up: he wanted to be a robber. His answer to a dumbed-down IQ test question, â€Å" what do you do if you find a wallet on the floor? † was â€Å" take it home † . Despite this, James ’ s IQ was found to be just a touch below average. If only he had been clever enough to choose different parents. His father had scampered when he was an infant, leaving his mother Carol, struggling. This article points out that a child born in an upper class family will have better life chances as they will be able to attend very good schools or private schools thereby bettering their chances of succeeding. Page 2 Aspects of life such as income play an important part in achieving life chances as pointed out by the article below taken from Allister Heath. Sunday Business London (UK) Jun 26. 2005 pg 1. The writer noted that the UK is plagued with low social mobility; and that this is partly due to the strong and increasing relationship between family income and educational attainment. The proportion of children from the poorest fifth of families born during the early 1980s obtaining a degree has increased from 6% to 9%, while the graduation rate for the richest fifth has risen from 20% to 47%. Full article can be found on Appendix 2) Social class still exists at present as most of what we do on a daily basis is determined by how we perceive or wish to perceive ourselves. Eg, the cars we choose to buy, friends we choose etc. Jonathan Moore, UK BBC Publication, 18/12/2007 I fully agree that social class does in fact have a significant impact on life chances. The functionalist theory did des cribe society as a system that is set of interconnected parts which together form a whole. This brings out the fact that society is divided into different classes and that inequalities do exist. William, in the journal article was positive he would win because of his up brining from his parents not to accept second best. His parents, through their jobs have set a target for William which will affect his life chances. REFERENCES Martin Holborn and Mike Haralambos, sociology themes and perspectives, seventh edition, 2007. Tony J. Watson, sociology ,work and industry, third edition, 1995. Mike Noon and Paul Blyton, the realities of work, second edition, 2002. Keith Grint, the sociology of work, third edition, 2005. The times. London(uk): Aug 20, 2007 pg 19. Sunday Business. London(uk): Jun 26,2005 pg 1.