Bed Bath and Beyond Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bed Bath and Beyond - Essay Example Porter’s better off test revels that competition at the level of business units defines the ability of a company to achieve a competitive advantage within the larger business environment. This section gives a critical analysis of BB&B’s corporate strategies with a view of evaluation the effectiveness of these strategies in enabling the company to have a competitive advantage within the retail business markets. Diversification through Acquisition Porter’s better off strategy demonstrates that it is through acquisitions that companies have been able to expand their business as a corporate strategy of increasing their competitiveness (Porter 4). BB&B acquired Cost Plus as one of its corporate strategies of diversifying business activities. The acquisition of Cost Plus cost BB&B $ 495 million but this strategy in the long run is proving effective in enhancing the company’s competitiveness (DeTar 1). Cost Plus has given BB&B a higher market position in home fur nishings (DeTar 1). Diversification through acquisition is a concept within portfolio management which has allowed many companies to diversify their portfolios. Diversification of portfolios which is achieved through acquisition allows a company to prevent the risks which are associated with business processes (Misonzhnik 1). Porter in his better off test asserts that acquisition corporate strategy becomes effective is the acquired units are autonomous (Porter 10). In light of this argument, it is illustrated that the acquisition that BB&B made on Cost Plus maintained the autonomy of the business units within the acquired company. The need for autonomy within the acquired units was decided upon by the management of the company so that the costs which are associated with change are avoided. Porter further revels that the autonomy among acquired units must be aimed at ensuring that the employees within the new units are compensated and rewarded in accordance to the performance the uni ts (Porter 10). The Cost Plus units as acquired by BB&B comprised of employees who were motivated for increased performance through performance based rewards and compensation scheme. This is shown by the fact that â€Å"the company plans to hire 35 full- and part-time workers† (Carnopis 1). In return the company has achieved increased performance in the market which justifies its competitiveness within the home merchandise retail business and market. Shared Activities within Value Chains The CEO of Cost Plus pointed out that "Our successful merchandising and product collaborations over the last two years have demonstrated that our organizations work well together† (DeTar 1). The CEO was referring to the collaboration between the company and Bed Bath & Beyond. Porter’s better off test further postulates that when the value chains of activities of a company’s units are shared as a corporate strategy, competitiveness in the business environment is guaranteed. It is therefore through the collaboration between the acquired units and the existing ones that Bed Bath and Beyond is able to achieve increased success and competitiveness within the market. Transfer of Skills The values chains and business units of Bed Bath & Beyond and the acquired Cost Plus have more experienced, talented, creative and skilled expertise. As a result, the company has utilized the abilities of the employees through transfer skills corporate strategy

Healthcare Managment Essay Example for Free

Healthcare Managment Essay What is healthcare management? Let’s sum it up to get a better sense of all what partakes in it, as well of doing it in an effective way. Simply put is the overseeing of all the healthcare facilities. Most likely patient encounter is not so likely, unless there is a means to speak or deal with a situation directly with patient. Healthcare relates to insurance companies, organization, and hospitals. It can get a little difficult because there are so many roles such ass, human resources, equipment, and scheduling . Being in this field is quite diverse, due to the many fields. Four Functions * As I mentioned before having this role you must be effective, in doing so there are functions that need to be set and used on a day to day basis. The first is â€Å"organizing†, which to have organization is wonderful and keeps things running smoothly. What does this consist of simply understanding your staff and helping them with their staff by assigning them with their own and last but not least support. When employees have this to fall back on it helps in many ways for the organization. Second, â€Å"planning† you can never go wrong if you plan right and plan ahead. There are objectives that need to completed, which requires decision to be made. It gives an overview of what is expected and gives better insight for all. Third, â€Å"controlling† it is not necessarily what may come to mind at first. Managers have an obligation to always we on top of things, therefore in order for this to be done being involved with the performance of the team must come into pl ay. This allows management to be able to focus on what needs to be done whether good or bad. In turn it gives an overview of how things our running. Fourth, â€Å"leading† I see as not trying to be someone’s boss/manager it is someone who builds you up for success. I can say myself that putting all four functions to work together every work day probably is not so easy. No manager is perfect, the most important thing is that you try to incorporate all in some fashion and with that things should be effective. Having children myself I feel that I am a manager with everything to go with all wrapped up in one. I am needed to make my household run in functional way. If there were no guidelines and leadership it would all come tumbling down. What Do I Want to Gain? * Learning how to be more diversified and in the professional healthcare world. I feel very strongly about this because my most absolute goal is to become a healthcare manager and I know that there is an overwhelming increases in diversity now days. Since knowing this and seeing I first hand I would like to make sure that when I become a manager for a facilities I can uphold the standard and respect for all people. This is not only for the staff, but for the patient’s sake as well. Having the knowledge and to be able to teach other and implement it within. References Lombardi, D. N., Schermerhorn, J. R. (2007). Health care management: Tools and techniques for managing in a health care environment. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. Sherman, C. (1999). Raising management standards in American healthcare. Healthcare Executive, 14(2), 12-7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/200287995?accountid=35812 Wallick, W. G., Stager, K. J. (2002). Healthcare managers roles, competencies, and outputs in organizational performance improvement / practitioner response. Journal of Healthcare Management, 47(6), 390-401; discussion 401-2. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/206729167?accountid=35812

Essay on the Defense of Walls in Mending Wall :: Mending Wall Essays

Opposing the Unthinking Defense of Walls in Mending Wall The speaker in "Mending Wall" questions his neighbor's stolid assumption that "good fences make good neighbors." Perhaps, what he objects to is not so much the sentiment itself as the unwillingness or inability of the other to think for himself, to "go beyond his father's saying." Just so; we must try to get beyond the apophthegm-like opening line of "Mending Wall," testing carefully for gradations of tone as we proceed. Is it the proverb-like authority of "something there is . . . " that makes it so natural to equate "something" with the speaker? Once this equation has been made, the reader joins the speaker in sympathizing with this mysterious "something" and hence in opposing the neighbor's unthinking defense of walls. Frost rings subtly drastic changes on the sound of a phrase like "good fences make good neighbors." By the time the poem ends, this line has acquired some of the pat stupidity of a slogan. Similar turns of the screw affect the opening line, when to it is added the darker phrase "that wants it down" and again when the speaker refuses to name the antiwall "something." "Elves" is the closest he gets, yet "It's not elves exactly, and I'd rather / He said it for himself." Elves may mean not willowy things out of Tolkien but darker forces of the wood, for the next image is one of darkness. The neighbor is viewed as subtly menacing, "an old-stone savage armed." Yet this man has been the one to defend boundaries. The apparently relaxed and leisurely pace of the poem has made us lower our own boundaries and forget who is on what side. At any rate, although the speaker's ironic evasiveness undermines any confident interpretation, Poirier is surely right when he makes the following point: . . . .it is not the neighbor . . . a man who can only dully repeat "good fences make good neighbors"-- . . .it is not he who initiates the fence-making. Rather it is the far more spirited, lively, and "mischievous" speaker of the poem. While admitting that they do not need the wall, it is he who each year "lets my neighbor know beyond the hill" that it is time to do the job anyway, and who will go out alone to fill the gaps made in the wall by hunters.

Mice and Men Essay

John Ernst Steinbeck was born on 27 February 1902, in Salinas, California, USA. The Salinas River is mentioned in the first line of Of Mice and Men. The whole novel is centred on the landscape around Salinas. Steinbeck was the third of four children, of mixed German and Irish descent. His parents owned a considerable amount of land, and his mother was a schoolteacher who encouraged him to read widely. His background was neither rich nor poor, and his parents wanted him to follow a ‘respectable’ career. John Steinbeck wrote the novel called Of Mice and Men. It was published in the depression years of the 1930’s. Steinbeck raises questions in the mind of the reader that the novel would be based on loneliness. The first line read â€Å"A few miles south of Soledad†. This is a clever idea by Steinbeck as â€Å"Soledad† means loneliness in Spanish. John Steinbeck’s family was wealthy, but was interested in the lives of farm labourers. It gave him a inspiration to write books about migrant workers. He could of been a doctor or a teacher but he chose to become an author. John Steinbeck must of met a lot of people like Lennie and George, so he has ideas to write a good book. The historical context of the novel is that its all about the depression years in the 1930’s. It was illegal to be unemployed. People living in the 30’s didn’t have a choice but to go to work. The main characters in this story are George and Lennie. They travel around together, share their minds together, and what ever trouble Lennie gets into, George had to get him out of it. George didn’t like Lennie that much because of all the trouble that he gets into. He didn’t want to stay with Lennie, but his mother told George to look after him. Lennie was always trying to find a good opportunity to go off alone in the hills. George didn’t want that, he liked Lennie as a friend, but Lennie gets into too much trouble. But they always say; ‘You got me, and I got you’. This novel called ‘Of Mice and Men’ was set in a town called ‘Soledad’. It meant ‘Lonely’ in Spanish. The ranch is located in the middle of no where. It’s 4 miles to the town. The characters in this novel are ranch workers who are described as lonely. Ranch work is not long term. All of the workers except for Candy and Crooks are only passing through. When George and Lennie get jobs, the boss is suspicious of them because they look like they’ve known each other from somewhere and are close friends. The other ranch workers see that George is always answering for Lennie. But they cannot understand why they are always together. George says that â€Å"ranch workers are the loneliest people in the world and don’t belong nowhere†. In this paragraph, I’m going to write about Crooks. Crooks is a black guy. He’s not allowed to stay in the bunkhouse with the other ranch hands because he is black. He doesn’t have the same status as the other white workers. Crooks was also excluded because he suffered an injury and so is not as capable as the other ranch hands. His possessions show that he is lonely. Everyone can see that because he loves to read his books but was excluded. Crooks doesn’t like when Lennie tries to talk to him. Crooks get angry every time he tells Lennie to go away from him. But after that, he admits that he is lonely. Lennie will also get lonely and even sick when no one is with him. He needs someone beside him all the time so that he feels supported. For this, he always wants George. In this paragraph, I have looked at the way Crooks treat other people and what his appearance looks like to everyone else. I will now write about Candy. He’s an old man who wants to join up with George and Lennie and get a place where they can live. Candy provides a parallel to George and Lennie in that he relies on his dog – ‘I’m so used to ‘im’ (p.46) – just as George and Lennie are an elevated version of a master/dog relationship. Candy clings to his dog, despite all that logic and common sense dictate. He loves to be with his dog because he had him since he was a puppy. It was the best sheepdog he had ever had. The other workers didn’t realise the relationship between Candy and the dog. It meant nothing to everyone except for Candy. They’ve been together for all of Candy’s life. But now Lennie’s life has ended. Candy cleans out the farm buildings, and shows George and Lennie the bunkhouse. Candy lost his hand whilst working on the farm, and was allowed to stay on in this lowly position as cleaner. Candy soon asks George and Lennie if he can come in with them. George said ‘We weren’t thinking of a third person. Cause we was gonna do it on our own’. George knew that it was owned by old people who might be willing to sell it for $600 or so. Candy confesses he has $350 saved up and asks if he can come in with them. George really begins to believe that his dream might become a reality. He needs to work for another month or two and not spend anything so that they will have the stake to buy the farm. This will be good for Candy because then he can live a happy life and avoid the loneliness in the life of a ranch worker. He’s worked here for so long and wants to change his miserable life and make it peaceful. Candy was moaning that he just let a stranger shoot his dog. By the look of him, he could see that Carlson didn’t like the smell of Candy’s old dog. Carlson asks Slim to give Candy one of the other pups so that the old dog can be shot. Once the dog has been shot, he feels strong pressure because he had him since he was a pup. When George and Lennie were talking about their dream, Candy steps in and instead of being sad, George and Lennie gives pride and gives Candy more confidence. In this paragraph I have explained Candy’s life and the way he lives. I am now going to write about Curley’s wife. She doesn’t like Curley very much and wants to go elsewhere but cannot because of Curley. The other ranch workers avoid Curley’s wife as they know that if they befriend her, they will get into trouble. She also said that she could hang Curley at anytime if she felt like it (Showing that she can be dangerous as well as Lennie). She also visits the bunkhouse a lot, she wanted company, but had to ask where Curley was. On Saturday nights she is left at the ranch alone. When she is left alone at the ranch, she tells everyone about her life and story. It’s very miserable for Curley’s wife. She tells everyone the truth†¦ that she doesn’t really like Curley. Everyone else has names except for her. She has to be called Curley’s wife. That is why she doesn’t appear much in the story. She’s being treated like an object. Slim’s dog name is ‘Loulou’. We have looked at the character of Curley’s wife and how she got on. George and Lennie are different to the other ranch hands. The way they respond to each other shows very close friendship. Lennie always get into trouble and George is there to get him out of it. They share a dream together of working and then getting a lot of money so that they can live comfortably in the place that there going to get. Every time George says ‘We’re gonna get the place’. Lennie gets very excited and says ‘I get to tend the rabbits’. But when George is about to shoot Lennie, he keeps saying this so that Lennie puts his mind fully onto the house in his head and imagining him tend the rabbits, George wanted this because when he looked the other way, there was a time to shoot him. George wanted him to see it as he is talking. It was related to the shooting of Candy’s dog too which gave George more confidence in shooting Lennie. But at the end, it is George who will feel guilty. George often insults Lennie and ‘gives him hell’, but he doesn’t really mean it. Although he often talks about how well off he could be without Lennie he secretly doesn’t want Lennie to leave, and when Lennie offers to do so in the first chapter, George virtually pleads with him to stay. This is because George also depends on Lennie to a certain extent for his unconditional friendship. I didn’t think that Steinbeck would make George shoot Lennie. At first, those two was good friends, I thought they would actually get that bunkhouse. But it ended in a bad way. It made the readers / watchers feel shocked and feel that his life has ended with just one shot. George always gets annoyed of Lennie and Lennie says that he will go up to the hills. George knows that he’s the only one who has to get him out of trouble. But then decides if Lennie’s gone, then he can have total freedom and do anything he wants. At the end, it might of been a mistake to shoot Lennie. The first paragraph tells us about the introduction of John Steinbeck. It tells the readers what is going to happen. The second paragraph describes the setting and ranch workers. It’s the setting of the story and the ranch workers. The third paragraph let’s the readers understand Crooks. It also describes his ethnic group and his rights. The fourth paragraph tells us about Candy. It tells the readers about his loving dog and his dreams towards the ranch. The fifth paragraph also describes Curley’s Wife. The way she acts in the story, and how lonely she is. Finally, the last paragraph tells the readers about the friendship of George and Lennie. It tells us how George and Lennie travel together, live together and the trouble that they get into. It also summarises George and Lennie’s dream. John Steinbeck is trying to say that life in the 1930s in California was lonely. He doesn’t just write it down, because that will just give the point away. He wants the readers to imagine it for themselves.

Educating Rita Devil Wears Prada

Host: Good morning listeners, this is Sam Lee with this week’s program of ‘Into the world’ where we discuss ways individuals make challenging transitions into new and different worlds and the risks and possibilities, which coincide with them. Significant experiences in people’s lives provide opportunities for growth and development. Going ‘into the world’ means moving from familiar experiences to new horizons. We are especially blessed today to have Willy Russell famous playwright discussing his play ‘Educating Rita’ and David Frankel the director of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. W. R: Thank you for having me on the program: it is a pleasure to discuss ‘Educating Rita’. Host: Willy how close is Rita’s story to your own? W. R: Is it that strikingly obvious Sam? I was a male hairdresser and owned my own salon before I began to compose novels, which enabled me to construct a more realistic character for Rita. ‘Educating Rita’ could be seen, as a semi-autobiography as I have already experienced the difficulties of being working class and I am aware of the challenges people with this social background may endure. Similarly to Rita I also dreamed of better things, and returned to further education as a mature student attending evening classes at university, immersing in the delights of English literature. Host: Your mentor for Rita is Frank a flawed professor, why did you create such a complex mentor for Rita? W. R: Frank is perfect for Rita in his ‘imperfections’ as a real studious, pedantic professor would have frightened Rita off. At the start of the play, Frank and Rita can be seen as opposites and any friendship between the two seems unlikely, but they quickly warm to one another as first appearances show. Frank sees Rita as a breath of fresh air in his life and he responds very well to her cheeky and irreverent approach to almost anything. They are both involved in unsatisfactory relationships, and they both want more from life than it seems to offer. Host: Rita’s marriage breaks down due to her newfound ambitions to change herself. You construct Danny as a largely un-sympathetic type, was this deliberate? W. R: No, Danny’s character was never created intentionally to be un-sympathetic, this perception of Danny is a result of his inability to understand Rita’s wish to be educated. He is the archetypical figure that represents the opposition to Rita’s desire for change. Danny has a traditional view of the role of women and expects Rita to settle down and have children. He does not like that she is trying to break away from their lower class lifestyle. When he discovers that Rita has secretly been taking the pill to stop herself becoming pregnant, he blames her behaviour on her desire to ‘better' herself and burns her books, this act is symbolic as throughout history books have been burnt to no avail and knowledge cannot be destroyed by something as weak as fire. Danny’s intentional rejection to embrace the new, spells the end of their relationship. Host: Educating Rita can be linked to the growth, changes, as well as sacrifices made by Andy in The Devil Wears Prada where Andy is on a journey seeking to begin her life as an adult who is faced with moral and ethical choices. David would you agree that transitions into the world have greater risks and potential losses than possibilities? D. F: Well Sam, Andy begins as a strong, grounded character, opposite to Rita who becomes more and more preoccupied with success. However similarly to Rita, Andy realizes the job is lonely and in order to achieve great success there must be great sacrifices. This is linked to Rita, as they both need to make sacrifices in order to excel, beginning with their partners. The tension in the relationship between Andy and her boyfriend is evident through the constant reference to the â€Å"old Andy† who he believes has gone. Nate Andy’s boyfriend is a constant reminder of where she came from, similarly with Danny. Host: It seems that although Rita and Andy have benefited, they lose a great deal including their individuality. Would you agree Willy? W. R: Well, Rita has some of the rough, and possibly more original, edges of her personality knocked off, however the things she loses are no longer of great value to her. Rita desires to â€Å"know everything† in order to have choice and direction in her life, as evident by ‘I wanna discover meself’. Choice, to Rita, is more then ‘eight different types of lager’ as described by Denny and their social class. She now has a lot more freedom with regards with her future and what she wants, as she is educated. She has gained confidence in herself to associate with â€Å"proper† students. Host: Any comments on this David? D. F: Sacrifices need to be made in order to succeed Sam. Andy was initially unwilling to change her appearance even when pressured by colleagues. However she eventually goes through a dramatic costume change, squeezes into a size four dress with a sleek new haircut and expensive stilettos, which make her dis tinguishable from the rest. Host: Finally would you agree Willy that if something is worth achieving it will involve struggle? W. R: Any transitions into new and different worlds will involve a form of struggle, potential risks and if successful in this change, rewarding possibilities. So yes definitely Sam, nothing worth having comes easy.

Rules for the First Week in College

Rules for the First Week in College Your first week in college is one youve likely been looking forward to for a long, long time. That first college week, however, can be gone in an instant and if youre not careful, some of the choices you make during those critical few days can lead to major problems later. Just keep these 10 rules for your first week in college in mind ... and have fun! Dont Hook Up Its smart to give yourself (at least) a one-week delay before hooking up. Its much easier to regret not hooking up than it is to regret it and have to face the person every day for the next 4 years. Just give yourself a little time to get your bearings before doing anything you might unknowingly regret later. Dont Start a Relationship Youre at college to learn, explore, try new things, and overall challenge yourself. Starting a relationship right off the bat may hamper some of the flexibility youll need. Is it a good idea to start a relationship? Of course, if its a healthy one. Is it a good idea to do it during your first few days on campus? Maybe not. If this person is the love of your life, can you wait a few weeks? Of course. Go to Class Hmmm ... no one takes attendance, you were up super late, and theres somewhere else on campus youd rather be this morning. Think twice before skipping class, however; its much more crucial for you to go to class in college, and the first week is especially important if you want to meet other students, have the professor know you, and not get dropped because you didnt show while others are on a waitlist. Get the Basics Done During orientation, you probably have a long list of stuff to do: Get an ID card, set up your email/campus login, meet your adviser. Skipping on these to-dos is a definite bad idea during your first week. After all, if you think youre busy now, imagine how much harder doing these items will be once your classes are in full swing and youre behind. Make Sure Your Financial Aid is in Good Shape If the financial aid office needs a copy of something, you have a question about your loans, or you need to sign some documents, make sure your tush makes it to the financial aid office sooner rather than later. Doing so is much easier than having to explain to your parents that youve been kicked out of school because you lost your financial aid due to a technical glitch. Get Your Books and Readers ASAP You dont necessarily have to buy them from the campus bookstore there are lots of other options available but you do have to get them. And quickly. College classes move much faster than high school ones, so staying on top of the reading is incredibly important. Get a Job if You Need One There is x number of students and y number of jobs. You dont need to be a math major to realize that the sooner you start looking (and applying), the better your options and choices will be. Watch Your Alcohol Intake As most folks know, alcohol is pretty readily available in college, even for the under-21 crowd. Be smart with the choices you make around alcohol, both for your dignity and your own safety. Get Your Classes Set You may be wait-listed on some classes or registered for too many because you arent sure what you want to keep. Either way, make sure your class schedule is set as soon as possible, that you finalize the paperwork before the add/drop deadline, and that the units youre carrying are enough to maintain your financial aid. Start the Semester Off with Good Eating Habits It sounds so minor, but eating healthy in college really can make a difference. Besides helping you avoid the legendary Freshman 15, eating healthy as soon as you arrive can keep your immune system up, give you the energy you need, and help set great habits for the next few years of your college life.

The nature of relationship marketing in Greek SMEs Essays

The nature of relationship marketing in Greek SMEs Essays The nature of relationship marketing in Greek SMEs Essay The nature of relationship marketing in Greek SMEs Essay Essay Topic: Marketing Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association as the process of planning and carrying out the design, pricing, promotion and the distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that will satisfy individual and organizational objectives.(Lancaster, 1998) A study by (Hogarth-Scott et al., 1996) examined how complex the marketing practiced in small business was and how it is used to strategically gain a competitive advantage over a competitor. Carson (1990) in a longitudinal study of small firms in Belfast area has made a strong contribution to the understanding of market practice of marketing in small firms and concludes that marketing is often seen as peripheral to small firms requirements. Research has found some small businesses use sophisticated marketing strategies and others use no marketing. Small business owners are seen as generalists and should not be expected to change to specialists in marketing. In their work Fitchew, Stokes and Blackburn (Jack, 1998) aimed to provide an understanding of what marketing means to small business owners and stated that small firms share a number of characteristics differentiating them from larger organizations. They continued by stating that empirical work suggests that these characteristics lead to a number of marketing problems. To illustrate their point they use the following factors as examples; limited customer base, limited activity, owner/managers marketing competency, lack of formalized planning and evolutionary marketing, and, innovation, niches and gaps. Jack and Bower (Jack, 1998) found that the firms they studied attributed their success to the product/service supplied, their willingness to adopt to and meet customers requirements, helping to build, maintain and retain customer loyalty and building a marketing strategy around their competitive advantage. It follows therefore that marketing is particularly relevant to the small business, the use and application may determine the winners from the losers. The relationship and affinity that many SME owners/managers have with their customer base has frequently been cited as an advantage of the SME sector. For instance Carson (1990) discussed the importance of customer relationships for the small business. Similarly Carson, Crombie, McGowan and Hill (1995) who implied that the best strategy a small business can adopt is to fully appreciate and exploit any existing customer base, prior to attempting an expansion of this base. Similarly, McAuley (Jack, 1998) discussed how important it is for the entrepreneur to be interested in the customer, developing a relationship and building on it over time, not just for the domestic market but also for the internationalization of the small business. This relationship between the firm and the customer is called relationship marketing Thus Shani and Chalasani (1992) define relationship marketing as an integrated effort to identify, maintain, and build up a network with individual consumers and to continuously strengthen the network for the mutual benefit of both sides, through interactive, individualized and value-added contacts over a long period of time Aims The aim of this project is to develop an explanatory theory that will associate certain factors to the effectiveness of relationship marketing in small business in Greece. It will seek to determine how relationship marketing can be practiced by small businesses. It will try to further understand the special features of relationship marketing implementation in small businesses. It will also try to highlight the importance of the entrepreneur in practicing relationship marketing. Research questions 1. If small business in Greece practice relationship marketing 2. How effectively do small business use relationship marketing in Greece? 3. How important is the entrepreneur in practicing relationship marketing? 4. Are there any other elements that need to be considered in relation to small business use of relationship marketing? Plan of Investigation Literature review Surveying 2000 SMEs in 1991 and 1995, the study sought to identify the particular factors which small firm owners-managers believe contribute most to their competitive advantage (Cambridge Small Business Research Centre, 1992; Kitson and wilkinson, 1996). In 1991, the main competitive advantage of small firms was found to be personal attention to client needs, although established reputation, the provision of specialized expertise and product quality were also believed to be important factors. In the marketing domain it is essential for managers and others to keep in close touch with customers to assess their needs and aspirations. It is also beneficial to maintain a long-term relationship with customers. Loyal customers who continue to purchase particular goods or services over time are very attractive to business. The costs of acquiring new customers is considerable and the latter are likely to be more fickle and responsive to marginal additional benefits provided by competitors. Long-term relationships generate a self-sustaining dynamic, which allows each party to weather the storms that arise between interdependent people. (Carson et al., 1995) In 1990s, the topic of relationship marketing has become one of great interest to both marketing scholars and marketing practitioners. In the increasingly mature and complex markets in which organizations are now operating, building relationships and sustaining then are frequently, ore important than customer acquisition. McKenna (1991) offers a more strategic view of relationship marketing by putting the customer first and shifting the role of marketing from manipulating the customer (telling and selling) to genuine customer involvement (communicating and sharing the knowledge). Berry (1993), in somewhat broader terms, also has strategic viewpoint on relationship marketing. He stresses that attracting new customers should be viewed only as an intermediate step in the marketing process. Developing closer relationship with these customers and turning them into loyal once are equally important aspects of marketing. Thus he defines relationship marketing as attracting, maintaining, and-in multi-service-organizations-enhancing customer relationships. A considerable amount of work has focused on the relevance and applicability of relationship marketing to all customers and suppliers as well as the limitations of relationship marketing. Blois(1996) examines the conditions under which a customer is willing to become involved in and then to continue a relationship. The customer must be convinced of the overall benefits of the relationship, so that the advantages outweigh the costs of obtaining similar supplies through discrete transactions. Some researchers have questioned whether relationship marketing practices benefit both customer and supplier. Worthington and Horne (1996) consider whether relationship marketing operates in a mutually beneficial way across customer-supplier with reference to the affinity card industry. Other researchers, such as Murphy (1996), have examined the financial services industry and found that both customers and suppliers benefit from relationship marketing. For the customer a long-tern relationship helps reduce perceived risk in purchasing financial services, whereas for the supplier it allows enhanced retention rates and therefore improved profitability. Other academic work by Palmer (1994) explores the role of relationship marketing in the marketing curriculum and the alternative perspectives of relationship marketing held by a sample of U.K managers (Palmer Mayer, 1996) Unfortunately there is a lack of research of relationship marketing in SMEs sector. In the vast majority of the academic literature we found out about the importance of relationship marketing in firms and especially in SME. But there is very limited research on how a firm can implement relationship marketing and relationship marketing techniques. In this study we will try to understand how relationship marketing is been practiced in the SMEs sector in Greece. Greece could be a very helpful example as personal relations are very important and quite different to U.K Also be aware that effective working relationships emerge: (1) when interacting parties communicate openly and regularly; (2) when a degree of trust develops between individuals and groups; (3) when the parties understand the viewpoint of their counterparts; (4) when non-coercive methods of influence are utilized; (5) when those who interact accept their adversaries have a legitimate right to express their point of view; and (6) when joint decision-making is neither unduly emotional nor hard-headed (Carson et al., 1995). Sample The sampling frame will consist of small manufacturing enterprises in the Attica district of Greece. As Athens, the capital of Greece, is located in Attica, this district contains a high concentration of small enterprises. An estimated population of 4000 SMEs in the district operating in a variety of different manufacturing sectors. ICAP (Greek Business Information Company) will be contacted to generate the sample required from their database. Through the use of stratified random sampling the population is divided into three strata of non-overlapping groups. These are based on the number of employees outlined in the EC February 1996 definition of small businesses. ICAP will carry out three separate searches, draw a random sample from each subset to form the total sample of businesses. Probability sampling will be used to answer the research questions by making inferences from the sample about a population. This sampling technique is used to obtain a representative sample. Overall research design A multi-method approach was felt to be the most suitable for this study as the in depth knowledge of social contexts acquired through qualitative research can be used to inform the design of survey questions for structured interviewing and self competition questionnaires.(Bryman, 2001). The use of qualitative methods would generate information on individual views and opinions and quantitative to facilitate theory testing. The issues of reliability and generability of qualitative research findings can be overcome through the use of quantitative research at the same time. Method-qualitative This was felt to be appropriate to the research strategy, as in depth understanding of a number of small businesses in Greece would be obtained. It would also enable the understanding of managers views and opinions of the implications of relationship marketing strategies. Interviews are the most appropriate method as they are insightful and able to focus on the relationship between marketing and small businesses. The disadvantage is the bias associated with poor questions, not objective interpretation of results and also time consuming. Interview Design The types of interviews to be used are in-depth, face to face as a natural conversation and personal contact can be achieved. They allow exploration, probing of interviewee and story-telling to generate theory. To achieve an equivalence of stimulus the same types of topics will be asked to all participants. The researcher will make sure that the interviewee understands any theoretical concepts used. The final questions will be formed after the literature review. Relevant information on the themes of the interview will be supplied to participants before interviews so they are able to gather appropriate information. This also helps to promote validity and reliability. (Saunders et al., 2000) Data processing and analysis Categorization of the themes and sub themes will be developed when reading the data to identify relationships and patterns. Categories are then named using existing theory and parameters will be implemented so no confusion of what is included. The categories will be analyzed to see how they fit together. Unitizing then takes place when the data is assigned to a category through the dissection of the transcripts. Hypotheses will be developed and tested to identify relationships between categories (Saunders et al., 2000). Method-Quantitative The most appropriate method is a survey. It will allow the collection of a large amount of data from a sizeable population in a highly economically way.(Saunders et al., 2000) It is used to describe population characteristics and to test practices on small business relationship marketing. Other quantitative methods are incompatible with the nature of research and are not selected. The data collection tools consists of questionnaire, structured observation and structured interviews. In using a questionnaire the data is in a standardized form and comparison can be made easily and quickly. Structured interviews and observations were not selected as it was felt that in depth interviews would generate richer information on the topic. Sample The questionnaires will be sent by post to the remaining business from the sample. Questionnaire Design In designing the questionnaire, time will be spent planing, collecting and analyzing the data required, as you are unable to use prompts to explore further and have only one chance to collect the data. Self-completion questionnaires will be used, as they are inexpensive. As the questionnaire is completed independently the answers will not be contaminated or affected by other peoples opinions. The owners of small businesses are unlikely to have assistants so it is felt that they will fill it in themselves. A disadvantage of a postal survey it is low response rates and incomplete data. This can be solved by attaching a covering letter to the questionnaire explaining the purpose of the study will maximize response rates and the importance of completing it along with a pre paid envelope. The questionnaire is designed with an attractive layout, clear instructions and a minimum number of questions. A reminder will be posted one week after the questionnaire to the sample. Data processing and analysis The closed questions will be coded at the design stage. Open questions will be grouped into categories and coded once the questionnaires have been received. A unique identification number will be assigned to each questionnaire to help when checking for errors after inserting data. The computer programme SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) will be used to process and analyze the data. The data is manually keyed and stored in the SPSS worksheet. The advantage is that data can be input quickly with few errors. In using the commands available statistical tests can be carried out easily and quickly. (Tukey, 1997). emphasizes the use of diagrams to explore and understand your data. (Saunders et al., 2000). The results can then be presented in the form of tables and graphs appropriate to the research questions. Ethical issues As an external researcher the main weakness is how to gain access to small business, as it could be difficult to negotiate and time consuming. To overcome this the selected businesses will be contacted by telephone and informed of the study and its purpose allowing them to agree to take part in the questionnaire and interviews. Managers will be informed of the value and credibility of the research. The goodwill of the organizations in allowing access will be relied on. A consent form will be constricted and signed by all those participating. All information will be anonymous, as the study does not need to name participants. Appropriate data protection principles will be put in place to maintain confidentiality and privacy. Due to the anonymous nature of questionnaire unique identification numbers will not be used.

Mano and Other Words That Break Spanishs Gender Rule

Mano and Other Words That Break Spanish's Gender Rule Spanish nouns that end with -o are masculine, and ones that end with -a are feminine, right? Well, almost always. But there are exceptions to the  gender  rule, of which the two best-known are mano, the word for hand, which is feminine; and dà ­a, the word for day, which is masculine. So you can talk about la mano and las manos  and well as el dà ­a and los dà ­as. Key Takeaways Most Spanish nouns ending in -o are masculine, and most ending in -a are feminine, but there are exceptions.Some of the exceptions occur because of how the words were treated in other languages, such as Latin and Greek.Many nouns that refer to jobs or roles of people can be either masculine or feminine depending on the person they refer to. 6 Ways in Which the Rule Is Broken Exceptions fall into six  categories: Words that are shortened versions of other words. For example, la foto (photograph) is feminine because its short for la fotografà ­a.Words that end in -ista as the equivalent of the English -ist. For example, dentista can be either masculine or feminine depending on whether the dentist referred to is a man or woman. A few words with other endings are treated the same way. For example, modelo can be either masculine or feminine when referring to a human model, but masculine in other uses (such as when referring to a model airplane).Words whose meanings vary depending on the gender. For example, in some areas, la radio means radio, while el radio means radius or radium. Sometimes la radio is used to refer to the communications medium and el radio for a radio set.Some masculine words that come from Greek and end in -a (often -ma). Most of these words have English cognates.A few compound nouns, which are traditionally  masculine, even when the noun portion comes from a feminine noun. Words that are just exceptions, such as mano and dà ­a. Usually these exceptions come from the way the words were treated in Latin. Here is a list of the most common exceptions to the masculine o, feminine a rule: el aroma - aromael Canad - Canadael clima - climateel cà ³lera - cholera (but la cà ³lera, anger)el cometa - comet (but la cometa, kite)el cura - male priest (but la cura, cure)el dà ­a - dayel diagrama - diagramel dilema - dilemmael diploma - diplomala disco - disco (short for la discoteca)el drama - dramael enigma - enigmael esquema - outline, diagramla foto - photo (short for la fotografà ­a)el guardia - policeman or male guard (but la guardia, vigilance, policewoman or female guard)el guardabrisa - windshieldel guardarropa - clothing closetel guà ­a - male guide (but la guà ­a, guidebook or female guide)el idioma - languageel idiota - male idiot (but la idiota, female idiot)el indà ­gena - indigenous male (but la indà ­gena, indigenous female)la mano - handel maà ±ana - near future (but la maà ±ana, tomorrow or morning)el mapa - mapla modelo - female model (but el modelo, male model)el morfema - morphemela moto - motorcycle (short for la moto cicleta)la nao - shipel panorama - panorama, outlookel papa - pope (but la papa, potato) el planeta - planetel plasma - plasmael poema - poemel policà ­a - policeman (but la policà ­a, police force or policewoman)el problema - problemel programa - programel quechua - Quechua languagela radio - radio (short for la radiodifusià ³n; but el radio, radius or radium; usage of the feminine form depends on the region)la reo - female criminal (but el reo, male criminal)el reuma, el reà ºma - rheumatismel sà ­ntoma - symptom, signel sistema - systemel sof - sofala soprano - female soprano (but el soprano, male soprano)el tanga - G-stringel telegrama - telegramel tema - theme, subjectel teorema - theoremel tequila - tequila (short for el licor de Tequila)la testigo - female witness (but el testigo, male witness)el tranvà ­a - streetcar Gender for Names of Occupations and Other Roles Most words that refer to peoples jobs or roles, many ending in -ista or -eta, that can be either masculine or feminine are not listed above. Most have English cognates. Among the abundance of words that fit that category are el/la atleta (athlete), el/la artista (artist), el/la astronauta (astronaut), el/la dentista (dentist), el/la comentarista (commentator), el/la izquierdista (leftist or left-winger), el/la oficinista (office worker), el/la poeta (poet), el/la profeta (prophet), and el/la turista (tourist). Feminine NounsThat Use El Also not included in the list are combinations such as el agua (water) - feminine words that begin with a stressed a- or ha- and are preceded by el in the singular form only. Others are el guila (eagle), el ama (woman of the house), and el alma (soul). But note that the normal rules are followed in the plural form: las aguas, las guilas, las amas and las almas. With these words, el doesnt indicate gender but is used instead for ease of pronunciation. It is similar to the way in which Englist substitutes an for a in front of some nouns, as the rule applies to the opening sound of the word, not how its spelled.

Autism 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Autism 1 - Assignment Example Mostly, there are very many grey areas when it comes to applying ethics in corrective therapy for autistic students. The following discourse discusses the unethical nature of some of the techniques applied in schools to restrain autistic students. References are made to the video by Ross which was showcased on ABC News. The significant historical autism observation is that the disorder was unknown in ancient cultures. History has it that it impartially â€Å"appeared† approximately 65 years ago. It was observed that people with autism had difficulties in learning. In fact, such predicaments led to the establishment of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which was in 1975. The act was intended to foster equal educational opportunities for persons with disabilities. States within the nation have varying regulations on the techniques used to manage autistic learners. School administrators, for instance, occasionally go overboard in restraining autistic students. In the videos by ABC news titled Deadly Discipline, an insightful look at the fate of autistic students and Death at School: Parents Protest Dangerous Discipline for Autistic, Disabled Kids the fate of the students at the learning institutions is revealed (Ross). An example is Andre, a student, who is subjected to an unethical therapy because of his condition. The therapy is for his alleged misbehaviours. In brief, certain schools apply unethical means of controlling their students. For instance, they use seclusion rooms for autistic students and at times they even employ aggressive physical therapy. This is wrong and should be discouraged. Autistic learners need a conducive environment since they are normal human beings. The extreme methods currently used in schools are unethical. Skin shock therapy as seen in the case of Andre in the ABC video is unethical. It is not right to subject one to 60 volts as a therapy procedure. The video even reveals a student stuffed in a duffle

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6

Leadership - Essay Example The problems between Shahid and Harpreet have escalated and it is hurting morale within the team. The inefficiency of the team is causing loss of productivity. The project is at risk of not being completed on time. This report will analyze the problems the team faces and it will give alternative solutions to resolve the situation. The first step toward resolving the situation is improving the communication between the teammates. Opening the lines of communication within the team can help the team accomplish its tasks and deliverables. The team leader will schedule three weekly team meetings with the members to discuss progress made on the project and to force the members to communicate with each other in a professionally setting. Due to the importance of teamwork the others members of the group are going to confront Shahid and Harpreet about the conflict. They have to make it clear to them that their behavior and fighting is hurting the team. Everyone in a team gets hurt by team conf lict. The team members have to recognize the problem they are causing and they must remedy their behavior for the good of the team. Our team has a lot of diversity within its composition. Diversity must be used to the advantage of the team. Currently the team is not taking advantage of the virtues of diversity. One of the benefits of diversity is creativity within the group. For creativity to manifest itself the team members must unite to seek synergy. Synergy occurs when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts (Schermerhorn, Hunt, Osborn, 2003). As the team leader I must intervene to stop the conflict between Shahid and Harpreet. The use of conflict resolution techniques can help me accomplish that goal. Five conflict resolution techniques are accommodation, collaboration, compromise, avoidance, and authoritative command. Out of these five options the technique that I chose to help resolve the problem is compromise. The team leader and the two team members with issues will s it down to talk about the problem. I will reiterate to both members their importance for the team. The team members must also know that the project is facing time constraints. All team members must give their best efforts to accomplish their tasks on time and in accordance with the expectations of the project. My role in the compromise process is to be a neutral agent that monitors the negotiation between both parties. The first issue that must be resolve immediately is the racial tension between Shahid and Harpreet. Both team members are going to be sent to a three week sensitivity training with a psychologist. The behavior of those employees was unacceptable and if it continues in the future it will be grounds for dismissal. Mutual respect must be achieved between all members of the team. â€Å"Treating all others in an organization with respect, regardless of rank, will improve communication relationships in the workplace† (Lane, 2013). To increase the efficiency and accou ntability in the team I will take a more active role to provide the team with leadership and support. Each day each team member must submit a short progress report in order document their advancement in completing the assigned tasks. During each morning I will have short meetings with some of the members of the teams based on the needs for support identified in the previous day’s progress reports. At the end of each week I will provide a

Treasury and risk management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Treasury and risk management - Essay Example Therefore, China is pursuing a weak currency policy in order to boost demand for Chinese exports. The large current account surplus in China is the indication that China’s currency is undervalued (Pettinger, 2011, p.1). The reason behind holding the value of Yuan is to compensate for its economic weakness. Its weak currency policy makes Chinese goods cheap compared with those of global competitors in Europe and Japan for instance. Since 1996, China has maintained a same fixed exchange rate resulting in an enormous increase in foreign exchange reserves. This enormous increase will be fuelled by Yuan that is estimated to be undervalued against the dollar. The benefit which it is getting by holding the value of Yuan is that it is selling more goods in foreign countries i.e. trade surplus (Cohen, p.1). Another benefit is that its capital market is becoming attractive to investors. If the successful internationalization of the Yuan will be possible then it will also be the internat ional currency (Cohen, 2011, p.1). Evidence Suggesting Weak Currency Policy of China It has undervalued the price of its currencies in order to keep its currency policy weak in order to boost export and enjoy trade surplus. Its weak currency policy in relation to US Dollar enables them to buy dollar from the open market in order to keep the demand for dollars high. It drives the dollar price upward in relation to Yuan. The large account surplus in China is the evidence for its weak currency policy (Cksd, 2012, p.77). There are some negative aspects towards the weak currency policy of China. By depending more on exports and foreign direct investment inflows made China particularly weak towards the effects of the global economic slowdown. A weak currency policy i.e. undervalued currency makes import more expensive, thereby throbbing Chinese firms that import raw materials and machinery (Morrison and Labonte, 2011, p.22). A huge rise in China’s foreign exchange reserves in recen t years is also the evidence that the Chinese Government has been holding its currency down in order to make weak currency policy (Shapiro, 2009, p.85). Relationship between Yuan Appreciation and Dollar Depreciation Currently imports from China accounted for about 10% of total U.S. imports. In June 2010, the value of Yuan was 6.79 to the dollar. In 2012 China allow the Yuan to trade in a daily range against the U.S. dollar. Soon it was announced that Yuan’s new trading band against the dollar will allow the exchange rates to move 1% above or below a daily reference exchange rates (Fung and Hong, 2012). Therefore a 25% appreciation of Yuan would be equivalent to 20% dollar depreciation. Such depreciation will result in stemming America’s appetite for foreign goods. If Yuan value appreciates, it will cause deflation, cut off foreign direct investment and cut economic growth. If these things will happen, prices will skyrocket preventing the consumers to buy the stuff in C hina, and the Chinese economies would break up to a halt. On the other hand, it will lead to the more export of U.S goods. The other country will have money and reserves to buy America’

The Benetfits of Outsourcing Your Call Center to India Research Paper

The Benetfits of Outsourcing Your Call Center to India - Research Paper Example This has been the principle reason behind the rapidly expanding offshore outsourcing of international trade in a number of service activities which had been considered non tradable even few years back. The popular idea which has emerged in this context is that â€Å"anything that one can send over the wire is up for grabs!† (Rajan & Srivastava, 2007, p.39). The project seeks to identify the typical reasons for outsourcing by organizations. The major emphasis would be on India which has proved to be one of the most popular destinations for outsourcing by US firms. The relative advantages of outsourcing in India, as against nations like China, Europe and Philippines would be explored in the project. Advantages of Outsourcing From the point of view of an economy, global outsourcing from the developed to the develop nations would be inevitable for creating a large number of while collar jobs in the latter. This would be the inescapable outcome of allocation of resources to their m ore productive uses following international trade. This has been the principle motivating reason for outsourcing. ... Thus outsourcing would necessarily mean to bring about benefits to the society even though certain transitional costs would be associated with it (Rajan & Srivastava, 2007, p.40). There has been extensive research works that have indicated that both the developing and the industrialized nations would reap significant gains from the outsourcing of services. This would necessarily lead to efficiency gains for the industrial nations through the opportunity of developing their expertise in areas of their competencies. A per the McKinsey Global Institute (2003), for each US $1 worth of outsourcing, the nation gains $1.12 while the outsourced nation gains approximately $0.33. The above fact reveals the extent of static gains that companies can reap through outsourcing. Most of the multinational organizations have begun to outsource their service activities on a routine basis. This is because it is felt that if they don’t outsource while their competitors continue to do so aggressive ly, they would be losing on the local and global market to the foreign rivals. This would result in stagnating profits which would reduce the rate of creation of capital and investments in domestic technologies. The cost saving advantage from outsourcing has evolved as the most popular source of value to the US organizations in particular (Rajan & Srivastava, 2007, p.40). Global outsourcing has been significantly effective in reaping benefits for the developing nations in the world. This has been possible through the opening up of new exports, employment opportunities, growth in the numerous tradable service activities. While considering a more dynamic picture, the increase in income levels brought about by trade would also lead to the creation of favorable feedback effects for many of the other

Research Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Research Method - Essay Example Bank of Muscat pays special consideration to the employee welfare and it undertakes a number of training programs in order to build employee skills and to increase competence within its workforce. And this has been the core reason for selecting Bank Muscat as the organization to be researched. As a part of the study the factors that affect the effectiveness of the internal environment of a business setting a number of options of study were available to be analyzed. Out of the variety of the topics which included Performance Appraisal, Leadership Effectiveness and Team Building, the Impact of training on Employee performance was chosen as the topic of the research. The dissertation proposed basically focuses on the extent to which training the employees pays off in the context of the Job satisfaction, Employee Efficiency, Customer Satisfaction and ultimately Organizational performance. The theme of the dissertation would be analyzed on the basis of a research conducted over the internal environment of Bank Muscat. The findings of the research would then be utilized to test the theories developed in the past and to modify them so as to improve their application to the current business scenarios. Moreover the research would serve the purpose of key decision making to managers and would help in improving the understanding of key Human Resource Management concepts. The basic purpose of undertaking the dissertation is to analyze the effect of training on employee’s performance and ultimately on the organization’s success. The outcome of the research will be used deduce the extent of training that is being provided to the employees at Bank Muscat and its degree of effectiveness as perceived by them. The dissertation will also be used to find out the significance of maintaining the internal environment for an organization. Since the dawn

The Benetfits of Outsourcing Your Call Center to India Research Paper

The Benetfits of Outsourcing Your Call Center to India - Research Paper Example This has been the principle reason behind the rapidly expanding offshore outsourcing of international trade in a number of service activities which had been considered non tradable even few years back. The popular idea which has emerged in this context is that â€Å"anything that one can send over the wire is up for grabs!† (Rajan & Srivastava, 2007, p.39). The project seeks to identify the typical reasons for outsourcing by organizations. The major emphasis would be on India which has proved to be one of the most popular destinations for outsourcing by US firms. The relative advantages of outsourcing in India, as against nations like China, Europe and Philippines would be explored in the project. Advantages of Outsourcing From the point of view of an economy, global outsourcing from the developed to the develop nations would be inevitable for creating a large number of while collar jobs in the latter. This would be the inescapable outcome of allocation of resources to their m ore productive uses following international trade. This has been the principle motivating reason for outsourcing. ... Thus outsourcing would necessarily mean to bring about benefits to the society even though certain transitional costs would be associated with it (Rajan & Srivastava, 2007, p.40). There has been extensive research works that have indicated that both the developing and the industrialized nations would reap significant gains from the outsourcing of services. This would necessarily lead to efficiency gains for the industrial nations through the opportunity of developing their expertise in areas of their competencies. A per the McKinsey Global Institute (2003), for each US $1 worth of outsourcing, the nation gains $1.12 while the outsourced nation gains approximately $0.33. The above fact reveals the extent of static gains that companies can reap through outsourcing. Most of the multinational organizations have begun to outsource their service activities on a routine basis. This is because it is felt that if they don’t outsource while their competitors continue to do so aggressive ly, they would be losing on the local and global market to the foreign rivals. This would result in stagnating profits which would reduce the rate of creation of capital and investments in domestic technologies. The cost saving advantage from outsourcing has evolved as the most popular source of value to the US organizations in particular (Rajan & Srivastava, 2007, p.40). Global outsourcing has been significantly effective in reaping benefits for the developing nations in the world. This has been possible through the opening up of new exports, employment opportunities, growth in the numerous tradable service activities. While considering a more dynamic picture, the increase in income levels brought about by trade would also lead to the creation of favorable feedback effects for many of the other

Interference Colors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Interference Colors - Essay Example Interference colors are thus an effect that emanates because different substances have different index of reflection (Ulery, & Drees 185). Birefringence is the variation in the indices of reflection. Interference colors can be understood by utilizing color charts that are contained in most of the course readings. If the thickness of an area is known, then the birefringence can be determined from the interference color. Most extreme birefringence can be analytic of a mineral when utilized with different properties. If the thin segment contains a known mineral, with a confined scope of birefringence, then the interference color can be utilized to focus the thickness of the segment (Haldar, & Josip 50). Standard slender areas are 30 microns thick. Meager segments thicker than 30 microns will deliver higher interference colors. Interference colors rehash. Nevertheless, high order colors can be recognized from lower order ones by watching the margins between gemstones or those crystals at the edges of the minor segment. These zones of a thin area are frequently more slender and will demonstrate an arrangement of lower inter ference

The Official Language Movement Essay Example for Free

The Official Language Movement Essay http://www.nabe.org/education/politics.html This website is run by the National Association for Bilingual Education.   It presents an informative insight into the controversies surrounding the implementation of a Bilingual Education policy.   The website basically presents the argument that while many Americans may resist the idea of having bilingual modes of instruction in classrooms; they are also unaware of the fact that the Bilingual Education program does not mean that both languages will be at par.   It still recognizes the primacy of the English language over other languages. Quality Bilingual Education: Defining Success This report by Maria Estela Brisk basically examines the recent studies that have been done with regard to Bilingual Education over the years.   It argues that there are different notions of success in Bilingual Education.   As an alternative, the author suggests that the success in Bilingual Education can no longer be viewed in traditional views but must also incorporate newer concepts in the advent of globalization. The Pros of Bilingual Education – This article by Dominico Maceri in the Denver Business Journal basically argues that the implementation of Bilingual Education produces better overall long term benefits.   The old â€Å"sink and swim† method that was in place no longer holds true, according to Maceri.   Instead, schools should allow immigrant school children the chance to get the education that their parents were never able to have.   Strengthening the learning core of the students should be the number one priority. Chicano Empowerment and Bilingual Education: Movimiento Politics in Crystal City, Texas – This article by Angela Valenzuela highlights the field work conducted in Crystal City on the topic of Bilingual Education.   It recounts the history of the evolution of Bilingual Education in the area and places emphasis on the factors that made it possible such as an increasing Latin American population.   The article basically states that bilingual education is more than just linguistic development.   The implementation of bilingual education programs in schools will lead to community empowerment.    References: â€Å"Why Bilingual Education is Controversial† from http://www.nabe.org/education/politics.html last accessed on November 17, 2007 Brisk, Maria Estela (1999) Quality Bilingual Education: Defining Success. Presented at the Symposium on Language Policy, Bar Ilam University, Israel, November, 1999 Maceri, Dominico (1999). The Pros of Bilingual Education. The Denver Business Journal. June 4, 1999 Valenzuela, Angela Chicano empowerment and bilingual education: Movimiento politics in Crystal City, Texas. Bilingual Research Journal. Winter 2000. FindArticles.com. 19 Nov. 2007. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3722/is_200001/ai_n8901892

How employee motivation and productivity get effected by gender

How employee motivation and productivity get effected by gender My selected thesis topic basically lays emphasis on how employee motivation and productivity get effected by gender discrimination in workplace and how different variables effects under different envirnoment. Now I shall move to explaining the topic in detail. OVERVIEW: My research interest is in this field because I know the gravity of the situation and how important it is for both genders to treat each other equally. As we move towards development an integrated effort is needed and everyone has to do his/her bit. Women need to be looked upon as equals by men from the very start so that they can get good education and pursue good careers in the future. Gender discrimination is a very real and actual problem that is being faced by firms and more importantly women in our society. It is important to note that gender discrimination takes place not only at the workplace but in every walk of life for a common Pakistani woman. When being faced by pressure from all sides, it is very tough for the woman to carry out her day to day activities and work at her full Most of us wake up in the morning, go to college or our respective job and act in ways that are more or less our own. We respond to the atmosphere around and the people in it with little thought as to why what makes us do such things e.g. why we enjoy some activities more than others and why we fine some recreational activities better than others. All these actions are motivated by something. Motivation is defined as the forces either within or external to a person that arouse persistence and want towards completing a given course of action. Employee motivation affects productivity and part of a managers task is to channel motivation towards the accomplishment of organizational goals. Thus, a manager has to study that what motivates his employees and what influences their choice of action furthermore why they persist in that action over time. So the way people are treated deeply affects how they will perform at the workplace. Gender discrimination against someone will obviously affect his/her productivity; this study is intended to prove how deeply the two are connected to each other. Discrimination is treating of employees based on criteria that are not job related, these may include race, color, gender, ethnicity and religion. Organizations these days are moving towards diversity which means women and minorities will play a larger role in the workplace than in the past and it will be more important to keep them working at their optimum level if success is intended in the future. MANGERIAL CONCERNS: When someone in the workplace is judged, appraised, promoted or given a pay based on criteria which are not job related, discrimination occurs. This discrimination leads to the employee being demotivated because he/she knows that no matter what amount of work they put in, they will be reward on the basis of criteria which are not job related. My study is not entirely based on the wage differentials but also deals with motivational effects of discrimination at the workplace on the whole. The main motivating factor for employees has always been pay. There has used a huge gender gap in pay in Pakistan but has now decreased over time but still exists. This gap in motivation is mainly because of differences in characteristics of the jobs carried out, the labor market experience they bring to the job and discriminatory treatment of women by employers or co-workers (which will be my area of study). All these factors interact in many complex and different ways. Thus making it difficult to determine precisely how much of the difference can be attributed to discrimination. Women and men do differ greatly in their preference of jobs and the roles they play in families. Still, the skill set of a woman has now come much closer to a mans. As my thesis shall suggest, there is continuing discrimination against women in the labor market w hich leads to demotivation because there is loss of confidence for the worker. Confidence in self abilities and in the firm one is working for account as a great motivating factor. According to Maslows hierarchy of needs one of the pillars of motivation is to get appreciation for doing a certain task. Many women are raped, sexually harassed and given unfair treatment by the society leading to high rates of female illiteracy and prostitution. In my view, it is very important for the woman to be soundly educated because in our society the responsibility of raising children mainly lies with the mother. When the mother herself is not educated she can not possibly give her child the support and basic fundamental training needed to become a good human being. Moving to gender discrimination in the workplace regarding Pakistan, most of the women are house wives in our country and there are very few double income families. Although the gender gap in the workplace has reduced significantly over the past decade it still remains high with most of the working women mainly pursuing very low paid jobs e.g. teaching, nursing, receptionists and many of them work in houses as maids and helpers etc Term Working Definition Motivation [a] Motivation refers to the forces either within or external to a person that arouses enthusiasm and persistence to pursue a certain course of action. Discrimination [b] To discriminate socially is to make a distinction between people on the basis of class or category without regard to individual merit. Gender Discrimination at the workplace [c] Promoting/Rejecting or treating one person differently to another based on a criterion which is not job related. In this case mainly gender Workforce Diversity [d] Hiring people with different human qualities who belong to various cultural or sub cultural groups. Glass Ceiling [e] Invisible barriers that separate women and minorities from top management positions. Disparate Treatment Gender Discrimination [f] This is also called direct discrimination. To put it simple, it is treating an employee a different manner because of their gender. Harassment [g] Harassment refers to a wide spectrum of offensive behavior. When the term is used in a legal sense it refers to behaviors that are found threatening or disturbing, and beyond those that are sanctioned by society. Verbal Harassment [h] Verbal harassment refers to persistent and unwanted verbal advances, typically in the workplace, where the consequences of refusing are potentially very disadvantaging to the victim. Also casually known as flirting. Sources: (Daft, Richard, (2000), Management 4th Edition, p. 526) (Stokes, DaShanne. (In Press) Legalized Segregation and the Denial of Religious Freedom) (Daft, Richard, (2000), Management 4th Edition, p. 524) (Daft, Richard, (2000), Management 4th Edition, p. 453) (Daft, Richard, (2000), Management 4th Edition, p. 462) (Taylor, Allison, (2005). Wrongful Termination) (Taylor, Allison, (2005). Wrongful Termination) (Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harassment) Study Objectives To study wage differences between men and women working on equal level in the banking sector. To conduct questionnaire surveys from employees to find out differences in treatment for males and females. Study how difficult it is for a woman to get promoted in a workplace How treatment of supervisors differs from males to females Is the working environment psychologically suitable for a woman to work in on a long-term basis. The ways harassment takes place for a women in her workplace and who is the main harasser LITREATURE REVIEW Gender discrimination and harassment are topic of immense importance as they have been under discussion for over more than a decade, many studies and researches have been conducted to investigate on the different aspects of this topic, to correlate and identify the various variables from within the studies to contribute to the society in a direct or an indirect way. All the studies point out to a healthy working environment for both Men and Women so that they are more motivated producing better results for the companies as a whole. The areas of research on this topic in the past focuses on Law, job satisfaction, employee turnover, organizational costs, social responsibility and corporate culture providing insights into many factors influenced by gender discrimination and harassment. Almost all the studies focuses on problem faced by women from within the organization and social external factors involving discrimination and effecting productivity. Relationship between the variables dr awn in the previous studies shows the direction of the research and how the factors interrelate with each other. Studies show that people have protection against this menace of discrimination and harassment but its effectiveness is always challenged and debated for over some time. Law and justice are always closely looked upon when it comes to harassment at work place. A study Gender-Based Harassment and the Hostile Work Environment (Joshua F. Thrope) tests whether non-sexually motivated gender discrimination is as serious a factor in creating a hostile working environment as sexually motivated gender discrimination. Although Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to all gender-motivated discrimination, in practice many lower federal courts make a distinction between sexually motivated gender discrimination and non-sexually motivated gender discrimination (gender-based harassment) in a work environment. This study illustrates a court case of Dwyer v. Smith in which a police officer alleged that her co-workers and supervisors engaged in a pattern of abusive conduct that created a hostile working environment. (Thorpe). The failure of the plaintiff to allege a case of sexual harassment proved to be fatal to her case. Sexual harassment is only a part of gender discrimination that female employees face in a hostile work employment. Ridicule, rudeness or insults directed at working women may not be sexually motivated but may still create a hostile working environment. The failure of courts to view gender-based harassment claims as actionable has reduced the availability and deterred the effectiveness of Title VII. The study claims that in order to recognise gender-based discrimination as actionable it must be severe or pervasive or it could be misinterpreted. Impacts and consequences have been explored in many previous findings and emphasis have been given on the nature and reason of harassment, but from within harassment sexual harassment is the concept which is quite highlighted factor discussed in findings as in, Recent Thinking about Sexual Harassment: A Review Essay (Elizabeth Anderson) discusses the wrongs of sexual harassment and presents three theories that capture a different aspect of sexual harassment. Dignity theory explains the offensiveness of harassment; autonomy theory deals with the coercive nature of sexual conduct whereas equality theory highlights the group based harms of sexual harassment. This article also gives an example of airlines that expect female flight attendants tolerate customers anger, rudeness or ogling without any objection and hence, make it difficult for them to perform their jobs satisfactorily. The essay also tries to provide remedies and explains that antidiscrimination law has been quite useful in helping people understand their rights and combat sexual harassment in the workplace. Most people perceive harassment and gender discrimination as a mentally or physically induced trauma but very few people measure it on the basis of the high costs involved by this practice of harassment and its deeply routed and ever growing cost is often ignored. One such article: The study Estimating the Organizational Costs of Sexual Harassment: The Case of U.S. Army (Robert H. Faley, Deborah Erdos Knapp, Gary A, Kustis, Cathy L. Z. Dubois) tested the implication of sexual harassment on the organizational costs. The increasing costs of sexual harassment encouraged organizations to give attention to the issue of sexual harassment. These costs initially included litigation and associated settlements. However, with further research it was found that harassment can lead to an overall decrease in employee motivation towards the job resulting in increases in absentees, turnover, and requests for transfers, and use of mental health services, as well as decreases in productivity (Gutek Koss, 1993; Martindale, 1990; U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board, 1981 and 1987). This study states that results indicate that the total annual cost of sexual harassment in the U.S. Army in 1988 was over $250,000,000. This not only brought attention to the organizational costs of s exual harassment and also to the seriousness of the problem as well. However, this study concludes that increase in the proportion of females in the military would increase that part of the total costs of harassment associated with females and as a result the cost of sexual harassment may grow even more. Furthermore it implies that losing a higher rank female in the army due to sexual harassment would cost a staggering amount. Hence sexual harassment continues to be a threat not only to the working individuals but also harms the companies financially. Gender Mainstreaming and Corporate Social Responsibility: Reporting Workplace Issues (Kate Grosser, Jeremy Moon 2005) focuses on the potential of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to gender equality. The paper states that women are provided equal opportunity in the workplace by the combination of legal compliance, business care and social regulation (Dickens 1999) and the theory of CSR combines all these three notions. This study suggests that a reason for slow progress in reporting gender issues is the lack of platform for gender issues to be discusses. The study has highlights the under-representation of womens issues and has stressed on the need of women representation in company practices, as employees, community members, consumers and investors among other things. The impact of sexual harassment in a legal profession on job satisfaction is examined in The Effects of Sexual Harassment on Job Satisfaction, Earnings, and Turnover among Female Lawyers (David N. Laband and Bernard F. Lentz). The results from American Bar Associations National Survey of Career Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction (1990) show that nearly two-thirds of female lawyers in private practice and nearly half of those in corporate or public agency settings reported either experiencing or observing sexual harassment by male superiors, colleagues, or clients during the two years prior to the survey. The study shows that overall job satisfaction is significantly lower among female lawyers who experienced or witnessed sexual harassment by male superiors and colleagues than among those who did not experience or witness such harassment. According to statistics shown in the study, job satisfaction among female employees is affected more than twice as strongly by sexual harassment than by t heir annual income. The study also implies that there is a direct relation between sexual harassment and intention to quit current employment. However, the study was limited by the fact that the survey did not refer to the degree of harassment. Implementation Mechanism (Shamreeza Riaz) discusses the provision of law related to sexual harassment at workplace and the effectiveness of its implementation. This study was conducted in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Interviews were conducted with the work force of organizations, women activists, NGO workers and educational institutions. The writer argues that women participation in the making policies and in decision making can lead to a prosperous nation. However, the true potential of women is hindered due to the difficulties that they face at the work place. The Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010 provides the definition and kinds of harassment at the workplace. According to the study, in 20-30% sexual harassment cases, women remain silent because of their dignity and self respect. 70% of the women are victims of physical harassment and verbal and other kinds of harassment. The writer lists the causes of harassment as lack of awareness, misuse of authori ty, lack of organizational policy and a male dominant society. The study shows that sexual harassment has very serious consequences resulting in the loss of job, a hostile environment and physical and psychological breakdown while some women are forced to quit their jobs. The International Labour Organization, United Nation on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, Beijing program for action Declaration, European Union Legislation and Organization of American State all provide laws aiming to prevent gender discrimination. The study Branded: Corporate Image, Sexual Stereotyping, and the New Face of Capitalism (Dianne Avery, Marion G. Crain) aims to show how the adoption of sophisticated forms of marketing are distinct from the workers physical and mental labour. The study reveals the case of Jespersen v. Harrahs Operating Co. in which the court rejected a female bartenders Title VII challenge to the workplaces policy that women wear makeup, which she found sexually demeaning. Employers sophisticated marketing techniques sometimes create a property like interest and employers take advantage of their employees outside of their usual work by forcing them to propagate company brands outside of the workplace. Transforming discriminatory corporate cultures (Cheryl L. Wade) discusses gender equality in corporate environment. The writer argues that companies can only change if men change. She states that even if men witness discriminatory behaviour or harassment in their workplace, they fail to take necessary action that could promote gender equality. Many male managers may seem to support gender equality but still ignore gender conflicts in the work place. If the CEO of a company strives to bring a culture of gender equality then the workers will follow his example. Moreover, the writer states that sometimes women allow sexist comments and jokes to go unnoticed in an attempt to show that they belong to the right workplace. The corporate workplace also seems to work on the expectation that women of colour can be given jobs that are not valued in the corporate context. Hence, such negative stereotypes adversely affect the performance of women in the workplace. As the relationship between mana gement and its employees plays a central role in a companies success, it is necessary that problems of workplace discrimination be dealt with. The study Gender Justice and Its Critics focuses on the judicial practices and laws on gender discrimination. The article underlines the traditional treatment of women and the current condition of women. Women were victimized by the laws made to protect them by giving decision making powers to the male members. The writer states that in contrast to these laws, the remedial laws such as prohibition of sex-based discrimination in workplace have empowered women to make their own decisions. Laws which tried to prevent discriminatory practices have created distinct profession for men and women. Furthermore, Gender Justice claims that it is not opposed to the needs of working mothers but offers that parental benefits be given to both males and females. The study The Price of Man and Women: A Hedonic Pricing Model of Avatar Attributes in a Synthetic World (Edward Castronova 2003) investigates the demand of physical attributes and qualities of the social world. The study examines the computer generated avatars which are both male and female. However, the hedonic price analysis suggests that the female avatars are available at a discount and that there is less preference to have a female avatar. As this physical difference is not real in the synthetic world, this reluctance can be explained by the general assumption about the effectiveness of the female avatar. However, the study does not indicate whether this is arises from a prejudice on behalf of the population or simply the numbers indicate that more male players choose male avatars. This article was chosen because of the importance it holds in outside world other than corporate sector to give out an overview on the gender based difference one holds in his mind. They were shortcomings and left out concerns in those previous studies which can be looked upon on the basis of variables and introducing more measurable models which could relate and interlink the variables in appropriate and a strong way. Theoretical Framework DEMOGRAPHICS Characteristics of a human population Age Income Gender Race Experience Gender diversity Unfair treameant Promotion Placement Moral fairness Sexual orientation Female employee turnover Hiring firing. Work envirnoment Healthy Motivating Safety Stress Frequency of Women Promotion Number of times women get promoted at workplace More promotions to male or female? Productivity Equal treatment in terms of salary and promotion Drive Increased desire Encouragement Inspiration Motivated to work Level of satisfaction What one wants from a job and what one perceives it as offering Overall satisfaction Satisfaction with the job Satisfaction with the work Sense of achievement Scope of using own initiative Influence over the job Harrasment Offensive behaviour Intent to disturb or upset Unwanted sexual advances Bases of colour, race religion and sex Financial and recognition rewards Wages Salary Empower-ment Fringe benefits SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE TO ANALYZE THE CORRELATES OF GENDER DISCRIMINATION AND IT IMPACT ON MOTIVATION This questionnaire is being exclusively used for research purpose; all the information provided by respondents would be kept confidential. Your co-operation would be highly appreciated. Personal info: Name Age Experience in this organization Education Marital status Single Married Divorced Gender Male Female Income bracket 10,000-20,000 20,000- 50,000 50,000 above Section A Levels of Satisfaction Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree I enjoy at my workplace 1 2 3 4 5 Factors can be added to improve employee motivation at your workplace 1 2 3 4 5 Would you like to stay at your workplace for long 1 2 3 4 5 I am over all satisfied by the attitude of my boss and workplace 1 2 3 4 5 Do you feel as an important part of your organization 1 2 3 4 5 Are you satisfied by your designated authority 1 2 3 4 5 GENDER DIVERSITY: Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree Mostly the supervisors are male 1 2 3 4 5 Majority of Co-workers are Male 1 2 3 4 5 I belive that I have equal opportunities and potential for growth as my other colleagues have 1 2 3 4 5 In my view discrimination does take place at workplace. 1 2 3 4 5 At times I have been judged/mistreated on criteria which is not merit based 1 2 3 4 5 You have been treated and judged on the basis of Gender 1 2 3 4 5 1)Race 1 2 3 4 5 2)Physical appearance 1 2 3 4 5 3)Religion 1 2 3 4 5 Working enviornement and Harassment: Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree My company is strict on the laws of harassment. 1 2 3 4 5 In majority of workplace harassment cases the harasser is 1) immediate boss 1 2 3 4 5 2) Subordinates 1 2 3 4 5 3)Colleagues 1 2 3 4 5 Verbal harassment takes place 1)openly 1 2 3 4 5 Equal gender treatment creates a healthy environment at workplace. 1 2 3 4 5 If harassment occurs verbally my response would be 1)to react to the harasser the first time 1 2 3 4 5 2)Report the harassment to my boss 1 2 3 4 5 3) I would bear with it because there is no other choice. 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree I have been mistreated in an offensive manner because of my Gender. 1 2 3 4 5 Offensive treatment harm your ability to work. 1 2 3 4 5 I have switched my job because of unequal treatment 1 2 3 4 5 Harassment results in increased stress and anxiety 1 2 3 4 5 Frequency of promotions: Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree I have been quickly promoted to the post I am today. 1 2 3 4 5 Male workers get frequent promotions 1 2 3 4 5 Female have more chances of getting hired for a job at first place when the interviewee is Male 1 2 3 4 5 Male have more chances of getting hired for a job at first place when the interview is Female. 1 2 3 4 5 Female workers most get in house assignment as compared to traveling assignment 1 2 3 4 5 Female get more sexually harassed than men 1 2 3 4 5 MOTIVATION: Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree Discrimination affects my productivity 1 2 3 4 5 Male workers are paid more salary/wage as compared to female for the same job description 1 2 3 4 5 Male workers are more empowered to take decisions 1 2 3 4 5 Male and Female workers get same Fringe benefits 1 2 3 4 5 Low percentage of female getting promoted than men works as a less motivating factor. 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree Men feel more superior than women which affects motivation for women in negative way 1 2 3 4 5 Some people get desperate things to get promoted 1 2 3 4 5 Women get more limited opportunities than Men contributing negatively towards motivation 1 2 3 4 5 General training has been given to staff a your workplace in connection with general duty to promote equality between Men and Women 1 2 3 4 5 Men and Women are treated equally when it comes to performance Appraisals and analysis. 1 2 3 4 5

Terrorism Essay: War on Terrorism - Round 1 :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

War on Terrorism: Round 1 The Bush Troika´s war on terrorism reached first base after installing a new government in Afghanistan. One of the poorest and most defenseless countries on earth has been bombed into rubble by a megalomaniac superpower that can see no limits to its rights of domination. The country that harbors more Southern American terrorists, executioners and dictators than anyone else in the world has shown us all what happens when others harbor wanted men! What has been achieved if we look beyond Bush's clichés, Pentagon's hype and Rumsfeld´s and Ashcroft´s rhetoric? Is the world any safer? Have the suspected evildoers been brought to justice? Has it been a "just war"? Are there less people who hate or dislike the western powers? The good news is: The Talibans are ousted. American oil companies will be able to build that pipeline and the new ruler Karzai have old ties with Unocal and supports the scheme as do others in the new interim(?) government!!! The bad news is: Between 40,000 and 60,000 innocent civilians, already oppressed by their government in Afghanistan have been killed according to independent studies. Millions more refugees have been created and the starvation has increased due to stopped relief deliveries before winter was setting in. The final death toll may rise to 3 million. The same government that was helped to power by CIA and Pakistan´s secret service in -96 now has been defeated and other known crooks, gangsters and opium sellers, responsible for the death of maybe 50,000 civilians when last in power, have again taken power, for some time or indefinitely remains to be seen. Large parts of the infrastructure in Afghanistan have been bombed into oblivion as have Red Cross buildings and important depots. Unexploded cluster bombs will cause carnage for generations. Some thousands of brainwashed Taliban soldiers, most of whom had no knowledge whatsoever of any terrorist actions outside Afghanistan, have been killed. A few hundred lower level commanders have been captured and will be questioned. The main "enemies" and raison d étre of the "war", the monster, evildoer, fanatic (etc), Bin Laden and his sidekick Mullah Omar, suspected (but not convicted) of atrocities and certainly no friends of capitalism, are not to be found even after levelling the topography of parts of the country and their whereabouts may be any place in the eastern parts of the world. Terrorism Essay: War on Terrorism - Round 1 :: September 11 Terrorism Essays War on Terrorism: Round 1 The Bush Troika´s war on terrorism reached first base after installing a new government in Afghanistan. One of the poorest and most defenseless countries on earth has been bombed into rubble by a megalomaniac superpower that can see no limits to its rights of domination. The country that harbors more Southern American terrorists, executioners and dictators than anyone else in the world has shown us all what happens when others harbor wanted men! What has been achieved if we look beyond Bush's clichés, Pentagon's hype and Rumsfeld´s and Ashcroft´s rhetoric? Is the world any safer? Have the suspected evildoers been brought to justice? Has it been a "just war"? Are there less people who hate or dislike the western powers? The good news is: The Talibans are ousted. American oil companies will be able to build that pipeline and the new ruler Karzai have old ties with Unocal and supports the scheme as do others in the new interim(?) government!!! The bad news is: Between 40,000 and 60,000 innocent civilians, already oppressed by their government in Afghanistan have been killed according to independent studies. Millions more refugees have been created and the starvation has increased due to stopped relief deliveries before winter was setting in. The final death toll may rise to 3 million. The same government that was helped to power by CIA and Pakistan´s secret service in -96 now has been defeated and other known crooks, gangsters and opium sellers, responsible for the death of maybe 50,000 civilians when last in power, have again taken power, for some time or indefinitely remains to be seen. Large parts of the infrastructure in Afghanistan have been bombed into oblivion as have Red Cross buildings and important depots. Unexploded cluster bombs will cause carnage for generations. Some thousands of brainwashed Taliban soldiers, most of whom had no knowledge whatsoever of any terrorist actions outside Afghanistan, have been killed. A few hundred lower level commanders have been captured and will be questioned. The main "enemies" and raison d étre of the "war", the monster, evildoer, fanatic (etc), Bin Laden and his sidekick Mullah Omar, suspected (but not convicted) of atrocities and certainly no friends of capitalism, are not to be found even after levelling the topography of parts of the country and their whereabouts may be any place in the eastern parts of the world.