Decision making of Sears Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Decision making of Sears - Coursework Example By the year 2014, more than 1600 employees had stopped working for the organization. The company has to make various decisions in order to solve its problems. One of its problem-solving strategies should be based on the consistency theory. It holds that an external and internal system of business should be aligned effectively for it to be successful. One of factors that contributed to firm’ problems included its internal conflicts within the management system. Lack of agreement among managers in the organization made its executives to quit. For the business to increase its efficiency, there should be should be consistency in its decision making process (Jiang, Xiao, Li, et al 4). The other effective strategy that the firm should implement includes increasing public commitments. Public commitment enhances a business success because it positively influences its customers. Public commitment includes increasing the quality of products and offering goods at reasonable prices. Public commitment makes customers to feel secure. It motivates them to spend their money on the company products. Pubic commitment also includes other things such improving customer’s experience by making the good unique from competitors. Sears stores relied on the tradition appearance of its shopping center which failed to attract many customers (Jiang, Xiao, Li, et al 7). Another factor that led to the company failure includes lack of customer engagement. The company should analyze the needs of its customers in order to engage them effectively. Customer engagement enables a company to satisfy their needs effectively. Sears’ lack of this engagement was proved when it failed to teach its customers the new technology. In addition, it ignored the customers’ views. Customer engagement helps a business to create a strong relationship with its customers which in turn helps in increasing their loyalty. Sears also failed because it focused on the wrong

Patterns for College Writing Essay Example for Free

Patterns for College Writing Essay I spent the night before contemplating how I was going to get out of school on Thursday.   There was a social studies test I didnt study for and I just could not bare another day of dodge ball.   On the morning of September 11, 2001 I woke up â€Å"sick†.   I pleaded with my mother, and took a fake trip to the bathroom because I was going to â€Å"vomit†.   Finally, I was allowed to stay home.   At 6:00 am,   I was ordered to go back to sleep and I did.    I looked forward to my day alone as I lingered between sleeping and waking pondering how I was going to fill my day with snacks, computer games, and loud music. September 11, 2001 began as a childhood scheme and it ended with me growing up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I dozed much of the morning and awoke to the sound of my brothers radio alarm going off.   It was Thursday and he shouldnt be home.   I pouted as I slowly got out of bed to see if I was truly alone.   I walked down the hall and stopped briefly at the bathroom and then into my brothers room.   He was gone, and the alarm had been set wrong.   The people on the radio droned on and on.   I wandered around the room hoping to find a magazine that I let brat borrow weeks ago. As I was on my knees peaking under the bed the words on the radio became clear.   I heard the word â€Å"terrorists† and the fragments of statements like â€Å"hundreds died this morning when†.   Then, I could only hear my heart beat in my ears.  Ã‚   I got to my feet and for the first time since being a child, I felt real panic. The sort of panic you feel when you are four and you have wandered away from your parents.   Once I caught my breath I made my way to the family room, frantically searching for the remote.   I turned on the television to MSNBC and the first image I saw was a man jumping from a broken window of one of the twin towers.   I was baffled and this would be the image that would haunt my dreams, my waking memories, and what it meant to be an American.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I heard the details over and over again.   The errorists had hijacked three planes and deliberately crashed them into the Pentagon and the Twin Towers.   The video clips played again and again on the news.   The smoke filled horizons around the crumbling buildings.   Paper was flying everywhere and the sound of heart broken people wailing in the background filled the screen.   I stared and there were moments where I thought it might be a movie and all I had to do was change the channel.   The phone must of rang a dozen times before I answered it   It was my mother on the other end, asking me again and again if I was ok.  Ã‚   She told me she would be home soon.   I waited, though I did not know for what, and watched.   The Towers were now in flames as the reporters spoke in what seem like whispers.   Their words almost silenced but the sound of a city slowly dying.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I remember hearing the back door open and close, and my mother sitting down next to me.   It was the first time since I was a child that she held my hand and I let her.   Stunned, we sat together as the news reported that at 8:40 am the terrorists crashed planes into the World Trade Center.   It was hard to comprehend.   My mother cried and I cried too except on the inside.   I watched her body shake as she twisted her ring around and around her finger.   My mother, who could out talk just about everyone we knew, was speechless.   It was then that I understood – she was scared too.   I hugged my mother and told her everything would be all right.   I told her we would be safe and that we had each other.   I made us coffee and we spent much of the afternoon talking about what happened, what could happen, and what we would do.   What we spoke about most was â€Å"why†.   Why did the terrorists hate Americ a?   Why did people kill other people for no apparent reason?   Comforting my   mother in the ways she had comforted me for so many years, came unexpectedly to me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Over the next few months we followed the story as did the world.   I can remember President Bush attempting to comfort the United States and telling us America would be going to war for reasons that werent clear to me then and certainly arent clear to me now.   Suddenly video games and staying home from school just werent important anymore.   Dodge ball did not seem so bad.   Instead of hiding from my parents I sought them out, wanting to discuss my day and theirs together.   I do not believe what does not kill us makes us stronger.   However, I think that what does not kill us makes truly value what we have in life and to realize how much our family and friends mean to us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My family and I became very active in volunteer activities especially with the Red Cross.   We donated bottled water, clothing, blankets, and food.   Our community held local charity events to raise money for the victims of September 11 including those firemen and police officers who gave their lives in the fires of 9/11.   It was the first time I or my family had ever become involved in activities that did not directly benefits ourselves.   The sense of community and patriotism that was built in the months following the terrorists attacks still exists with me today.   We now volunteer regularly as a family for a number of charities.   Through the destruction of the Twin Towers, I finally understood my place and role in society.   Not as a bystander but an active and willing participant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On September 11, 2001 many people lost their lives and I gained my independence from childhood fantasies.   Before that Thursday in September, I never thought about life and death.   I never considered the consequences of war and the denial of freedoms.   Now that I am older, I realize that September 11, 2001 was not just pivotal point for me but America itself.   Not since Pearl Harbor had the United States been unexpectedly attacked on its own land.  Ã‚   Just as families pulled together so did the United States as a whole.  Ã‚   We cried together and we healed together.  Ã‚   To actually witness the attacks was life changing but to be part of the healing process was life affirming. Bibliograhy Berne, S. (2004). Ground Zero. In S. Mandell, and Kirszner, L. (Eds.), Patterns for College Writing: A   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rhetorical Reader and Guide (pp. 158-161). New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.

What motivates employees

What motivates employees Gaining the knowledge of what motivates employees and how they were motivated was the focus of many researchers following the publication of the Hawthorne Study results (Terpstra, 1979). The literature review on this research intends to discover the current theories and issues in relations to work motivation throughout the literature sources. It is important to understand what motivation actually is, and more specially the term work motivation. The literature review will look at four major motivational theories. They are:- Maslows need-hierarchy theory, Herzbergs two- factor theory, Adams equity theory and Vrooms expectancy theory. They are Maslows need-hierarchy theory, and Herzbergs two- factor theory are needs based motivational theory, commonly known as content theories. These theories explain that human needs change with time. People have certain needs and desires to achieve and those needs and desires change over a period of time. Adams equity theory and Vrooms expectancy theory are collectively known as cognitive theories. These theories will examine the employees behaviour in terms of performance and compare their performance and rewards with others. According to Maslow, employees needs have five levels (Maslow, 1943). It is based on the hypothesis that human needs are capable of being exhaustible. Satisfactory achievement of the first level of needs leads to the next level. Once a particular need has been satisfied, that need will no longer be a driving force of motivation. Herzbergs considered motivation into two factors: motivators and hygiene (Herzberg, Mausner, Snyderman, 1959). According to this theory people are influenced by two factors. These factors are Motivators and hygiene. Achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, advancement and growth were included in the motivation factors and dissatisfying factors largely from non-job related factors such as company policies, salary, co-worker relations and supervisory styles (Steers and Porter 2001). These theories will help to understand the various factors which influence the employees of the organisation. Adams equity theory focuses on peoples reactions to the fairness of outcome they receive in relations to their perception of the inputs they provide, especially when compared to the perceived outcomes/inputs that others receive. (Porter et al., 2001). According to Adams theory equity is achieved when the ratio of employee outcomes over inputs is equal to other employee outcomes over inputs (Adams, 1965). This theory will provide more understanding towards motivational difference between permanent and temporary staff of the organisation. Vrooms theory supports that employee effort will lead to performance and performance will lead to rewards (Vroom, 1964). The rewards can be either positive or negative, but the more positive reward will lead the employee to work more motivated and conversely, the more negative the reward the less likely the employee will be motivated. In MS money call centre (MS), permanent and temporary staffs are performing the same duties, expected to meet the same target and trained to perfume the duties in the same way, reword system is different in terms of bonus, pension, company discount card and other non monetary rewards. By taking this into consideration and applying the selected four theories in this environment. Both groups employees must show a difference in motivation in line with Adams equity theory and also will be on different stages in relations to Maslows need-hierarchy theory. The research will also explain what they expect as a permanent / temporary employee working for MS in line with Vrooms expectancy theory. Two factor theory will explain how much influence each motivation factor have on all the employees. 3.3.1. References: Adair, J. (1990) Understanding Motivation. London: The Talbot Adair Press. Adams, J. S. (1965) Inequity in social exchange. In L. Berkowitz. Advances in experimental social psychology. New York: Academic Press. Arkin, A. (1997) People Management, Call Centre Stress, Vol 3 Issues 6, 22-27 Arnold, J., Cooper, C., Robertson, I.T. (1998) Work Psychology, Understanding human behaviour in the workplace, third edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited Collis, J. Hussey, R (1997) Business research: a practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students, second edition. New York: Palgrave Macmillan Fisher, C. (2004) Researching and writing a dissertation: A guidebook for business students, second edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Fletcher, C. (1993) Appraisal: Routes to improved performance, second edition. London: IPD House. Gillham, B. (2000) Developing a questionnaire: Real world research, second edition. New York: Contimuum International Publishing group Hertzberg, F. (1968) One More Time: How do you motive employees? Harvard Business review, 53-62 Hertzberg, F., Manunser, B. and Synderman B (1959), The Motivation in Work. New York: John Wiley and Sons Ltd. Herzberg, F., Mausner, B., Snyderman, B, B. (1959) The motivation to work. New York: John Wiley Sons. Holman, D.J. (2002) Human Resource Management Journal, Employees well being in call centres, Vol 7 Jones, F., Burke, R. J., Westman, M. (2006) Work-Life balance: psychological perspective. Sussex: Psychology press. Katzell, Yankelovich (1975) Compensation Benefits Review, Pay vs Work Motivation and Job Satisfaction, Vol 8, 54-66 Kruger, D.J. (2003) The Community Psychologist, Integrating quantitative and qualitative methods in community research, Vol 36, 18-19 Lindner, J, R. (1998) Understanding Employee Motivation. Vol 36, issue 3, June. Luthans, F. (1998) Organisational Behaviour 8th edition. Boston: Irwin McGraw-Hill Marshall, C,. Rossman, G. (1999) Designing Qualitative Research third edition. London: Sage Publication Ltd Maslow, A.H. (1954) Motivation and Personality. Harper and Row Publishers, New York: New York Miguel, A,. Quinones Ehrenstein, A. (1996) Training for a rapidly changing workplace: application of psychological research. Washington: American psychology association. Mullins, L. J. (2002) Management and Organisational Behaviour, 6th Edition. London: Prentice Hall. Myers, M.D. (2002) Qualitative Research in Business Management. London: Sage Publications. Porter, L. W., Bigley, G.A., Steers R, M. (1975) Motivation and work behaviour. New York: Irwin McGraw-Hill Porter, L.W., Lawler, E.E. (1968) Managerial attitudes and performance. Homewood II: Irwin Rose, E. (2002) The Journal of Industrial Relations, The labour process and union commitments within a banking services call centre, Vol 44, Issue 1, 40-61 Rose, Ed. (2001 Employment relations, second edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited Saunders, Lewis Thornhill (2007) Research methods for business students, third edition, Essex: Pearson Education Limited Smith, K. Toddd, M. Waldman, J (2009) Doing your undergraduate social science dissertation. Oxon: Routledge Terpstra, D. E. (1979) Theories of motivation: borrowing the best. Personnel Journal, 58. 376. Vroom, V. (1992) Management motivation. second edition. London: penguin books ltd Vroom, V. H. (1964) Work and motivation. New York: John Wiley and Sons Ltd. 5. Outline Methodology: After the literature review and background study of the call centre environment, a positivist approach has been adapted to the research. Even though, motivation is considered as a subjective factor, the background study of the call centre environment is compared and addressed similar to battery- farming condition (Arkin 1997) with characteristic of tailorism. The most important reason for selecting positivist approach is, that this research is testing the four theories of motivation mentioned in literature review in call centre in permanent and temporary employees, which falls in line with Myers, M.D (2002) argument that positivist generally attempt to test theory. The research method used to collect primary data is a semi structured questionnaire with open and closed questions. Secondary data will be gathered from organisation through human resource department on recruitment statistics and also from survey results previously conducted by the organisation. The questionnaire includes open and closed questions, both categorical and quantifiable. All the questions are statistically analysed by using codes and excel spreadsheet and will be presentable through bar charts/pie charts. The positivist approach of testing theory and using quantifiable data collecting methods falls into the deductive approach which falls in line with positivism (Saunders et al. 2007)

This is gay :: essays research papers

nstalling over Windows 2000 releases ------------------------------------- Typical and full installations are not currently available for Windows 2000. Internet Explorer 6 will install a minimal set of files onto your system. This includes the Internet Explorer 6 Web browser and scripting support. Uninstalling Internet Explorer 6 before upgrading to Windows 2000 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Windows 2000 contains an earlier version of Internet Explorer components than Internet Explorer 6. Before upgrading from Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, or Windows NT to Windows 2000, it is recommended that users uninstall Internet Explorer 6. During the upgrade, you may receive the following message: "This program may not run correctly because of new features in Internet Explorer 4.0. You may need to obtain an updated version of this program." Although this message is misleading, please click the Details button for a more accurate description of the problem. Downloading Internet Explorer 6 using a non-Microsoft download manager ------------------------------------------------------------------ During the Internet Explorer 6 installation, Setup must download components from the Internet. Users who are utilizing non-Microsoft download managers (for example, Netzip, GetRight, or RealAudio's Download Demon) will intercept download requests. This will cause Setup to abort. To prevent this from occurring, disable non-Microsoft download managers before running Setup. High encryption support for Internet Explorer 6 -------------------------------------------------------------- High encryption components are included for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6a. Windows Millennium Edition contains high encryption by default. To obtain high encryption support for Windows 2000, please visit Windows Update at http://www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ or http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/recommended/ encryption/default.asp. Installing or upgrading the Windows Desktop Update (Windows NT 4.0 only) ------------------------------------------------------------- If you have already installed Internet Explorer 6 and would like to install the Windows Desktop Update, you must install Internet Explorer 4.01 SP2 before installing the upgrade. >>>To install Windows Desktop Update: 1. Uninstall Internet Explorer 6 by using the procedure described later in this document. 2. If Internet Explorer 4.01 SP2 is not already installed on your computer, install it. 3. Install the Windows Desktop Update by clicking Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel. 4. Reinstall Internet Explorer 6. Previous version unavailable after uninstalling Internet Explorer 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------- After uninstalling Internet Explorer 6, it is not possible to remove the browser that was installed prior to Internet Explorer 6. Installing over localized Windows 98 Arabic and Hebrew releases --------------------------------------------------------------- Windows 98 Arabic and Hebrew versions require the corresponding localized version of Internet Explorer 6. It is not possible to install the English version of Internet Explorer over the Hebrew and Arabic localized versions of Windows 98. Installing Internet Explorer 6 with Norton Protected Recycle Bin This is gay :: essays research papers nstalling over Windows 2000 releases ------------------------------------- Typical and full installations are not currently available for Windows 2000. Internet Explorer 6 will install a minimal set of files onto your system. This includes the Internet Explorer 6 Web browser and scripting support. Uninstalling Internet Explorer 6 before upgrading to Windows 2000 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Windows 2000 contains an earlier version of Internet Explorer components than Internet Explorer 6. Before upgrading from Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, or Windows NT to Windows 2000, it is recommended that users uninstall Internet Explorer 6. During the upgrade, you may receive the following message: "This program may not run correctly because of new features in Internet Explorer 4.0. You may need to obtain an updated version of this program." Although this message is misleading, please click the Details button for a more accurate description of the problem. Downloading Internet Explorer 6 using a non-Microsoft download manager ------------------------------------------------------------------ During the Internet Explorer 6 installation, Setup must download components from the Internet. Users who are utilizing non-Microsoft download managers (for example, Netzip, GetRight, or RealAudio's Download Demon) will intercept download requests. This will cause Setup to abort. To prevent this from occurring, disable non-Microsoft download managers before running Setup. High encryption support for Internet Explorer 6 -------------------------------------------------------------- High encryption components are included for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6a. Windows Millennium Edition contains high encryption by default. To obtain high encryption support for Windows 2000, please visit Windows Update at http://www.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ or http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/recommended/ encryption/default.asp. Installing or upgrading the Windows Desktop Update (Windows NT 4.0 only) ------------------------------------------------------------- If you have already installed Internet Explorer 6 and would like to install the Windows Desktop Update, you must install Internet Explorer 4.01 SP2 before installing the upgrade. >>>To install Windows Desktop Update: 1. Uninstall Internet Explorer 6 by using the procedure described later in this document. 2. If Internet Explorer 4.01 SP2 is not already installed on your computer, install it. 3. Install the Windows Desktop Update by clicking Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel. 4. Reinstall Internet Explorer 6. Previous version unavailable after uninstalling Internet Explorer 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------- After uninstalling Internet Explorer 6, it is not possible to remove the browser that was installed prior to Internet Explorer 6. Installing over localized Windows 98 Arabic and Hebrew releases --------------------------------------------------------------- Windows 98 Arabic and Hebrew versions require the corresponding localized version of Internet Explorer 6. It is not possible to install the English version of Internet Explorer over the Hebrew and Arabic localized versions of Windows 98. Installing Internet Explorer 6 with Norton Protected Recycle Bin

How to Be a Good Manager in the 21th Century

How to be a good manager in the 21th century Nowadays, the role of a good and responsible manager gains a much greater importance than it did in previous years. These days it’s not only about meeting a financial goal. A good manager should also be a socially-minded and caring person. Interpersonal skills should be viewed as essential as the decision-making-ability. This is significant due to the fact that the employees are the key to a successful business. A company runs as good as its team and therefore it’s necessary to show respect for the employees and encourage and challenge them.A manager should also show his team his appreciation and give every individual the impression that he understands that he is doing something important for the company. Thus, the employee’s confidence can be built. The secret of running a successful business is to make sure that the manager is a socially responsible person who has the ability to energize, excite and control and to ad apt oneself to the company’s value and culture. Jack Welch, former CEO and chairman of GE, is universally recognized as the greatest CEO of his era.According to him, transparency within a company is an important criterion which opens the doors for bigger success. Openness can have a positive impact on business process. Welch describes it in three aspects. First of all, employees can be involved in meetings and conferences where they can give their opinions without timidity. Someone with a voice can bring new ideas forward which are absolutely an advantage for the company. Secondly, it can advance the managers’ decisions. If new thoughts and ideas are getting said, they can be put into practice much faster.Nowadays, many companies have to cope with high pressure due to business competition. Thus it’s essential to improve oneself constantly. For this reason new opinions and ideas can have a beneficial effect. Besides the fact that openness can be very time-saving, it also reduces costs. Thirdly, it therefore can be said that transparency adds to a company’s benefit. At the same time, managers should be honest with employees so that they know exactly where they’re standing and whether they meet conditions. In other words, employees have to be informed about their roles within a company.This is extremely important for the clarity and openness in the corporate life and can be guaranteed through regular appraisal interviews in which the employee receives a feedback about his performance, strengths and weaknesses. A performance review enables the staff member to get a review of his work by which he can improve himself gradually for the coming months. Thus, it provides the opportunity to set expectations for the future both of the behaviors required of the individual as well as the results needed to be achieved.Since the appraisal interview is not a one-sided method of being assessed, the manager should be rated by his staff as well. One the one hand, it ensures equality within the firm because both are evaluated. On the other hand, the manager obtains an overview of the employees concerns and needs. Considering these facts it can be said that appraisal interviews should play an important role and be a formal element of an on-going and active performance management process in a company that strives for transparency.In this context Jack Welch illustrates his 20-70-10 rule his point of view of differentiation, where the staff gets ranked in three categories. The percentage represents the top, middling and failing employees of a company who should be treated according to Welch in different ways. The first 20%, which represents the best performers, deserve the best treatment for their efforts and achievements. Welch’s approach is to reward the best 20% with bonuses, commendations and advanced training. The 70% represents the average employees.These ones are valuable for the company because they have the pote ntial to become one of the best. So a manager’s duty is to promote and challenge expertise and strengthen personalities of the average 70%. The main goal is to watch the employees, identify the ones with the potential of career advancement and to support them. During this process, it’s important to motivate the people and let them know that they’re part of the company. The last 10% are the poor performers, who have to be dismissed.Although the main principle of this rule seems to be very radical, it is according to Welch the managers’ duty to assign a role to the staff. A manager should show his employees how they can develop within the company and not confuse them by keeping this information secret. Nevertheless it’s alright to fail sometimes. Making mistakes shows that one is actively doing something. After all, people are learning from experience and sometimes it’s necessary to fail in order to see reason. But occasionally the job demands a great deal of someone. Jack Welch is onvinced that there’s no risk of getting burned out in an exciting job. Exhaustion can only be caused by a routine. Nevertheless, one must differentiate between important and less important things. A responsible manager should therefore primarily concentrate on major tasks with top priority while minor duties should be done at the very end. In this matter, Welch says it’s important to define clear goals if you want to be a good manager. It’s essential to know where you’re standing right now, where you want to get and how you want to reach the goal.Particularly regarding competitors, it is necessary to have a clear target. That’s why a manager should be aware that other companies are striving for improvement as well. So resting on one’s laurels should be avoided. If a company is very successful and belongs to the top ones, it doesn’t mean that the other enterprises are not aiming at success. Ther e are always others who are doing things better. In today’s world it is therefore of great importance for a manager to create a clear vision and set ambitious business objectives in order to make progress.In addition, it’s necessary to make sure that everyone working in the company shares that vision and strives for the same goals. Both aspects are very much interconnected and should always be viewed in direct relation. So it becomes obvious that the combination of a good manager and the right team leads to successful business. In his 4E-model, also called 4E of leadership, Jack Welch explains how to build the right team. The E’s describe four characteristics that a manager should embody in order to achieve that. The first â€Å"E† stands for positive energy. â€Å"Welch says that individuals with energy love to â€Å"go, go, go†.These are people that are very optimistic, sociable and full of â€Å"joie de vivre†. A manager who is full of e nergy loves to work and never complain. The second â€Å"E† represents the ability to energize people and spark them to perform. The third â€Å"E† represents edge, meaning that those who have edge can come to terms with hard decisions and stay competitive. These characteristics are essential for a manager, but yet not sufficient. A capable manager must know how to transform energy and edge into action and results. That’s what the last â€Å"E† stands for; a good manager knows how to execute.If a manger fulfills all these conditions, he finally should have the passion to perform. People, who have joy in their job, are automatically better in their profession. They love their job and want the employees to love it, too. This passion proves that they’ve chosen the right job and accomplish the role of a manager in a perfect way. Having taken all these factors into account, I come to the conclusion that someone who wants to be a good manager need to thi nk outside the box. These days it’s more than just about having the ability to control the progress of work.Beyond that it’s more important to have social skills in order to motivate people to work and being able to cope with conflicting situations. There is no doubt that experience is in this context the best teacher. One can learn from the boss but as well from the employees. Thus, a manager should be open-minded for any kind of criticism and consider the employees more as a team rather than only as manpower. Finally it can be said that  bringing enthusiasm to the job, building the right team and staying realistic are of central importance for being a successful manager in the 21th century. ——————————————- [ 1 ]. Slater, Robert. Jack Welch and the G. E. Way: Management Insights and Leadership Secrets of the Legendary CEO. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998. [ 2 ]. Welch, Jack and Suzy. Winning: Das ist Management. New York/Frankfurt: Campus Verlag, 2005. [ 3 ]. A new conversation with Jack Welch. 26 April 2011 . [ 4 ]. A new conversation with Jack Welch. 26 April 2011 . [ 5 ]. Krames, Jeffrey. Jack Welch and the 4E’s of Leadership: How to Put GE’s Leadership Formula to Work in Your Organization. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2005.

Purinex, Inc Warren Buffett Essay

1. What is the possible meaning of the changes in stock price for Berkshire Hathaway and Scottish Power plc on the day of the acquisition announcement? Specifically, what does the $2.55 billion gain in Berkshire’s market value of equity imply about the intrinsic value of PacifiCorp? Answer1: The increase in the stock price of Scottish Power plc and Berkshire Hathaway indicate a market approval for the acquisition and created value for both buyers and sellers. Answer2: a. the possible meaning of the changes in stock price is due to the fact that the deal created value for both buyers and sellers; Berkshire was more diversified after the acquisition. b. The $2.55 billion gain in Berkshire’s market value of equity implied that the intrinsic value of PacifiCorp was good because it fell within the range of competitors based on the following calculations: $2.55 billion / 312/18 million = $8.17 – Berkshire is willing to pay this premium for each share of PacifiCorp 5.1 billion / 312.18 million = $16.30 per share of PacifiCorp $8.17 + 16.30 = $24.47 (see Exhibit 9) Answer3: The possible explanations in the change in stock price for Berkshire would be for a couple of reasons. One of them is that investors invest based on the behavioral finance theory which implies that their investments are driven by psychological factors. These factors would be that believing that Mr. Buffet is the guru of investment, therefore he is right and it must be a very good investment. Moreover looking at the financial statements of march 2005 we see that the book value of PacifiCorp = 3377.1 Billions/312.12 million shares =$10.82 per share. However, the increase of 2.17 billion dollars at the day of the announcements of Berkshire implies that that true value of PacifiCorp should be higher if we divide the 2.17 billions /312.12 million shares we have that the PacifiCorp share should have a $ 6.95 dollar value higher. 2. Based on the multiples for comparable regulated utilities, what is the range of possible values for PacifiCorp? What questions might you have about this range? Answer1: a. we find the range of possible values for PacifiCorp in Exhibit 10. i. Revenue median of $6.252 Billion, mean of $6.584 Billion. ii. EBIT median of $8.775 Billion, mean of $9.289 Billion. iii. EBITDA median of $9.023 Billion, mean of $9.076 Billion. iv. Net Income median of $7.596 Billion, mean of $7.553 Billion. v. EPS median of $4.277 Billion, and a mean of $4.308 Billion. vi. Book value median of $5.904 Billion, mean of $5.678 Billion. b. Question about revenue; the implied value of PacifiCorp is giving impractical results for range of revenue as compared to EBIT, EBITDA, & Net income (Expected: Revenue > EBITDA > EBIT > NI). Answer2: Alliant E. Corp Low price P/E =23.50/1.42=16.55 High price P/E =28.80/1.42=20.28 Cinergy Corp Low price P/E =34.90/1.42 =16.23 High price P/E =42.60/2.15=19.81 NSTAR Low price P/E =22.70/1,79=12.75 High price P/E =27.20/1.78 =15.28 SCANA Corp Low price P/E =32.80/2.34=14.02 High price P/E =39.70/2.34 =16.93 WEC Low price P/E =29.50/2.62=11.26 High price P/E =34.60/2.62 =13.21 Industry average low price P/E=14.20 Industry average high price P/E =17.11 PacifiCorp EPS =0.81 Stock price of PacifiCorp= EPS x (P/E industry) Range of PacifiCorp possible values Low price >0.81Ãâ€"14.20= $11.50 High price >0.81Ãâ€"17.11=$13.86 Possible value for PacifiCorp using EBITDA Total value Company =market value + net debt Market multiple =total value company /EBITDA EBITDA Alliant E. Corp= 7.45x NSTAR 7.53x SCANA Corp 9.25x WEC 8.47x Average =8.18x Total value of company = Market multiple X EBITDA PacifiCorp’s EBITDA=1093.30 Market multiple =8.1 Value of PacifiCorp = 8.18Ãâ€"1093.30 =8,943.19 million dollars 3. Assess the bid for PacifiCorp. How does it compare with the firm’s intrinsic value? As an alternative, the instructor could suggest that students perform a simple discounted cash-flow (DCF) analysis. Answer1: If you use CAPM for the simple DCF analysis: K=rf+B(rm-rt) rf =5.762K=5.762+.75(10.5-5.762) B=.75=9.32%=Discount rate rm=10.5 $5.1/(1+.0932)=$4.76 => it is in range of the rest of the comparable firms. Answer2: 4. How well has Berkshire Hathaway performed? How well has it performed in the aggregate? What about its investment in MidAmerican Energy Holdings? Answer1: Overall, Berkshire Hathaway has performed brilliantly in the last 40 years. Berkshire’s class A shares have been among the highest-priced shares on the New York Stock Exchange, in part because they have never had a stock split and never paid a dividend, retaining corporate earnings on its balance sheet in a manner that is impermissible for private investors and mutual funds. The company averaged an annual growth in book value of 20.3% to its shareholders for the last 40 years. Answer2: It has performed very well. Berkshire Hathaway has consistently outperformed the market since its inception in 1965. In 1977, the firm’s year end closing share price was $107; on May 24, 2005 the closing price on its Class A shares reached $85,500. Berkshire has had an annual increase of wealth of 24% since 1965, which is more than double the 10.5% of the average increase for other large stocks. It started out with a decline due to inflation, technological change, and intensifying competition from foreign competitors, but has recuperated well after closing the textile side of their business. Berkshire Hathaway had recently been performing below S&P 500 Index according to Exhibit 1, from April 2005 to May 2005. Scottish Power had consistently outperformed the S&P 500 Index from March to May 2005. This probably was one aspect that attracted Berkshire to purchase PacifiCorp. We believe that it was a good investment. In 2002 they owned 9.9% of the voting interest and 83.7% of the economic interest in the equity of MidAmerican. This allows them to have a major stake in the company without violating utility laws, which has proven to be successful for them. According to Exhibit 6, MidAmerican Holdings had a net earnings of 170 million in 2004, but compared to 2003 net earnings of 416 million, MidAmerican had a net loss from 2003-2004. Acquiring PacifiCorp would supply much needed new, more profitable investments to raise their net income in 2005. Answer3: Performance of Berkshire since 1977 to 2005 PV=102 FV=85500 N=28 I=34% ` S & P performance since 1977 to 2005 PV =96 FV=1192 N=28 I=9.42 Berkshire has outperformed S & P by 24.58% 5. What is your assessment of Berkshire’s investments in Buffett’s Big Four: American Express, Coca-Cola, Gillette, and Wells Fargo? Answer1: They invested in well established and successful firms. They put a lot of money up front for these investments, but since have made substantial gains for their investment. The total cost to Berkshires investment in the Big 4 was $3.832 Billion, but the market value of their investment was $24.681 Billion. This means that Berkshire’s current gain on their investment in the big 4 is $20.849 Billion. Their gain is 5.44 times their investment I would have to say that these were very well thought out and successful investments. Answer2: Buffet’s approach of investments is based on the fundamental analysis of the company itself. It is based on simplicity and consistency of its operation history, attractiveness of long term prospects, quality of management and firm’s capacity to create value. The big four, Coca-Cola, American Express, Gillette and Wells Fargo have all these characteristics. For instance Coca- Cola has been in business since 1919(Reuters). It is a multinational with the biggest market share worldwide. Coca-Cola’s finished beverage products bearing its trademarks are sold in more than 200 countries (reuters.com). Buffet looks at what the consumers are looking for and what the general economic trend is at that time and what it will be over time. He researches a company as a whole and looks at what people want and what people are transitioning into in the future. For instance most of his investments in the big four were done in 1992. During these 13 years we can see how well the big four have performed compare with the S& P 500 S & P 500 At January 1992 adjusted to dividends and splits =408.78 At December 2005 adjusted to dividends and splits =1248.29 n=13 Return =8.96% American Express. Price at January 1992 adjusted to dividends and splits =4.02 Price at December 2005 adjusted to dividends and splits =49.68 N= 13 Return =21.34% Wells Fargo Price at January 1992 adjusted to dividends and splits =2.69 Price at December 2005 adjusted to dividends and splits =28.25 N=13 Return =19.82% Coca-Cola Price at January 1992 adjusted to dividends and split =14.5 Price at December 2005 adjusted to dividends and splits 37.50 N=13 Return =7.50% 6. From Warren Buffett’s perspective, what is the intrinsic value? Why is it accorded such importance? How is it estimated? What are the alternatives to intrinsic value? Why does Buffett reject them? Answer1: a. the discounted value of the cash that can be taken out of a business during its remaining life. Intrinsic value is per-share progress. Buffett assessed intrinsic value as the present value of future expected performance. b. Because if focuses on ability to earn returns in excess of the cost of capital, not accounting profit. Only logical way is to evaluate the relative attractiveness. c. The gain in intrinsic value could be modeled as the value added by a business above and beyond the charge for the use of capital in that business. d. Accounting profit, performance of Berkshire by its size, consolidated reported earnings e. Accounting reality was conservative, backward looking, and governed by GAAP (measures in terms of net profit). Investment decisions should be based on economic reality. This includes intangible assets such as patents, trademarks, special managerial expertise, reputation, etc. Answer2: The definition of intrinsic value according to Mr. Buffet is the present value of all future expected cash flows or performance. The measurements of intrinsic value are focused on the ability of the company to earn a return in excess of the cost of capital including the opportunity cost. Intrinsic value is not based only on the net profit. Alternatives to intrinsic value: 1) Accounting profit. Mr. Buffet believes that the true value of a company is based on its intrinsic value not on its accounting profit. Financial statements prepared by accountants are conformed around rules that do not adequately represent the economic reality of business. 2) Technical analysis. Mr. Buffet rejects the technical analysis that attempts to predict the stock prices based on momentum of trends. He believes in long term investment. 3) Efficient market hypothesis. Mr. Buffet rejects the efficient market hypothesis theory (EHM). He believes that there are opportunities out there. Investing should be based on information analysis of the company. 7. Critically assess Buffett’s investment philosophy. Be prepared to identify points where you agree and disagree with him. Answer1: Warren Buffett has a very simple method of investment strategy compared to other investors. Buffett’s philosophy is defined in 8 elements. We will discuss whether we agree or disagree with each one individually. We agree with Buffett’s first element of analyzing economic reality of investments. Most investors focus on financial statements and net profit, but don’t take into consideration intangible assets such as management experience and patents. We also agree with Buffett’s second element of lost opportunity cost comparison. By analyzing expected returns of an investment compared to the rate of return of using that same investment money in another investment, Buffett takes a simple idea that everyone uses in almost every decision, and applies it to a much more complex investment strategy. Everyone weigh’s the alternative when making a decision, whether that decision is a choice of a coffee or a coke or something more complex like a college education versus not getting an education. Buffett uses the third element of intrinsic value instead of book value or historical data to determine his investment choices. We agree with this element, but do believe a combination of the two methods would work better to show historically how the company has performed, and how much that company will be worth in the future. The rate of return reflects more of the economic value of an investment. In the fourth element, Buffett measures performance by per share basis. We do agree with his reasoning for using this method, but we think overall performance should be measured as well to show a better figure of what the whole is worth compared to the parts. The fifth element is one that we don’t agree with. Buffett uses a 30 year U.S. Treasury Bond Rate of Return instead of the traditional CAPM rate, because he believes that his investments are so solid, they don’t need risk factored in. We disagree with his choice for rate of return because all investments have a degree of risk, and return should be factored according to that level of risk. Buffett not believing in risk is like someone not believing we breathe air. Even though we can’t see it, it is still there. The sixth element is also a point of disagreement for me. Buffett says he doesn’t believe in diversification of investments, even stating that diversification is considered protection against ignorance. What Buffett does not realize is that by saying he does not believe in diversification, he is being a hypocrite. Berkshire Hathaway itself is a massively diverse company with several subsidiaries and holdings in many different industries from apparel to energy. Buffett may own most of his stock in his own company, but he knows by diversifying Berkshire, he will avoid adding more risk, which is exactly the strategy that is used by other investors when diversifying their stocks. We agree with the seventh element that investment decisions should be made by doing proper research on information about the company, and not by following an anonymous tip or a gut feeling. Finally, we agree with the eighth element that a firm’s management and shareholders should have the same goals for the firm. Management should have most of their wealth in company stock so as to serve the shareholders better in day-to-day decision making that affects the value of their investments. Answer2: Mr. Buffet does not believe in diversification. We believe that diversification helps in times like the one that the market is having right know. For instance stock value of American Express in the last year has ranged from $53 a year ago to $15 dollars this week resulting in a loss of 70 % and also the market value of Wells Fargo is down by 65% (yahoo finance). If you compare those two companies with the S & P during the last year it is only down by 40%. This also means that market risk is still there. We believe that Mr. Buffet has not had a situation in the economy such as the one that the country is having now. Even he, the guru of investments is losing money, so we know that the risk is there. We agree on his philosophy on investing behavior. It should not be driven by emotion or hunch but should be a well thought out plan that came about by information, analysis and self-discipline. If you go by hunch or emotion then anyone can work you up and sell you the worst deal of your life, but make you think it is the best one you will ever get. We agree with his belief on the alignment of owners and investors. It is always a good thing when the owner has more than 50% of his net worth invested in the company because the goal would definitely be increasing shareholder wealth. 8. Should Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholders endorse the acquisition of PacifiCorp? Answer1: Yes, PacifiCorp will add around $250 million in net income for MidAmerican Holdings if PacifiCorp keeps at its same net income pattern of the last two years. This added net income will increase shareholder wealth in Berkshire Hathaway and provide a stable long term investment for the future. Also, since PacifiCorp’s intrinsic value is comparable to the industry, Berkshire is not adding much more risk to their portfolio. Berkshire should look at adding more of these type safer investments to their portfolio. Answer2: The Berkshire Hathaway shareholders should endorse the acquisition of PacifiCorp. It took a while for Mr. Buffet to finally invest their cash equivalents because he was looking for an â€Å"elephant† which is a company that makes significant gains. Factors that make it a good acquisition include the fact that PacifiCorp is a low-cost energy producer but has the biggest market share among the energy companies which is 1.6 million customers divided among 6 states plus the intrinsic value of the company is much higher than the market value of PacifiCorp.

Federalism Essay essays

Federalism Essay essays Federalism is a political system comprised of several local units of government and one national government that can both make decisions with respect to at least some governmental activities and whose existence is specially protected. Sovereignty is shared so that on some matters the national government is supreme, and on some matters the state governments are supreme. But in the last twenty-five years, the increase of federal mandates on state and local governments has shifted the balance of power between national and state governments. The national government is beginning to have more control over the states actions. Federal mandates are rules imposed by the federal government on the states as conditions for obtaining federal grants or requirements that the states pay the costs of certain nationally defined programs. Unfunded federal mandates usually concern civil rights or the environment. Since the 1970s, the number of federal mandates imposed by Congress and the courts have greatly increased. As more mandates are created by Congress, the national government gains more control over the state governments. The states follow the conditions laid out in the mandates so that they will be eligible to receive money in the form of federal grants. Therefore, the national government is becoming more powerful and the state and local governments are becoming more dependent on and in some ways, subservient to it. One recently enacted mandate is the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was enacted in 1990. It requires businesses and state and local governments to provide the disabled with equal access to services, employment, buildings, and transportation. The objective of this mandate was to give disabled persons equal opportunities and services, and remove any discrimination. Fiscally, this act has created another burden for state and local governments. Local governments are now responsible for making sure that ...

enhance negotiating power essays

enhance negotiating power essays How do you enhance your negotiating power? Negotiation: Strategies for Mutual Gain, is an attempt to answer that. Negotiation: Strategies for Mutual Gain, is a collection of key ideas and process strategies about negotiating and resolving disputes more effectively. It is about breaking the paradigm of winning and losing and transforming negotiation into a search for improved solutions to problems. This book is for all people of all careers and all purposes whether at work, at home, the store or any place were Negotiations ideas prove useful. In this paper I will outline and summarize the methods and ideas of the three main parts of the book, which are: Frameworks for Effective Negotiation, Applying Mutual Gains to Organizations and Perspectives on Individual Negotiators. In part 1, chapter 1 outlines the authors Fisher and Ury techniques to negotiating; in chapter 2 it outlines Raiffas highly analytic approach to negotiating and chapter 3 outlines Strauss theories. Part 2 them es are how to apply the authors mentioned ideas of problem solving frameworks to organizations. In part 3, each of the authors discusses how the issues of individual style, perception and gender affect the process of negotiation. All of the authors offer coherent techniques and incisive ideas for readers to integrate into their own negotiation frameworks (Hall 2). I feel anyone and everyone can use these ideas of negotiation in their lives and become a better negotiator. In chapter one of part one it deals with the issue on how you negotiate and prepare to negotiate. In negotiation the way you negotiate makes all the difference in the world. Negotiation power is the ability to persuade someone to do something (4). There are many sources of negotiation power, one is having good BATNA- Best Alternative To a Negotiation power are people, interests, options and objective criteria. Developing a good working relationship between pa...

Recognizing and Minimizing Tort and Regulatory Risk Paper Essay

Recognizing and Minimizing Tort and Regulatory Risk Paper - Essay Example Thus large aspects of toxic torts, negligence torts, application of strict liability rules may form a substantial part of its legal milieu and needs to be addressed to, from time to time. The need to abide by environmental protection norms and guidelines and to evolve a suitable mechanism to tackle ostensible environmental violations, including water pollution management caused by discharge of effluents into the lake is pre-eminent. It is seen that tort occurs outside the ambit of contract. In other words, it is not necessary that contractual liability needs to be present in order to file a suit for tort damages. Thus if a person is walking down the road and a slab of concrete falls on his leg, he could bring a suit for Tort of negligence on the perpetrator. There need be no contractual obligation between the parties, unlike Law of Contract, to enforce claim for damages on the wrongful parties. Besides seeking access for compensation and penal damages for past environmentally harmful conduct, plaintiffs may seek injunctive relief to prevent potential health detriments. Manufacturing plants that, inter alia, empty â€Å"chemicals that poison the water† which may be used for human satiation, create risks of health hazards. (Tort Law: Damages, 2008). Thus under tort laws, if the Courts are of the opinion that the harm, or nuisance value outweighs its benefits, it may order restraint or prevention of such acts, by such plants on the environment. In the past the Company had to face legal action for not following safe toxic chemicals and effluents management systems.(Business regulation, 2008). Again, it has also been seen that Alumina Inc had been found liable for unsafe environmental and effluent treatment practices when a routine water sampling showed lower levels of less than acceptable standard 5 milligrams/liter of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PHA).

Public policy discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Public policy discussion - Assignment Example These environmental discussions are still held every year in chosen countries around the world. Part 1 The states have become an alternative avenue in the formulation of the environmental policy in two main ways. One is that the states are faced with varied environmental challenges. The states become an avenue through which the federal government collects data from the citizens of those states. The states are represented in the congress and therefore the issues they raise are heard by the federal government. The federal government uses this information from all the states to formulate a national environmental policy. In the same the federal uses the states to collect information, it is the same channel that the federal government in conjunction with the states governments implement the environmental policy (HarperCollins 56). This is the other function of the states in environmental matters. In addition to this, when the policy is being implemented, its effectiveness should be evalua ted in order to determine whether the desired results are being achieved. This determined through the officials deployed by the government in the states using various programmes. After the Clean Air Act of 1963, changes were made to the Water Pollu ­tion Control Act of 1948 (Robert. This is when Washington started pressing the states to set pollution standards and to come up with implementation frameworks which were based on the federal government's guidelines. Another perfect example is when the Congress gave way to the policy innovation at the end of 1969 when it passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The act provided that it is the role of the Federal Government, in together with State and local governments, and other interested public and private institutions, to put in place achievable means and measures, not forgetting financial and technical support, in a way aimed to maintain and promote the general wellbeing, to develop and promote situations whereby human b eing and the environment could exist in beneficial harmony, and at the same time achieve the economic, and other needs of current and future off springs of Americans. Clinton is praised for his environmental appointments and for his strong government sup ­port for programmes like the restoration of the Florida Everglades and other decision based on new innovations and approaches to ecosystem management. Clinton reversed major decisions of the Reagan- and Bush-era that were highly criti ­cized by environmentalists (Hanna 53). He also increased government expenditure and spending on environ ­mental initiatives, initiatives towards green energy and conservation research, and international populace policies (MarianR 67). Government definitely is a major player in the environmental affairs, and the federal government will go on having unique roles, as will the fifty states and the 80,000 local governments across the United States. The involvement of states in environmental regulati ons crafted by the federal government varies from one state to another based on the environmental challenges they might be facing. In the past two decades, the states are coming up with their own environmental policies which are of course in line with the federal gover

Comedian Russell Peters' jokes are controversial in that it is racial Essay

Comedian Russell Peters' jokes are controversial in that it is racial - Essay Example Many authors consider him a comedian using every slang term to make audience laugh at the cost of the racial identities. In the subsequent part of this paper, first race and comedy are elaborated and is followed by the analysis of the racist jokes of Peters before summarization. Race and Comedy The race based comedy is not new. In the older times, it was a part of the entertainer’s role to include openly racist stereotypes, degrading the socially deprived groups living within the community with no sign of apology. Undoubtedly, such stereotypes represented the existing realities in which certain races were clearly highlighted as superior to other races. Everyday racism exists in a wide range of interactions (Tator and Henry 27). The racist expressions involve in the many and small ways in which racism is experienced in the manifestations such as anecdotes, behaviors , racialised, sexualized and ethnicised jokes, gestures, glares and glances and in other forms of speech. And, mo st of the time, not the perpetrator but the victim painfully feels the impacts of the racially based comments. Although racist sentiments may be highlighted in less overt ways in the recent times, some racists use comedy as an ideal tool for mocking ethnic and other minorities. In this regard, Billig contends that if today there are taboos against the outward expression of racism, then the racist joke represents a way of expressing the unsayable (Humor and Hatred 285). Hutcheon argues that humor is not far from hatred, reaching at the level of unambiguous gender or ethnicity stereotypes along with requiring suspension of empathy where the victim being an object of ridicule (268). Humor consists of complex connotations. Hutcheon states that humor represents paradoxes as the utterance of humor may leave opposite pragmatic effects: what is welcomed as polemical and transgressive to some might be insulting to others and what is subversive for some may be offensive to others (p.52). This makes an analysis of ethnic humor so complex; is there a point making the joke as non-offensive? Absolutely not, the potential to offend lies within many types of humor, even if majority of the audience cannot stop roaring with laughter (Hirji 570). Analysis of Russell Peters Jokes The main function of racist jokes is to reinforce the presumed superiority of one ethnic or racial group over another (Howlitt and Owusu-Bempah 50). Without question, Peters does make audience a good laugh. However, what is the root of the racist joke? Is the joke offering difference depending upon who is the subject (Hirji 575)? Hijri quotes some lines of Peters as saying that somebody is going to get hurt real bad (575); delivered in a thick Indian accent with an aim of highlighting a mimicking fathers who threaten their children with violence and severe punishment; pertaining to his own family or to South Asians generally: This joke does highlight the issues around race and in particular cultures and its integration in a humorous way; at the same time, it does raise some questions about the domestic violence as well. In one of his famous jokes in which he speaks about the difference between Asians and South Asians saying that I think the god that making Indian people was making some kind of practical joke with all the other gods†¦. It’s hot and we’re hairy. Men and women [laughs at audience reaction]. Indian girls are getting mad, putting down their sleeves [mimics their angry reaction] ‘

Internet Use in Real Estate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Internet Use in Real Estate - Essay Example Using internet in real estate marketing; for the years industry analyst had predicted a growth in internet uses and fundamental changes in the real estate services, though the number of the internet users continue to grow, changes in the real estate services have not been that fundamental. The increase in the use of internet, specifically the World Wide Web (www) in the past ten years or so has been exceptional and has impacted almost every sector in developed nations. Among the most significant aspect in individuals' lives, is their housing condition. In many western countries this is normally a residential property which is owned by the person occupying it. Thus owner-occupiers have a high interest in the way residential markets operate. Which the trend in the market changing and many real estate firms adopting internet as a marketing tool, for selling, advertising and listing, this paper will seek to find out how the use of world wide web and e-commence has impacted the real estate industry and how a company can adopt the use of internet in its operations (Baen and Guttery, 1997) To address this subject, the study paper will carry on, along the following field: internet will have to be defined for reasons of theoretical clarity; e-commerce, definition and essentials, and functions will be underscored; reasons for real estate using e-commerce will be discuses, and how to create an effective website for real estate companies will be discussed at length; and lastly "a way forward" in terms of a conclusion will be provided How the characteristics of e-commerce make it a new force in business operations What is e-commerce E-commerce is the trade of services and products by means of computer networks or the internet. Chan, Lee, & Dillon, (2001) defines e-commerce as selling and buying of goods or services using electronic media it follows the basic principles of traditional commerce but in this case, buyers and sellers swap commodities through the internet for money. In e-commerce sellers and consumers of products transact business over networked computerized processes. This has offered maximum convenience to buyers and sellers alike. (Kroll, 2000) Buyers in this form of business get the opportunity to compare prices, quality and other factors before deciding to undertake the transaction. The buyer gets advantages of saving on physical transport costs and he/she can a product even from far place on a click of the mouse. Importance of e-commerce as a strategic component of real estates business E-commerce serves as a vital strategic tool for companies. When e-commerce is well used in real estate compa

The Main Problems Of Fast Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Main Problems Of Fast Food - Essay Example Fast food restaurants have become a factor that makes families spend less time together since mealtime is the only time a family has for all its members to come together for sharing experiences. With fast food restaurants, the family time has been eaten away, and especially for the youngsters who prefer fast food restaurant because of it a place where they hang out with their fellow peers. Even though I see fast food restaurants as an intervention of current generation in the way ready-made food is served in a faster way, it is a big concern the way these foods have high amounts of salts and fats hence have adverse effects on our health. It is important, therefore, to make good choices during the process of ordering food in a restaurant while being active in our daily lifestyle in order to minimize adverse effects of fast foods. Preventing overweight usually involves balancing of energy while addressing factors that greatly affect eating and the physical activity (Boyle, Long and Rot h 328). A hard-working professional who is working in a city will definitely prefer readymade food due to various reasons, and with the benefits and setbacks that come with fast foods, many of them have centered their interests on the positive effects of eating fast foods. Many people who often find no time to prepare food at home opt to take fast food because it takes few minutes to be ready. Nevertheless, besides all the advantages that come with fast foods, they also come with setbacks hence they are not an exception.

Competitive analysis of a business firm Assignment

Competitive analysis of a business firm - Assignment Example Introduction The company selected for the project is Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. It is a brewing company of America and operates in 13 breweries in the country. The company is based in St. Louis, Missouri. Apart from packaging and brewing operations, the company also engages itself in agricultural operations, recycling operations as well as manages subsidiary owned property. The company supplies its products through a network that involves 500 independent wholesalers as well as 13 wholly state owned enterprises (Anheuser-Busch, 2012). The successful business organizations understand the purpose of value creation for the existing employees, customers and the investors. They are also aware that the interests of the groups are inter-related. Sustainable value should be created for all the three groups simultaneously. From the point of view of the customers, value creation means availability of products and services that are useful to them. From the perspective of the employees, value creation means treating all employees in a respectful fashion and involves themselves in the decision makings while value creation for the investors means obtaining high returns on their investments (Holland, 2001, p. 3). The mission of a certain company should be defined in terms of the primary value adding activities. Therefore, it is of utmost interests for the managers to devote time to analyze the dynamics of value creation. But managers tend to take decisions that systematically reduce the long term possibility of the firm to create value. They tend to define the interests of the organizations narrowly and this view was reinforced by the financial accounting systems (O'Malley, 1998). It is possible for business to create value in the following ways: reducing the transaction costs (for consumers / producers) reducing the costs of producers changing the perceptions of perceived benefits The firms offer some advantages where the transaction costs are lower. Market transactions i nvolve the use of real resources such as time and search costs as well as drawing up and enforcing contracts. Economies of scale can also crop us if the market transactions involve the use of real resources. The common ownership of the resources of production are sometimes less costly than a series of arrangements with independent contractors when there are specialized assets and expertise involved (Forbes, 2012). The factors driving value creation The history of the selected company is one of success as well as innovation. There has not been any real growth in the product market of the company in the time period under consideration in the graph above but the company faired particularly well in the stock market. In the last decade the domestic demand for beer went flat. The year 1996 marked the year where the company was able to create substantial value. In that year only 55 of the total produced in the company were sold outside United States. In the two year period of 1996 to 1998, the invested capital of the company grew by about 1.9 billion dollars. The enterpris3 value of the company grew by around 13.4 billion dollars (Arnold and Shockley, 2002, pp. 1-6). The estimated enterprise value of the company is shown in the graph below. The value of the company’s assets in place grew only slightly over the excess of capital invested. This indicates low growth of the existing market. The real value creation can be observed in the generation of 10 billion dollars worth of growth options for the company. In

Internet Use in Real Estate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Internet Use in Real Estate - Essay Example Using internet in real estate marketing; for the years industry analyst had predicted a growth in internet uses and fundamental changes in the real estate services, though the number of the internet users continue to grow, changes in the real estate services have not been that fundamental. The increase in the use of internet, specifically the World Wide Web (www) in the past ten years or so has been exceptional and has impacted almost every sector in developed nations. Among the most significant aspect in individuals' lives, is their housing condition. In many western countries this is normally a residential property which is owned by the person occupying it. Thus owner-occupiers have a high interest in the way residential markets operate. Which the trend in the market changing and many real estate firms adopting internet as a marketing tool, for selling, advertising and listing, this paper will seek to find out how the use of world wide web and e-commence has impacted the real estate industry and how a company can adopt the use of internet in its operations (Baen and Guttery, 1997) To address this subject, the study paper will carry on, along the following field: internet will have to be defined for reasons of theoretical clarity; e-commerce, definition and essentials, and functions will be underscored; reasons for real estate using e-commerce will be discuses, and how to create an effective website for real estate companies will be discussed at length; and lastly "a way forward" in terms of a conclusion will be provided How the characteristics of e-commerce make it a new force in business operations What is e-commerce E-commerce is the trade of services and products by means of computer networks or the internet. Chan, Lee, & Dillon, (2001) defines e-commerce as selling and buying of goods or services using electronic media it follows the basic principles of traditional commerce but in this case, buyers and sellers swap commodities through the internet for money. In e-commerce sellers and consumers of products transact business over networked computerized processes. This has offered maximum convenience to buyers and sellers alike. (Kroll, 2000) Buyers in this form of business get the opportunity to compare prices, quality and other factors before deciding to undertake the transaction. The buyer gets advantages of saving on physical transport costs and he/she can a product even from far place on a click of the mouse. Importance of e-commerce as a strategic component of real estates business E-commerce serves as a vital strategic tool for companies. When e-commerce is well used in real estate compa

Competitive analysis of a business firm Assignment

Competitive analysis of a business firm - Assignment Example Introduction The company selected for the project is Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. It is a brewing company of America and operates in 13 breweries in the country. The company is based in St. Louis, Missouri. Apart from packaging and brewing operations, the company also engages itself in agricultural operations, recycling operations as well as manages subsidiary owned property. The company supplies its products through a network that involves 500 independent wholesalers as well as 13 wholly state owned enterprises (Anheuser-Busch, 2012). The successful business organizations understand the purpose of value creation for the existing employees, customers and the investors. They are also aware that the interests of the groups are inter-related. Sustainable value should be created for all the three groups simultaneously. From the point of view of the customers, value creation means availability of products and services that are useful to them. From the perspective of the employees, value creation means treating all employees in a respectful fashion and involves themselves in the decision makings while value creation for the investors means obtaining high returns on their investments (Holland, 2001, p. 3). The mission of a certain company should be defined in terms of the primary value adding activities. Therefore, it is of utmost interests for the managers to devote time to analyze the dynamics of value creation. But managers tend to take decisions that systematically reduce the long term possibility of the firm to create value. They tend to define the interests of the organizations narrowly and this view was reinforced by the financial accounting systems (O'Malley, 1998). It is possible for business to create value in the following ways: reducing the transaction costs (for consumers / producers) reducing the costs of producers changing the perceptions of perceived benefits The firms offer some advantages where the transaction costs are lower. Market transactions i nvolve the use of real resources such as time and search costs as well as drawing up and enforcing contracts. Economies of scale can also crop us if the market transactions involve the use of real resources. The common ownership of the resources of production are sometimes less costly than a series of arrangements with independent contractors when there are specialized assets and expertise involved (Forbes, 2012). The factors driving value creation The history of the selected company is one of success as well as innovation. There has not been any real growth in the product market of the company in the time period under consideration in the graph above but the company faired particularly well in the stock market. In the last decade the domestic demand for beer went flat. The year 1996 marked the year where the company was able to create substantial value. In that year only 55 of the total produced in the company were sold outside United States. In the two year period of 1996 to 1998, the invested capital of the company grew by about 1.9 billion dollars. The enterpris3 value of the company grew by around 13.4 billion dollars (Arnold and Shockley, 2002, pp. 1-6). The estimated enterprise value of the company is shown in the graph below. The value of the company’s assets in place grew only slightly over the excess of capital invested. This indicates low growth of the existing market. The real value creation can be observed in the generation of 10 billion dollars worth of growth options for the company. In

Cold War between 1945-1949 Essay Example for Free

Cold War between 1945-1949 Essay The Cold War starting from 1945 to its end had lasted for 44 years. 44 years of different degrees and stages of tension between the two Superpowers. Who was to blame for the outbreak and development of the Cold War? Both sides were to blame, and the Soviet policies between 1945 and 1949 were, thus, responsible for it to a certain extent. Economically, the Soviets did not allow its Eastern Bloc to receive the USs Marshall Plan aid, and set up Comecon to oppose it, and these actions by the Soviets increased the tensions between the US and the USSR. Marshall Plan was first introduced by Secretary of States George C. Marshall at Harvard University on June 5, 1947 and was passed by the US congress in March 1948. The Marshall Plan was aimed to help the reconstruction of the post-war European countries, and the countries that needed it. It was an economic and technical aid. 10% of the American GDP would go into the aid. As the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had once said, It was the most unselfish act in history, and it was a stunning success. However, the Russian historians can argue that it was not the most unselfish act in history. Their reason was that if the countries wanted to receive the aid, it had to open up to America and would give America a chance to look into their infrastructures and how damaged the countries were. This was not what Stalin wanted; he did not want the USA to know about how devastated Soviets was. Therefore, the USSR foreign minister, Vyancheslav Molotov, called the Marshall Plan the Dollar Imperialism. The USSR then in 1949 set up Comecon as a counter-Marshall Plan organization formed primarily to prevent the Central European countries that had expressed interest in the Marshall Plan from getting the money. Thus, the increased in tension because of the USSR preventing countries from taking the Marshall aid could not fully blamed on the USSR. Politically, Winston Churchill, the former British Prime Minister, gave the Fulton Speech, which only contributed to the increasing tension between the two superpowers. On March 5 1946, Mr. Churchill gave his Sinews of Peace in Fulton, Missouri, which was the famous Iron Curtain Speech, and in which he condemned the USSR for taking over other countries and called for the union of English-speaking countries to fight it. For this, the Russian  called Churchill a warmonger. The reason why this happened was because on October 9, 1944, Stalin and Churchill had a secret pact in Moscow where they agreed on the Spheres of influence in Balkans. In other words, Churchill gave Soviets the part which it took over later on, and condemned Stalin for doing what he agreed on. His was acting as a hypocrite. Therefore, the decline in the relation between the USSR and the West was not solely because of the USSR. Militarily, the Berlin Blockade in June 1948, which was the closest point where the World War Three might break out before Cuban Missile crisis, was started by Stalin, so one may argue that it was Stalins fault. In the orthodox point of view, it was Stalin who started the Blockade and nearly pushed the world into WWIII, so it was his fault. However, when the causes of the Blockade were examined, one may argue otherwise. On June 1, 1948, America and France announced that they were going to combine their zones in West Germany and create a new zone call the Bizonia. They broke the agreement they signed with the USSR in the Potsdam Conference in July 1945, in which they agreed that they would split Germany into four zones so that Germany would not be strong enough to stand up and start WWIII again like what Hitler did. They broke the agreement and broke the remaining trust between them and the USSR. Furthermore, in Potsdam Conference, they also agreed that the USSR could take 10% of the other three German zones GDP as reparation, but they never paid the money. Even Stalin himself said that the real reason why he started the Blockade was because of American and Frances introduction of the new currency in the West zone which directly cost the East Germany a lot of skilled workers because they all fled to the West zone, the effect of the two causes listed previously above could not be neglected. Therefore, even though it was Stalin who started the blockade but it was not entirely his fault in doing so. From the reasons above, examined from military, economic and political point of views, the outbreak and development of the Cold War was not only the USSRs fault, but also the West. Therefore, the Soviets was responsible for it to only an extent.

Business Ethics And Surrounding Theories Philosophy Essay

Business Ethics And Surrounding Theories Philosophy Essay Business ethics for quite some time now has been a global issue as the case maybe in business deliveries. Business ethics may be defined as way managers take decision that will make their business reputation to be morally sound in business transaction. It entails that transparency is involve in decision making, ethical issue in business delivery is very vital to protect the image of the company (Boatright 2007). Business ethics helps managers to take the right decision in business transaction in other to keep their business moving at a rapid growth in the economy (Nash 1990) Ethics can also be defined as the study of how morality are involve in human decision to build their business reputation (Borland 1999).Ethical solution to business transaction has a lot possible solution to make business to deliver it objectives. The term ethics also has another, quite different use as the case may be which is to denote the field of moral philosophy. Every manager has a way to show transparency and accountability to the business approach, in other to make the right decision in business. ETHICAL THEORIES Teleological frameworks: these are the conduct of an individual or the outcome of an individual action.(mill, 1864).Ethical egoism entails that the decision that individual take will be in mutual interest of the organisation and balance it to be mutual beneficial in business transaction. Ego is derived from a Latin word meaning self, ethical egoism allows for self-interests to play a role in the actions of the individual as long as there are also positive benefits for others. The level of rationalization may evolve into the justification that pursuing a person self- interest is necessary to generate a positive outcome for others.(Beauchamp and Bowie 1997). Deontological frameworks: This aspect focuses whether the action is right or wrong on ethical issues. The duty of the person taking such decision is highly considered as the case may be in ethics. Ethical theories; these theories involves the way or approach which are linked with philosophical empiricism and utilitarianism.(George 1999). The act of utilitarianism deals with the decision that one will take which will make him feel relax in business transaction and the outcome of the business will be positive depending on the application. The rule utilitarian states that the decision the managers will result in potential rules of action. (Graham 1990). Business reputation in the context of business to business, deals with a way manager relate with other vital issue which will protect the image of the company. If adherence to the rule produces more positive result than otherwise, it is a rule that morally will be highly considered. The distinction between act and rule utilitarianism is based on the outcome should be highly considered in calculating the effect on business related issues. UTILITARIANISM: According to utilitarianism, our obligation or duty in any situation is to perform the action that will result in the possible balance of good over evil. ln classical utilitarianism, pleasure is taken to be more beneficial to compare with pain and harms which are evil. Rule or outcome of utilitarianism stipulated some issue which are questionable in its conduct in decision making process, in some specific circumstances the outcome is not favourable. Rule utilitarianism add, however that some times their are level of consideration in decision making that managers will take in other to make the right decision in business delivery. However, within rule utilitarianism there is a distinction between the strictness and absolutism of this particular branch of utilitarianism. Strong Rule Utilitarianism is an absolutist theory, which frames strict rules that apply for all people and all time and may never be broken. According to John Stuart Mill that managers should be keen in taking decision that will produce a positive output in business transaction. An example would be utilitarian might say do not lie, if the decision will yield profit that managers should consider the decision. EGOISM: All philosophical egoism holds that there are relationships between how people react to business decision that will influence them positively. The psychological egoist entails that managers will hide some decision because they have interest on it. PSYCOLOGICAL EGOISM: these entail the psychoanalysis that are involved in human actions and how managers take a positive decision in business transaction (Derry, 1987). The psychological egoist might reply that some such of the decision that managers will take are for the best interest of the company. After all, the manager did what he most wanted to do, and so must have been pursuing his perceived business decision that will make him to maximize profit. In one sense, this is true. If self-interest is considered with the satisfaction of all of ones preferences, then all deliberate action is self-interested at least if intentional actions are always explained by citing the reason why such decision is taking in business transaction. Psychological egoism turns out to be the way managers behave and relate their decision in business delivery. They intend an empirical theory that, like other such theories, it is at least possible to refute by observation in business decision (Freeman 1993). The psychological egoist entails why the decision of managers always influence the outcome of the company output in business transaction because they have interest. Perhaps as infants we have only self-regarding desires; we come to desire other things, such as doing our duty, by learning that these other things satisfy our self-regarding desires in business transaction . We pursue the other things for their own reason or effect because the reason why the are considered are vital in decision making. Even if this picture of development is true, however, it does not defend psychological egoism, since it admits that we sometimes ultimately aim at things other than our welfare because of business reputation. Business decision that are volatile should not be taking for granted because it will tarnish the image of the company or their reputation. The managers decision should be at a level that will be fair in business transaction, even if he would not have to negotiate but let the outcome o f the decision be positive (Freeman 1993). RATIONALIZING UNETHICAL BEHAVIOURS Ethics is about being and doing the right thing, not just presenting the right idea. When a corporation made some decision it might be ethical or unethical depending on the situation. Managers may try the short cut in other to raise their share prices, ultimately trying to satisfy or please the shareholders and increase their own bonuses.(Murray 2004). The institute of business ethics has a three cardinal point that deals with ethical test that are involve in business decision making. According to the statement that business reputation has being on the down ward trend means that the level of business transparency has been reduced drastically. Transparency: these involves sharing idea to others in the process of decision making .it also means making ones actions known to others when discussion are going on in a critical manner. It also entails that the more open a person in discussing his or her action to others, the more comfortable the person who are involve will feel that the decision is right in business transaction.(Bentham 2008).Effect: these are the impact the decision has on individual or parties that are involved. Decision makers will always be involve or aware of who will be directly or indirectly influenced by their actions. The decision taken may be ethical or unethical business standard depending on the application.(Ban tam 2008). Fairness: these involve making a decision that are fair to all in an ethical ways and even considering unethical ways. All the ethical theories above shows that business reputation needs a total overhaul as the case may be in business delivery.(Bentham 2008). EXAMINING REPUTATION IN BUSINESS ETHICS Business reputation has been on the downward because of ethical violation which the decision makers thought to be small. The decision makers have to consider the corporate code of ethics, professional will feel the small ethical violation is all right and will begin to justify all ethical lapses, no matter the size (Kant 2004). Moreover, business reputation in the market place should be a positive reputation. A lot of companies are trying all they can to protect the image of their company. Business reputation is a precious commodity, a lot of companies work hard to protect or maintain the image they have created. Many companies have realized that ones these image has been tarnished that is always difficult to restore. As an applied discipline, business ethics can be viewed as a way doing business in a responsible manner. Business operates on the underlying value of trust. it takes only one choice to change or tarnish the image of a company business reputation (Boatright 2007). CASE STUDIES Mr Cameron is trying to breathe a new life into an initiative which he believes is often misunderstood and unfairly mocked. He said is vision is to restore the broken society with the big society. David Cameron chief policy adviser Steve Hilton has been trying to stop him from doing deep think stuff at the moment and also tried to reduce or induce the prime minister vision or idea on big society.(Easton,2011).According to Easton has announce his extra cash for charities, more places in the National citizen service and new details of creating a big society bank with  £200 million. Cameron quotes that their are three key strands to the big society: 1. Encouraging social and voluntary action. 2. Decentralising power. 3. Reforming public services. Analysing Camerons quote in the big society with Deontological frameworks. These are the application of deontological approach in dealing with a volatile economy. Deontological focuses on whether the decision is favourable or not, it focuses on the duty or obligation in determining whether the action is right or wrong. (Stawick 2010).He focuses more on cuts and the other hand encouraging social and voluntary action. Under the above analysis of the prime minister on big society, he is using deontological approach on the society at large. According to Nigel carshew who ask a very vital question why is the big society bank not a social enterprise? The statement shows that the level of transparency in business reputation of big society is questionable. One of the effect is that the money which is been invested is a public money and at the same time use it to enrich the shareholders pocket.(Cohen ,2011).There is increasing evidence that council are choosing to slash grants rather than hit frontline services. Everyone assume its the cuts that are damaging us. But, letting local authorities do what they want with money is hurting us just as much (Collins 2011). ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND According to Philip (2011) he stressed that a lot of bankers are paid above their average pay while the Bank of England deputy governor said that bank should be allowed to fail without the tax payers money (Philip 2011).Royal bank of Scotland has been allocating bonuses and paying their staff above normal average pay which made the bank to go bankrupt in business delivery. This is an ethical issue in business reputation because they are using tax payers money for their personal use. Bankers were busy sharing money in the boom years and the tax payers are now paying for the cost of their failure. (Tucker 2011).The bank has shared above  £280 million pounds on bonuses to their bankers which has led to a collapse in the banking sector. CONCLUSION: The ethical business standard that is involved in business delivery above shows that business reputation is a precious commodity. According to David Rosser quote that Business reputation has been on a downward trend for too long and is a concern to growing number of business leaders. Dr Barry morgan,the arch bishop of Wales quote that MBA graduate should be taking a hypocritical oath upon completion of their degree. According to Dr Barry Morgan, he is pointing his view based on religious aspect not in business transaction that MBA graduate should play it according to the rules upon the oath taken like the medical doctors. Business reputation has two sides one is ethical and the other is unethical depending on the application in business transaction. Business reputation has been on the downward trend for too long because managers of business has being taking ethical issues for granted in their business to business transaction. Under the above assumptions on big society, business reputation has been reduced in the area of transparency and accountability. Royal Bank of Scotland decision to give their staff bonuses with depositors funds have jeopardized their business reputation and at the same time make the managers decision questionable.

The Irrelevance of a College Education Essay -- Educating Education Es

The Irrelevance of a College Education Finding myself a college junior at age 56, I have often thought about why one might want an education in the first place. When asked why it's taken me so long to complete college, well almost complete, my reasons are both simple and complex. I never real ly liked high school that much and my family moved around a lot. As a result, I attended several high schools. In retrospect, I now understand that high school is difficult even if one never moves. But I digress. Why get a college education? Would I be sm arter? More importantly, would people around me think of me as smarter? In fact, did it really matter at all what people around me thought? Was it money then, or pride? Perhaps it was respect. Starting college at night in 1965, I decided to take all the "required courses" to get them out of the way. I don't recall having an advisor back then, nor do I remember asking for one who might have suggested there was no rush in taking the "required co urses" immediately, but rather to take some courses that I might enjoy. So I enrolled in night school and took classes in Western Civilization and Economics. The Western Civ class (as it was called back then) was ok, but the only thing I learned from Econ omics was that the professor cleared his throat 26 times in the course of a minute. Feeling nothing was to be gained in a class where I was counting the clearing of a professor's throat, I dropped out, never bothering to withdraw from the class, but that' s another story. A couple of years later I decided to go back to school. I was a young newlywed at the time, working to put my husband through college, but still convinced I should take the courses I was mandated to have what difference if I en... ...hy? why? why? To me, when we can begin to answer that question, we will all be better off. And more importantly, we should then all be able to answer the question why get a college education? Works Cited Hart, Jeffrey, "How to Get a College Education." Lunsford, Andrea and John Ruszkiewicz, The Presence of Others: Voices and Images That Call for Response 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin's 2000. 126-132. Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition. 1999 ed. hooks, bell, "Keeping Close to Home: Class and Education." Lunsford, Andrea and John Ruszkiewicz, The Presence of Others: Voices and Images That Call for Response 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin's 2000. 93-104. Rose, Mike, "Lives on the Boundary." Lunsford, Andrea and John Ruszkiewicz, The Presence of Others: Voices and Images That Call for Response 3rd ed. New York: St. Martin's 2000. 105-119.

I already donated a few :: essays research papers

Short Summary of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the story of a boy living on the Mississippi River during the 1840's. It relates the experiences of Huck and Jim, a runaway slave. The book is a continuation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and recaptures its playful, lighthearted spirit. The book begins with Huck living with Widow Douglas who is trying to "sivilize" him. He finds this lifestyle terribly constricting but he tries to make a the best of the situation. The narrative takes a darker tone with the return of Pap Finn, Huck's drunken father. A judge rejects Judge Thatcher and the Widow Douglas' attempt to be appointed Huck's legal guardian, and Pap goes on a drinking binge to celebrate his victory. Pap excepts to get Huck's entire fortune and takes Huck to a deserted cabin three miles upriver, to keep a close eye on him. Huck is unhappy, fakes his own death, and escapes in a canoe to Jackson's Island. On his third day on the island, Huck meets Jim, a black boy, whom he knows from Hannibal. It turns out that Jim has run away from his master, to seek his freedom. The two boys get along very well and forge a strong friendship. After several weeks, Huck gets word that the island is about to be searched for Jim. The two pack up some things, and head down the river on a raft. Their plan is to reach Cairo, Illinois, where they will take a steamboat up the Ohio River to the free states. Their attempts are thwarted by poor weather conditions and they soon discover that they have passed the small town of Cairo in the fog. The two boys change their plans and continue their journey downriver. During the journey, Huck and Jim's friendship grows considerably, and the two become like family. Huck and Jim are separated when their raft hits a steamboat and Huck goes ashore to stay with a family, the Grangerford's. Huck soon becomes involved in their ongoing feud and leaves when several family members are killed. Huck finds Jim and they are able to continue their journey. At one point, they meet two swindlers, known as the King and Duke. The boys let the men join them on their raft and they in turn participate in their escapades. In one town that the group reaches, King and the Duke stage a "Shakespearean Revival" and they take in over $400.