Bribery - 2208 Words

Research Methodology †¢ Title A study of the effect of bribery and corruption with lack of censorship in the governmental institution There are various reasons why corruption takes place and takes hold. Sometimes it is due to the fact that officials are simply not paid very much and so they need to supplement their salaries with money from bribes. Sometimes the bureaucratic system is set up in such a way that officials simply refuse to carry out their duties unless they are ‘encouraged’ by being offered bribes. In other cases it is actually part of the tradition and culture of a country to give and receive ‘gifts’ in order to get anything done. In some cases companies from less corrupt countries allegedly engage in bribery in order†¦show more content†¦Mostly, corruption occurs in environments where it is tolerated and where the temptation is too strong to resist. In the following paragraph there are some examples of how bribes take place in each and every one of them. The enormous scale of grand corruption in Peru was revealed in 2000 by discoveries leading to the resignation and self–exile of the president, Alberto Fujimori. Video–taped evidence showed that Vladimir Montesano’s, Fujimori’s spy chief, had repeatedly bribed congressmen to defect to Fujimori’s party to ensure its majority in congress. In addition, large bribes had enabled Montesano’s to control most of the media and influence the judiciary. However, Fujimori is credited with having reduced petty corruption. His administration pursued policies reducing the role of government, which he justified not only on efficiency grounds, but on the grounds that reducing the role of government would reduce opportunities for corruption. He attempted to reduce corruption in the police and municipal governments, in the latter case by establishing a supervisory agency to field citizen complaints. However, his reforms of the judiciary are thought to have made it more corrupt. Despite some progress, however, several institutions with which ordinary people have much conta ct were judged to be corrupt by Transparency International in a November 2001 report. ast week did not begin well for Siemens CEO Klaus Kleinfeld, 49, and supervisory boardShow MoreRelatedBribery3420 Words   |  14 PagesBryan Jaeger Business and Ethics UI400-01 April 20, 2015 International Business and Bribery Have you ever bribed someone to let you do something that you weren’t allowed to do? As much as I hate to admit to it, I have done it my fair share of times. Bribery can be a good or bad thing depending on the situation and how the bribe is used. No matter what I believe that bribery can usually lead to bad consequences. Though it can happen for just small things such as slipping someone a 20 dollarRead MoreBribery – the Dilemma1696 Words   |  7 PagesMexico where bribery is commonplace while at the same time trying to ensure that they do not violate their companies code of conduct or worse the government’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). It is a fine line they walk. This paper will help those managers by explaining what bribery is, why it is thought to be an issue, show recently where companies have bribed and been caught as well as offer suggestions that will enable the U.S. manager in Mexico to accomplish what bribery accomplishes butRead MoreInter national Bribery Regulation And The Bribery Act 20101545 Words   |  7 Pages2.4 International Bribery Regulation and the Bribery Act 2010 2.4.1 Development of National and Transnational Ethics Regulations The development of national and international bribery legislation and regulation has been a slow process spanning many centuries, stemming from the recognition of Piracy as the first and true international crime (Duhaime’s Law Dictionary, 2015). Although wide agreement exists on the detrimental impacts of bribery and corrupt practices, many individual countries and transnationalRead MoreCorruption and Bribery1795 Words   |  8 PagesCorruption and Bribery April 29, 2015 Abstract In this paper, I will be writing about corruption and bribery. I will define the terms and go on to explain the regulations that have been put in place to stop corruption and bribery. I will then go on to give examples of major corruption and bribery scandals that companies have recently been in and what has been done to punish said companies for their crime. Intro Corruption is defined in the Merriam-Webster DictionaryRead MoreBribery Corruption2102 Words   |  9 PagesBribery and Corruption: Is Signing the OECD Convention Enough? Darina Tomayeva 500127919 LAW724 Professor Lan Word Count: 1645 Bribery and Corruption: Is Signing the OECD Convention Enough? Before the 1990’s, the conventional belief was that corruption in developing countries was practically inevitable and in some cases even desirable. However, a more in-depth investigation into this issue suggests that bribery and corruption can cause significant problems for all parties involved. ForRead MoreBribery And Corruption Of India716 Words   |  3 Pagesemotionally and intellectually and the presentation of the case that gives a voice. The topic of bribery in India or any other countries for that matter, it is utmost important that we understand the points raised correctly and precisely. For this article, the viewpoint by the author was clear, coherent, and elaborated accordingly to the challenges faced by international firms in the form of bribery and corruption in doing business in the national or state level in India. For every argument, relevantRead MoreSiemens Ag Bribery1261 Words   |  6 PagesSiemens AG Bribery Scandal This paper will focus on the analysis of the well-known and popular bribery scandal in the world, such as Siemens AG Bribery Scandal which occurred in November, 2006. Siemens AG is one of the largest and most popular electrical engineering companies operated in the world. The present company was founded in 1847 in Berlin and is now headquartered in Munich, Germany. The discussion and the proper analysis of this bribery scandal will help to learn many effective lessonsRead MoreBribery And Ethics Of The United States2208 Words   |  9 Pages Bribery and Ethics Sarah A. Rowe Campbellsville University â€Æ' Abstract Bribery has become a common term in the corporate world, specifically when international business deals are discussed. Until 1977, it was legal in the United States to bribe foreign officials in order to receive preference or a better business deal. But, the passing of the Foreign Corruption Practices Act of 1977 and its subsequent amendments made it a criminal act for any organization within the U.S. or foreign organizationRead MoreThe Bribery Scandal at Siemens Ag1661 Words   |  7 Pages1. †¢ In your opinion, is â€Å"bribing† unethical illegal or just a cost of doing business? Discuss this in light of Siemens’ bribery scandal. We believe that bribing is unethical because it takes away the fairness of a business transaction between bidders of a contract. Bribing also has a negative impact on competition because it allows for oligopolies and monopolies to emerge in an industry due to smaller competitors being unable to financially compete with the amount of the bribes. This inRead MoreWalmart de Mexicos Bribery Issue668 Words   |  3 PagesIt’s seemingly that Walmart de Mexico bribery scandal is far from over. Many investigations has been carried out to fully answer what acctually happened in the past, what system failed, and who was responsible for possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which bars bribery of foreign officials, but questions of accountability recently remain unanswered. It also means that Walmart leaders have succeeded in hiding all the important clues to avoid sanctions. The whole thing

Effects Of Depression On Young Females And Increase The...

Depression decreases a person’s overall quality of life. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) a government agency, affirms that â€Å"depression is the most common form of mood disorder in the United States† (NIHM, 2015). â€Å"Depression involves a combination of genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors† (NIMH, 2015). It affects work, family life and relationships. Although depression usually affects adults, children and adolescents experience depression and are most likely affected into adulthood. (Guttmann Sameroff, 2004). This paper will evaluate how conflicts between mother and daughter relationships directly affects depressive symptoms in adolescent girls. Finally, this paper examines the preventive and intervention strategies to help control depression in young females and increase the relationship between mother and daughter during adolescence years. Recent studies have shown that females are at a greater risk to experi ence depression than males (Daley Rao, 2000, Morris, McGrath, Goldman Rottenberg, 2014). Adolescence is a time in young girl’s lives that they are faced with transitions. A time when adolescence begins at 13 years old (Morris, McGrath, Goldman, Rottenberg, 2014) and young girls are faced with increases in social and academic demands (Daley Rao, 2000). According to Gutman and Sameroff (2004), this is a time in an adolescent girl’s life that stressors can predict more serious problems (Gutman Sameroff, 2004).Show MoreRelatedResearch Proposal: Depression in Children Adolescence - A Cause for Concern?3274 Words   |  14 PagesIntroduction Unhappiness among children and adolescents seems to be rising, but labeling it as depression and prescribing antidepressants are ineffective and possibly harmful, (Timimi, S (2005), isnt it about time we focus on the underlying reasons? Common misconceptions and responses to hearing that a child is depressed or has depression are, but what do they have to be depressed about?. Just 40 years ago, many physicians doubted the existence of significant depressive disorders in children, primarilyRead MoreImpact of Divorce on Adolescents Essay2398 Words   |  10 Pagesfamiliar with and it has almost become a normal part of life. While it is assumed that more divorces occur now than in the previous generation, the CDC actually reports that divorce rates have dropped over the past twenty to thirty years, though this could be due to the increase in individuals who live together without ever getting married or those who simply separate and cannot afford to become legally divorced. However, it has become a more talked about subject. Individuals will tell an engaged coupleRead MoreMale Socialization Essays2337 Words   |  10 Pagesideology. Although all family members contributed to subsistence activities during pre-industrial times, men provided the dominant source of authority within the household. When the economy of the U.S. moved outside of the household during the industrial revolution, men’s family roles became primarily concerned with economic support. Due to the nature of this necessary absence of the father from his family, sons (and daughters) viewed their fathers’ role within the family to be primarily that of theRead MoreThe American Psychological Association4036 Words   |  17 Pagesprimary base of the human growth process that starts with the reproduction of cells. The reproduction will include the physical development of the body, brain development and internal organs that are developing during the pregnancy, birth, early, middle, and late childhood, adolescence, early, middle, and late adulthood until the end of life. Additionally, the environments where individuals grow culture and socioeconomic status also influence the person’s personalities. There exist six main theoriesRead MoreThesis, Term Paper, Essay, Research Paper21993 Words   |  88 Pagesreassessed the timing of childbirth and the role of motherhood in their lives (Preston-Whyte and Zondi, 1992). It has been found that the average number of children per woman has been reduced significantly when compared to the trend in the 1970s, and that young women tend to delay motherhood. South Africa has the lowest fertility rate in sub-Saharan Africa and is at par with other developing countries outside region (Anderson, 2002). In the 1998 South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS), it wasRead More Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and The Social Pressures of Adolescents1983 Words   |  8 PagesMale and female adolescents are stifled from expressing themselves based on how they personally relate to their own femininity or masculinity and sex roles. The cause of this constriction of emotions is due in large part to these young people being coerced into obeying the rules of society. In addition, societal constructions seem to totally disregard the physiological and biological aspects of adolescent puberty. We acquire sexual orientation and gender identity during adolescence due toRead MoreFemale Criminality11608 Words   |  46 Pagesï » ¿Female Criminals Assignment Female Criminality consists of several outdated statistics regarding the rise of female offending. However, in viewing the current research on the subject, it appears that the overall theme of this dissertations discussion is still relevant despite changes in the accompanying statistics as seen in viewing the following topics: the rise in female offending; the continual rise that females are committing more crimes than men; and the types of crimes that women are committingRead MoreIntroduction to Human Development2509 Words   |  11 Pagesyour body helps you maintain vitality and life. BASIC CONCEPTS 1. Human Development refers to the biological and psychological development of the human being throughout the lifespan. It consists of the development from infancy, childhood, and adolescence, adulthood to old age. 2. Development refers to the qualitative, progressive series of changes in an orderly and coherent fashion leading to maturation 3. Growth refers to quantitative changes in an individual as he progresses in chronologicalRead MoreAbortion Is a Selfish Choice3961 Words   |  16 PagesExcerpted from Mother Teresa Goes to Washington, Crisis, March 1994, a reprint of Mother Teresa s speech at the National Prayer Breakfast, February 3, 1994; courtesy of the Missionaries of Charity. Mother Teresa is the founder and mother superior of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity, which provides services to needy people around the world. The following viewpoint is excerpted from a speech she gave at a National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on February 3, 1994. Mother Teresa arguesRead MoreWhat Does Biopsychosocial Means?4569 Words   |  19 Pagesprimary base of the human growth process that starts with the reproduction of cells. The reproduction will include the physical development of the body, brain development and internal organs that are developing during the pregnancy, birth, early, middle, and late childhood, adolescence, early, middle, and late adulthood until they die. In addition to the environments where individuals grow, culture and socioeconomic status also influence the person’s personalities. There exist six main theories

Customer Satisfaction - Marketing Metrics And Its Benefits

Question: To properly evaluate a marketing strategy and the way it performs, it is essential to measure market activity using marketing metrics. Marketing metrics are discussed throughout this unit, many metrics can be found in your textbook. They form an important aspect of marketing reporting; increasingly, the Australian Marketing Institute (A.M.I.) is helping member companies use these metrics. Metrics also form the bases of academic research (see Google Scholar and your textbook for examples), with these research articles reporting results on the use of these metrics. Your task is to define customer satisfaction and the measures (metrics) associated with customer satisfaction. Discuss the benefits of these measures to organisations. You are required relate your assignment to a personal experience; apply and discuss the marketing metrics on customer satisfaction to this experience. Give this experience a context by choosing a company (Australian or overseas) and suggest how the marketing manager might use the defined measures (metrics) to improve customer satisfaction in their organisation. Answer: Introduction The market strategy deals with preparation of plans, methods, techniques, etc in order to excel in the competitive and fragment market. Many organizations centers customer to build their market strategy so that they can gain higher profit and sustainable market share (Davis, 2012). In this content, the current assignment will be focusing on the customer and the different customer satisfaction and measurement metrics adopted by the organizations. Marketing Metrics and Its Benefits According to Carr (2012) marketing metrics is considered as a measure to analyse the business operations of the company to know how much they are capable of satisfying the customers. The marketing metrics can be taken up as measures in order to define diagnose causes, phenomena, media impressions, etc so that they can evaluate the trend of their growth. Apart from that Kotler (2012) defines that marketing metrics is concerned with evaluating the marketing strategies so that better plan can be developed in order to meet the future demands and requirements of market and customers. The marketing metrics can be helpful for the organization to analyze their business condition so that they can design their business strategy in order to succeed in the market. The marketing metrics can help the organization in improving or tracking return on investment of their marketing strategies so that incurred cost can be decreased and better result can be gained (Poston, 2012). On the other hand, the marketing metrics can be effective in building marketing strategies. Moreover, the organizations can be able to know where they may need to spend their money and where they can cut the money so that a balance can be maintained in the business operations and supply chain (Arens and Rust, 2011). The company can be able to predict their future budget that may be required for advertising, producing products, etc. The metrics can be useful in knowing the measurement technique that can be helpful in adopting methods so that profit percentage can be engaged (Mamula, 2012). Moreover, the company can be able to take better decision that can benefit the overall organizations. Further, Pilling et al. (2012) discussed that marketing metrics can be helpful in: Quality: The organizations can be to improve their quality of product and process in order to have competitive advantage. The organization can measure their loopholes or errors that may be present in business process or product development and can deliver solution to improve the error (Schulze et al. 2012). Costs: Apart from quality, company can assess the costs that may be required for business growth or in other term, the organization can identify the cost that may go waste and provide no value to consumer (Bailey, 2011). Customers: The metrics can be helpful in giving the idea about the consumer buying patterns or dissatisfaction point of customers related to particular product. Therefore, through the use of marketing metrics organization can evaluate the requirements of customers and their preferences (Ginty et al. 2012). Teams: On the other hand, the organization can also measure the performance of their staffs in given situation. The organizations can use metric such as six sigma or balance scorecard method, etc to assess the productivity and employees performance (Poston, 2012). Customer Satisfaction As per, Wong et al. (2011)customer satisfaction is considered as the marketing terms that is capable of measuring the product or service delivered by the firms. Apart from that, Wood (2011) define customer satisfaction as a metric that helps the business owners or marketers to formulate their strategy in order to improve and manage the business operations. The customer satisfaction provides indication to the organizations that whether their product or services are successful or failure in the market. For instance, if customer rates the product of a company 4 out of 10 then it means that customer is not satisfied. Apart from that, Chris Adalikwu (2012) mentioned that satisfying customer can be effective in decreasing the level of customer churn. Moreover, measuring customer satisfaction would help in placing the process in right place that can increase the total quality in providing customer service. If the consumers are a loyal customers to a company say McDonald can help in increasi ng their sales and revenue and net profit (Ginty et al. 2012). Therefore, it would be valuable for the company to decrease the negative word of mouth. Thus, in order to please the customers, an organization can use the following metrics to gain the higher benefit: Navigational Metrics: This metric is concerned with the advertising in order to navigate the information about the product or service to the customer in order to gain higher profit. However, if the people do not respond to the advertising then it can lead to complete failure and it can affect the company financially (Maricic et al. 2012). On the other hand, company can distinguish between two advertising such as social media and TV commercial and if social media is more powerful then company can eliminate the paper media to reach out to customers. Customer Experience Rating: The organizations can measure the experience of customers via transactional surveys or relationship. This would help in knowing the preference of customers. If the rating given by the customers I below mark then it can directly affect the company and vice versa (Pilling et al. 2012). Through this rating company can be able to know the loyalty and preference of the consumers. Website Total Visit: This would help in understanding the number of times the customers log in to the main website of the company. If there is drop in the visit then the company may need to change their strategy or company can employ marketing channel to investigate the reason behind such drop. Therefore, it can help organization to make necessary changes in website or in their product in order to increase higher traffic (Kumaravadivel et al. 2012). Customer Retention Rate: The organizations may not be able to retain their customer if their buying cycle is lengthy. The company can determine the customer average value through customer retention rate. On the other hand, customer retention rate is useful in knowing the success of company in employing the strategy to retain customers. Therefore, if customer is able to increase the retention rate, the company can increase their profit level and can engage new customer base (Edward and Sahadev, 2011). Customer Value: Through this metric, the organization can analyze the total return on investment. The company can be able to decide the companys annual goals if the company is able to provide better value to consumers. Therefore, company can design their strategy so that better quality of product can be gained in order to increase customer base (Livne et al. 2011). Resolution Time: The organization can assess the performance of their workers in providing rapid and accurate solution to the consumers. If the complaint resolution department of the company is not capable of providing accurate and timely solution then the company y may lose their loyal customers that can lead to negative word of mouth (Skruch, 2011). Therefore, better resolution time can help in recruiting person that can deliver best service to customer and makes healthy relationship with them. Advantage and Disadvantage of Customer Satisfaction Metrics Up to date feedback: The organizations can be able to acquire current feedback of customers through email surveys or online surveys. This would help in knowing the insight of consumer so that better decision and strategy can be made in order to engage customers (Ecsdev.org, 2015). Benchmark outcome: The organizations can be able to compare their past performance and current performance to know the success or failure level. Moreover, on the basis of past result company can set benchmark for future. The company can make require modification if any changes needed (Bear.warrington.ufl.edu, 2015). Track Changes: The metrics can be run multiple times to know the changes if occurs in the buying pattern of the customers. Therefore, metrics can help in tracking the changes over period of time so that positive can be carried forward and negative can be improved (Unc.edu, 2015). Disadvantage Customer Burnout: The customer satisfaction metric can irritate the consumer if is conducted in quick time. As a result, customer may not be interested in completing the survey that can end up to customer burnout. Therefore, the organization may not be able to measure the customer satisfaction accurately (Mit.edu, 2015). Anonymity Issues: If many companies conduct surveys then it can generate fear among the customers that they are being tracked. Due to this, customer may not provide complete information and it can affect the company to increase their sales or income. Therefore, it may be hard for the organization to receive proper response from consumers (Unc.edu, 2015). Experience With an Organization and Metrics Impact My experience with Donut King, Australia was quite bad or say negative. Donut King is a fast food chain of restaurant and my experience with this organization was upsetting (Lagarde, 2013). On 1st January I ordered hot dogs and soft drinks and the staffs of the company delivered product late in evening in spite of ordering at 300 hours. The workers were casual in their approach which upset me. This incident led a negative feeling in me towards the company and their customer service. On the other hand, the manager of the company did not apologized to me even after making complaint. The unethical behavior of the workers changed my view of the company which I was previously holding. Apart from that, I would say that company did not employ the term metrics well in their business process. Moreover, the company did not take up any lesson from their previous fault and according to me the performance of the company declined. Apart from that, the planning of the company was not in place. The Donut King did not apply any effective measurement technique to understand the consumer behavior and what they require. Therefore, this failure can hurt company hardly and as per me the company may lose their customer base if significant changes are not made in the business process of the company. Marketing Metrics to consumer satisfaction Customer Fulfillment Metric: The Company was not able to provide better service to me that lead to dissatisfaction. I was not able to receive my order on due time and if I would have to give rating out of 10, I would rate 6 for their service. There is no question about their quality of food but unprofessionalism in service decrease their overall rating (Sunset.usc.edu, 2015). Brand Awareness Metric: According to my experience, if the company continuously declines their service level then it can directly affect the brand value of the company. On the other hand, it can be tough for the company to increase the brand awareness (Huang and Sarigll, 2012). Customer Attitudes Metric: As per my experience, the attitude or behavior of the customers can be negative if company does not increase their service level. The lack of communication channel can result in ineffective customer attitudes. The company may need to study the consumer behavior in order to engage large customers (Miceli et al. 2013). Recommendations In order to improve the level of customer satisfaction, the Donut King has to improve their: The company has to involve employees that can provide timely service to the customers. The employees can be assigned task individually so that they can focus completely on their part. Therefore, it can help in increasing the service level and gaining satisfied customer. Secondly, the company can provide training to their workers in order to handle the customers more efficiently and effectively. This would help in delivery quality and accurate service to consumers. The company can fire the employees that hold unethical approach with the customers. Therefore, it can help the company to have effective and productive team work that can increase the brand value of customers. Lastly, the company has to understand the requirement and behavior of consumers so that best and superior service can be provided. On the other hand, it can help the company to make better future strategy and meet the requirements of people effectively. Conclusion The marketing metrics is effective in aligning the strategy of an organization towards the particular goal. The company can have better planning process and can monitor the changes in market and their business operations. The customer satisfaction metric is effective in understanding the loyalty towards the company. Lastly, my experience with Donut King has been shared and I have suggested some suggestions that can be useful for the company. References Arens, Z. and Rust, R. (2011). The duality of decisions and the case for impulsiveness metrics. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40(3), pp.468-479. Bailey, M. (2011). Internet marketing. Indianapolis, Ind.: Wiley Technology Publishing. Bear.warrington.ufl.edu, (2015). Customer Metrics and Their Impact on Financial Performance. Carr, K. (2012). Pinterest marketing for dummies. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Chris Adalikwu, (2012). Customer relationship management and customer satisfaction. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, 6(22). Davis, J. (2012). Measuring marketing. Chichester: Wiley. Ecsdev.org, (2015). Customer Satisfaction Measurement and Analysis Using Six Sigma. Edward, M. and Sahadev, S. (2011). Role of switching costs in the service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction and customer retention linkage. Asia Pac Jnl of Mrkting Log, 23(3), pp.327-345. Ginty, M., Vaccarello, L. and Leake, W. (2012). Complete B2B online marketing. Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley Sons. Huang, R. and Sarig (2012). How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand equity, and the marketing mix. Journal of Business Research, 65(1), pp.92-99. Kotler, P. (2012). Marketing management. Harlow, England: Pearson. Kumaravadivel, A., Natarajan, U. and Haq, A. (2012). Performance measurement and determination of optimal base stock level inventory system to improve the customer satisfaction in the Six Sigma environment. IJPQM, 9(3), p.382. Lagarde, L. (2013). I say doughnut and you say donut: why is the CTM system 'different'. Journal of Intellectual Property Law Practice, 8(5), pp.347-349. Livne, G., Simpson, A. and Talmor, E. (2011). Do Customer Acquisition Cost, Retention and Usage Matter to Firm Performance and Valuation?. Journal of Business Finance Accounting, 38(3-4), pp.334-363. Lovett, J. (2011). Social media metrics secrets. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing. Mamula, T. (2012). Role of marketing metrics in strategic brand management. Marketing, 43(1), pp.49-61. Maricic, B., Veljkovic, S. and Djordjevic, A. (2012). Customer satisfaction measurement. Marketing, 43(4), pp.235-244. Miceli, G., Raimondo, M. and Farace, S. (2013). Customer Attitude and Dispositions Towards Customized Products: The Interaction Between Customization Model and Brand. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 27(3), pp.209-225. Mit.edu, (2015). Metrics: You Are What You Measure!. Pilling, B., Rigdon, E. and Brightman, H. (2012). Building a Metrics-Enabled Marketing Curriculum: The Cornerstone Course. Journal of Marketing Education, 34(2), pp.179-193. Poston, L. (2012). Social media metrics for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. Schulze, C., Skiera, B. and Wiesel, T. (2012). Linking Customer and Financial Metrics to Shareholder Value: The Leverage Effect in Customer-Based Valuation. Journal of Marketing, 76(2), pp.17-32. Skruch, P. (2011). A coverage metric to evaluate tests for continuous-time dynamic systems. cent.eur.j.eng, 1(2), pp.174-180. Sunset.usc.edu, (2015). Customer Satisfaction Metrics and Models. Unc.edu, (2015). Choosing the Right Metrics to Maximize Profitability and Shareholder Value. Wong, H., Radel, K. and Ramsaran-Fowdar, R. (2011). Building a marketing plan. New York, NY: Business Expert Press. Wood, M. (2011). The marketing plan handbook. Boston: Prentice Hall.

Making Strategy Strategic Management

Questions: 1. Compare and contrast emergent and deliberate processes of strategy development? 2. Discuss the arguments for and against prioritising shareholders over other stakeholders when devising a companys strategy? Answer: 1. An organisation selects effective and potential strategies in order to achieve the predetermined goals. The organisational strategies are classified as emergent and deliberate. A deliberate strategy can be describes where the collective goals, visions and intentions of an organisation is articulated in broad manner. A deliberate strategy if possible should be communicated to the associated employees, as they are the major responsible for further implementation of the strategy. On the other hand, the emergent strategies can be considered where the consistencies arrive in the behaviour of the organisation. Eden and Ackermann (2013) have mentioned that emergent strategy can be employed when the environment imposes the pattern of actions in direct manner. However, there are no universal consensuses, which will reveal that which approach is perfect for the organisation. Deliberate strategy is facilitated with the help of three processes strategic leaders, who use strategy to manifest leadership; strategic planning mechanisms, which involve systematic analysis and exploration for development of organizational strategy; and external imposition of strategies by stakeholders. On the other hand, emergent strategy is developed with the help of four processes - logical incrementalism that helps the development process by experimentation and gaining of knowledge from partial commitments instead of global formulations; learning organization that is capable of getting regenerated continuously with the help of knowledge, experience and skills within an encouraging organizational culture; political processes that involves the development of strategies in the form of negotiation outcome amongst stakeholders; and continuity strategy takes form because of continuous strategic moves, strategic decisions and taken-for-granted culture in organizations. Both the deliberate and emergent strategies possess own advantages and disadvantages. It is up to the management of the organisat ion in order to determine the appropriate strategy. According to Wiesnerand Millett (2012), the business experts of an organisation should understand the type of strategies before implementing those. The goals, vision and mission of an organisation should be considered before incorporating the proper strategies. The management understand the basic differences in between the realised and intended strategies. There are always requirements of understanding a perfect balance in between the emergence and the strategic design. As opined by Mirabeau and Maguire (2014), deliberate strategies involve plans for future and effective thought. The deliberate strategies are always formulated, which the emergent strategies are not. The deliberate strategies can be unrealised or realised in potential manner. On the other hand, the deliberate strategies are considered as smart strategies than the emergent strategies. Emergent strategies are made from the patterns of present, past and future of the organisation. Emergent strategies can be used when the vision of the organisation provides a general sense of direction. The potentiality of the emergent strategy suggests its reaction to the existing business activities. This particular strategy also reacts to the new opportunities and the potential threats that may damage the brand image of an organisation. Hillet al. (2014) have mentioned that the deliberate strategy focuses on the control and direction, whereas the emergent strategies involve the basic notions of the st rategic learning. Both the emergent and deliberate strategies identify the fundamental intention of the activities within a corporation in together manner. Any kind of business can fall under either the emergent strategy or the deliberate strategy. Both of these strategies occur in the large business functions instead of small ones. Both the deliberate and emergent strategies always address a specific kind of concentration on the exact content of strategy. The deliberate strategies attempt to reduce the outside influence on the business activities. According to Vaara and Whittington (2012), the employees of the organisation should learn adequate familiarity with the future business operations and goals. Following the deliberate strategy, the employees should discuss every action and think properly in order to achieve the objectives of the company. On the other hand, the emergent strategies can be considered as the realised strategies, the emergent strategy creates an opposite effect of the deliberate strategy. The emergent strategy can mark a specific pattern of the business functions, which has been developed over time. Even this particular strategy is more contemporary than the deliberate strategy. The actual pace of the transformation in current business environment is gradually staggering. The formal economic theory of strategy states the existing ideas within the management. This particular theory suggests transparent interpretations and permit analysis that help to make suitable decisions for further development of the organisation. This particular theory involves the importance of strategy as an essential solution to the problems that exists in the company (Chariet al. 2014). On the other hand, the theory of the strategic planning involves the constant strategy development of the organisation. This particular theory helps the business experts and the management to plan efficient budgets and to adopt much more disciplined and systematic approach while implementing the effective strategies. Papadakis and Barwise (2012) have contradicted that the theory of the strategic planning involves a perfect planning, commanding, organising, controlling and coordination of the strategies. The critical evaluation of the theories related to the strategies of the companies suggests the concentration on the governmental competence and competitiveness among competitor companies. There are also arguments, which clearly reveal the fact that there are hardly any fair scopes for the business experts of the organisation to follow the theories related to the strategy. The management generally follows the contemporary trends in the particular industry before implementing effective strategies in their corporation (Neugebaueret al. 2015). The deliberate strategy can be considered as top-down, which is akin to the strategic planning. This specific strategy needs to be coordinated with the three actions, such as the management should address every critical explanations for make the strategies successful. The management should perceive the picture of the implemented strategy in order to align the actions of the organisation. Birkstedt (2012) has contradicted that the emergent strategy is more cumulative effect on employees and sales persons rather than the higher authority. Aspial Corporation, a famous retail chain in Australia operates its business operations in the gradual changing industry. The industry of Singapore is very much dynamic and its business environment changes with the improvement of the business laws. The management of Aspial Corporation has truly understood that if there are any drawbacks within the newly implemented deliberate strategies in order to continue their present business activities, then it w ill surely influence their current business scenario. The emergent strategy of this company also supports the competitiveness in the specific industry. Aspial Corporation encounters a high level of competition in the retail industry of Singapore from the retail companies like Popular Holdings, Sheng Siong and NTUC FairPrice Co-Operative. The management of Aspial Corporation ignores the deliberate strategy and follows the emergent strategy, as it requires tactical operations decision on regular basis. Most of the business theorists have reviewed the emergent strategy as upcoming and flexible than the implementation of the deliberate strategy. However, the management of Aspial Corporation has viewed the emergent strategy as an important method of learning. On the other hand, the higher authority of the corporations adopts various profitable operation procedures and techniques into the predictable goals of the organisations (Papadakis and Barwise 2012). Both the emergent and deliberate strategies are suitable for modern days business world. There are advantages and disadvantages of both of these mentioned strategies. An organisation whether requires emergent or deliberate strategies can be determined by its present situation in the market. Going with the contemporary trend, most of the multinational corporations strictly follow the emergent strategy over the deliberate strategy. 2. There are always great debates over the importance of shareholders and stakeholders during the time of devising the strategy of the company. The strategy experts make a thorough market research before suggesting any effective and potential strategies for the further development of the company. In most of the case, the multinational corporations prioritise their shareholders while devising the companys strategy. With the help of the shareholders fund, an organisation secure its economic condition in todays competitive economic world. According to Miles (2012), the satisfaction of the stakeholders of a company should be measured as they are the most engaged individuals of the organisation. In a broader aspect, the stakeholders involves investors and shareholders alongside the associated employees, consumers, government and the business partners. The competitiveness of the particular industry where the company is continuing its business actually decides the kind of strategies require d. The strategy experts play a pivotal role for deciding the appropriate strategy for the company in order to hold a strong position in the particular industry. As opined by Retolazaet al.(2014), both the shareholders and stakeholders are responsible for a great contribution to the success of the company. On the other hand, there are arguments that the shareholders have discrete concentration on the profitability while the responsibility can be considered as an essential part for the stakeholders. If an organisation is successful both in responsibility and profitability, then it is easy to achieve the predetermined vision and goals. It is necessary for an organisation to keep the shareholders happy as they are critical to any kind of organisation. The shareholders possess an ultimate power to direct the strategic management and planning of the company. Marshall and Ramsay(2012) haveargued that a well-informed shareholder is the best planner, visionary and evaluator of a company can ever count on. Therefore, the multinational corporations while pursuing their international business in the international markets prioritise shareholders over the stakeholders. Involving and engaging the shareholders in the feedback on the planned strategies actually help the management of the organisation. On the other hand, it is the stakeholders, who perform their assigned roles and responsibilities in perfect manner only to help the company to achieve its goal. The responsibilities of the stakeholders cannot be ignored during devising the strategy of the company as they are the heart of the company (Greenfield 2012). The stakeholders deal with every challenges during the business operations of the company, whereas, the shareholders only deal with the financial aspects of the organisation. In order to hold a stable position in the competitive market, shareholders are required, however, the duties of stakeholder cannot be overlooked. The shareholders help an organisation to stay connected with the industry financially. There are huge contradictions regarding the prioritising of shareholders and stakeholders when devising the effective strategies of an organisation. Johnston and Morrow(2014) have suggested that the employees are the backbone of the company, therefore the management should perceive potential way to satisfy the employees. Otherwise, it will directly influencethe basic execution of growth initiatives and strategic plan. If the stakeholders are not prioritised during the devising of the strategies of an organisation, then it will derail easily the fundamental growth of any establishment. Stakeholders of an organisation consist of the creditors, employees, government, suppliers, community and unions. An organisation has draws its adequate resources from the stakeholders, therefore, it is required to priories them over the shareholders, who handle the financial segments of the company.There should be appropriate and potential shareholderswith efficient knowledge and skills that can scruti nise the performance of the business strategies across environmental, ethical and social issues. Stakeholder administration is a major self-discipline that successful individuals use to win support from others. It helps them make sure that their initiatives be successful in the place others fail. Stakeholder analysis is the manner used to determine the important individuals who have to be won over. To properly identify and prioritize stakeholders the power matrix is used in a way that also helps to map the levels of power they have (De Schepper, Dooms and Haezendonck 2014). Taking Singapore Airlines as an example, a power matrix is made that shows which stakeholders, in relation to the power they hold, and its extent, would probably be interested in the organization. The grid shows the sort of relationship required by the organization to set up with each stakeholder. The key players are placed in D segment. Segment C has less interest, but their feedback is important in certain situations. Segment B has high interest, but low power of influence. Finally, segment A has low interest and less power stakeholders, who are only needed to contribute in the strategy development process for segment D. Both the stakeholder and shareholder theories are normative theories of the corporate social responsibility. Bennet al.(2016) have suggested that the normative theories clearly dictate the role of the corporation while devising the potential strategies for further development in this contemporary business world. On the other hand, the business managers and the executives think that it is important to prioritise the shareholders over the stakeholders. The stakeholder theory states that the close relationship in between the organisation and the stakeholders. The stakeholder theory suggests that the stakeholders of an organisation possess enough capability to influence the gradual success of the company in particular industry. Ali(2015) has contradicted that the stakeholder theory is solely managerial in the broad aspect. This particular theory fails to describe the existing situations of the organisation that require effective strategies. Potential strategies help an organisation to co pe up with the competitive business environment. The stakeholder theory clearly reflects the simultaneous attention, key attributes to the legitimate interests of all the suitable stakeholders of the company. The argument regarding the prioritisation of shareholders over the stakeholders when devising the strategy of the company will never come to an end. Greenfield(2014) has contradicted that most of the companies prefer shareholders during the selection of the potential strategies as they handle the most important segment of the business that is the financial condition. If the financial situation cannot be handled in proper, there will be huge downturn in the companys profit, which will damage the brand image and the market share in the market. However, it is noteworthy to mention here that, the prioritisation of the shareholders over the stakeholders of an organisation during devising of strategy varies from one organisation to another depending on their market (Stretton 2014). Even it can be determined after analysing the present business scenario of the company within a particular industry.BreadTalk, Bee Cheng Hiang and Twelve Cupcakes Private Limited are famous companies in the food and beverage industry of Singapore. These companies are known for following the right approaches while implementing apt strategies for further success of the company and the development of the existing products. The mentioned companies always prioritise the shareholders over the stakeholders while devising the strategies. The effective business strategies will help to respond to the constant changing ethical demands of the society. There are several small companies operative within the food and beverage industry of Singapore, which prioritis e the stakeholders over the shareholders. Still BreadTalk, Twelve Cupcakes Private Limited and Bee Cheng Hiang are considered as reputed companies in this specific industry only because of their implementation of ethically fair business strategies, which the small organisations in this industry hardly follow. The shareholders of Twelve Cupcake Private Limited, Bee Cheng Hiang and BreadTalk prioritise the shareholders only because to hold the best position in the food and beverage industry of Singapore. The shareholders of these companies truly handle the economic situations in great manner, therefore it is obviously important to prioritise them over the stakeholders. References Ali, T., 2015. Beyond shareholders versus stakeholders: Towards a Rawlsian concept of the firm.Research in International Business and Finance,34, pp.126-141. Benn, S., Benn, S., Abratt, R., Abratt, R., Kleyn, N. and Kleyn, N., 2016. Reducing reputational risk: Evaluating stakeholder salience and prioritising stakeholder claims.Marketing Intelligence Planning,34(6), pp.828-842. Birkstedt, R., 2012. Between the deliberate and the emergentconstructing corporate brand meaning in MNCs. Springer Science Business Media. Chari, S., Katsikeas, C.S., Balabanis, G. and Robson, M.J., 2014. Emergent marketing strategies and performance: the effects of market uncertainty and strategic feedback systems. Journal of Management,25(2), pp.145-165. De Schepper, S., Dooms, M. and Haezendonck, E., 2014. Stakeholder dynamics and responsibilities in PublicPrivate Partnerships: a mixed experience.International Journal of Project Management,32(7), pp.1210-1222. Eden, C. and Ackermann, F., 2013.Making strategy: The journey of strategic management. Sage. Greenfield, K., 2012. The Stakeholder Strategy.Democracy, (26). Greenfield, K., 2014. Are shareholders owners? Absolutely. And absolutely not.Governance Directions,66(8), p.479. Hill, C.W., Jones, G.R. and Schilling, M.A., 2014.Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Johnston, A. and Morrow, P., 2014. Commentary on the Shareholder Rights Directive.Journal of Business Management,108, pp.285-298. Marshall, S.D. and Ramsay, I., 2012. Stakeholders and directors' duties: Law, theory and evidence.Springer Science Business Media. Miles, S., 2012. Stakeholder: Essentially contested or just confused?.Journal of Business Management,108, pp.285-298. Mirabeau, L. and Maguire, S., 2014. From autonomous strategic behavior to emergent strategy.Strategic Management Journal,35(8), pp.1202-1229. Neugebauer, F., Figge, F. and Hahn, T., 2015. Planned or emergent strategy making?Business Strategy and the Environment. Papadakis, V. and Barwise, P. eds., 2012.Strategic decisions. Springer Science Business Media. Retolaza, J.L., San-Jose, L. and Ruiz-Roquei, M., 2014. Stakeholder view: an innovative proposition.Global Business Review,15(1), pp.25-36. Stretton, A., 2014. Notes on organisational stakeholders. Research in International Business and Finance,34, pp.126-141. Vaara, E. and Whittington, R., 2012. Strategy-as-practice: taking social practices seriously.The Academy of Management Annals,6(1), pp.285-336. Wiesner, R. and Millett, B., 2012. Strategic approaches in SMEs: deliberate or emergent?.Journal of Management Organization,18(01), pp.98-122.

A New Strategy for Kodak

Eastman Kodak has faced numerous challenges in the market that almost saw it exit out of an industry it once dominated. Kodak was the leading player in the industry before it was upset from the position by Fujifilm.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A New Strategy for Kodak specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Sadler and Craig (2003), â€Å"As late as 1976, Kodak commanded 90% of film sales and 85% of camera sales in the United States and in the Global Market.† however, this started changing in the 1980s and 1990s when the firm was overtaken by Fujifilm due to its inability to embrace the emerging technologies. The firm’s key objectives have been geared towards reclaiming the lost glory. The following are some of the specific objectives of the Eastman Kodak that defines its operational strategies in the current market. To use the recent technological invention in order to boost its operation al strategies in the local and international markets. To align its financial strategies in order to reflect the current focus of the firm in research and development. To boost the financial resources of this firm through effective marketing strategies of the existing products of this firm. To source for highly qualified human resource that will be able to participate in the firm’s revolutionary strategies towards embracing technology. To encourage human resource to use their knowledge, skills, and talents in order to enhance innovation at this firm. The management of this firm has come to realize the importance of diversification and embracing the emerging technologies. It has shown strong interests in the cloud service industry. Each of the above objectives plays an important role in ensuring that the firm is successful in cloud computing industry. Using the recent technologies to enhance its operation is the first step of being successful in the cloud industry. The objecti ves of investing more resources on research will enable this firm understand some of the fundamental aspects of the cloud service industry. It will also be important for the firm to strengthen its financial resources in order to meet its financial costs as it makes an entry into a new market. Having a highly qualified staff will enable the management to come up with products that will meet the needs of its customers in this new market. Motivating the employees to be innovative will be important in coming up with new superior products in the market. If realized, these objectives will ensure that Eastman Kodak remains successful in the market. Kodak’s Horizontal and Vertical Integration Strategy In order to succeed in the cloud service industry, the management of Kodak must come up with effective strategies that will be able to address the problem of market competition. Both horizontal and vertical integration strategies may be appropriate in managing the market competition in order to achieve success. In its horizontal integration strategy, Kodak will need to identify some of the leading competitors in this market.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In order to manage the negative effects of market competition, sometimes it may be good for the competitors to form an alliance in order to face the challenges as a single stronger unit. The management will need to team up with a selected number of competitors in the market. The choice of the partners should be made wisely. The partners must have qualities that Kodak lacks in order to make the union successful. Each of the partners will need to offer something that is unique and desirable in order to make the partnership more successful. The management of Eastman Kodak may also consider a vertical strategy that integrates the firms in the supply chain. According to Hill and Jones (2013), this strategy is always necessary in eliminating the middlemen who may try to exploit the firm when supplying raw materials or buying the products of the firm. The strategy will help Kodak to minimize the power of the suppliers and buyers by having the control of the entire supply chain. This will enhance chances of its success in the new industry. Pursuing a Multi-business Model Based on Diversification The decision of Eastman Kodak to diversify its product delivery through a multi-business model is a clear indication of the firm’s strategy to increase its profitability in the market. The firm is keen on ensuring that it achieves success in the market in order to recover from the challenges it faced from the late 1990s to 2012. The following are some of the ways through which Kodak will increase its profitability using this multi-business model. The model increases the amount of products that Kodak avails to the market. The increased products will increase its sales, which in turn, would l ead to increased profitability. The multi-business model will help Kodak expand its market share both locally and internationally. The market share taken by the competitors in one industry is compensated by the profits made in the other industries. This model helps the firm to reduce the power of its competitors. The profits earned from one industry can be used to expand the operations of the struggling industry. This would help in boosting the overall success of the firm. According to Amit and Zott (2012), multi-business model is always important in spreading the risks within a firm. When one industry is affected by the external forces which are beyond the capacity of the firm, success in the operations of the firm in other industries can be used to compensate the losses. This model also expands the knowledge and experience of the firm on how to deal with the market forces. The knowledge learned from one industry can be used to boost the operations of the other industries. This wou ld increase the profitability of the firm. It would be important to identify cases where firms have used this model in the past successfully. A good example is the General Electric, a leading electrical firm in the world. The firm co-owns NBC Universal in the communication industry.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A New Strategy for Kodak specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The firm has also invested into the financial industry with a massive success. Another example is Samsung. The firm has diversified its products, and is currently making a move towards the cloud computing industry that is dominated by Apple Inc. Implementation Strategy for Eastman Kodak At this stage, it is important to suggest a strategy that Eastman Kodak can use to implement its strategy to operate in the cloud computing industry. The firm should consider acquisitions in order to expand its strength in the market. By acquiring some of the su ccessful upcoming firms in this industry, the firm will be spared on the cost of starting from a scratch in this competitive industry (Coulson, 2013). The strategy will not interfere with Kodak’s current organizational design because it will have a full control of the new unit. It is also a fact that this approach will give Kodak full control of the strategic systems. The management will also define the structure of the acquired firm. It is always recommended to allow the new firm to operate independently without interference, but with some guidance from the parent firm. This approach will also be important in protecting the type of the organizational culture practiced at this firm (Kashmanian, Wells Keenan, 2011). The new firm will be allowed to operate in a manner that would yield the best success, and for this reason, none of the two firms will need to adjust its organizational culture in a way that may upset their operations. Ethical Business Behaviors The vertical integ ration strategy mentioned in section two of this report will help this firm to maintain ethical behavior in the market. The strategy will give Kodak control over the entire supply chain, eliminating the temptations to bribe some of the parties in the chain to get their favor. Acquisition strategy suggested in the section above will also promote ethics in the firm. It eliminates cases of internal rivalry or intimidations which is always common in cases of joint ventures (Mellat-Parast, 2013). Corporate social responsibility is important in endearing a firm to the public. It is one of the best ways of marketing which makes the customers realize how the firm cares for them. This strategy helps in promoting the popularity of a firm’s products in the market. Environmental sustainability activities and ethical practices are parts of corporate social responsibility that help in the promotion of a firm’s brand and products in the market.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More References Amit, R., Zott, C. (2012). Creating value through business model innovation. MIT Sloan Management Review, 53(3), 41-49. Coulson, C. (2013). Implementing strategies and policies. Strategic Direction, 29(3), 33-35. Hill, C., Jones, G. R. (2013). Strategic management: An integrated approach. Independence: Cengage. Kashmanian, R. M., Wells, R. P., Keenan, C. (2011). Corporate environmental sustainability strategy. The Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 44(1), 107-130. Mellat-Parast, M. (2013). Supply chain quality management: An inter-organizational learning perspective†. International Journal of Quality Reliability Management, 30(5), 511-529. Sadler, P., Craig, J. C. (2003). Strategic management. London: Kogan Page. This essay on A New Strategy for Kodak was written and submitted by user Camdyn U. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Disney Video Case Transcript Essays

Disney Video Case Transcript Essays Disney Video Case Transcript Essay Disney Video Case Transcript Essay Walt Disney imagineering is the creative arm for the Walt Disney Company JOE It creates the theme parks all around the world â€Å"we dream it up, come up with the ideas and we design it and we build it† I felt there should be a place built where parents and children could have fun together In 1955, Walt Disney famed for creating timeless and memorable animated feature films as Cinderella and snow white and the 7 dwarfs opened what became to be known as the happiest place on earth. To help realize the Disneyland theme park, he created Walt Disney Imagineering a group of artists and craftspeople who design and create Disney themed venues â€Å"It all started with a daddy with 2 daughters wondering where he could take them where he could have a little fun with those two â€Å" Being the first of its kind, Disneyland, with its differently themed lands, live visits from animated characters and a host of remarkable innovations in animatronics was a smash hit The park faced its share of opening day troubles like malfunctioning water fountains n hot opening day but overall it was operating safely in California 16 years later, the one and only happiest place on earth began appearing in other places on earth. The first expansion to Walt Disney world in Florida created new opportunities for Imagineering to experiment and they created attractions like Epcot center – a taste of cultures from all over the world. The results drew fans from across the globe, but later iterations at the park in Europe and Asia are the first real experiments in bringing Disney entertainment directly and personally to a global audience right in their front yard. But how does a company like Disney preserve its fundamental message and still cater to the widely varying tastes of the different world cultures. Well it takes a good bit of Imagineering. â€Å"The Disney brand works so well because at its core the brand is about very human traits. Things that resonate across the human experience. There’s stories about families, humor, our fears and those kind of translate across all languages and cultures. Every time a child walks into a Disney resort, Europe or asia, they are participating In global trade. A company like Disney has a profound impact on a new market financially and culturally. With the us representing only 5% of the world population, there is good reason for Disney to seek to enter new markets. Jim Thomas The Walt Disney company has 3 companywide strategic priorities. Creativity and innovation, the application of technology, and global expansion. In return our guests get unique one of a kind and very memorable experiences that they will relive for the rest of their lives. But entering a new market like China for example, is not as simple as setting up a theme park and opening the gates. A company may experience barriers to trade like language and cultural differences, political challenges and the need to deal in foreign currencies. From a cultural standpoint, HongKongs Disneyland tomorrowland provided a particularly creative challenge for the imagineers. TOM MORRIS – But how are we going to do this? How are we going to present tomorrowland to the people who are living in it? It’s a city of glass and steel, beautiful lighting, moving sidewalks; air conditioned covered walkways and great public transportation system. And so we decided to really take the story of tomorrowland off planet earth and move it to a planet far away in the galaxy. The opening of a Disneyland in china is a win win situation. Disney brings family oriented entertainment to a new market and HongKong enjoys both the fresh experience and foreign appeal of Disney land as well as strong stimulation to the local economy in the form of tourism. In fact the Hongkong government played a major role in helping Hongkong Disneyland to become a reality. Obviously they are an investor in the park, but they also took the lead role in creating the landfill on which the park and resort are built, they also were responsible for all of the infrastructure to support the operation of the resort. – JIM To actually build a Disney theme park takes both imagination and engineering – Imagineering. But where do imagineers come from? Certainly, Disney has its own staff. Entering a local market, gives you both a challenge and an opportunity. TOM – While the design fundamentally takes place in Glendale, we hire additional people in Hongkong and I’m talking about architects, engineers, set designers, you don’t want to bring everyone from California, you want to use the local talent, you identify the best people you can while the project is being designed and then you keep the cream of the crop on staff and they become a part of the legacy moving forward for Imagineering based locally in that area. But building the park is only half the battle the imagineers have to be sensitive to the needs of each market and that sometimes means not assuming too much because a market’s expectations can be unexpected. TOM – While the park is coming up out on the ground, we begin to get kind of a sense of where we ought to be going with food or language. One might think that in France, we wouldn’t want to have American cuisine, that they’d want to have their own local indigenous cuisine, it is kind of the culinary capital of the world, but in fact we found out that they do want a little bit more than what we were offering, they do want the burgers and what we call â€Å"grazing food† – the food that people can have as they walk through the park. All in all every Disneyland is both a uniquely local experience and an entertainment very faithful to the Disney tradition. No matter where in the world Disney and the imagineers go, they have to achieve both goals. It’s a small world after all. JOE – Disney theme park experience is so loved because it allows our guests for at least a day to plan a world of their imagination and we create these great stages, these worlds that are filled with fantasy imagery and optimistic look at the future and you get to be a player in that world for a day When first seeking to do business in a foreign land, job one is learning the culture- you want to maintain your integrity as a company but you must also respect the sensitivities of your market. In Honkong for example, they were careful to honor the ancient Chinese practice of achieving harmony with the environment. TOM – We had a feng shui consultant who worked with us all the way through to help us with many of those key decisions, and orientations – the positioning of the hotels the positioning of the promenade, where the train comes in, where the park and the resort sits overall with respect to the south china sea and the hills in the background. JOE – Another thing in Japan, gift giving is really big part of their culture. So most of our shops are very popular and have a very high volume of guest traffic so we actually have to have more cash registers, we have to have more queuing to account for that. There are simpler traditions to honor as well. Such as the greater affinity the asian market has for taking photographs. We put so much attention into everything whether it’s a railing, a lamppost, a mailbox, a park bench, every one of those moments we create, it’s nice to know that people are caring and appreciative of what we do . Imagineering will continue to accept the challenge of bringing Disney to new places around the world, carrying the lessons that it’s learned elsewhere. But imagineers will also have to use the insight that they’ve gained to anticipate challenges that have not yet proven very difficult. JIM – Hongkong has a diverse history being a British protectoral. It has a free market economy, a great deal of western influence, and of course the predominant language was English. In other Asian markets however, there are many cultural differences that we must encounter and adapt to and probably one of the most significant difference is Language. But Imagineering is also open to ideas that it hasn’t thought of. The company collects a great deal of feedback after a park like Tokyo Disneyland opens for use in future projects or to improve current venues. And of course the internet is one way to collect such feedback. JOE- We do use the internet for feedback. Mostly listening to in Japan, our guests are giving us information about trends and things that are popular in the culture at the time. And we use that information more to adjust what we call the software which is our entertainment and our special events. But at the core of what we deliver, in our attractions, they have to be universal; events can be timely but our core attractions have to be timeless. TOM – And send a good message about what the world is about, that it is optimistic.

The Destruction and Purification of Fire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Destruction and Purification of Fire - Essay Example A specific identity which is associated with religious symbolism and belief is that of purification, evil and good through both creation and destruction. When looking at media items, there is a direct correlation with the symbolism of religion and the association with items to identify the symbolism that is a part of it (Cooper, 1987, 66). A current symbolism and identity associated with evil is with the ideology of fire and destruction which is a part of the association with the symbol. The fire that is seen in the media directly correlates to the ideas of fire and the symbols which this holds for various traditions. The symbol which is associated with religious symbolism is fire. According to Cooper, fire is identified as a powerful force because of the destructive force which tears apart and causes loss for those in society and may also lead to purification or enlightenment. From one perspective, it is known to generate or create life, specifically when looking at it from the pers pective of the sun. The sun is able to give energy and strength to those who are in society while creating an alternative understanding of enlightenment, spiritual forces and transcendence when in a given situation. One is able to reach a sense of illumination when working with fire and the ability to have this symbol as a main component. The burning of fire is furthered with the understanding that it can purify and give life to those in a given situation. However, fire is also known as a destructive force and relates to evil which can take away or create a bar to those ignorant and not enlightened. In various traditions, fire has come to mean a concept which burns away ignorance and leads toward the truth of the spirit (Cooper, 1987, 66). How the Symbol Functions The concept of fire that is in the media is depicted as one which is a destructive force and can’t be replaced. The symbol is first seen with the fire that is caused to a barn or other region. A report that reflects this is of a fire which has destroyed a barn, leaving irreplaceable damage from a building that was used to store hay and farm equipment. The association is one which is first defined by the damage in money that is incorporated into the building then followed by information about a fire which occurred years earlier. In the same building, the fire killed 70 cows and caused even more severe damage to the barn and the area in which it was created. In this report, there is also an association with a thunderstorm that the owner was listening to when finding the fire, specifically which links together to the fire and the situation of what was occurring (Record, 2010). The association with fire and the symbolism which is created is first based around the idea of damage that is irreplaceable and which will cost thousands of dollars in repair. The wording and the connotation behind this is one which leads to the barn being damaged and not being reversed. The symbolism is one which then equa tes to the purification of the building by causing the loss and not allowing it to be saved. This is combined with the damage and irreplaceable loss that is noted from 2006, specifically which has the same connotation of being purified from the spot. The recreation of the same fire indicates that there is a deeper meaning to the fire burning the barn and the irreplaceable damage, specifically which identifies a sense of irreplaceable loss to the barn. The concept of purification and loss is furthered with the idea of the thunderstorm corresponding with the fire, both which are identified as a sense of purification and clearing of the area which the fire occurred. The concept of p

Corp case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Corp case study - Essay Example t Darden, Doman & Stafford Associates (DDA) accepted the obligation of a corporation not yet formed and did not hold John Goodman as a responsible individual, as noted in the dissenting opinion (John A. Goodman 7). When it cannot be concluded by evidence that the parties to the contract other than the promoter, looked solely to the corporation and not to the promoter for performance of the contract, the promoter becomes liable for the preincorporation contract made by him. As such decision was passed against Goodman, making him liable under the preincorporation contract (John A. Goodman 3). As Goodman or the promoter in this case alleged that DDS agreed to look solely to the corporation, he will have the burden of proving the agreement. The release of the promoter depends on the intent of the party when the promoter depends on the agreement. However, Goodman’s arguments that the terms â€Å"in formation† in the contract and â€Å"†¦ warranties contained herein shall be construed to have been made between seller and resultant corporation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  were in fact ambiguous as they did not expressly state about the release from personal liability of the promoter (John A. Goodman 5-6). While determining whether the trial court’s decision was correct based on the evidence, the court found that the trial court gave its decision in favor of Goodman based on three considerations, which are: 1) DDS knew the corporation did not exist; 2) The fact that Doman was informed by Goodman about the formation of the corporation; and 3) progress payments were made to the corporation. However, the above considerations are not dispositive in any way of the intent of DDS to hold Goodman personally liable. As such the evidence not being substantial to show the intent to release Goodman from his personal liability, he was held a party to the contract (John A. Goodman 6- 7). The decision concurs with the general rule that a promoter is liable for a preincorporation contract made for the

Canadian Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Canadian Government - Essay Example Canada is a democratic country, practicing what is known as the liberal form of democracy (Mintz, Tossutti, and Dunn 8). This paper purports to discuss and analyze the different types of democratic governments in relation to the Canadian political system, highlighting some of the pros and cons of the practiced form. As already mentioned, the Canadian government is liberal in nature. Liberal democracy essentially imparts greater freedom to the public than is offered by the simple definition of democracy which merely empowers the general public to choose their political representatives through voting and elections (Mintz, Tossutti, and Dunn 8). Liberal democracy ensures greater empowerment through three stipulations: the government works within a legally defined parameter and is checked by rules and laws, written in the form of a constitution; the public has freedom to gather and express political views through a free media and open access to information; and the political representati ves compete in a fair election where the public is free to choose amongst them through open voting (Mintz, Tossutti, and Dunn 8). A democratic government, be it liberal or otherwise, can be of one of two basic forms: direct and representative or indirect. The direct form of democratic government is essentially what was practiced in the Greek politics, where the general public is literally given the power to choose and plan every law and policy that the government proposes and wishes to implement (Mintz, Tossutti, and Dunn 7). These policies and laws are voted upon by the public, so that the voting system is not restricted merely to the election of the representatives (Mintz, Tossutti, and Dunn 7). However, this system is not appropriate and practical for the modern day complex societies (Mintz, Tossutti, and Dunn 7). Therefore, an indirect method of democracy is practiced whereby the public chooses their representatives who then make the appropriate laws and policies without public intervention (Mintz, Tossutti, and Dunn 7). The government, in this case, is authorized to implement policies even by force, that is, through the use of the police and military, and other government agencies (Mintz, Tossutti, and Dunn 7). The public chooses the representatives that it considers to best serve their interests (Mintz, Tossutti, and Dunn 7). The parties prepare an agenda beforehand on the basis of which they fight the elections. This agenda is often the only way of predicting the party’s course of action once it is in authority (Mintz, Tossutti, and Dunn 7). In turn, the government, at least that of Canada, is expected to be responsible, that is, it is answerable to the public, and has duties in the social and economic fields that it needs to fulfill to make the state a welfare state (Mintz, Tossutti, and Dunn 7). The representative form of democracy is

Empowering Women Not To Become Domestic Violence Victims Social Work Essay

Empowering Women Not To Become Domestic Violence Victims Social Work Essay The purpose of my research is to show how to empower domestic violence victims to prevent them from or remaining becoming victims. I satisfy this purpose by recognizing the signs of domestic abuse by the abuser, examining the history of domestic violence and, statistical data; I also address the enabling friends, family to recognize the symptoms of the abused. Domestic Violence is an assault on an intimate partner with most violence committed against women by their male partner (ABA, 2010). Many programs have been introduced to communities as well as states to protect victims of domestic violence and their children. Women are forced to leave their lives behind taking the children with them to shelters or Child Protective Services take them, due to the abuse and instability in the home. Battered women shelters have been opened in an attempt to keep the women and children in hiding from their abuser. Often the victims and their children will move to another state in an attempt to be safe from the abuser. Children receive counseling and often suffer depression, aggressive behavior, and development of adult health problems (APA, 2010). Domestic violence seems to be more focused on the victims than the batterer, resulting in having programs to protect the victim. Some examples are battered womens shelters, and receiving assistance from programs to protect victims from the batterer. For the batterer, abusive acts are a control issue and batterers are determined to keep that control over their victims sometimes, leading to stalking and murdering their victim for the ultimate control and power (NCJRS 2005). American society exerts a lot of time and money into programs to assist battered women and children who are witnesses of the violence. Society needs to look at the offender in an attempt to understand the offenders reason for the violence, to study their main objective and why the abusers ultimately have no control over themselves. Literature Review Devaney (2008) reported a study conducted on children who were in long-term and complex needs because of experiencing domestic violence. His research revealed that professionals have an awareness of domestic violence, and that younger children with younger parents are most likely to experience prolonged periods in the child protective system. Devaney contended that government policy and professional practice should primarily be concerned with assessing the risk that men present, rather than the risk children and families experience. By reframing professional interventions, men are more likely to be challenged to accept responsibility for their behavior. The domestically violent patients are more unstable from psychological viewpoint but not more inclined to anger than the average male. When comparing domestically violent patients with generally violent patients, domestically violent patients score lower on anger disposition and on aggressive behavior than the generally violent patients did (Kraaimaat, 2008). According to the American Psychiatric Association (2010), abusers use many ways to isolate, intimidate, and control their partners. Abuse starts slow and may be difficult to EMPOWERING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS 5 recognize. Initially the abuse is manifested in isolated incidents for which partners expresses remorse and promises never to abuse again. The abusers justify their actions because of stress or claims the abuse was something the victim did or did not do. Domestic Violence can lead to other common emotional traumas such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Abuse can trigger suicide attempts, psychotic episodes, homelessness, and slow recovery from mental illness (APA, 2010). Uncovering battering mens attributions are important in understanding domestic violence, and these attributions are the key to curtailing domestic violence. What is common to these attribution styles is the evasion of responsibility for commission of, and for the need to take action to stop the violence. These attributions styles have been found to increase battering mens hostility and stress, their risk of engaging in violent behavior, as well as enabling the batterer to continue their violence unchecked (Wallach, 2008). National Criminal Justice Reference Service (2005) reports power and control are fundamental concepts in the patriarchal family structure and in the relationship between violent men and their female companions; power-control theory may explain the response of the criminal justice system to woman battering. Power-control theory suggests that men batter women because unless they are in control of their production sphere, and consumption sphere, the potential upset of the familys balance of power is a real threat to the batterer. Bostock (2009) reports that situations of domestic abuse can be prolonged by limited options available to victims of support and protection, and a lack of active public acknowledgement that domestic abuse is unacceptable. Some women felt that the police still adopted and attitude of its just a domestic and that they did not take the matter seriously or offer effective help and protection. Stoops (2010), study explores the existence and predictive ability of a behavior-based typology of men who were adjudicated for domestic violence crime in an urban criminal justice system. Results revealed that preliminary support for the development of typological assessment in criminal justice and early settings for early identification of men who may need additional intervention. Early intervention could prevent further escalation of violence from the batterer. McCloskey (2004) presents information on the characteristics of a clinical population of male perpetrators of intimate partner violence court-ordered for batterers treatment, and how those characteristics co-varied with treatment attrition. When treating male batterers who were court-ordered to receive treatment, findings suggested that batterers self-reports of their own violent behavior were found to vary by data collection technique, with face-to-face interviews eliciting greater admission of violent behavior than paper-and-pencil questionnaires. Domestic Violence Awareness Handbook (2010) reports that too many people continue to believe that domestic violence is a private matter between a couple, rather than a criminal offense that merits a strong and swift response. Even today, the victim of a domestic assault runs the risk of being asked, What did you do to make your husband angry? This question implies the victim is to blame for this abuse. People in the criminal justice system ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ police, prosecutors, judges, and jurors ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ need to be educated about the role they can play in curbing acts of domestic violence. MayoClinic (2010) reports that even if a child is not abused, simply witnessing the domestic violence can be harmful. Children who grow up in abusive homes are more likely to be abused and have behavioral problems than are other children. As adults, child witnesses are more likely to become abusers or think abuse is a normal part of a relationship. Victims worry that seeking help will further endanger them and the child, or that treatment may break up the family. It was stated that treatment is the most effective measure to protect the child. Discussion During the research, my goal was to try to understand the actions and attributes of the batterer, in an attempt to make victims recognize the signs of a batterer before abused women become a victim. Another goal was to recognize the symptoms of the victim. The gathering of information provides an understanding of the abuser, and recognizing the warning signs of an abuser before they become a victim. Education of younger adults assists and informs families and friends of the trend of an abusive relationship. Recognize Patterns of Domestic Violence Domestic violence is a serious threat for many women. To be empowered, the victim must recognize the signs of an abusive relationship and how to leave a dangerous situation to achieve empowerment. Threats, including violence, suicide, or taking away the children are common tactics employed by the batterer. The existence of emotional and verbal abuse, attempts to isolate, and threats of and intimidation within a relationship may be an indication that physical abuse is to follow (MayoClinic, 2010). Knowing the signs of an abusive relationship is not only imperative for the victim, but is also an important weapon against violence for the victims family, friends, and co-workers. The more people that are aware of the attributes of an abuser the less likely the relationship will develop into a domestic violent relationship. The victim is not alone and will not have the feeling of helplessness, or the shame of blaming herself, and will not deny the abuse if the ones that are close to the victim can recognize the signs. Victims will not feel alone, and will break the cycle early. Education of Community Family, and Friends Strict new laws are one way to reduce domestic violence, but education could prevent it violence or abuse from starting or escalating to the point of the victim being battered. Education should begin in the high schools for all students on domestic violence awareness to ensure that all members of the community are aware that domestic violence is not a private matter between a couple, rather a criminal offense that merits strong and swift response. Communities must take an interest to promote and educate on the programs that are available to the victims, such as hot lines, police, social workers, and battered womens shelters. Awareness needs to be brought to medical professionals who see the victims of violence who ask them about the crime, and seek more information rather than allowing the victim to fabricate an excuse for the batterer. Neighbors must contact the police when they hear violent fights in their neighborhoods. Teachers should be alert to signs that students have witnessed violence at home, or by a partner. Friends need to be educated that it is not the victims fault and assist in anyway, recognizing that abuse is unacceptable. The friends and family of the victims need to understand the needs of someone experiencing abuse. The longer a victim stays in an abusive relationship, the greater the toll on the victims self-esteem, resulting in depression or anxiety. The victim may begin to doubt their ability to take care of themselves or wonder if the abuse is their fault and feeling helpless or paralyzed to act. Break the Cycle The longer an abusive relationship continues, the greater toll it takes on the victims self-esteem, but the cycle must be broken before the batterer gains total control. The cycle can be broken by telling friends, family or calling a domestic violence shelter, but must be done in a safe location. Victims should be prepared to leave, pack an emergency bag that includes items that the victim needs when they leave, and know exactly where to go and how to get there. The only way to break the cycle of domestic violence is to take action and the sooner the better. Conclusion Too many people continue to believe that domestic violence is a private matter between a couple, rather than a criminal offense. Even today, the victim of a domestic assault runs the risk of being blamed for the abuse, as if she is the one that brought on the assault. People in our criminal justice system ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ police, prosecutors, judges, and jurors need to be educated about the role they can play in curbing domestic violence. Nearly thirty percent of all female homicide victims were killed by their husbands, former husbands or boyfriends (Domestic Violence Awareness Handbook, 2010). Strict new laws are one way to reduce domestic violence but nothing sends a clearer message to a batterer than prosecuting and jailing other batterers. New laws are not the answer if people are not educated in the system to enforce the laws. The victim often feels alone in the situation, and as a society members must let victims know that they are not alone. American society must take action to let the victims know they are not alone. Even when cases are brought to court, domestic crimes are difficult to prosecute. All too often victims are so terrorized that victims fear for their lives if they call the police. Silence is the batterers best friend. Members of the community, needs to end their silence and change the attitudes toward domestic crime. EMPOWERING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS 11

F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay -- Fitzgerald Great Gatsb

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, there is a constant feeling of movement and the desire to get away. Nick, Gatsby, Wilson, Tom and Daisy all move, or have the intention of moving. Not only does this movement seem to foreshadow events in the book, but it also seems to lead to the conclusion that society as a whole in the 1920's was rather unstable and was undergoing constant change. Not all the characters move in the same way, and this shows how different their backgrounds and lifestyles are. The main movement seems to be from west to east. Throughout the decades man is said to be progressing through the steps of evolution and toward the setting sun, or east to west. The characters move in opposite direction from which the sun sets, which seems significant to the physical and psychological patterns of the characters. The two main characters that movement affects are Nick and Gatsby. The movement of Nick and Gatsby in this direction shows us how their personalities and feelings change as the sun goes down. There are also the various meanings that the sun has, that seems to map out, or affect their near future. The sun foreshadows Nick and Gatsby's actions and emotions, which in turn are affected by the many representations the sun has. Jay Gatsby is a character that the sun affects in such a way that it becomes a symbol of his ability to direct his will and, when put together with his dream, this gives him a sense of purpose. Jimmie Gatz was born in a town in Minnesota. After changing his name to Jay Gatsby, he moved to West Egg, Long Island in order to start a new life revolved around impressing Daisy. Here the sun represents a psychological belie... ...nd that they, "had never, all along, intended doing anything at all. But it was done now. It was too late."(139) Just as the colors begin to bloom in the dazzling night sky they fade and disappear out of sight, just as Nick moves away. The rising sun has been used to describe progress and evolution, but as the sun travels backwards, it shows people for who they really are. The light is shone hard on the characters, so much so that they have nothing to hide behind. This minor action seems to set and change the entire novel at the same time. It also fits in perfectly with the flow or plot of the book. It shows how the characters are slowly opening up to their surroundings, and how much the sun, metaphorically, affects them. Throughout the novel, the sun has shone light on certain characters to show the power and hidden creativity of the unconscious mind.

Philosophy Final Essay

Throughout the semester, our class has read a great variety of pieces of literature. With each reading, came a flurry of thoughts and discussions. These questions are what help us to become better philosophers. Someone who is on a quest to become a good philosopher must always think critically about all arguments and follow a logical conclusion to wherever it may lead. With Oedipus and â€Å"Forgiven†, I was able to dig deep into the meanings of the readings and come up with philosophical ideas for both. Another quality a philosopher must possess is the ability to compare and contrast different works of art. Using more class readings such as Socrates’ Apology, I found similarities and differences that explained my thoughts. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother. He also must determine who the murderer of King Laius is. Ultimately, his decisions in the play cause him to find out that it was him who killed Laius. Oedipus clearly believed that was he was doing at the time, was good. Although in the end, he most likely regrets his decisions. From his point of view, Oedipus would most likely think that his move from Corinth to Thebes was a bad decision. When he heard the news that he was going to kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus moved far away from his home, Corinth. This is something that he probably regrets because remaining in Corinth would have prevented him from meeting King Laius in the road and killing him. Another bad decision from Oedipus’ point of view would be that he didn’t listen to anyone close to him. Oedipus demonstrates three tragic flaws, intolerance, stubbornness, and a short temper, each of which lead into his downfall. For instance, Oedipus’ stubbornness’ is unmistakably shown when he demands on finding the murderer of Laius and proving that the prophecy hasn’t come true. However, Jocasta, Oedipus’ queen and mother already is aware of the fact that all of this chaos is true and chooses to hide the truth. â€Å"That man, why ask? Old shepherds, talk, empty nonsense, don’t give it another thought; don’t even think† Oedipus replies with, â€Å"What- give up now, with a clue like this? Fail to solve the mystery of my birth? Not for all the world! †(Oedipus). Oedipus made these decisions because he thought he was saving his parents by moving away. He obviously did not want to marry his mother and kill his father, so he figured by leaving Corinth he would avoid the prophecy becoming true. Oedipus is a very stubborn man and he won’t stop until he gets the answers. In this case, he wants to figure out who murdered Laius. The reasoning behind Oedipus’ bad decision to not listen to anyone was mainly due to his stubbornness. I think that if he had not been so dead set on finding out who killed Laius; asking questions and trying to figure it all out, he would not have realized it was himself who was the murdered. Oedipus certainly was not the only character we read about that made some un-smart decisions. In the article â€Å"Forgiven†, the Grosmaires’ daughter Ann is killed by her boyfriend Conor. They end up choosing to forgive Conor, even though he took their daughter’s life. From the Grosmaires’ point of view, a bad decision would have been to not forgive Conor because then, their daughter would have been just another victim in a murder case. Also, in their point of view, not considering what Ann would have wanted if she had still been alive would’ve been a bad decision. If they had not kept their daughter in mind while choosing to forgive Conor, the Grosmaires would definitely have been dissatisfied. Ann’s mother, Kate announced, â€Å"I knew that if I defined Conor by that one moment-as a murderer-I was defining my daughter as a murder victim and I couldn’t allow that to happen† (2 Tullis). The Grosmaires’ believed that if they did not forgive Conor, then all of the attention would have been on him rather than Ann. Another major factor that came in to play when they decided to forgive Conor was their religious background. They tried very hard to base their lives on the lives of Jesus and St. Augustine. In fact, the father said, â€Å"I realized it was not just Ann asking me to forgive Conor, it was Jesus Christ† (2 Tullis). To the Grosmaires, Conor was a part of the family because he had been dating their daughter for years. He even stayed in their home for a period of time. They knew that Ann would have wanted them to forgive Conor because she loved him. By respecting their daughter and what she would have wanted, the Grosmaires felt as if they were doing the right thing. There are a few other options that they could have chosen instead of forgiving Conor. For instance, they shouldn’t have changed their minds about Conor’s jail time. They did not stick to their word and it seemed as if they almost forgot about the whole concept of forgiveness. After hearing Conor describe how he killed their daughter, they let their emotions take a toll and they changed their minds. Not forgiving Conor at all could have been another alternative choice for the Grosmaires. If this were the case, Conor would have gotten the proper justice that all other criminals get. If they did not forgive Conor, there is the possibility he would have either gotten the death penalty or lifetime in prison. Either way, it’s a far more severe punishment than what he ends up getting. Conor would be forced to suffer in prison for the rest of his life, knowing how much pain he caused the Grosmaires family. Usually, this is the case for most murder trials in the United States. It is very out of the norm for a murderer to be forgiven in today’s society. In the state of Florida where the death penalty is still used, it is especially strange for the act of killing to be forgiven. If you dig deep into Socrates’ The Apology and â€Å"Forgiven†, the two can easily be seen as comparable. First, the Grosmaires’ made the decision to forgive Conor in order to satisfy them. Despite the slack they received for forgiving a clearly guilty man, they still chose to remain close with Conor and keep him in their lives. The family was extremely religious and they felt as if it was unjust to not forgive him. Like the Grosmaires, Socrates did not allow other people to affect his decision-making. He continually chose the path less taken as was seen in The Apology. While he is being tried by the city of Athens, Socrates confidently accepts the fact that most of the city’s citizens are against him and continues teaching his ideas to others because it was simply the right thing to do. In an instance where Socrates stands up for himself, he says,â€Å" I realized, to my sorrow and alarm that I was getting unpopular, but I thought that I must attach the greatest importance to god’s oracle†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (loc 616 Apology). He truly believes in doing what morally feels acceptable, not what is socially acceptable and that is a great characteristic about him. Socrates lived his life with the philosophy of â€Å"How can you live a good life if you don’t truly understand what it is? † The Grosmaires’ followed this philosophy also because they did not fully know what the outcome of their decision was going to be, but all they knew was that it made them feel at peace and that is what mattered. Likewise, in The Apology, Socrates says that â€Å"he who is able to recognize his limitations is wisest. † It is nearly impossible for one single person to contain all knowledge of the world. Socrates knew what he did not know which is called Socratic ignorance. He claimed to be the wisest person because he welcomed the fact that he did not know everything in the world. In connecting Socrates to the Grosmaires, they were able to recognize that things could not be simply handled by sending Conor to prison for life. Sure, it would get him out of their sight, but never out of their minds. They could admit to their weaknesses and power through them with Conor and his family. If the Grosmaires ended up not forgiving him, then they would have actually been ignorant about the entire situation because they knew Conor and they knew that he truly did not mean to hurt their family. He was a good kid who had a mental breakdown that resulted in a murder. It was impossible for the Grosmaires to stop thinking of Conor as a son and to stop loving him. In addition, Socrates makes it known in The Apology that he is not afraid of death. Death was talked about a lot in this reading because it was the punishment Socrates was to face if he was found guilty. He says, â€Å" To fear death, gentlemen, is no other than to think oneself wise when one is not, to think one knows what one does not know. No one knows whether death may be the greatest of all blessings for a man, yet men fear it as if they knew that it is the greatest of evils† (loc 748 Apology). This was one of my favorite quotes from The Apology simply because it is so true. The Grosmaires clearly did not fear death either. For if they were afraid, they would not have accepted Ann’s death the way they did. Instead, they tried to turn Ann’s story into something heroic rather than tragic. Never once did they allow the death of their daughter to overcome them. Ann was a great person in their hearts and they believed that she was in a better place. There is no way the Grossmaires are ever going to achieve the life they had before their daughter passed away because it’s impossible to bring her back. But, by forgiving Conor they are trying to make peace with the idea of their Ann being gone. They are trying to make everything as normal as possible again, keeping Conor and his family in their lives. This is helping them to achieve the good life because they were happiest with their daughter and they don’t want to lose both their daughter and Conor at the same time. He was practically another son. Since the Grossmaires are also very religious people, I think they chose to forgive Conor so they could still consider themselves good Christians. To them, these aspects contribute to the â€Å"good life†. These are similar qualities that I consider to be the good life. In the beginning of the semester, I said that the good life is as stress free as possible. I want to avoid conflict as much as I can because conflict with family members and friends would only bring stress into my life. I think the Grossmaires family wanted to bring peace into their hearts and their lives, and forgiving Conor was the first step in achieving that goal. If I am able to look back and be proud of my choices, that is the â€Å"good life†. The Grossmaires probably had the same mentality when they were figuring out how to treat the Conor situation. They concluded that by forgiving him, they would be able to continue on with their lives and try to make the most of it. Reading â€Å"Forgiven† did not seem to change my views on what the good life was. I think from now until forever, my views on that topic will remain the same. The three readings that were discussed, Oedipus, The Apology, and â€Å"Forgiven† required much philosophical thinking on my part. With comparing and contrasting, I was able to dig deep into the meanings of each reading and come up with ideas for both.