Mr Pake

5. Assessment DRAFT VERSION – AWAITING EXTERNAL EXAMINER APPROVAL Assessment will be confirmed by the end of teaching week 3 5. 1 Assessment task This module is assessed by means of an assignment of no more than 3,000 words. There are three parts to the assignment. You must complete all three parts. Your assignment must be submitted in a sans serif font no smaller than 12 points. Line spacing should be 1. 5 or double. Your completed assignment must be completed and submitted by Friday 26th April, 2013. See Section 5. 2 for details of submission. Section 5. gives some further guidance on the assignment tasks. Written assignments must not exceed the specified maximum number of words. All assignments that do so will be penalised. The penalty is at the discretion of the marker, but will certainly result in a reduction of the mark awarded. Part 1 (20% of overall mark) In 500 words or fewer, answer a question of your choice which requires you to use a microeconomic principle, or pri nciples, discussed in the module. This question should involve a pattern of events or behaviour that you personally have observed.The issue you address need not be one traditionally analysed using economics, but your work should be an original application of economic logic and reasoning to something which interests you. Examples of issues students elsewhere have addressed are: 1. Why do brides spend so much money on wedding dresses, whereas grooms often rent cheap tuxedos, even though grooms could potentially wear their tuxedos on many other occasions and brides will never wear their dresses again? 2. Why are child safety seats required in cars but not in airplanes? 3.Why are round-trip fares from Hawaii to the US mainland higher than the corresponding fares from the US mainland to Hawaii? 4. Why do airlines charge much more for tickets purchased at the last minute, yet theatres follow exactly the opposite practice? 5. Why do many people buy larger houses when they retire and their own children leave home? Your question and the issue you address does not need to be important or worthy, but try to begin with an interesting question. You should check with your seminar tutor that the question you wish to address is suitable.The most successful answers begin with a really interesting question (one that makes the reader instantly curious to learn the answer) and then use an economic principle or principles to construct a plausible answer. You do not have to provide a complete solution to the question – the key is to apply economic principles to achieve an insight into the issue. It should be written as if to a friend or relative who has never taken a course in economics. It must be clearly understood by such a person. It does not need diagrams or mathematics. It should not be heavily laden with economic jargon or terminology.You do not need to include references (since it is an original application of principles). Nor are you expected to do extensive researc h in support of your argument, although a relevant fact or two might help convince yourself and others that you are on the right track. Part 2 (40% of overall mark) Answer all five questions below in 1250 words or fewer. The questions carry equal marks. a) Explain why perfectly competitive markets lead to an allocatively efficient allocation of resources in the long run. (8%) b) Explain why free markets will under-produce goods with positive externalities (e. g. accinations against infectious diseases). Briefly suggest how government might intervene to correct this under-provision? (8%) c) The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is the official measure of inflation in the United Kingdom. Why might CPI not be an accurate measure of the costs of living for any given individual consumer? (8%) d) Explain why a ? 1m increase in net exports might increase the equilibrium output of an economy by more than ? 1m. e) If an economy is initially operating at its potential output, explain the short- and longrun consequences of a permanent increase in government spending. 8%) Part 3 (40% of overall mark) Figure 1 below shows the world price of copper for each month over the period 2004-2011. From a price of $2424 in January 2004 it rose to a high of $8046 in May 2008. It then fell rapidly to reach $3072 in December 2008 before rising again. In an essay of 1250 words or fewer, use economic analysis to explain the changes seen in the price of copper over this period and why there were such large fluctuations in price. Figure 1: The monthly world price of copper 01 January 2004 to 31 December 2011

Cheerleading

Approximately half of the states in the United States have already recognized high school cheerleaders ender Title IX legislation (Variants, 2009, p. 41). Since the popularity of competitive cheer is increasing, many colleges and universities are looking to improve Title IX compliance with the addition of competitive cheer as a participation opportunity for its female students. These colleges and universities are faced with the dilemma that competitive cheer is not recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a sport; therefore, the researcher feels that competitive cheer should be an intercollegiate varsity sport.The purpose of this position paper is to provide respective to the problems that colleges and universities face in complying with Title IX and to provide reasons why competitive cheerleaders should be an intercollegiate varsity sport. Since the passage of Title IX in 1972, female participation in sports has increased dramatically. Girls and women are no longer relegated to the sidelines, but are suiting up and Joining men on the playing fields. The legislation of Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions that receive Federal financial assistance.The law states: â€Å"No person in the United States, hall on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance† (Carpenter and Costa, 2005, p. 3). Title IX was enacted to deal with all aspects of education, including admissions, recruitment, course offerings, financial assistance, housing, counseling, physical education, employment, insurance benefits, student health, and martial and parental status of students.During the original conception of the amendment there was no obvious accumulation that sports programs and athletic activities at the interscholastic and intercollegiate levels were covered under the regul ations of Title ‘X. Therefore, a great deal of perplexity generated on how to handle athletic sports under the Title IX Amendment. As a result, in 1974, the Cavity Amendment became a component of Title IX which acknowledges that all athletic activities and sports would be included in the legislation.In the 1996 Clarification, the Department of Education provided educational institutions and programs with an extensive range f specific factors and descriptive examples to assist institutions and programs understand the flexibility of the â€Å"three-prong test. † The â€Å"three-prong test† determines whether an educational institution's intercollegiate athletics program offers fair and equitable participation opportunities for both genders; the educational institution must show compliance with one of the following three prongs: 1.Prong One shows that male and female athletes are substantially proportionate to the institution's respective undergraduate enrollment. 2 . Prong Two shows a ex among the intercollegiate athletes. 3. Prong Three demonstrates fully and effectively accommodate the interest and abilities of the underrepresented sex of the intercollegiate athletes. The 1996 Clarification letter describes the â€Å"substantial proportionality' portion of the three-prong test as a â€Å"safe harbor† for Title IX compliance (US Department of Education Website).Moreover, this Clarification letter influenced many educational institutions to believe that ensuring strict measures of proportionality will fulfill Title IX requirements. Each one or the three prongs is evenly essential as a means for fulfillment of Title IX regulations; therefore, no one prong is more beneficial than the other. In 2005, the Additional Clarification was released in regard to the application of the indicators in the 1996 Clarification that guided Scar's (Office of Civil Rights) analysis of the â€Å"substantial proportionality' prong of the three-prong test.A lso incorporated in the Additional Clarification was a User's Guide which contained a model survey that educational institutions could utilize to measure student interest and participation in intercollegiate athletics. This clarification modified Scar's approach from dependence on the multiple prong tests to mainly utilizing the single survey instrument to demonstrate the institution's Title IX compliance.After many deliberations, in 2010, the OCCUR rescinded the 2005 Additional Clarification and User's Guide because it was inconsistent with the nondiscriminatory methods of assessment set forth in the 1979 Policy Interpretation and the 1996 Clarification (US Department of Education Website). Presently, due to the vague nature of the three-prong compliance test, most colleges and universities Ely only on the â€Å"substantial proportionality' prong to satisfy Title IX legislation requirements.Therefore, the reliance on this prong has resulted in a great number of men's non-revenue s ports to be cut from intercollegiate athletic programs in order to meet the proportionality requirement (Variants, 2009, p. 43). A major way to decrease the elimination of men's non-revenue sports is for intercollegiate athletic programs to put more emphasis on â€Å"prong three† which concentrates to fully and intercollegiate athletes. The underrepresented sex in intercollegiate athletics is the male and with the addition of competitive cheerleaders as a varsity intercollegiate sport will assist educational institutions' Title IX issues.The OCCUR sets guidelines to assist educational institutions and programs in determining whether an activity should be considered a varsity intercollegiate sport under the Title IX legislation. Unfortunately, OCCUR does not offer educational institutions with a precise definition of what is considered an athletic opportunity or a â€Å"sport† for the purposes of Title IX requirements. Instead the OCCUR provides educational institutions with a five features hat can to be counted as a varsity sport for Title IX purposes that a sport must: 1.Be administered by the athletics department in a manner consistent with established varsity sports. 2. Offer athletics scholarships and recruit participants. 3. Have practice opportunities and regular-season competitive opportunities similar to established varsity sports 4. Conduct state, conference, or national championships. 5. Exist for the purpose of athletics competition, not to support or promote other athletics activities (NCAA. Org). The Women's Sports Foundation (WAS) and the NCAA Foundation (2000), a â€Å"sport† is defined as: 1. Physical activity that involves propelling a mass through space or overcoming the resistance off mass, 2. A contest or competition against or with an opponent, 3. Is governed by rules which explicitly defined the time, space, and purpose of contest and the conditions under which a winner is declared, and 4. The acknowledged primary pur pose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants (Para. 3 and Boyce, 2008, p. 3). Under the WAS, as long as â€Å"competitive cheer squads compete against other similar squads and function underNCAA regulations then cheerleaders can be considered a sport; consequently, the foundation found that cheerleaders is not a sport because their purpose is not to compete and most competitions are not structured like school sport competitions† (Variants, 2009, p. 43). Second, the NCAA defines a sport as â€Å"an institutional activity involving physical exertion with the purpose of competition versus or teams or individuals within a collegiate competition structure† (NCAA. Org).Additionally, NCAA explains the concept of â€Å"emerging sports† that is a sport intended o provide additional athletic opportunities to female student-athletes, to have standardized rules with a scoring system ratified by a governing body, and have regularly sched uled competitions. The USA Federation for Sport Cheering is a not-for profit organization and is the national governing body for all disciplines of cheerleaders. Moreover, USA Cheer exists to serve the entire cheer community, including club cheering, traditional school based cheer programs and the new sport of â€Å"stunt. USA Cheer has three primary objectives: 1 . Help grow and develop interest and participation in Cheer throughout the United States; 2. Remote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States; and 3. Represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions (USA Cheer. Org). Therefore, does competitive cheer meet these requirements to be considered an intercollegiate varsity sport in eyes of the OCCUR and the NCAA?The USA Cheer and the cheerleaders community are making strides to create and launch Stunt, a new competitive team sport which provides increased athletic and educational opportunities for young women. Stunt is a by-product fro m the skills and techniques of traditional side line heralding. Moreover, USA Cheer is desperately trying to get â€Å"stunt† recognized as an NCAA emerging sport. The competitions will consist of four quarters: partner stunts, Jumps and group tumbling, tosses and pyramids, and team routine (Vesuvius, 2011, p. 457).There are 15 collegiate club teams with twenty to thirty participants. The USA Cheer suggests 12 to 16 numbers of competitions per season and requiring six to eight varsity members (p. 459). Currently, stunt provides additional opportunities for the more than 800,000 cheerleaders in the United States, including gig school age looking for an athletic opportunity at the intercollegiate athletic levels (USA Cheer. Org). Bidder v. Chinquapin University is a recent Title IX case concerning competitive cheer as a sport, roster manipulation, and female athletic participation.In March 2009, the Chinquapin University women's volleyball team and their coach Robin Sparks file d a lawsuit against Chinquapin University because officials announced that it would cut women's volleyball, men's golf, and men's outdoor track to help balance its budget, and would replace those sports with a limitation, the volleyball players and their coach partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union (UCLA) of Connecticut and filed this lawsuit charging Chinquapin University had failed to provide female students with equal opportunity to participate in varsity intercollegiate athletics.Their claim was the university violated the first part of the Title IX proportionality test since 62 percent of Chinquapin University's undergraduate students were women and only 50 percent participated in athletics. Pending the lawsuit, the federal Judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing Chinquapin University from dissolving the team. The ruling also prohibited the university from eliminating any other women's teams or athletic participation opportunities (The Associated Press, 2009 ).The officials at Chinquapin University were under the impression that competitive cheer was deemed as an intercollegiate sport recognized by the NCAA and Title ‘X. In July 2010, U. S. District Judge Stefan Undersell ruled that counting the competitive cheer team as varsity athletes violated Title IX standards because it did not meet the requirements for a varsity sport according to the OCCUR. Undersell highlighted not only the importance of having competition to be recognized as a sport but also that a sport must â€Å"resemble all other varsity sports at the institution in structure and operation† (Inside Higher Deed, 2010).In comparison with other varsity sports at Chinquapin, the competitive cheer team's 2009-10 season faced inconsistencies in terms of opponents competed against and an unified scoring system used. In conclusion, Judge Undersell wrote in his decision that â€Å"competitive cheer may, some- time in the future, qualify as a sport ender Title ‘X ; however, today the activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletic participation opportunities for students† ( Inside Higher Deed, 2010 and Thomas, 2010).Judge Undersell also noted that competitive cheer is not a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sport; even though, six schools in the country compete for competitive cheer and have a governing body called National Competitive Stunt and Tumbling Association. Also, Judge Undersell extended the injunction requiring Chinquapin to keep volleyball as a varsity sport for another season, which was wrought the 2010-11 season. Judge Undersell mandated that â€Å"any decision to eliminate women's volleyball† must be â€Å"accompanied by other changes that will bring the university into compliance with Title ‘X† (Inside Higher Deed, 2010).In conclusion, Title IX is a very critical piece of legislation that has laid the fundamental framework for the advancement of gender equity. Therefore, Title IX still plays a vital role in the achievement of pure gender equity because girls and women in sports have a great deal more to accomplish. A goal of Title is to not deny any gender of participating in sport or athletic activity of their interest; therefore, it is important to give equal athletic opportunities to female athletes who are interested in competing in an up and coming sport like competitive cheerleaders.Recognizing competitive cheerleaders as a sport would give educational institutions the ability to put the focus on strengthening safety regulations of competitive cheer because the NCAA would require strict regulations for a intercollegiate varsity sport. Meanwhile, competitive cheer will not completely solve the gender equity issues for girls and omen and the crisis of the elimination of men's non-revenue programs but it would the many female athletes the opportunity to participate in a sport that has been around for many , many decades.

Overseas M&A of Chinese Enterprises Essay

The purpose of this article is to summarize the problems related to the overseas M&A of Chinese firms and to propose suggestions on its corresponding improvements. It firstly describes the brief history of China’s overseas M&A in three phases and its current status including the growth trend, the location preference and the sector distribution ; iand illustrates one succesussfulrvived case of Lenovo and two failed cases of Chinalco and SAIC. Then Seondly it analyzes the factors contributing to the success: economy growth, exchange rate, foreign currency reserve and proper management; points out the reasons of failure: political resistance, strategy error, integration difficulty and cultural difference. After that it refers to the practice of Japanese enterprises on image making, strategy selection, management localization and relation maintaining. Finally it provideoffers recommendations to improvebetter the execution of China’s overseas M&A including regarding public relationship, strategic thinking, management enhancement and cultural communication and ; draws a conclusion that whether the overseas M&A is ‘cake’ or ‘trap’ depends on what we choose to do. Overseas M&A of Chinese Companies: Cake or Trap? Introduction On 26th February 2013, China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) announced in Beijing that it successfully completed the 15. 1 billion US$ acquisition of a Canadian oil and gas company Nexen Inc NXY. TO, which was China’s largest-ever foreign takeover. This was exactly the epitome of the ‘Great Leap Forward’ of overseas M&A of Chinese companies. Along with the economic boom in more thanof 30 years, encouraged by the ‘go-out’ strategy of the government, Chinese companies have madeseen robust strides in international investment markets. However, wereas most M&A cases closed as successfully as the case of CNOOC’s acquisition of Nexon? The answer must be negative should you pay attention to many failures such as Chinalco1’s acquisition of Rio Tinto2. Did every successful starting reach a happy ending? Neveror the answer would be affirmative since the bloody costs Chinese companies have paid in overseasabroad m markets. The aim of this article is to raise a critical question to the overheated enthusiasm on international acquisitions of Chinese enterprises: would it bring a worthy return or rather a bottomless pit? Serving this purpose, the article will firstly draw a brief portrait of the history and the present situation of China’s overseas M&A and summarize its characters, experiences and lessons. Then it will analyze the reasons for the successes and failures and compare China’s performance with the practice of its international peers. FinallyIn the end, t, he authorit would like to propose some recommendation on the improvement of the M&A operation of Chinese enterprises. Status quo The overseas M&A of Chinese enterprises started in the 1990s and could be roughly divided into three phases. The first phase was from the 1990s to the year 2001, when Chinese enterprises just entered the international market and tried to ‘cross the river by feeling the stones’ and to discover acquisition opportunities. The annual amount figure of transactions at that time was below 0. 1 billion US$. The second stage was after China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001 when the volume of overseas purchase takeovers reached 1 billion for the first time and till 2005 when the amount climbed to about 5 billions. The third period was fromafter 2006 till now especially after 2009 afterwardswhen global financial crisis seriously grilled struck the world’s major economies. During this period, the scale of China’s abroad overseas acquisitions exploded and each year it saw a total deal of tens of billions of dollars. In 2010, it was up to the height of 38 billion dollars, occupying 11% of the world’s transactions amount of that year3. There were some trends underlying the wavesis of overseas acquisitions waves. In terms of the quantity of deals, it was climbing climbed constantly with a number of 27 in 2003, 45 in 2005, 61 in 2007, 97 in 2009 and arrived at the record-breaking 147 in 20104. Meanwhile, the size of one transaction increased remarkably and the significant example was the abovementioned takeover of NEXON by CNOOC in 2013, a single deal of 15. 1 billion US$, overpassing exceeding the annual total of many previous years. With regard to the areas where China’s enterprises invested, American,USA Europe and Asia were their top 3 priorities, making up 27%, 21% and 15%5 respectively of the abroad acquisition volumes in 2010. About the sectors where they were interested in, the energy and mining fields were undoubtedly their first choice since 65%6 of the transactions occurred in this industry in 2010. Nonetheless, compared with the general traits, the individual cases are worth researching more carefully. A perfect example is the caseTake the story of China’s giant PC producer Lenovo7 as example, i. In December 2004 Lenovo acquired the PC department sector of IBM at the price of 1. 75 billion US dollars. After almost 10 years’ development, it was impressive that IBM became a super brand of business laptops and PCs and Lenovo had successfully enhanced its brand value and market share during the integration of two firms. It was this deal that made Lenovo a world PC giant. Conversely, the majority of Chinese buyers tasted the bitter flavor of defeats. According to the statistics of Mckinsey8 published in 2010, in the past 20 years, the success rate of international M&A was less than 50% while the failure rate of China’s overseas acquisitions was more that 67%9. In 2008, the total loss of China’s multi-national deals was nearly 35 billion US$10. For instance, in June 2009, Rio Tinto Group unexpectedly announced to breach the acquisition agreement with Chinalco and although Rio Tinto paid 0. 195 billion US$ break-up fee to Chinalco, the latter had to must pay multifold btimes of breaching compensation to China’s state-owned commercial banks and assume tremendous losses resulted from the dropping share price of Rio Tinto. Another perfect example is the case SAIC Motor11 took over SsangYong Motor12 which illustrated a failing integration after a triumphant acquisition. SAIC invested 0. 5 billion US$ to buy 48. 92% shares of SsangYong Motor in 2004 and increased its to 51. 33% in 2005. However, a smooth deal did not forecast a disaster of cultural integration. Neither SAIC achieved the aim of technology importation nor the new management team solved the annoying strikes and salary disputes so that the new enterprise staggered till 2009 when the local court approved the bankruptcy protection of SSangYong Motor, indicating the death of this acquisition. Analysis Based on the facts and cases revealed in previous chapter, we could can not help wondering that what was inside the box? In other words, what experiencepoints we can summarizecould summarize from the successful cases and what lessons we should learn from the failed ones? On one hand, the significant development of China’s overseas M&A might be generated by the following contributing factors. Firstly, the rapid economy growth drove solid requests forof the raw materials such as oil, gas or mining but subject to the limited domestic resources, Chinese enterprises turned their attention to global markets by active merging and acquiring. Secondly, since the exchange rate reform starting from 2005, the Chinese Currency RMB was appreciating gradually, for example the rate of US$ to RMB was 1: 8. 2 in 2005 but is 1: 6. 1 in 2014. In addition, the global financial crisis resulted from the subordinated debts storm in the USA remarkably dropped the share prices of listed companies in global capital markets. Both factorsThis change considerably lowered the costs of international acquisitions in recent years and created realistic opportunities for Chinese companies. Thirdly, holding the massive foreign currency reserve, for instance, 3820 billion US$ in the end of 201313, the central government of China broadened the control of foreign exchange and launched a ‘go-out’ policy to stimulate the internationalization of domestic enterprises, creating a relatively loose macro surroundings for Chinese companies. Fourthly, some Chinese companies were playing games in global markets more and more expertly. They adopted correct strategy to obtain global assets and products, executed it in accordance with international conventions, gained the advanced technology and sales networks, expanded the market share, established competitive edge and moved forward to the aim of multi-nationalization. On the other hand, it is indeed necessary to figure find out what caused the noticeable failure of Chinese acquirers. From my point of view, the reasons could be explained in four aspects. Political resistance:Political factors bear the brunt of the failure of China’s overseas acquisitions. Most Chinese enterprises engaging in international M&A were state-owned enterprises, which in the westerners eyes were regarded as the representatives of Chinese government. Although they emphasized the independence status and commercial orientation when doing business in other countries, the host governments were as prone to link them to the Communist Party of ChinaChinese government. Even if they were not state-owned, the public media often mislabeled them as Chinese SOEs because it was hard for the foreigners to distinguish the nature of one Chinese firm from the other. This was truly an extra risk of Chinese firms and constituted one fundamental obstacle toof China’s overseas acquisitions. Unfortunately, in most cases, Chinese firms had no say and did not know how to communicate with the local government or the public, only to accept the destiny of defeat. For example, the government of USA denied the 18. 5-billion-dollars acquisition of UNOCAL14 by CNOOC for the reason of state security. The failure of Chinalco’ acquisition of Rio Tinto was also attributed to the concern of economic safety of Australia. Strategic error:The core value of enterprise M&A probably is increasing the critical competitive advantage and sustainable development capacity thorough obtaining the essential resources of acquired firms, which requires thorough and appropriate strategies. Nevertheless, most Chinese enterprises, when operating international M&A, did not have a complete and clear strategiesy or did have a strategiesy but lost control of the operation and could not survive the ever-changing global markets. Some of them failed to properly evaluate their overall strengths and to completely understand the rules of international acquisitions therefore executed rush transactions blindly just catering for the individual preference of the boss or following the ‘going-out’ fashion of ‘going-out’. TheA lack of strategiesy must not realize an anticipated results. After a series of losses in international acquisitions, TCL15 admitted that the insufficient strategic preparation was the major reason contributed to its failure16. Another relevant case is the bidding for Hummer17 by Tengzhong18. Although had published an official industrial planning aiming at developing new energy vehicles in 2009, Tengzhong announced a bid for Hummer, the producer of large displacement vehicles, which completely contradicted its strategy of energy saving and emission reduction. Integration difficulty:After applause, flowers, champagnes and wines in the signature ceremony, the real challenge just starts because of the integration or management difficulties of Chinese firms. Though more and more Chinese enterprises enlarged tremendously in recent years, for example, 100 Chinese firms were listed on the Fortune Global 500 Rankings 201419, taking up one fifth of the world’s biggest companies. But compared with international giants such as Exxon Mobile, BP or Shell, Chinese firms are weak on management issues such as corporate governance, business operations, management communication skills, international reputation and marketing channels and internal integration etc. Multi-national acquisition and integration is so complicated that Chinese companies are short of not only managers who could communicate professionally with their counter-parts and standardize the operation with global horizon but also experts who are familiar with international market operations from legal, financial or managerial background20. Take TCL’s acquisition of Thomson21 for instance, after the deal was done, in less than three years, all the former executives of Thomson left the ‘new’ company22 and it fell into a crisis of management resulting in huge profit losses in the following fiscal years. It was truly a failure of team integration due to managerial incompetence. Even worse, Chinese firms were used to manage the integration after acquisitions with domestic management styles and most of them were caught in serious internal frictions, causing which caused productivity declining and profit dropping. Moreover, Chinese firms were merely accustomed to employ Chinese workers no matter where they were doing business, which exerted extensive concerns in the host country. For example, when Chinese firms acquired a local mining, a railway or harbor construction project in Africa, thousands of Chinese workers were hired to work there. It maybe impressive for many when we watched TV that more than 30,000 Chinese workers retreated from Libya after the civil war following the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in 2010. In the countries with tight policies on foreign labors, the employment patterns of Chinese acquisitions were controversial. Culture difference:Cultural is an indispensible influential factor in international M&A yet ignoring its significance is a common failing of Chinese acquirers. Many host countries complained that Chinese firms were mining robots or money machines, developing business simply on their own without incorporating themselves into the local communities and respecting the unique cultural backgrounds. The failure of SAIC’s acquisition of SsangYong, discussed mentioned in previous episode, could cast light on how the culture conflict ruined a takeover. It seems that the primary reason was SAIC’s insufficient acknowledgement of culture difference. Korea is an island country and its people have tremendous national pride therefore when SsangYong was acquired by SCIA which is from an undeveloped country of China, its employees were reluctant to accept the reality of control change and to co-operate well with the new boss. That was why they behaved negatively in the integration and apparently SAIC failed to figure out a proper strategy to deal with this issue. Moreover, SAIC underestimated the power of Labor Union and the complexity of labor disputes while paid more attention to enhance the relationship with the governmental authorities, which is anan exact reflection of Chinese culture, not suitable in Korea. The result of ignoring it was remarkable. Comparison After the analysis of what caused Chinese firms’ poor performance, before giving advice on how to improve it, it seems necessary to catch a glance at how the international peers did their M&A deals. Japan, one neighbor of China, is a perfect model we could refer to. Similar as today’s China, Japan is a country short of natural resources, from the 1960s when Japanese economy began to soar, Japanese enterprises invested massively in overseas markets to pursue a steady resource supplies. In the 1970s and 1980s, they also encountered various barriers and obstacles but Japanese firms gradually diminished the hostility and cautiousness and successfully took initiatives in global investment sectors23. Image-making:Japanese firms laid emphasis on image-polishing via the ‘think tank’ and the news media. In the 1980s, in response to the increasing hostility, Japanese firms implemented diverse strategies to turn them acceptable to the American society. Since most official critics were from the Congress, major Japanese companies established or enlarged the representative offices in Washington, DC. They tried to create the mainstream opinion via the cooperation with the think tanks, journalists orand former governmental officials and in return the think tanks held periodically forums on Japanese investments and published reports arguing that Japanese investments were beneficial to the USA economy. In most cases, Japanese firms sponsored or funded the researches or cooperated with the scholars in this field. Sustainable strategy: Japanese firms focused on a long-term effect of investments, pursued a resource-preferred acquisition strategy and did not deviate from the aim easily even if confronting temporary losses or missing profitable opportunities. As a result, the investment terms of Japanese firms were longer than those of Chinese firms. In addition, Japanese companies coordinated well with each other and avoided internal malicious competitions (which often happened among their Chinese peers) to maximize their coalition strength. Differing from Chinese acquirers in Australian market, Japanese companies were used to form an acquisition group of 3-4 firms to optimize the bargaining potential and profit margin. Local management: Unlike Chinese companies which preferred to appoint Chinese executives in overseas subordinates, Japanese investors trusted localAmerican managers and appointed them as executives. Besides, they tried to localize material supplies as much as possible. According to the report published in 2002 by the Bureau of Economics Analysis24, USA, from 1982 to 2002, the number of American suppliers of Honda25had climbed from 40 to 55026. Likewise, when negotiating with partners for acquisition deals, Japanese companies seldom requested to participated in the business operation so that they could avoid the employment, salary or land disputes, which considerably reduced the management risk and integration failure. Community relation: When investing in overseas countries, Japanese firms endeavored to integrate themselves to local culture and contribute to the construction of local communities. For example, sponsoring a baseball team or funding a cancer research center, Japanese firm had donated millions of dollars for local charity. All of these merits of goodness conveyed the information that Japanese firms respected local culture and put high value on local development. This is a sharp contrast to Chinese firms’ behavior in that they were only keen on making money but were indifferent to the lives of local residents. Recommendation Corresponding to the problems figured out discussed and the comparisons analyzed above, I would like to share my view on how to improve the overseas M&A operations of Chinese enterprises. Firstly, we should reduce the role the state plays in international acquisitions and create effective communications with stakeholders. To be honest, many overseas M&A cases illustrated the economic targets of Chinese government, which is the most controversial issue and the biggest concern in foreign markets. As the government, it must be aware of its duty and the boundary of public power, decrease the interference to micro economic operation and liberate the creativities of Chinese enterprises in overseas markets. On the other hand, Chinese government should provide necessary supervision and guidance of overseas acquisitions, reform improper and complicated formalities of abroad transaction and facilitate the currency flow by loosing strict exchange control. However, to eliminate political obstacles, the majority of the tasks are at the shoulder of Chinese enterprises themselves. It shouldmay be necessary for them to put public relationship management top of their agenda. For example, learn to communicate with the public media and the local communities in the language and style they could understand, find spokesmen in think tanks and sponsor local research academies or educational institutions are all constructive measures to enhance the soft powerimage of Chinese enterprises. In principle, we must try to let the host country, the local public, the local staff and other stakeholders believe that Chinese acquisitions are not only a business but also a kindness, not a threatens but an opportunitiesy, to all of them. Secondly, it is essential to break the spell of speculation and to adopt strategic thinking. Acquisition is not gambling but rather implementation of strategy, hence before initiating offers Chinese buyers must set up definite targets and strategies. In short, what do we exactly want? Every overseas acquisition case must have a clear strategic demand: to enhance the buyer’s weight in the value chain; to extend the brand reputation; to expand the production line or to extend the market share? We should not launch an acquisition merely because the target company is cheap or the acquisition is an eye-catching advertisement. Nothing would be more surprising than the news that a Chinese Millionaire Chen Guangbiao, whose business is recycle resourcing, announced a plan to buy New York Times. After the aim is set up, Chinese enterprise should establish and hold a firm strategy, draw an feasible plan in details to implement the strategy step by step and unless the market surroundings changes fundamentally, do not give up the fixed strategy easily. Thirdly, it could be urgent for Chinese firms to substantially enhance their management strength to survive the integration difficulties after takeovers. It is desirable for the acquirer to keep the previous management team of the acquired firm as much as possible and to pursue a ‘win-win’ target by satisfying both the requirements of the buyer and the demands of the seller as well asand its employees. Plus, they also should build a thorough management systems in accordance with international convention, enhance overall managerial strengthability, perfect internal corporate governance and establish rational incentive mechanism, to achieve a smooth integration and a sustainable development. Fourthly, it is not exaggerating to say that the failure of an overseas acquisition is actually the failure of cultural communication, which reminds Chinese buyers to take care of the cultural difference. Currently, most of the targeted firms are matured western enterprises which have built their own tradition and culture and hope to maintain rather than change it. In the contrary, Chinese firms have not developed a systematic and matured cultures. That is, China buyers have to absorb the advanced elements of the existing cultures and mix them in the formation of a new culture. Under some unique circumstances it is necessary to give up or reform the unreasonable parts in our own cultures that iare s unacceptable to the host country. Conclusion To summarize, overseas M&A is an effective way for Chinese enterprises to realize the hyper-normal development in global markets. But every opportunity could also be seen as a crisis and vice versa. It is a cake or a trap merely depends on what areis our choices. Friendly market, clear strategy, efficient management and proper communication may bring you a bright perspectives while hostile surrounding, blind expansion, poor administration and cultural conflict could catch usyou in a deep traps. For the better preparation to survive international M&A competitions, it is high time for Chinese enterprises to sum up the successful experiences and to learn from the costly lessons. If this article could provide some advisable suggestions on this topic, it would be my greatest pleasure.

Training and development Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Training and development - Literature review Example Therefore, this means that it is increasingly becoming difficult to define management at the contemporary workplace due to inconsistencies in both the classical conceptualization of management and the actual practicalities of management in organizations today, due to challenges of the changing environment. According to Andre De Waal et.al 2009 p.180, Vietnamese banks are increasingly under pressure to find ways of enhancing performance to increase their competitiveness in the highly competitive Vietnamese banking industry. Competition often results to scarcity of resources and decline of returns on investment especially where organizations have a low market strength compared to rivals, and this lack of competitiveness might eventually result to organizational failure. Andre De Waal et.al presents on the much under researched topic of high performance organization and characteristics of high performance in the Vietnam banking industry, and some of the major HPO factors highlighted inc lude, but are not limited to, quality of management and workforce quality. Quality management entails establishing and maintaining trust relationships with the human factor of the firm on all levels by valuing staff loyalty, treating them fairly with respect, understanding individual needs, in addition to encouraging belief and trust in others. A HPO also develops its workforce by training them to acquire strategic competencies and capabilities, giving them opportunities to learn from others, and encouraging creativity in the accomplishment of tasks through performance reviews. The banks in the Vietnam banking sector have come under increasing pressure to implement training programs in response to the pervasive pressures in the banking industry, to achieve both competitiveness and sustainability in the long term. Ha Thu Vu and Sean Turnell 2010, p.115 states that the banking sectors around the world have been subject to considerable changes over the past few decades through a number of factors such as deregulation, mergers and acquisitions, financial liberation, in addition to other reform and restructuring programs. They observe this evolutionary trend in the Vietnamese banking industry that started with the transformation of Vietnam’s banking system from a mono-tier to a two-tier banking system; domestic Vietnamese banks later went through rapid restructuring programs, financial deregulation, and became integrated into the global financial systems. Ha Thu Vu and Sean Turnell examine the cost efficiency of the Vietnamese banking industry by incorporating the monotonicity and concavity constraints in calculating the cost frontier using the Bayesian approach. In addition, this body of literature presents that the Vietnamese banking industry has undergone rapid reform programs to recapitalize the banks, to reorganize management activities, to improve staff skills, and enhance performance. This research further observes that the overall progress of the ban king industry reform has been spotty with the profitability of the Vietnamese banks remaining marginal. Quang Truong et al 2010, p.75 highlight the pervasive focus on developing and managing the human resources especially in the light of the search for competitive advantage and increasing

Strategy in Strategic Planning with Biblical Principles Assignment

Strategy in Strategic Planning with Biblical Principles - Assignment Example e one that imposes order inside a firm, and in case the strategy proves to be a useless one, then the managers should take their time to know why it failed. Additionally, a company should lay emphasis on its major strengths, look out for new prospects and manage its change process in an aggressive manner (Burgelman, 2002). From a biblical perspective, various questions have been raised as to whether a Christian is capable of adding value to an organization, and whether the strategic plans that a Christian proposes are different from those of non-Christians. It is not yet clear whether Christians adopt their own strategies or whether they make their decisions out of the influence of the secular business models. However, from the perspective of faith-based models, it is evident that a Christian strategic leader is different from a non-Christian counterpart since he is believed to be called upon by God to play his role. A Christian manager is unique since the motives and assumptions that he makes are driven by the different overview that he has regarding the world (Haskins & Smith, 2004). Therefore, based on the different worldviews that the two parties portray, then these people are expected to make decisions that differ from each other in an

Complete short story in 2.500 words and 750 word commentary Essay

Complete short story in 2.500 words and 750 word commentary - Essay Example That there had to be people telling him what to do, what not to do. It had been close to nine months. He thought if he could avoid it then it wouldn’t have to be real. He could still feel the warmth of Naysa as she hugs him on his leg, the highest that she could reach. He could never get the smell of baby powder that wafts on her pink room and the butterflies hanging from the ceiling. The sleepless nights he and Amy had to bear because she wakes up at night hungry for a bottle. The laughs he had potty training her to no success. He had kept the house while Amy got an apartment. He couldn’t bear moving one furniture or toy. Amy couldn’t bear staying in the house for an hour. There was a pounding on his chest. A physical pain he could never get over. He feels too old to start over again. The glimmer of the life that he had suddenly flickered into the abyss that could never be his again. This was not fair. He did everything accordingly. He never cheated to get ahead. He worked hard to get where he is with his career. He helped where it is needed and to the extent he can provide. He wasn’t religious, but he was faithful. He loved the same woman for over a decade. But there was no one to blame, no one but himself. Greg and Amy had been in the same high school. They had the same set of friends but never really saw each other for more than acquaintances. Greg had always been too serious. He was the captain of the debate team, constant honor student and officer of the class. But he had a certain charm. A quiet charisma attracts people to him. Amy, on the other hand, has this certain flair. She wasn’t the most popular but there is always someone following her around, willing to carry her bag and walk her to her next class. But through all those years there was not one person that had been her consistent boyfriend. To be more accurate, no one could really claim to be her boyfriend. They met again on the engagement party of Bill and

Annotated bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Annotated Bibliography Example B. & HÃ ¶glund, A. T. (2008). Physicians’ and nurses’ perceptions of patient involvement in myocardial infarction care. European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 7 (2), 113 – 120. doi: 10.1016/j.ejcnurse.2007.05.005 From the background of the role of patients’ involvement in improving outcomes in healthcare, these researchers determine the behavior and perception of physicians and nurses with regards to acute MI patients’ involvement. Having conducted a questionnaire study among cardiology staff from 12 Swedish hospitals, the research showed no significant variation in the responses of both physicians and nurses. They considered time constraints and being unsure of how to communicate with patients as their hindrance to promoting patient involvement. Therefore, the article advocates for proper staffing and education on communication skills as key components of ensuring effective care and management of MI patients. In this article, Bakan and Akyol (2008) document their research that sought to examine Roy Adaptation Model, RAM on adaptation of heart failure patients. RAM is an approach that appreciates nursing’s biobehavioral knowledge as balancing between the understanding of a person as both a thinking and a physiologic in a physical environment and feeling the human experience in cosmic world. The findings indicate that RAM improved the quality of life of heart failure or MI patients, their functional capacities and social support. Thus, the article concludes by advocating for RAM as an effective approach that nurses need to adopt when caring for MI patients. Fortin, C., Dupuis, G., Marchand, A. & D’Antono, B. (2013). Chronic post-traumatic stress following a myocardial infarction: Prevalence and detection in hospital setting. Journal of Depression and Anxiety, 2 (1), 133 – 139. doi: 10.4172/2167-1044.1000132 This article is important in showing the role of nurses during the period of patients’ recovery from

Petroleum Energy in CHINA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Petroleum Energy in CHINA - Assignment Example This paper will concentrate on the price and the income elasticity for gasoline in the state of China. It is appropriate to understand the connections among the gasoline price, the gasoline demand and the non-refundable income as this knowledge will help in the evaluation and examination of the effectiveness of China’s tax transformation. The tax transformation focuses on decreasing the gasoline consumption due to its hazardous impacts such as pollution and global warming and it has various useful implications for the energy statue in consideration (Jiang & Zemin, 103). Even though the domestic fuel prices in China undergo regulation by the government through the responsible department, the prices are always revised quite often in accordance with the world oil prices and due to that, the diesel prices and the gasoline prices tend to follow or rather comply with the world oil prices. The price of gasoline was first moderated in the year 1993, and then in 1994, 1998, 2003 and in 2009 with the implementation of many transformations. In general, the administration or the government usually erects a foundation of price of the crude oil on a non-uniform basis according to the weighted accumulative price change of various international exchanges such as the Minas, the New York, and the Brent. There are two main oil companies in the State of China namely the China Petrochemical Corporation and the China National Petroleum Corporation are given the mandate to set the ex-plant prices that are the wholesale and retail prices. The two corporations sell to the provincial petroleum companies who in turn forecast the retail service joints. The prices charged at the joints or rather stations are set to mitigate between a rate of 8% band and above and below the set standard prices. Given the price mechanism, the nominal retail gasoline prices increased at a steady rate making the annual growth rate to be approximately 3.50 percent (Jiang

Clorox vs. Shout Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Clorox vs. Shout - Term Paper Example Thus it is necessary for the company to identify its strengths and weaknesses in order to develop strategies to improve its market share and sales and thus gain competitive advantage over its competitors. Its strengths are that is enjoys customer loyalty and give back to the community thus good reputation. The weakness of Clorox is that it is a small company concentrated only in a small region of the global market. SC Johnson on the other hand enjoys the strength of having its products all over the global market. However they have a disadvantage that they do no give back to the community and have limited customer loyalty. The recommendations that Clorox Company can implement in order to achieve competitive advantage of the product category market include strategic marketing, innovations and expansions of its operations and products into new markets so as to gain global market value and dominate it as well. Market Analysis of Product Category The bleach market globally is expected to have a value of $2.6 billion which is an increase from 2008 by 0.7%. Americans alone accounts for almost 50% of the global market value of the bleach while the Clorox contribute 28.5% share of bleach’s global market value. ... Hence its existence for more than six generations has helped in gaining customer loyalty and confidence which gives them advantage over their competitors like Sc Johnson. The product category have been recording increased sales over the years however currently due to economic crisis consumers tend to go for the products that are cheaper and economical. Due to presence of some chemicals in the product category, Clorox Company decided to introduce green products as a market strategy to improve sales and lure the consumers since nowadays everyone wants to go green and protect the environment. This was done in 2008 and for the first few years the sales increased enormously (Thomas, 58). However when the global recession crept in the sales started declining because people prefer to buy the normal Clorox which is lower in price as compared to the green option. At the end of the day consumers want to promote environmental protection but not at a higher cost. Clorox Company is relatively sma ll as compared to SC Johnson and it commands mostly domestic market unlike SC Johnson which commands global market. This has give SC Johnson an advantage over Clorox since they cover almost all countries in the world. This has given challenge to Clorox and currently they are putting together strategies that can help them expand and they are especially eyeing the Canadian market. The household market is growing quite rapidly and thus other companies are gaining market value globally at the expense of Clorox Company. Market analysis of the product category shows that there a variety of cleaning products in the market. Many companies have invaded the household cleaning products market thus quite a number of cleaning products for the consumer to chose

MARKETING & SOCIETY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MARKETING & SOCIETY - Essay Example This essay will detail the Achilles Heel of Coca-Cola’s operations in India, namely its competition with native inhabitants over limited water resources, and critically evaluate the company’s strategy for handling of these criticisms. The competition for water between Coca-Cola manufacturing plants and local inhabitants was nowhere more blatant than in Plachimada – a rural part of the state of Kerala in South India. A subsidiary of Coca-Cola – Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages – set up a manufacturing plant here in the year 2000. Plachimada and its surrounding areas were prone to periodic droughts. Yet, the governing authorities approved the project, apparently reasoning that the plant will stimulate the local economy and increase the speed of development in Plachimada. Coca-Cola promptly dug six bore wells for drawing water and before long the water table in the entire region dried up. This meant that the local inhabitants have to walk (or cycle) nearly seven kilometres to reach drinkable water. For example, according to the first hand report of Mark Thomas, â€Å"People I spoke to said they used to earn about 1 [pounds sterling] a day as harvesters, and they used to get about 20 days work a month. Now they are lucky if they get five days work a month, because the local crops have failed. They felt they had no option but to fight the company, and set up a 24-hour vigil opposite the plant. At the end of the month, they will have been there for 647 days.† (Thomas, 2004) Hence, the grievances expressed by local villagers and social activists are not confined to the issue of drinking water. The operation of the manufacturing plant gives rise to a myriad of challenges to the environment, agricultural productivity and people’s livelihoods. The Plachimada episode was only the first of many run-ins between Coca-Cola and rural communities in India. Following the tumult in

State of Confusion Paper Essay Example for Free

State of Confusion Paper Essay Determining the difference between personal jurisdiction and subject matter jurisdiction will help to determine which location a lawsuit should be filed in. Defining interstate commerce and which level of government has the right to place restrictions on the commerce is important when discussing a lawsuit. Understanding how lawsuits work as well as what lawyers will try to introduce within the court will allow the defendant to be able to better predict the outcome of the lawsuit. Personal Jurisdiction Personal jurisdiction also known as personam jurisdiction is the courts authority over the parties involved in the dispute (Melvin, S. P., 2011, p59). Personal jurisdiction, defined in this manner, the parties involved can be a business or an individual. It is the courts responsibility to determine fairness to all parties involved while complying with the laws of the federal constitutional requirements. The court determines personal jurisdiction over a party who lives in another state by a state long-arm statute. The court must determine if the out of state defendant, transacts business in the other state, commits a negligent act which leads to a loss to the other party, or owns property within the state (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p61). The court will look at Truckers lawsuit to determine if the State of Confusion’s statute causes a loss to Trucker’s business. The injurious effect will be taken into consideration at the lower courts level. Does the statute of the State of Confusion cause an injurious effect on the Tanya Trucker a resident of the State of Denial? Subject Matter Jurisdiction Subject matter jurisdiction is the courts authority over the dispute between the two parties (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p59). State courts are who handle any matter involving state statues, state common law or a state constitutional issue (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p60). The federal court will only hear matters in which arise from a federal statute or regulation, federal common law, or an issue with the U.S. Constitution. Federal courts may also hear matters when the parties involved are from two different states or if the monetary amount is greater than $75,000 (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p 60). The federal government will only provide a ruling based on state law if the diversity of citizenship is used. Both subject matter jurisdiction and personal jurisdiction must be satisfied before the federal court will be able to hear the case. In Tanya Truckers case against the State of Confusion the trial should be held in the federal courts within the State of Denial. The basis for this belief is because the matter between the State of Denial and Tanya Trucker is the nonresident (Trucker) is alleging loss to her business by the State of Confusion, therefore, the federal court within the State of Denial will hear the case but base the decision on the State of Confusions state statute as well as follow the Commerce Powers as defined by the US Constitution. Legal Issues Tanya Truckers attorneys will argue the State of Confusion has passed statues which attempt to regulate interstate commerce. The statue states all B-type truck hitches are required on all trucks which pass through the State of Confusion or the State requires the truck without the hitch to go around the State of Confusion therefore limiting the interstate commerce. This statue directly effects the Commerce clause of the US Constitution. The State of Confusion will argue the statue does not provide discriminatory laws on out of state business, the statue is a legitimate effort to regulate health, safety, and welfare (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p35). The State of Confusion will further argue the statue allows for the safety of the B-type hitches allows the fellow commuters on the highway protection because of the safety of the hitch which is installed. The hitch will prevent accidents to other motorists on the highway. The statue allows the state to protect the commerce on the highway by requiring the hitch be installed on all vehicles which pass through the state. The research presented allows me to conclude the court will side in favor of Tanya Trucker. The State of Confusion is discriminating against all trucks and towing trailers by forcing them to use a specific hitch or not pass through their state. This statue is in clear violation of the Commerce Clause set forth in the US Constitution. Stages of a Civil Suit In order to know the stages of a civil litigation it is important to know the definition of what civil litigation is. Civil litigation is a dispute resolution process where the parties and their counsel argue their view of a civil (noncriminal) controversy in a court of law (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p78). The stages of a civil litigation can overlap at times causing the stages to become blurred however, the stages help to allow the parties involved to understand the process and make sure a clear and concise resolution or ruling has been made. The stages of a civil litigation are, prelawsuit, standing, complaint and summons, answer, counterclaim, motions, discovery, pretrial conference, and trial. Following these stages and going through each stage completely allows for an unbiased verdict either by judge or jury. Prelawsuit Prelawsuit is an informal demand from one party to another. Prelawsuit allows for the parties or their attorneys to get together and discuss the issue. Prelawsuit is each party’s way of letting each other know what their demands are before a formal lawsuit is filed. This first step can help to resolve a number of issues before the costly issue of suit follows. Standing Standing is one party asserting a claim they have suffered an injury if fact, harm that is direct, concrete, and individualized, and articulates what legal redress exists to compensate for the injury (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p79-80). The standing formally tells the other party exactly what their conduct is doing to the economic interest of the business. Complaint and Summons The complaint and summons stage is also known as the pleadings stage. If no resolution in the informal stage can be attained then the formal proceeding begin with a complaint and summons. A complaint is the facts of the case in a formal matter which describes the liability and the defenses of the party (Melvin, S.P., 2011 p80). A summons is a formal notification to the defendant that s/he has been named in the lawsuit and informs them that an answer must be filed within a certain period of time (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p80). Answer An answer is a formal document which addresses each complaint from the defendant. This document usually states what each party agrees to and what each party still disputes. If the answer does not come in a timely matter the other party can be held in default which will allow for the other party to automatically lose the suit. Counterclaim A counterclaim is a way for the plaintiff to assert a countersuit establishing their credibility and attesting to damages by the defendant for not following the statue. The counterclaim being filed gives the defendant the ball in their court. They must now answer to the countersuit in a timely manner or be held in default. Motions A motion is a document filed by one party that requests court action in a matter pertaining to the litigation (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p84). A common motion filed in courts is the motion to dismiss. Discovery Stage The discovery stage allows each party to gather evidence to present in the pretrial conference and to be used in the trial. There are many different methods in the discovery stage. Depositions are common in this stage of discovery. Depositions are oral questions asked in front of a witness (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p84). Pretrial Conference A pretrial conference’s primary purpose is to encourage each party to agree to a settlement. If a settlement is reached the trial will not proceed. If a settlement is not reached then the parties will appear for the trial. The pretrial conference is usually each party and their respective attorneys appearing before the judge. Trial A trial as defined by the text The Legal Environment of Business generally takes place in front of a judge as the finder of law and a jury as the finder of fact (Melvin, S.P., 2011, p86). There are many stages to trial such as jury selection and opening, testimony and submission of evidence, closing arguments and charging the jury, deliberations and verdict, posttrial motions and appeals, and collecting the judgment. Trials can lead to a settlement when either party realizes they are found at fault prior to the verdict. A settlement can happen at any stage of the trial proceedings. References: Melvin, S. P. (2011). The legal environment of business: A managerial approach: Theory to practice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Big business affects public relations ethics Essay Example for Free

Big business affects public relations ethics Essay Big business today affects public relation ethics. â€Å"U. S. corporations devote hundreds of millions of dollars annually to ? public relations in order to create goodwill for themselves. A major public ? relations goal is to make people believe that an organization exerts a ? positive and desirable force in society. This process is called image building; ideally, it creates credibility. † (Blohowiak 1987) There are two reasons regarding the deterioration of public relation ethics. First, people are driven by self gaining attitude. Second, because of the self- gain mentality, people treat costumers or the â€Å"other† as only an object or a means to achieve their desire. Individual’s self gain has been one of the strongest considerations of a man in indulging himself to a business or corporation. It is always automatic that man will seek for gain in any undertaking. Man desires for material things in life and is always in constant act of assimilating these things. This assimilation contributes to the malady of the business world today. Because of this drive of man to gain, man, most of the time is on a self- centered mode. Man is likely not to consider others in order to achieve his desires. He does not consider what ethical means to be done in order to achieve his goal rather, seeing only means that can contribute to his gain. Man becomes glued by the desire to gain. Instead of a brotherly relationship with a co- employee or a client, the relationship becomes just a functional relationship because people see each other as only a means to a desired end. They interact only by means of functions and with the reason of only accomplishing something. The relationship becomes an objective relationship and that they don’t care to other employees and costumers. The â€Å"I† and â€Å"thou† relationship is no where to be found. Customers and other employees are treated up objects. They are not recognized as also beings with human dignity. People in doing business do not look at the welfare of the â€Å"other† and becomes glued with self centeredness. Because of self gain which gives birth to treating others as only objects of their desire, the public relations ethics deteriorates. The business world today is full of deception that a lot of cases and dilemmas have been produced. People does not give emphasis on the quality of service they render instead their emphasis is on the amount of profit they will get from every transaction. Money becomes the criteria of doing business and of everything. The true meaning of inter human relationship vanishes. People do away from the very essence of it. They find meaning in assimilating material things which is a true deviation from their essence. Their essence as social being is to treat others as subjects, as beings with human dignity. People also deviate from the will of God because the will of God dictates that they must treat others with respect and love. God wants people to have a harmonious inter human relationship. It makes Him sad to see people using other people just to satisfy caprices. Greed becomes the theme of the business world today and great virtues and values are hard to find. The drive of man for self gain is very strong. It is very difficult to overcome. This is the reason why we have a deteriorating public relations ethics. People seem to care for the assimilation of money and nothing else. Material possessions drew people’s attention and they become fixated with it. Even in a lifetime, it is very difficult nowadays to detach from this sad reality of our existence. Life in the business world is always a tale of thinking to do what’s right and thinking to do what is beneficial to one’s self, very hard but interesting battle that every people is facing. With big business processing big investments for big profits, big business executives will not think twice in manipulating public relations activities to make the picture suit their interests over other competitiors.

Indoor Flower Arrangements Tips

Indoor Flower Arrangements Tips Arranging flowers can give peace of mind and can also lead to the attainment of patience and strength in adversity. If only the first of these claims is correct how worthwhile it is to spend precious time in selecting flowers and putting them into a vase for the pleasure and delight of those who will enjoy them. The pleasure and satisfaction that can be obtained from arranging a bowl of flowers would be difficult to express. Here are a few room-by-room ideas for everyday decorating. Step inside The atmosphere of a house is not only determined by its living quarters: the reception area at the front door can also play a role. Vestibule, hall and stairway are the ‘introducer of every home. Here, visitors receive their first impression of you. So make these areas more welcoming and attractive. An arrangement of vibrant blooms, such as Sada Bahar or Bougainvillea a floral swag at the front door makes a memorable first impression. Flowers for the kitchen The kitchen is, of course, also an ideal place for flowers. Wild flowers (Gull Benaphsha) and Sunflower in a jug on the counter top can make a great impact. Moreover an arrangement of colored flowers, such as Zinnia presents an ideal environment to a kitchen. Dining among flowers Numerous families also enjoy the presence of flowers at mealtimes, even if this consists of nothing more than a ‘simple flower on the table. An elegant centerpiece of Daisy and Lily creates an intimate dining environment. You can use fresh flowers for creating centerpiece flowers arrangements in which you can place different fresh flowers around two candles in a beautiful manner. The windowsills and cupboard tops are usually festooned with Cactus flowers in small bowls in dining room with less space. Bedroomflower arrangement Bedrooms are now often graced with a profusion of vigorous flowering that really enjoy the somewhat cooler environment. A small arrangement of Roses promotes an atmosphere of rest and romance. A much more attractive arrangement in a long, fairly narrow room is to display flowers like Cosmos in two or three groups. Two or three good places are far more effective than small spots of flowers dotted all over the room. Living room dà ©cor Every interior can be enhanced with flowers. Try floating three or four flowers such as Motia, or brightly colored Tulip petals in a crystal bowl on central table in your living room. Group arrangement is also true for living room dà ©cor Tube Rose and Canna is a best selection for this. Brightly colored flowers such as Pansy or Daffodil flowers are the perfect addition to a windowsill. Bathroom flowers Add a touch of class with an arrangement of miniature Carnations-long-lasting blooms that act as natural air fresheners. Wall flowers When home is small, anything which can be hung on a wall is an advantage. It is possible to create something pleasing to suit the room exactly. The flowers used can be sweet and traditional; with masses of character in a different kind of room can seem strong, up-to-date and vital. Certainly the size can be made to fit exactly the space available and containers to hang on a wall, both modern and antique, are a pleasure to seek out. Particularly in a small room it is good to be able to have a selection of containers which can be changed now and then. A number of a wall vase and containers can be used singly or in a group to show off a single full petalled rose, a gathering of mixed garden flowers, or a few attractive woodland leaf rosettes. Selection of vases and other containers When you make your collection of vases and other flower containers for arrangements, there are some essential points to take into account. Choose a vase that complements your desired arrangements. You dont want to arrange white and pink flowers in a red vase. When you choose your vase, try to imagine what your flower arrangements will look like in it when its completed. You can use different types of vessels for this purpose like soup bowls, coffee cups or sherbet glasses. Short steamed flowers look beautiful in these containers. The most popular shape of vases is Urn, generally all sorts of flowers set best in these vases. But Lilies and other flowers with large and showy heads look excellent. For many arrangements using only a few flowers, it as very useful to have in store a collection of two kinds of vase: glass bottles with narrow necks and steamed cups or goblets. The narrow bottles can take tall-stemmed specimens, whereas the goblets and so on can be used for extremely variegated displays, by embedding short steamed flowers and other plants in a bed of suitably pliable material. Color of flowers Choose colors which complement the decorating scheme of the room. However, dont be locked into the idea that the colors of flowers must match those of the upholstery or draperies, especially if they are colors which do not normally occur in nature. Permanent flowers will always be more pleasing, and they will never go out of style. Better to use a flower in a peach or coral hue, which is the direct chromatic complement to turquoise and a naturally occurring color of roses. Choosing the complementary hue allows the flowers to stand out as a lovely accent to highlight the room. Points to remember Choose flowers that are almost open fully, cut at a slant and place in water. Remove bruised petals and leaves that do not look very good. Change the water in the vase when it becomes cloudy. Use at least three different kinds of flowers in an arrangement. They can be the same color, but different shades or they can be different colors that complement each other. Source Decorating with plants, living color in the home by A.C. Muller-Idzerda Elisabeth de Lestrieux Indoor flowers-A popular guide by Brain Valerie Proudley http://www.chennaionline.com/homedecor/flowerdecoration.asp By Amber Saleem 12- Gosha Angoori Park Link Road Baghbanpura Lahore.

Understanding The Cause Of Hom Essay -- essays research papers

"Being homeless is often defined as sleeping on the streets. Although this is the most visible and severe form of homelessness, there are many other types of acute housing need. These include living in temporary accommodation, poor or overcrowded conditions, or being in mortgage arrears and under threat of re-possession." (Hope 1986) It is a symptom of many complex problems: mental illness, emotional instability, illiteracy, chronic substance abuse, unemployment, and, most basic of all, breakdown of the family structure. Anyone can become homeless and the reasons that force people into homelessness are many and varied. The leading cause, however, of homelessness in the United States is the inability of poor people to afford housing. "Housing costs have risen significantly over the last decade, while the incomes of poor and middle-class Americans have stagnated." (Erickson 1991) The millions of Americans who are unemployed or work in low-paying jobs are among the most vulnerable to becoming homeless. Therefore, homelessness, housing and income are inextricably linked. Low-income people are frequently unable to pay for housing, food, child-care, health care, and education. Difficult choices must be made when limited resources cover only some of these necessities. Often it is housing, which takes a high proportion of income that must be dropped. Two major sources of income are from employment and public assistance. A decrease in either one of them would certainly put poor people at risk of homelessness. Additionally, minimum wage earnings no longer lift families above the poverty line. "More than 3 million poor Americans spend more than half of their total income on housing, yet the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates families should spend no more than 30%." (Gilbert 1993) Although many homeless adults are employed, they work in day-labor jobs that do not meet basic needs, while technological acceleration excludes others from a competitive job market. Many factors have contributed to declining work opportunities for large segments of the workforce, including the loss of well-paying manufacturing jobs. The decline in relatively secure and well-paying jobs in manufacturing, which have been replaced by less secure and poorly-paid jobs in the service sector, has greatly limited the opportunities for poorly-educate... ...ehabilitation of old buildings by minimal funding are common projects to provide shelters for the homeless people. However, some observers suggests that making "the renovation of buildings for low-income housing attractive, that is, profitable, for developers or investors" (Urban Land 1986) can be the solution to the homeless problem. Our examination makes it clear that piecemeal intervention can alleviate emergency shelter crises, but such action will not resolve the long-term problem of finding permanent shelter for the homeless and returning them to the mainstream of society wherever possible, which we regard as the ultimate goal of intervention. Equally obvious is that while long-term intervention strategies are vital, they do not address the problems of survival for those presently without shelter and support. We conclude that both long-term and short-term measures are necessary, but that all the solutions should be based on integrated, comprehensive understanding of the homelessness problem. Only such a comprehensive approach will allow planners to develop workable strategies with any chance for success.

Discovering Mortality in Once More to the Lake Essay -- Once More to t

Discovering Mortality in Once More to the Lake E. B. White's story "Once More to the Lake" is about a man who revisits a lake from his childhood to discover that his life has lost placidity.   The man remembers his childhood as he remembers the lake; peaceful and still.   Spending time at the lake as an adult has made the man realize that his life has become unsettling and restless, like the tides of the ocean.   Having brought his son to this place of the past with him, the man makes inevitable comparisons between his own son and his childhood self, and between himself as an adult and the way he remembers his father from his childhood perspective.   The man's experience at the lake with his son is the moment he discovers his own mortality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The man had experienced adulthood, and therefore could never experience the lake as he did when he was a child.   Except for the sound of outboard motors, the lake was pretty much the same as it had been before.   "The only thing that was wrong now, really, was the sound of the place, an unfamiliar nervous sound of the outboard motors" (White 153).   This "nervous" sound suggests the nervousness of adulthood; the anxieties that sweep through the minds of people who have matured.   The noise created by the outboard motors reflects the noise inside the man's consciousness.   Instead of the "sleepy" sound of the inboard engines used when the man was a child, there were now noisy engines, which cluttered the air around the lake.   These sounds constantly reminded the man of the restlessness of his adult life.   Due to constant obstacles like the sound of the outboard motors or the internal struggles that come with adulthood, the man could only return to the lake as a guest of his own mem... ...izes his or her mortality in the same way.   Some people realize their mortality when they are young, while others realize it an instant before they die.   I am unsure if I will ever experience this sensation as the man in this story did.   However, knowing that I will one day have to face the inevitable, makes me want to create a belief for what will happen after I reach my fate.   I feel I can relate to the way the man felt because I have yet to find answers for what, if anything, will be found beyond my mortality.   The unsettling feeling that I get when I seriously think about this probably compares to the feeling the man got when he realized his own mortality.   Some people calm this feeling by putting their faith in God.   Unfortunately, I cannot escape my suspicion that God is the invention of an animal that knows it is going to die, and it sends a chill up my spine.

The Many Meanings of Stephen Cranes The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky Essa

The Many Meanings of The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky Stephen Crane's "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" is a tale about a town sheriff, Jack Potter, who is returning home from a trip where he has married. Jack returns shamefully with his new wife of little worldly experience. The town of Yellow Sky knows Jack as the fearless Marshal who is never afraid to stare down the barrel of a gun. Jack's return to Yellow Sky happens to be at a time when the town drunk, Scratchy Wilson, is looking for a gunfight. However, the townspeople and Scratchy are disappointed to find him married, unarmed, and unwilling to fight. Before Jack arrived the townspeople were hoping for his arrival to cool off the situation. As one bartender said, "'I wish Jack Potter was back from San Anton', he shot Wilson up once--in the leg--and he would sail in and pull out the kinks in this thing'" (215). This quote and Jack's shamefulness are what leads people into discussions of this story. Jack Potter's marriage was kept secret from any of his friends and family, so his new wife was something unknown to anyone. For this and other reasons, Jack is afraid to return to Yellow Sky a married man. As critic Eric Solomon once put it: "He is condemned in his own eyes for betraying two traditions: he has tarnished the person of Marshal, a figure fearsome and independent, and he has tampered with the custom of partnership--he has not consulted his male friends" (136). Marshal Jack Potter no longer feels the thrill of being Marshal Jack Potter because of his new engagement. Jack is afraid he will lose his reputation that the people of Yellow Sky revere him for. Stephen Crane sets the story well because he allows the reader to understand the tw... ...d to be seen as by the people of Yellow Sky was as an ordinary man. Instead of being a heroic figure comparable to John Wayne, Jack Potter is now comparable to the a kind of man one would categorize as ordinary. Crane's fabulous depiction of the rise and fall of small town marshal is one of beauty. Jack Potter is seen in Yellow Sky as a person that one dreams of being, a wild-west hero that one idolizes. Soon, Crane reduces Jack Potter to the same level of the reader, and maybe below because he is now seen as a fallen hero. Works Cited Beer, Thomas. Stephen Crane: A Study in American Letters. 1923. Reprint. New York; Octagon Books, 1972, pg.248. Modern Fiction Studies, Stephen Crane Number V, No.3 (Autumn: 1959): 195-291. Solomon, Eric. Stephen Crane in England: A Portrait of the Artist. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1964, pg.136.

Does everyone have a right to a child? Essay

What are the different alternatives to conceiving naturally? Artificial insemination Artificial insemination is often used by couples that are infertile due to sperm disorders such as low sperm count etc. Usually the process involves injecting sperm through a narrow catheter into the woman’s reproductive tract or for most couples AI is performed with the man’s sperm. For: it is a harmless procedure. Against: It goes against religious values because masturbation may be required in the process also it has a low success rate. IVF Couples who usually have unexplained fertility problems or female factor such as blocked fallopian tubes or endometriosis. Step 1: the woman takes fertility drugs to stimulate the production of eggs Step 2: once they are mature they are collected by ultrasound guidance. Step 3: the man produces a sperm sample, which is prepared before being put with the eggs in a Petri dish left for a few days to see if it has fertilised. Step 4: a healthy embryo is placed in the womb Step 5: remaining embryos are suitable for freezing may be stored for future use. For: This treatment option gives women with blocked, damaged or missing fallopian tubes a chance to have a baby. Against: fertility drugs used to stimulate egg production themselves can have severe side effects, risk of multiple pregnancies and increased risk of miscarriage and other complications. Catholics believe IVF is wrong because embryos may be destroyed in the process Intracytoplasmic sperm injection. This procedure would often be used by males with low sperm counts, poor mobility or abnormally shaped sperm. Sperm is usually retrieved from the testicles which is usually involves inserting a small needle to draw out fluid containing sperm. For: it has a 25% success rate Against; the insertion of a needle into a male testicle may be very painful The Roman Catholic Church, under the papacy of Benedict XVI, has condemned the practice of Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, in the magisterial instruction Dignitas Personae because it causes a complete separation between the marital act and childbearing. Gamete intrafallopiam transfer It is often the best choice of For: high success rate between 25-30% Against: The fertility drugs used to stimulate egg production can have severe side effects, you will need to be closely monitored while you are taking them. The Catholic Church nevertheless is concerned with it because, some theologians consider this to be a replacement of the marital act, and therefore immoral. Egg Donation This may be necessary for a number of reasons if the female partner; * If the female has no ovaries * Too many miscarriages * High risk of passing on an inherited disease For: some women receive financial compensation for their time and efforts Against: Since the fertility drugs are injected daily, or several times a day, there is also a risk of infection and bruising at the injection site. Some Christian leaders are concerned about all in vitro fertility therapies because they disrupt the natural act of conceiving a child. Infertile couples are instead encouraged to consider adoption. Sperm Donations Sperm donation may be required if the male partner; * Has had a vasectomy * Has high risk of passing an inherited disease * Is producing little sperm For: Male can receive money for donating his sperm cells Against: Male donor is not allowed to stay anonymous Masturbation may be required to ejaculate the sperm cells which go against catholic teachings as masturbation can be seen as a form of adultery. Surrogacy A surrogacy arrangement is one in which one woman (the surrogate mother) agrees to bear a child for a couple (the intended parents) and surrender it at birth. This provides an opportunity for those who are unable to carry a child themselves to overcome their infertility. For a woman who can’t conceive, surrogacy creates a chance for her and her partner to parent a child who is their genetic offspring at least partially (if they use the father’s sperm and the surrogate’s egg) or completely (if they ask the surrogate to carry an embryo created from the mother’s egg and the father’s sperm). If they set up an open arrangement, the couple can be intimately involved in all the details of their baby’s gestation and may be there for the birth of their baby. Against: In addition to the complications accompanying procedures, such as IUI and IVF, surrogacy is highly controversial and can be legally complex. Some surrogates face difficult emotional and psychological issues over letting the baby go. The infertile couple not only experience the usual suspense and anxiety of waiting for a pregnancy to reach full-term safely but also worry about legal complications, the ethics of â€Å"buying† a child and the possibility that the surrogate will change her mind. Roman Catholics do not allow any form of fertility treatments where spare embryo’s are created Catholics believe they are not a disposable commodities. Adoption This is when a person is given the right to look after a child who is not of their own; there are three forms of adoption such as gay, single and ethnic. Gay adoption is when a gay couple adopt a child; people are concerned with the upbringing of a child to a gay couple and may object to this because the child may face bullying because of their adopted parents being 2 men or 2 women. Single adoption also raises concern because the single parents may not have the time to look after their adopted child and may not be able to fulfil the Childs care needs. Ethnic adoption is one which raises the most concern because as we see from the media celebrities use foreign children for fame and as a fashion accessory, also the child may feel lost and lose their sense of identity. Catholics believe that adoption is the best alternative to fertility treatment because no embryos are harmed in the process. Conclusion In conclusion I believe all fertility treatments are right because everyone has the right to bear life and god encourages us to mate. So partners who want children should be able to have children whether it is in a natural way i.e. intercourse or artificial treatments such as IVF. Scenarios Scenario 1 In this scenario a married woman who has had her embryo’s frozen has passed away but she wishes for her embryo’s to be destroyed as she had passed away, but her husband now wants to use the embryo’s to carry his dead wife’s child/baby. I believe he is going against his wife’s wishes therefore he is should not do it, as it is also disrespectful to his late wife. Scenario 2 Julie was dying from leukaemia and she wanted, to store her embryo’s to be frozen. I believe that they should not use a surrogate mother because the child would not have their true mother and it is unfair to the child as they are born without their mother so I believe that the embryos should be destroyed. Scenario 3 A couple have embryos left over from their IVF treatment and they are not too sure what to do. The doctor suggests that they should be used for other patients so their embryos remain frozen in perpetuity. I believe they should be donated instead of destroyed because they can help other people who were in their position. Scenario 4 Lorraine Hadley had two frozen embryos with her husband when she found out she was diagnosed with cancer and the treatment could leave her infertile, however when she split up with her husband he wished the embryo’s to be destroyed and the court has said the same thing. I believe because this the only way for Lorraine to have a child she should still be able to keep the embryos and subsequently have the child because every mother has the right to keep their child whether it is born or still an embryo. Scenario 5 Liz Buttle told doctors a lie and had IVF at the age of 61 claiming she was 49; she now has a child named Joe. I believe that this is totally immoral because she told a lie and got a child which she may not be able to physically look after also the child may feel uncomfortable having a mother who is old enough to be his grandmother and a sister who is old enough to be his mother.

Comparison Between 1920s and 1930s

Michelle Heredia The 1920’s was the first decade to have a nickname such as â€Å"Roaring 20’s† or â€Å"Jazz Age. † For many Americans, the 1920’s was a decade of prosperity and confidence. But for others this decade seemed to bring cultural conflicts, nativists against immigrants, religious liberals against fundamentalists and rural provincials against urban cosmopolitans. There was a drastic change in economy through the course of 1920 to 1930. During 1930 the great depression had turned the American dream into a nightmare and what once was the land of opportunity had become the land of desperation.Both 1920’s and 1930’s have been characterized for radical political movements. Also throughout the course of these two decades entertainment was a big hit. Celebration was a big part of the 1920’s and due to this, many different behaviors were developed among these large populations, dancing became a big thing, people loved to dan ce especially the Charleston, Fox-trot and Shimmy. Dance marathons were something people went to every weekend. The radio became very popular as well; people liked listening to Jazz, especially the king of Jazz, Louis Armstrong.People also tuned in to listen to sports and live events. Movies were also a big thing during this decade. Parlor games and board games were popular in the 1930’s, people gathered around the radio to listen to the Yankees. Young people danced to big bands. The golden age of the mystery novel continued as people escaped into books, reading writers like Agatha Christie, Dashielle Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Big band or swing became very popular. Meanwhile there were also many differences between the two decades. During the 1920’s for the first time more Americans lived in cities rather than on farms.For many Americans the growth of cities, the rise of a consumer culture, the increase of mass entertainment and the so-called â€Å"revolution in m orals and manners† represented liberation from the restrictions of the country’s Victorian past. Sexual mores, gender roles, hair styles, and dressing all changed. In this decade penicillin was discovered and also the insulin for diabetics. The nation’s wealth more than doubled and this economic growth brought many Americans into an affluent but unfamiliar consumer society. October 29, 1929 later became known as black Thursday, the stock market began its downhill drop.Many people believed that after this day prices would rise again as it had occurred in the past, but instead prices kept dropping. America had celebrated for eight years, but now everything was wasted in just weeks by the stock market. It was the sad ending to the glorious decade. Yet the beginning of the 1930’s, in the beginning one quarter of all wage-earning workers were unemployed and money was scarce because of the depression. During the great depression the American dream had now become a nightmare what once was the land of opportunity had turned into the land of desperation.President Herbert Hoover did not do much to alleviate the crisis, he only argued that there was patience and self reliance needed to get them through this incident. But in 1932, Americans elected a new president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who pledged to use the power of the federal government to make Americans’ lives better. Over the next nine years Roosevelt’s New Deal created a new role for government in American life. Many Americans looked at the 1920’s as a decade of confidence and prosperity. However the end of the decade brought about big changes economically, politically, and socially.

The Misfit and the “Miss-Fit”

Lewis, Anthony Dr. Sherry Forkum English 1A, Midterm 13 March 2013 The Misfit and the â€Å"Miss-Fit† Flannery O’Connor is an author who has written a score of short stories; however the author is remembered for one story in particular. The story revolved around a family that had problems just like any other normal family. This family’s problem was respecting each other and communication. The Family is taking a vacation to Florida when a longing for a stroll down memory lane hits the grandmother, who wants to see a house she had been to before.As the family approaches its destination, an accident takes place that leaves the family stranded on a dirt road where they meet the Misfit, an escaped convict from prison. The misfit would have helped the family out in getting the car working again, but the grandmother had to say â€Å"You're The Misfit!†¦ I recognized you at once! (O’Connor, Flannery  ¶81)†, getting the whole family massacred because the Misfit could not have any witnesses able to report a location of his whereabouts. Although this story sounds straightforward, there are some ironic twists discovering who the real Misfit of this story is for example.In O’Connor’s short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, O’Connor writes to depict the true â€Å"miss-fit† in the story to be the grandmother. Red Sammy and his wife were symbolic of the best of mankind. The couple was the epitome of what normal citizens would call good-natured people. Red Sammy gave assistance to a couple of gentlemen that needed gas. When the guys told Sammy a bit about themselves, Sammy gave them a helping hand, and generously offered to give them gas on credit. The gentlemen stiffed Sammy the money they owed him and gave indecency in return. The grand-mother, Red Sammy, and his wife discuss the evil nature of the times and decide that, although they themselves may be good people, ‘a good man is hard to find. †™(â€Å"O'Connor's Short Stories: Summary and Analysis: â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†Ã¢â‚¬   ¶12)† On top of being a very generous man, Sammy also symbolized a sort of warning for the family. â€Å"I felt ‘Red Sammy' represented a type of prophet in the story, speaking to the Grandmother directly about how trust was becoming dissolute †¦. He was the family's ‘red flag (Lucy Tonic  ¶ 12)†.All the talk of dishonest people is extremely ironic since the family gets into an accident and find out that help was found in none other than the Misfit and a couple of other convicts. In A Good Man is Hard to find, Bailey and his wife were not the two most powerful people in this story, they are very easy to manipulate and they let people walk all over them. They did not even have a large role to play in the story. Their characters were put in the story to build suspense during the conversation between the Misfit and the grandmother.This build up l et the readers feel like the grandmother may have a chance to be spared. â€Å"It's not far from here, I know,† the grandmother said. â€Å"It wouldn't take over twenty minutes. † Bailey was looking straight ahead. His jaw was as rigid as a horseshoe. â€Å"No,† he said (O’Connor, Flannery  ¶48-49). This man is letting his kids behave like little brats allowing them to scream and yell for far too long before he whips the car to the side of the road to yell at the kids to shut up. Although the parents may have been incompetent in raising their children they, like their infant child, should not have had to suffer their fate.The children in the story, although obnoxious and completely disrespectful to all the characters, also play a role that is inherent behavior to most kids. Kids have mostly acted with bad manners and disrespect in the past because the lesson has not been learned that respect is essential to living in society. It is the responsibility of the parents to teach the meaning of respect and general manners to children. June Star, the daughter of Bailey and the mother, is a downright disrespectful little brat that needs to be taught the most about manners and appropriate comments to strangers.The girl has no boundaries in place because it is obvious the parents do not have a discipline routine, and the parents just get rolled over by the children. â€Å"Though she's cute, she's just plain nasty to everybody, as learned pretty early on in the story from the way she treats her grandmother (â€Å"June Star. †  ¶1)†. John Wesley, the son of Bailey and the mother, is similar to June Star however not as ruthless a character. This is because between the Grandmother and June there is little time to be on the same playing field in respect to cold-heartedness.The baby is by far the most innocent character in the story. This is because the baby is still a newborn that does not have the brain development to act based on its current knowledge. â€Å"The baby's sleeping when it's shot†¦it's the easiest member of the family for whom we feel sorry (â€Å"The Baby†  ¶1)†. This is because the baby never even had a chance and died all because the Grandmother made an idiotic comment to a convicted felon ensuring the family’s fate. The Misfit and his posse are a small group of outlaws who broke out of jail and are attempting to remain hidden from the authorities.Albeit an individual who is looked down upon by society for committing heinous crimes, throughout the story the Misfit plays the role of a convict with a sense of acceptance towards being a bad man. â€Å"If He did what He said, then it's nothing for you to do but thow away everything and follow Him, and if He didn't, then it's nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him. No pleasure but meanness. (à ¢â‚¬Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†  ¶136)†This illustrates the Misfit’s persona and shows that he does not care about taking another’s life in order to give his life a purpose. Due to the behavior and the overall actions, the Misfit fit the role of the convict character therefore could not be considered the true misfit. Throughout the conversation with the grandmother, the Misfit seems to be a polite gentleman regardless of his misdeeds. â€Å"†I'm sorry I don't have on a shirt before you ladies,† he said, hunching his shoulders slightly (O’Connor, Flannery,  ¶100)†.This shows that he is not a terrible person and he probably just got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, but at this point he has accepted his fate as a bad man on the run. The Grandmother, not ever mentioned by name in the story, is the absolute shadiest character of all. The Grandmother has this holier than thou attitude that could not be more wrong. Not o nly is the she hypocritical but also a master manipulator as well. The Grandmother tries to get her way by sing news clippings of the Misfit’s escape as a reason that the family should take a trip to Tennessee instead of Florida. â€Å"The grandmother says that ‘[she] wouldn’t take [her] children in any direction with a criminal like [the Misfit] aloose in it. [She] couldn’t answer to her conscious if [she] did. ’ Ironically, this is exactly what she does when she tempts her family into visiting the old house (Krista  ¶36). † Although the Grandmother’s initial idea of taking the trip in Tennessee would have been better, the intentions of going to Tennessee, however, were strictly selfish.She manipulated the kids into thinking that there was a house with secret panels that held untold amounts of hidden family treasure so that Bailey would turn the car around to go and visit the old house. This action was the final straw that led the f amily down a road that would lead them directly into the path of the Misfit. As the family drove down the dirt road that led to the house with the â€Å"treasure† the senile old lady suddenly came to the realization that the house the family was driving to, was not in Georgia, but in Tennessee instead. The thought was so embarrassing that she turned red in the face and her eyes dilated and her feet jumped up, upsetting her valise in the corner. The instant the valise moved, the newspaper top she had over the basket under it rose with a snarl and Pitty Sing, the cat, sprang onto Bailey's shoulder (O’Connor, Flannery  ¶63)†. The Grandmother freaked out causing Bailey to drive off the road and flip the car around. Throughout the story all of the characters commit actions or make comments that make everybody in the story sound insane. The Misfit and his gang all commit atrocious crimes and have no remorse about committing those crimes.The children both act like spa wns of Satan, throwing temper tantrums to get what they want, being disrespectful to others and to the family as well. Red Sammy and his wife, is a couple that is very rapidly losing hope for all people in the world thinking that there is no decency left in mankind. The Grandmother, however, takes the cake so to speak on being in denial about who she is as a person. She thinks she is above the rest of the characters in overall behavior as far as common courtesy. This makes her the worst character in the story because she is an evil character that hides behind this facade of a good person.Works Cited â€Å"The Baby. † Shmoop. Shmoop University, Inc, 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"June Star. † Shmoop. Shmoop University, 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. . Krista, Emily, Rach, Nick Light, and James Leonard. â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find. † Analysis of Flannery O'Connor's Short Story. Debra Bell, 8 Oct. 2009. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. O'Connor, Flannery. â€Å"A Good Man Is H ard to Find. † A Good Man Is Hard to Find. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. lt;http://pegasus. cc. ucf. edu/~surette/goodman. html;. â€Å"O'Connor's Short Stories: Summary and Analysis: â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†Ã¢â‚¬  Cliffs Notes. Cliffsnotes. com, n. d. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. ;http://www. cliffsnotes. com/study_guide/literature/oconnor-short-stories/summary-analysis/a-good-man-is-hard-to-find. html;. Tonic, Lucy. â€Å"Analysis of Flannery O' Connor's â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find†Ã¢â‚¬  Yahoo! Voices. Yahoo! Contributor Network, 17 Aug. 2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. ;http://voices. yahoo. com/analysis-flannery-o-connors-good-man-hard-11673144. html;.