Barn Burning Essay -- essays research papers

Barn Burning "You’re getting to be a man. You got to learn. You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to you." This quote from William Faulkner’s "Barn Burning" does reveal a central issue in the story, as Jane Hiles suggests in her interpretation. The story is about blood ties, but more specifically, how these ties affect Sarty (the central character of the story). The story examines the internal conflict and dilemma that Sarty faces. When the story begins, Sarty and his family are in a courtroom. Sarty, known in a proper setting as Colonel Sartoris, which in itself gives an insight into the families mentality. Sarty’s father, Abner Snopes is being accused of a barn burning. Right away, as Sarty is called to testify, you get an idea of what is going through the boy’s head, and the mentality that has be ingrained in him. He thinks to himself, Enemy! Enemy!, referring to the people t hat his father and his family for that matter are up against. Sarty would later discover that things are not always the way that his father leads everyone to believe they are. Sarty, somewhere deep down wants to just do what is right, but being roughly 10 years old, I don’t think he quite has that figured out yet. His sense of right and wrong has been biased under the tyranny of his father. We also get a good idea of the personality of the father, Abner, by the way Sarty describes his physical appearance. Abner is...

Hartalega Holdings Berhad Strategic Management

1. Introduction Hartalega Holdings Berhad is a gloves manufacturer and began their business with the vision of produce gloves that protect life (Hartalega, 2013). Hartalega has experienced tremendous growth in the market and there are many issues and problems that faced by them. The first issue that faced by Hartalega is fluctuation of US dollar (CIMB Research Report, 2011). USA is a key market for glove industry and has contributing part of the market share of Malaysian industries. Fluctuation on US dollar has affected the margins of the company.Besides, the economic conditions have influence the glove industry will continue to be unstable due to rises in material and production costs. Moreover, high latex price also is one of the issue that faced by Hartalega (CIMB Research Report, 2011). Latex prices continue to be volatile would bring an effect to its margin. Supply of latex may be reduced due to the weather conditions. During the dry season in Thailand and Malaysia, it would dec rease the production of latex. Thus, price of latex during dry season will be slightly higher compare to other season.Furthermore, Hartalega faced the issue about labor. The recent governments policies about foreign labor have cause a great concern for the gloves industry. The gloves industry has voiced out their concerns towards this issue because hired labor would have an impact on the manufacturers’ costs. Besides, more and more glove manufacturers are using automation and it will decrease the reliance on manpower. Next, pollution is one of the most important issues that faced by Hartalega as their company’s reputation has affected by the negative news or rumours.Hartalega was received complaints from the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Dept and a few residents of Taman Suria and claim that they are causing air and water pollution. Hartalega deny all the accusation and declare that they are operating legally according to the Malaysian environment regu latory standard (â€Å"Hartalega: Aggrieved At Accusations†, 2010). This might affect the reputation and the creditworthiness of Hartalega and might cause the market share decrease in this particular time frame. 2. Remote EnvironmentRemote environment is the factors that affect a form of decision making abilities, but are beyond its control. Political, economic, social, technological and ecological factor are the factors that include in the remote environment. The first factor is political factor. Hartalega has exports almost all of their products mainly to the developed countries such as USA, Brazil, Japan, Germany, Europe, Malaysia and others. Hartalega also has expanded its business successfully to China and India. Gloves sales have increase but a little drop in the selling prices. Major output of the company is made up by nitrile gloves.The total costs of the gloves increases due to the high output and increase in labor costs. Besides, the recent governments policies abou t foreign labor have cause a great concern for the industry. Hartalega have to adjust the wage structure of their workers due to the minimum wage ruling that effective from January 2013 that regulate by the government. Stringent government regulatory also is the threat for Hartalega. There are many government regulations and policies need to be follow by the company such as minimum wage legislation, guidelines on buffer zones and more.If companies fail to follow or break the rule that enforce by government, it may bring them into trouble, such as they might receive penalty from the government. Next is economic factor. Fluctuation of US dollar, raw materials prices increase and fuel costs rising has bring an impact towards the gloves industry with challenging economic conditions (Hartalega, 2013). Fluctuation on US dollar has affected the margins of the company. The nitrile gloves have experienced declining its margins due to high raw materials price and face competition with their c ompetitors.Furthermore, demand for nitrile gloves have not affected by economic crisis and slowdown because it is a recession proof products and an essential thing in the healthcare sector. Hartalega expects the demand for nitrile gloves will maintain positive growth in the future and continue export to the other countries such as Europe, China and India. In economic factor, Hartalega might face the threat of high latex price. Latex prices change irregularly would create a threat to its margin. Supply of latex may be reduced due to the weather conditions as well as measures to support rubber prices by Thailand and Malaysia.The dry season in Thailand and Malaysia would decrease the production of latex. Thus, price of latex during dry season will be slightly higher compare to other season. In the social factor, the annual report of Hartalega has show that Hartalega has enjoy the 100% market share in Victoria, Australia because all public hospitals in this state only used Hartalegaâ₠¬â„¢s gloves. Global hospital supplies market also is one of the opportunities for Hartalega. People wearing gloves in the hospital help to prevent spread of germs and help to protect both medical staff and patients from infection.Hence, it also shows that Hartalega has a big opportunity to growth in this area. Hartalega can offer top quality and great selection of gloves to the hospitals or other industry, so that more and more people from all around the world can choose and use Hartalega’s gloves. Opportunity that can be found in this factor is industry recognition. Industry recognition defines as the degree of public awareness for the brand or products. Hartalega has put many efforts in innovation, quality, R&D and good manufacturing.Thus, Hartalega has the opportunity to gain more recognition from all around the world as the company continually expands its business to more nations. Furthermore, technological factor is also one of the factors that affect a decision making abilities of the company. Advancements in technology enables Hartalega placed them with a competitive advantage in the glove industry. High efficiency production lines, automated product handling system, glove removal system, process simulator and biomass heat energy plant are the technologies that used by Hartalega (Hartalega, 2013).High efficiency production lines is the latest high speed production lines in the industry which able to produce 40,000 pieces of gloves per hour. Automated product handling system used to remove defect during transit, packing and storage. RFID tags are tagged in every pallet, so that can monitoring the product movements and make sure the products are on time delivery to the customers. Besides, glove removal system used to decrease the reliance towards the manual workforce. This system also able to remove nitrile and latex gloves quickly from the hand moulds.Process Simulator enable the company test their imagination in a timely manner and ensure quick delivery of a new product to their customers. The opportunity that found in this factor is advancement of technology. Technology advancement enables the company produce more pieces of gloves in a shorter time and better quality. Besides, automated product handling system that used by Hartalega also enable the company can easily track the location of the products and ensures provides an on time delivery to their customers. Last is ecological factor.Hartalega has set up a â€Å"next generation integrated glove manufacturing complex† (NGC) that contains high technology production lines and mainly involved in the production of rubber gloves (Hartalega, 2013). The project location is landscaped to be green and eco-friendly environment. Moreover, Hartalega has used biomass energy plants to avoid emission of Greenhouse Gases (Hartalega, 2013). Biomass energy plant is the only environmental friendly energy plant in the industry where it burn on the plantation waste to generate heat f or the production process.Hartalega also used effluent water treatment plants to ensure the waste that the company discharge is no harm to the environment. Biomass heat energy plant allowed Hartalega to conduct their business in a more effective way. Negative complaint about pollution could a threat for Hartalega. In year 2010, Hartalega has received complaints from Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Dept and some residents of Taman Suria and claim that they are violate the environmental regulations that set by government. Hartalega deny all the accusation and declare that they are operating legally according to the regulations stated.Although Hartalega has state that they have independent inspectors and consultants who regularly test water and air emissions to ensure it is always full compliance with the requirements of government, but this also might happen again if they did not provide sufficient information and training that relates to the green environment to their employees. This also might affect the reputation and the creditworthiness of Hartalega and might caused the market share decrease in this particular time frame. 3. Industry Environment Industry environment is the concept to the foreground for the strategic thought and business planning.This includes Porter 5 Forces that explain the competitiveness of the particular company in the relevant industry. The strategic business manager can use this model or strategy to get a better understanding of the industry context in which the firm involves so that an effective strategy to compete with rival can be developed. There are 5 forces or factors to create the competitiveness of the company which is the threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers and intensity of rivalry.Threat of the new entrants is the seriousness of the barriers occurred or presented by the existing competitors to the new entrants to enter the relevant industry o r market. A high threat of entry means that the new comers are likely to be attracted to the profits of the industry and can enter the market with ease. New entrants enter the market can threaten or decrease the profit gained by the existing competitors which mean high threat of entry will result the industry become more competitive. The glove industry has high threat of entrants as only RM1 million to RM1. millions is needed to start a line (CIMB Research Report, 2007). Cheap labor, low level of technology skills needed and natural gas access as well as the procurement price for latex due to bulk purchase making the barrier of entry high for the new entrants. However, although it is cheap to enter the industry, new comers may not be competitive as they have to differentiate themselves from other existing competitors and need to compete in terms of volume to enjoy the economies of scale. Moreover, threat of substitutes is the availability of product a consumer can purchase instead o f the industry’s product.The availability of close substitute products can make an industry more competitive and decrease the profitability of the particular market. The threat of substitutes for rubber glove industry is relatively low as the industry is dominated by the main 6 players, namely Top Glove, Supermax, Kossan Rubber, Hartalega, Latexx Partners and Adventa. Top Glove is the traditional industry leader but recent research showed that Hartalega has had taking on Top Glove in term of the success on the development of R&D (Research and Design) of Hartalega.The other reason for the low threat of substitutes is low rubber glove cost and making no incentives for the research house to find other alternatives. The bargaining power of suppliers explains the pressure the suppliers can exert on business by raising prices or reducing the quality of purchased goods and services. Powerful suppliers can squeeze the profitability out of an industry to recover cost increases in its own prices. (Pearce, 2012). The main raw material for rubber glove industry is latex.The steady easing in the price of latex since April 2011 and currently stable price appeared to be favorable to the glove manufacturers. Top Glove has ventured upstream into rubber plantations to secure a stable latex supply. Meanwhile, Kossan Rubber is concerning on the niche market that might get better margin, Supermax is putting effort on downstream distribution network and Hartalega is creating more values on its innovation technological of the production lines. So, the bargaining power of suppliers might be low as the results of effort that the glove manufacturers have putted.Furthermore, the bargaining power of buyers refers to the pressure the buyers can exert on business by force down the price, demand higher quality or more services and play competitors off against each other in term of the expense of industry profits. Strong buyers can pressure sellers to lower the prices for the products , improve products’ quality or offer better services. As mentioned just now, the substitutes for the rubber glove is low as the industry is dominated by the main six players. So, the bargaining power of buyer is tentatively low as well.It is because there is not much alternatives the buyers can choose to purchase. The buyers for glove industry are mainly as doctors or laboratory users. Lastly, intensity of rivalry explains to the extent to which firms within an industry put pressure on other competitors and limit their profit potential. High intensity of rivalry means competitors aggressively other competitors’ target and aggressively pricing products. The industry leader for rubber glove industry is always Top Glove where Hartalega is the world’s largest synthetic glove manufacturer.There is a high intensity of rivalry in the rubber glove industry. For instance, on the topic of labor costs with respect to the monthly minimum wages to be RM 900 in Peninsular Mal aysia and RM800 in Sabah and Sarawak, OSK Research Sdn Bhd. analyst Jerry Lee noted that Top Glove Corporation Bhd. might be the most impacted and Hartalega Holdings Bhd. is the least affected due to its innovation in automating its production lines. On this issue, Top Glove might be affected due to the ineffectiveness of handling the labor issue.It may affect its image of industry leader. As a conclusion, the threats of new entrants is high, threat of substitutes is low, bargaining power for both suppliers and buyers are low and there is high intensity of rivalry. So, the rubber glove manufacturing industry is attractive and still can earn good profit the 5 forces can be managed well by the relevant firms in the industry. 4. Operating Environment The operating environment describes the conditions, entities, events, and factors that surrounding the organization that will affect the choices and activities.A firm needs to depend on the operating environment because it will affect the organization in acquiring the needed resources or in term of profitability. The factors are the firm’s competitive position, the composition of its customers, its reputation among suppliers and creditors and its ability to attract qualified employees (Pearce, 2012). A firm’s competitive position explains the position of the particular firm in the relevant industry. It can be the leader industry or just a follower in the industry.By accessing the competitive position of the firm, the organization able to more accurately forecast both its short and long term growth and its profit potential. Hartalega is the world’s largest synthetic glove manufacturer where Top Glove is the industry leader in rubber glove industry. Although Hartalega is not the industry leader but it acquires sufficient resources and technology in generating more high quality gloves with its new automated production lines and glove removal system. And they are expert and have improved in R&D devel opment.The high efficiency production lines enable Hartalega to produce 40,000 pieces of gloves per hour per line, the highest among the industry where the glove removal system is capable of removing not only latex but also nitrile gloves up to a speed of 30,000 pieces of gloves per hour. These technologies make Hartalega to become the world’s largest synthetic glove manufacturer. Customer profile is the firm analyzes and identifies what type of the customers that the company served, what kind of customers they have and etc.The traditional approach of this factor is to segment the customers in term of geographic, demographic, psychographic and buyer behavior information (Pearce, 2012). This can allows the company to know the needs of each segment with ease and then satisfy their needs. The products that Hartalega offer are examination, surgical, laboratory, Clean Room Packed Class 100, Food Grade and so on. They also provide synthetic gloves to latex sensitive users from prot eins that may cause allergic reaction.Basically, the customers that Hartalega served are generally on the international market where Hartalega export their products to overseas to gain high profit. Medline, the largest manufacturer and distributor of healthcare supplies and services in US, is one for the two major customers of Hartalega. The next factor is the firm’s reputation among their suppliers. Firm regularly relies on its suppliers for financial support, services, resources and equipment. It is clearly seen that suppliers play an important role in determining an organization’s success or not.Hartalega has a strong reputation as the highest quality and lowest cost producer of nitrile gloves has enabled the firm to boost their sales every year. The financial support and resources that can be acquired from their suppliers are significant to the organization itself. Although the raw materials for produce the glove have increased which is latex, but Hartalega still c an manage to handle the situation by adjusting the price for the gloves. And the buyers can accept the adjustment in price that Hartalega made.That means the increase of price in raw material by the suppliers still can be acceptable by Hartalega and their buyers. Moreover, the reputation of the company does affect the reliability for their creditors. If the reputation of the organization is low, then the creditworthiness of the firm might be affected. That mean if the company is currently influence by negative rumors or news, probably the firm’s market share will be affected. Hartalega was affected by negative news which state that Hartalega was causing water and air pollution near Taman Suria, Batang Berjuntai in 2010.However, Hartalega has successful dismissed allegations of pollution where The Department of Environment (DOE) has claimed that Hartalega is complied with the Malaysian environment regulatory standard. This might affect the reputation and the creditworthiness o f Hartalega and might caused the market share decrease in this particular time frame. Other than that, Hartalega Chairman, Kuan Kam Hon claimed that Hartalega recorded revenue of RM931. 1 million, representing a significant 27% jump from RM734. million in the previous financial year while profit after tax increased to RM201. 4 million compared with RM190. 3 million for the last fiscal year. That means the company are currently gaining profit and they are able to implement a dividend policy which pay out minimum of 45% of the Group’s annual net profit as dividends to their shareholers. These few conditions showed that Hartalega are doing well in their business and able to earn profit in the industry. Lastly, the ability of the firm to attract capable employees is one of the components for the operating environment.The management for the human capital within the organization is vital for the organization to develop competitive advantage so that the organization can compete with their competitors. The organization needs to determine whether their workers or staffs are capable, skillful and experience or not. The more effective the management of human capital, the more easier the firm to achieve success in the industry. Hartalega has implemented a competitive remuneration package to their employees in order to recruit and retain performance centric individuals.They adopted several training programmes to encourage professional development and develop leadership skills among their employees such as Supervisor Development Programme and Group Leader Apprentice Programme. This programme is to invite talented students to learn the necessary skills and knowledge in manufacturing rubber gloves. The qualified students are able to become permanent workers for Hartalega. 5. Internal Analysis Value chain analysis is to understand how a business creates customer value by examining the contributions of different activities within the business to that value (Pearce II, J. A. , & Robinson, R. B. , Jr. , 2013). The value chain includes the primary activities and support activities. Primary activities involve inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and service. Support activities involve general administration, human resource management, research, technology, and systems development, and procurement. First is inbound logistics. Hartalega adopted the global supply chain management for their company with the raw materials, components, and parts from all over the world. Latex plays an important in the Hartalega Company.Research analyst said the latex price rise soon. This situation will affect the Hartalega’s profit decrease. In the operations, Hartalega has high efficiency production lines. Hartalega from a beginning of a one line operation grow into a sizeable company of 43 production lines. They produce over 8 billion gloves annually. Hartalega is the highest speed production line in the industry. They can produce 40,000 pieces of gloves per hour per line. They never decrease the quality of gloves even though they produce the gloves at such high speed.Their programmable logic controls measured and acquired every critical parameter. It is communicated to the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system and later fed to the Data Management System for trending and other analytical auditing. Third is outbound logistics. Customer can buy the product through the internet. Customers can order their products, make request and register to receive materials on some pages. Customers need to fill in their name, address email address and phone number only and submit to the Hartalega, and then Hartalega will deliver the product which is already order by customer to the ustomer. If the customer orders a gift online and they want Hartalega sent it directly to the recipient, customer need to submit the recipient’s address. In the marketing and sales, Hartalega is the largest producer of premium qual ity nitrile gloves in the world. They have good reputation as produce the nitrile gloves at the highest quality and lowest cost. It helped the Hartalega Company increase their sales during the year under review. Nowadays, many companies do their business in China and India. Hartalega also do their business in China and India.It is because these countries have high population figures. Demand from existing customers grows and Hartalega also try to attract new customers. Next is service. Hartalega receive some complaint about ammonia gas and chemical waste pollution. The Department of Environment (DOE) already checks the Hartalega’s factory and cleared glove manufacturer Hartalega Holdings of allegation pollution. Selangor DOE director Che Asmah Ibrahim said that Hartalega Holdings has compliance with the rule and regulation and they no need close the factory. General administration or management is one of the supportive activities.Profit margin of Hartalega has decrease compare d with the previous financial year. Although their profit margin decreases, they also maintain the highest margins in the sector globally. Although margins narrowed slightly, it is because of this foresight that we still achieved an absolute increase in our bottom line on year on year basis. Second supportive activity is procurement. Procurement is a part of inbound logistics or purchasing activities. Hartalega adopted the global supply chain management for their company with the raw materials, components, and parts from all over the world.Global supply chain management help the company compete all over the world and give company a competitive advantage. Company also can lower the supply chain cost if adopt the global supply chain management. Next is human resource management. Hartalega has implemented a competitive remuneration package to their employees in order to recruit and retain performance centric individuals. They also become the number one company for talent, they not only in the glove manufacturing sector but in the manufacturing sector large.Hartalega has provided several training programmes to encourage professional development and develop leadership skills among their employees such as Supervisor Development Programme and Group Leader Apprentice Programme. This programme is to invite talented students to learn the necessary skills and knowledge in manufacturing rubber gloves. The qualified students are able to become permanent workers for Hartalega. Last is research and development. Hartalega Company is focused on research and development (R&D). They highly focused on research and development because they want to ensure continuous product innovation.Research and development helps the Hartalega increase the barrier to entry. It is because the characteristics of synthetic nitrile, which needs careful R&D to ensure similar consistency to natural rubber gloves in terms of softness and elasticity. Besides that, R&D also helps the Hartalega successfull y reduced raw material usage per unit and do not decrease the product quality. They also have raised the bar with their various inventions and have far surpassed the industry due to their engineering capabilities in their manufacturing processes.Therefore, Hartalega highly focused on research and development because R&D helps Hartalega to benefit from maintaining the product quality at lower unit production costs, increases the barrier to entry, and the ability to reduce prices without affecting margins. Value chain analysis can helps Hartalega found the strength and weaknesses. First strength from Hartalega is company adopt the global supply chain management and it help the company lower the supply chain cost and give company a competitive advantage. Second is high efficiency production line.Third is customer can buy the product through the internet. Fourth is good reputation at the highest quality and lowest cost and it helping the Hartalega increase their sales. Next is Hartalega has provided several training programmes to encourage professional development and develop leadership skills among their employees. It helps Hartalega attract new employee and help their existing employee become more talented. Superior success in R&D activities leading to product innovative is strength from Hartalega. On the other hand, Hartalega also have some weaknesses.First is Hartalega receiving some complaint about ammonia gas and chemical waste pollution. Although Department of Environment said that Hartalega Holdings has compliance with the rule and regulation and they no need close the factory but it also influence the reputation of Hartalega. Another weakness is profit margin of Hartalega has decrease compared with the previous financial year. 6. Strategy Formulation TOWS Martix | Strengths 1. Global supply chain management 2. High efficiency production line 3.Online purchasing 4. Good reputation 5. Training programmes 6. Strongly R&D| Weaknesses 1. Receive compliant infl uence reputation 2. Profit margin decrease | Opportunities 1. Industry recognition 2. Global hospital suppliers and industrial laboratory 3. Synthetic glove | a) Strengths- Opportunities (SO) 1. Market development (S3, S4, O2) 2. Product development (S6, O2)| b) Weaknesses-Opportunities (WO) 1. Concentrated growth (W2, O2, O3)| Threats 1.High latex price 2. Government regulatory 3. High intensity of rivalry | c) Strengths – Threats (ST) 1. Innovation (S6,T3)| d) Weaknesses- Threats (WT) 1. Vertical Integration (W2, T1, T3)| a) Strengths-Opportunities Strategy (SO) SO strategy is using the firm’s internal strengths to take advantage of external opportunities. It is the most favourable situation which allows the firm to faces several environment opportunities and has numerous strengths that encourage pursuit of those opportunities (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). 1.Market development (S3, S4, O2) Hartalega have a good reputation as produce the nitrile at the highest quality an d lowest cost in the world and online purchasing. The main buyers for Hartalega are doctors or laboratory users. Therefore, Hartalega can use their main buyers as one of their company strengths to take advantage to global hospital supplies and industrial laboratory market. Hartalega able to offer the highest quality, lowest cost and at the same time they can provide variety types of gloves to hospitals and industrial laboratory.Besides that, customers around the world also can easily and convenience to make an order directly for the company website, this is because Hartalega had prepared the online purchasing method for their customer and business partners. These will make more and more hospitals and industrial laboratory around the world recognize and use Hartalega’s gloves. On the other hand, this method can help Hartalega to increase their sales and profit as well. 2. Product development (S6, O2) Hartalega is expert on their research and development (R&D).Therefore, Hartal ega can use this strength to develop more different types of gloves to attract more customers from global hospital supplier and industrial laboratory market. In addition, due to them expert in R&D, they not only focus the needs of the hospital and industrial laboratory, but also can try to satisfy the need for other different customer in order to help Hartalega to increase their market share also. So, they can come out different types of qualities of the product to fulfil different groups of the customers’ need. ) Weaknesses-Opportunity Strategy (WO) WO strategy is to improve company internal weaknesses by taking advantage of external opportunities. A firm faces an impressive market opportunity but is constrained by weak internal resources (Pearce & Robinson. 2013) 1. Concentrated growth (W2, O2, O3) Hartalega can increase their production of synthetic gloves and expand more into global hospital supplier and industrial laboratory market. This is because the costs of raw mater ial to produce synthetic glove is cheaper than latex (Hartalega, 2012).Therefore, Hartalega can major expansion of synthetic gloves to global hospital supplier and industrial laboratory market will help them substantial cost savings to counter price competition and overcome the profit margin (Hartalega, 2012). So, Hartalega can avoid the high rises of latex price. By avoiding fluctuation of latex price, their profit earned will be more stable and able to increase the profit too. c) Strengths-Threats Strategy (ST) ST strategy is using the firm’s strengths to avoid or reduce the impact of external threats.A firm that has identified several key strengths faces an unfavorable environment (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). 1. Innovation (S6, T3) As mention on above, R&D is the strength for Hartalega. Therefore, Hartalega can use this strength to create the barrier to entry. R&D can help Hartalega successfully to reduce raw material usage per unit and maintain the product quality and incre ase the barrier to entry. So, Hartalega can offer the cheaper price to their customer compare with their competitors such as Top Glove.Hartalega also keep on focusing on their R&D in order to develop more different types of innovation product and try to beat down their competitors and become the leader in the rubber glove industry. d) Weaknesses-Threats Strategy (WT) WT strategy is a defensive tactics aimed at reducing internal weakness and avoid external threats. This is the least favorable situation, with the firm facing major environment threats from a weak resource position (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). 1. Vertical Integration (W2, T1, T3) Nowadays, the price for one of the raw material to produce glove which is latex is keep on rising.This situation was affected Hartalega’s profit to decrease. Therefore, Hartalega can benchmark other companies’ product and make a comparison on how other competitors performs their product activity effectively. This is useful to Hartal ega to improve the management control. The objective of benchmarking is to identify the best practices in performing an activity and learn how to down the costs of the raw material, less defects, or other outcomes related to excellence achieved (Pearce & Robinson, 2013). Hartalega can apply backward vertical integration to control their raw material price.For example, Hartalega can follow its competitor which is Top gloves has ventured upstream into the rubber plantation to secure a stable latex supply. 7. Recommendation A competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and service that justifies higher prices. (Riley, 2012) Differentiation is one of the most practical ways in which Hartalega can gain advantage over other competitors in the rubber gloves industry.Differentiation can be achieved by Hartalega through high quality, efficient low cost manufacturing of glov es. Hartalega is recommend to continuously enhance their flexibility and efficiency in their production process scheduling, saving more time, employees efforts and the company’s money. Besides that, Hartalega needs to ensure all operations from the top to bottom must run efficiently by adopting programmable logic controller able to the monitoring of the operation automatically and promote continuous production that help in increase production and minimize cost.Hartalega should focus on customers’ satisfaction because it had placed a lot of emphasis in R&D to produce a wide and diversified range of high quality and value-added glove products in order to fulfil the expectation of their customers. The company also collaborates closely with related government agencies and Ministries to keep itself abreast of the latest development in rubber research technology. Hartalega also can uses state-of-art technology and efficient automatic glove manufacturing machine to obtain the highest yield and to remain as one of the most cost-effective and highest quality producer in the industry.With all these advantages and strategies, Hartalega is able to compete and stand out in the industry. For the Goods and Service Design, Hartalega can print instructions and methods of wearing gloves on the packaging. Besides, Hartalega can focus on detailed product design such as creating innovative glove with functions and amenity features for all type range of gloves use in surgical and clinical practice and operation.In addition, Hartalega products packaging must provide with its product outlook and description that meet the preferences of their customer across different countries and cultures. Concerning fluctuation price on raw material, Hartalega needs to find multiple sources of raw materials to avoid high fluctuation of cost on raw materials. Therefore, Hartalega is recommended to invest more and expand their own rubber plantation acreage, this would reduce their depen dence on raw rubber from other suppliers.Hartalega has to maintain and enhance its products and operation quality endlessly, therefore, Hartalega always needs to audit their operation and the product quality control to ensure low / no defects in their production based on the Six Sigma and Total Quality Management procedure. On the other hand, Hartalega needs to review foreign countries’ Acceptable Quality Level to improve in their company’s quality management system (Bheda, 2010) Perhaps, Hartalega needs to adopt total quality management or R&D on high quality latex to ensure producing high quality products that meet their customer expectation.In conclusion, each key analysis and discussion on Hartalega manufacturing operation will help in understanding and makes improvement from each operation processes based on the studies of latest operation management system. With this, Hartalega will be able to maintain or strengthen each of its manufacture’s operation and its products positioning in the world market.

Global Financial Crisis 2008 Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2032 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Financial Crisis is a situation in which the value of financial institutions or assets drops rapidly. A financial crisis is often associated with a panic or a run on the banks, in which investors sell off assets or withdraw money from savings accounts with the expectation that the value of those assets will drop if they remain at a financial institution (Bhatia2011, p.12). .1.2 Importance of the issue Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2008 has been the worst since the Great Depression in the 1930s.The financial crisis has had a profound effect, much more than that anticipated by many. The national borders have been breached and the ramifications are still being felt far from the epicenter. Although the global economy is recovering, the confidence in the markets is still weak as market participants are looking for a direction which is by no means straight forward. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Global Financial Crisis 2008 Finance Essay" essay for you Create order The aim of this essay is to understand the financial crisis, its causes, impacts and lesson that could be learnt from this crisis. Financial crisis history In order to understand the causes of the crisis we need to understand the past events that molded the current crisis. They include the financial landscape existing before the crisis, working of the global financial system and the shadow banking system. Reinhart and Rogoff (2011) and Schularick and Taylor (2012) provide a consistent picture of the runÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ up to a financial crisis: an acceleration of debt from both governments and financial intermediaries are the most important antecedents. According to Reinhart and Rogoff (2008). First, there was the Asian financial crisis of 199798, which saw Asian economies generate large current account surpluses that had to be invested offshore to keep their nominal exchange rates low. Capital flowed out of Asia into US dotcom stocks driving up equity prices. Next was the bursting of the dotcom bubble, which saw the booming NASDAQ over 1998-2000 burst in 2001. Fearing a downturn and possible deflation, the US Federal Reserve eased monetary policy in 2001 in a series of steps to 2004. Rising demands from China (and, to some extent, India), plus a booming world economy saw commodity prices rise across oil, minerals and food from late 2004 to late 2007(Warwick2009,p.4). Financial crisis 2008 3.1 Causes of financial crisis 3.1.1The bursting of the housing bubble Falling house prices has a major effect on household wealth, spending and defaults on loans held by financial institutions. Events in the United States typify a global phenomenon. From 2000 to 2006, house prices in some areas doubled to subsequently collapse. These changes in some areas have generated dramatic news headlines but, overall the United States index of house prices has fallen by 6.2 percent in real terms from the 1st quarter 2008 to the same quarter in 2009. While house prices were rising so strongly, credit was supplied liberally to meet the demand as perceptions of risk fell. The rising wealth boosted confidence and spending. The housing bubble was a global phenomenon centered mainly on the Anglo Saxon world (Warwick2009, p.6). 3.1.2 Rising equity risk premie The surprise upswing in commodity prices from 2003 but most noticeable during 2006 and 2007 led to concerns about inflation leading to the sharp reversal in monetary policy in the US. This tightening in US policy also implied a tightening of monetary policy in economies that pegged to the US dollar. It was the sharpness of this reversal as much as the fall in US house prices and the failures of financial regulation (for example, the mortgage underwriters Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) that led to the financial problems for 2008/09. Lehman Brothers failure was primarily due to the large losses they sustained on the US subprime mortgage market. Lehmans held large positions in the subprime and other lower rated mortgage markets. But mortgage delinquencies rose after the US housing price bubble burst in 2006. In the second fiscal quarter 2008, Lehman reported losses of $2.8 billion. It was forced to sell off $6 billion in assets. 3.1.3A rise in household risk The reappraisal of risk by firms as a result of the crisis also applies to households. As households view the future as being more risky, so they discount their future earnings and that affects their savings and spending decisions. As with the previous shock, we model two scenarios: one permanent and the other temporary. The increase in household risk in the United States is assumed to be 3 percentage points in the permanent scenario and returning to zero by year three in the temporary scenario. 3.2 Effects 3.2.1 Stock market The financial shock has the largest negative impact on stock market values from baseline in 2009 and an equally large impact as the bursting of the housing bubble on investment. The equity risk shock causes a shift out of equities into other domestic assets, such as housing and government bonds as well as to asset purchases overseas. The shift into government bonds drives up their prices and pushes down real interest rates substantially. This surprisingly raises human wealth because expected future after tax income is discounted at a much lower real interest rate. Thus in the US, the equity shock alone is positive rather than negative for consumption in the short run. Investment on the other hand falls sharply. The equity shock reduces US investment by about 20 percent below baseline. The rise in equity risk implies a sharp selloff of shares due to a large rise in the required rate of return to capital. The higher equity risk premium implies that the existing capital stock is too high to generate the marginal product required from the financial arbitrage condition and investment falls and, over time, due to the existence of adjustment costs, the capital stock falls and potential output is permanently reduced. 3.2.2 Lowered real Gross Domestic Product of US Each of the shocks has a negative effect on the United States and, combined, has the effect of lowering real GDP by 7 percent below baseline in 2009 and real GDP does not return to baseline until 2017, nearly a decade later. That is sufficient to put the US into recession in 2009 (baseline growth is 3.4 percent) but will allow positive growth in 2010. 3.2.3 Fall in demand for manufactured goods A key compositional effect also occurs when household discount rates rise and risk premia generally rise. The effect is a much sharper fall in the demand for durable goods relative to other goods in the economy.. Imports and domestic production of durable goods falls by more than non durable goods. The high risk adjusted cost leads to a reduction in the flow of services from durables and therefore the demand for these goods drops sharply. This compositional effect is for the trade outcomes. Countries that export durable goods are particularly affected by a crisis. 3.2.4 Effects to other world economy. According to Harvey (2010), the recession in the United States has three main effects on the world economy. The negative knock on effect from the loss in activity with those economies most dependent on the United States market most affected. As prospects dim in the United States, so the returns on investment look better elsewhere. Money flows out of the United States (or strictly in the case of the US, less inflow than otherwise) and into other economies where it stimulates investment and economic activity. This is illustrated by the effect on China. The United States is a large importer from China. As US imports fall, Chinas exports fall with a combined effect from the three shocks of a drop in exports of 5 percent below baseline in 2009. The most affected sectors by the economic crisis are agriculture, mining, tourism, textiles and manufacturing in Africa. There have been many job loses which have direct negative effects on workers living standards for examples, South Africa: 36,500 jobs have been lost in the automobile industry. 3.2.5 Decrease of demand for consumer loan There was an overall decrease in demand for consumer loans, as measured by applications to both affected and unaffected savings banks. The effect is stronger for mortgages, as compared to consumer loans. If a borrower had a prior relationship with the savings bank, the effect is mitigated, that is, those customers are less likely to have their applications rejected compared to new customers. What Did We Learn from the Financial Crisis of 2008? According to Shibashish (2008), these are the lessons learnt from the 2008 financial crisis: (i) The importance of voluntary and involuntary disclosures on financial products, or the lack of both, (ii) the importance of regulators and how important it is for them to regulate and have an oversight of the macroeconomic indicators, (iii) existing risk management practices especially for the big banks and rating agencies, (iv) the most important of all, it is the exercise of rationality while making large investment decisions by the investors. From a policy-making perspective the crisis has been a wakeup call for the regulators who have until now ignored the Keynesian economic model that speaks about free market economy along with strong oversight. In fact the accounting regulation body such as the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) have completely failed to keep up with the pace at which firms have evolved in the recent years. There are some legitimate concerns such as the fair value accounting of non-tradable assets, etc. However, the big picture is still that the market value of the banking firms far exceeds in their intangible assets value than their tangible assets and still the accounting regulations do not require these firms to disclose sufficiently on their intangible assets. This is the leading factor that creates a huge information asymmetry in the market where the investors have a limited knowledge about the instruments in which they are making large investments, and definitely before the crisis the scale was unprecedented. The scope information asymmetry is plenty in the banking sector that starts from processes, culture, human capital and the capacity for the bank to be innovative. These asymmetries are constructive asymmetry and can benefit the investors from the diversifica tion perspective. What is not recommended is that investors are deliberately kept in the dark because of lack of reporting standard about derivatives such as CDOs and CDSs, which can be lucrative investment vehicles and banks are able to sell these instruments in enormous quantities creating a shift in the systematic risk quotient of the market. Therefore, it is absolutely essential for the U.S. banks in order to remain globally competitive regulators have to fix the shortcomings of the financial reporting standards and market oversight policies. This should motivate banks to formulate their risk management and disclosure strategies rather carefully. With more information and understanding about seemingly complicated derivative products perhaps investors will also make better choices and informed decisions. Conclusion This paper has explored the impact of major shocks representing the global financial crisis on the global economy. For the crisis itself shocks are needed to capture the observed drop in asset prices and reduction in demand and trade. It is necessary to simulate the bursting of the housing bubble centered in the United States and Europe, but extending elsewhere, rising perceptions of risk by business as reflected in the equity risk premium over bonds and rising perceptions of risk by households. The regulatory bodies identified lack of transparency in the financial system as the basic problem that hindered effective oversight of the institutions (McKibbin and Stoeckel 2009b). The complex structure of the securitized products did not allow purchasers of MBS to correctly evaluate the quality of underlying assets and to understand the risks involved There is no doubt that more coordination in regulatory policies would be required at the global level. Special care would have to be given to the capital and liquidity requirements for financial institutions. The global nature of the financial system makes this coordination imperative. The enhanced capital and liquidity requirements will be phased in along the next 5 years. Simply put, this should make the banks safer by providing a greater cushion to survive the mistakes and accidents from which they suffer. Generally, the regulatory proposals have been aimed at reducing the impact of the current crisis and preventing recurrences. The proposals have targeted a host of issues, including executive pay, financial cushions, consumer protection, the regulation of derivatives and the soÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ called shadow banking system, and the power of the Federal Reserve to windÃÆ' ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ down systemically significant financial institutions

Fast Food Is Right Or Not - 1476 Words

Why is it that we do not feel guilty after we finish eating a large combo from our local fast-food restaurant? How can someone possibly feel guilty after enjoying a great meal? This is the country that America is shifting into, where we set aside homemade meals for fast-food due to its ease and convenience for the whole family. Rather than being renowned for their strong military forces, America has been continually portrayed as the most obese country in the world. It sounds simple for Americans to put aside fast food, but the problem in America is that anyone with a small radius can find an alluring fast-food restaurant to eat at. Author, Michael Pollan, points out that, â€Å"Three of every five Americans are overweight; one of every five†¦show more content†¦Showing the transition that America is going into. The problem has become so crucial that nearly 3 in 5 Americans are bound to obese. If people really knew what they were consuming and not just to eat because of hung er. But pay attention to the details it would make a bigger difference. Pollan introduces â€Å"Fast Food†, which is nearly connected to corn. Most people do not understand that most of their food consists of corn; even with its vegetable status, people do not know what it is concentrated to. The Corn industry is big and known for the concertation of high-fructose corn syrup. (HFCS) Most Americans do not have an idea of what that is. Pollan writes, â€Å"To wash down your chicken nuggets with virtually any soft drink in the supermarket is to have some corn with your corn† (Pollan 19), which relates to the fact that every soft drink has HFCS yet also the simultaneous fact that the people that consume it are not aware of it. This is what Pollan is trying to get across in what people are consuming, but are not educated about the nutritional deficiencies in what they are eating. There have been, and will be arguments, about how much education is necessary, if not more, abo ut teaching people what they should and shouldn’t eat. The United States Government believes they have done what is necessary to showcase the importance of healthy food choices. In my experience, I was introduced to the food pyramid at a very young age, but I was young and Unable toShow MoreRelatedFast Food Is Bad For You1377 Words   |  6 PagesIt is not a secret that fast food is bad for you, however people believe that there is nothing wrong with eating fast food in moderation. It really comes down to ignorance being blissful. Our bodies are like vehicles. You want the best fuel for the car, but does fast food provide the right fuel for your body? The fast food industry gives that option to people, giving regular gas when gas-guzzler’s require premium fuel. The main reason fast food should be foods to avoid is an obvious one: it can leadRead MoreFast Food Nation1271 Words   |  6 PagesIntro  to  Political  Science 5/12/2013 Fast  Food  Nation The  investigative  journalist,  Eric  Schlosser,  has  written  a  book  to  illuminate  an  epidemic  that started  in  America  and  is  now  becoming  one  of  the  world’s  largest  problems.  In  Fast  Food  Nation, Schlosser  frames  today’s  Fast  Food  giants  in  history,American  entrepreneurialism,  and  over consumption  in  respect  to  consumer  and  employee  wellbeing.  The  power  of  all  modern  Fast  Food giants  combined  have  eclipsed  the  power  of  any  one  government.  Marketing  has  become  a  keyRead MoreThe Effects Of Fast Food On Children991 Words   |  4 Pagesthat falls into the trap of fast food advertisement. Overall, the fast food industry should be more socially responsible and not direct their marketing strategy of unhealthy food choices to children; this will cut down the percentage of children suffering from childhood obesity that leads to various health issues. One might object here, that it is a free market and freedom of speech is part of the U.S. Constitution. However, everyone has a different opinion about fast food and boudaries must be respectedRead MoreFast Food : An Advocate Of That Slow Food Movement1338 Words   |  6 PagesPage 85: Domini starts off her article by recalling the ethos used through â€Å"an advocate of that Slow Food movement for many years.† Through describing some of the goals and tenets of that movement, she included the â€Å"positive effects† that it can have. Additionally she establishes the middle ground of the argument before she discusses her position. Her position is one that the Slow Food supporters are not likely to embrace. In fact, her position is presented in a weak and underwhelming sentence.Read MorePros And Cons Of Fast Food766 Words   |  4 Pagesand it is the tasty fast food. Due to growing health problems and hectic lifestyle, it is hard for people to manage their diet and work. The easiest solution which some people tend to find is to eat fast food, whereas some people also argue about the growing health problems. It is undeniable that the greasy, fatty, unhealthy, and sugary fast food have become part of one’s daily life. Is fast food beneficial for t he society or not? Pros: 1. Life is full of stress, and cooking food at home adds-on extraRead MoreEssay on The American Fast Food Industry1420 Words   |  6 Pages The fast food industry in America has many drawbacks at the cost of supplying food to the American population. Since many people are ignorant of the process their food goes through in order to become the edible meal they consume, American companies easily take advantage of them. In class, we discussed a â€Å"Food Bill of Rights†. I believe that this is necessary in order to keep the food industry safe for the American public and environment. The main focus of my â€Å"Food Bill of Rights† is to ensureRead MorePersuasive Essay On Healthy Food1036 Words   |  5 PagesHealthy food should be accessible to everyone. If healthy food isn’t available for everyone all it’s going to do is cause more and more health problems. If we made healthy organic food the same price as cheap unhealthy food there would be a big difference in the health of our country. It’s completely unfair to make healthy food too expensive for other people to buy, which causes them to buy cheap unhealthy food, like off a dollar menu at a fast food restaurant. This issue needs to be put to an endRead MoreFast Food Is Bad For Our Health Essay928 Words   |  4 PagesFast food, we all eat it sometimes, but do we honestly know what we are consuming. Did you know that fast food can lead to various types of illness? For example, a heart attack or a lack of energy can be a result of eating fast food. Fast food has become a very important meal to America. Almost a quarter of Americans suffer from fast foods dangerous effects (Health line). Did you know that some people even die as a result of eating fast food. Fast food is a part of our today. Many of you know thatRead MoreModern Generation and Fast Food971 Words   |  4 PagesGeneration and Fast Food? Fast food  is the term given to food that can be prepared and served very quickly, first popularized in the 1950s in the United States. While any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food, typically the term refers to food sold in arestaurant  or store with preheated or precooked ingredients, and served to the customer in a packaged form for  take-out/take-away. Fast food restaurants are traditionally separated by their ability to serve food via a drive-throughRead MoreDont Blame the Eater Essay623 Words   |  3 PagesEater† by David Zinczeko. In his article â€Å"Don’t Blame the Eater,† David Zinczenko argues that today’s fast food chains fill the nutritional void in children’s lives left by their overtaxed working parents. With many parents working long hours and unable to supervise what their children eat, Zinczenko claims, children today regularly turn to low-cost, calorie-laden foods that the fast food chains are too eager to supply. When Zinczenko himself was a young boy, for example, and his single mother

The Elizabethan Era - 1663 Words

William Shakespeare’s character Hamlet once said, â€Å"To be or not to be: that is the question whether tis nobler in mind to suffer†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Music, poetry, and plays were important parts of entertainment during the Elizabethan era. Musicians composed new types of music, poets expressed their feeling through poetry, and playwrights wrote plays of different types of genres. Social classes and gender roles also contributed to the entertainment culture. During the Elizabethan era, people were entertained by sources of entertainment, such as plays, music, and poetry. Music was one of the many sources of entertainment during the Elizabethan Era. Elizabethan music was more refined and sophisticated than previous types of music. Queen Elizabeth encouraged people to appreciate music. She even hired about seventy musicians and singers during her reign; these musicians during the time were creative. Elizabethan musicians experimented by combining different types of instruments and playing them together. Elizabethan music was classified into different types, depending on where it was performed, the status and skills of the musicians, and the audience. The different types included: theater, court, church, town, and street. Before the Elizabethan era, music was rarely heard in theaters. It was not made common until William Shakespeare began to incorporate music into his plays before â€Å"Theater music was used to heighten the mood and plot, emphasize the drama, and sometimes provide specialShow MoreRelatedThe Elizabethan Era1461 Words   |  6 PagesWay way back long ago there was a time period called â€Å"The Elizabethan era†. It was full of many wonderful things, such as fashion. They had a very particular fashion. The Elizabethan era was the Queen Elizabeth Is reign which was from 1558–1603. It took place in England. It is also known as the golden age. This also happened to be when Elizabethan Theatre began to grow and playwrights like Shakespeare composed many plays that changed the way of the old style theatre ways. Towards the end of QueenRead MoreThe During The Elizabethan Era Essay1080 Words   |  5 PagesThe Elizabethan theater became a central part of social life in Shakespeare’s time and was a form of entertainment that took people’s minds off the daily hardships during the Elizabethan era. The Elizabethan era is known for its English nationalism and advancements of arts during the English Renaissance. Because of this, the Elizabethan era is considered to be the height of the English Renaissance. England’s working class had a difficult life. Powerful lords owned and governed local districts thatRead MoreThe Elizabethan Era Of Europe1531 Words   |  7 PagesThe Elizabethan era also known as the Tudor period of Europe was an amazing time to be an artist in Europe There were so much culture and life that was created during that time. According to many historians, this time period was the Golden Age of Europe. The Elizabethan era took place between the years 1558-1608. As alluded to be the name of the period this was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. This Period also was full of Europe colonizing the world. One of Queen Elizabeth’s most famous ChartersRead MoreMedicine in The Elizabethan Era Essay928 Words   |  4 Pages Did you know there was a time where infectious diseases like the common cold could kill you and your family? This was the elizabethan era probably the last time where sickness became the â€Å"grimm reaper† before modern medical advancements. With infectious diseases spreading and killing so many people doctors became desperate. Because these doctors knew very little about medicine, they were completely willing to try experimental treatments on their patients (Alchin). Sadly just about anybody withRead MoreElizabethan Era Crime and Punishment728 Words   |  3 PagesIn the Elizabethan era, doing a crime was the worst mistake of all, depending on how big your crime was, people had to know that their lives were at risk. Every crime was big before, even â€Å"crimes of treason and offenses against the state were treated with that murder and rape today.†(Elizabethan Crime and Punishment) â€Å"Offenses such as manslaughter, robbery, rape, piracy and capital crimes enti tled one to hanging, usually in the town square.† (Elizabethan crime and Punishment) During Queen Elizabeth’sRead MoreThe Elizabethan Era in England Essay1588 Words   |  7 PagesThe Elizabethan Era is often referred to as the Golden Age of England (A Changing View...). The Elizabethan Era, named after Queen Elizabeth I, was a time of change and discovery (Elizabethan Superstitions). Elizabeth ruled in a time of religious turmoil; both the Catholics and Protestants fought to be the official religion of England. (Elizabethan World View). Many people throughout England struggled to find the â€Å"correct† religion (Elizabethan World View). Religion was changing and so did scienceRead MoreFashion During the Elizabethan Era Essay1243 Words   |  5 Pages Have you ever wondered what people in the Elizabethan Era wore? Fashion was just as important in those days as it is to some people today. What people were wearing mattered to others, and even the government. Du ring the Elizabethan Era clothing, accessories, and cosmetics were all a part of daily life. During the Elizabethan Era, there were a set of rules controlling which classes could wear which clothing called the Sumptuary Laws. The Sumptuary Laws controlled the colors and types of clothingRead MoreEssay on Clothes and Fashion of the Elizabethan Era1050 Words   |  5 PagesOf all aspects of Elizabethan culture, the most distinctive is probably the clothing and fashion. A lot of the clothing varied to whether they were a member of the nobility, upper class or the poor. But even if a women or man was wealthy or poor, they were not allowed to wear whatever they wanted. It was a highly fashioned age that prized a look that was artificial, elaborate, and striking. The style of clothing of the Elizabethan Era are easily recognizable today and popular with designers of historicRead MoreEssay on Elizabethan Era Music and Musician535 Words   |  3 PagesHow is Elizabethan Era music different from the music that we listen to during this period of time? The music during the Elizabeth an era is different from today’s music; For example the music during the Elizabethan era is very significant to them due to the fact that it was history being made. This paper will provide you with more information about the music during the Elizabethan era. In fact, Elizabethan tried to please people in the entertainment industry with different musicRead MorePerspectives Of Hamlet During The Elizabethan Era1604 Words   |  7 PagesPerspectives of Hamlet during the Elizabethan Era By: Aanshi Gandhi One of the many beautiful aspects of art is that it gets perceived in many unique ways depending on the viewer’s cultural, political and social views and standpoints. Literature experiences different interpretations all the time and authors use this to their advantage to create a piece of work which remains evergreen. Shakespeare evidently utilises this technique in his most intriguing, and fascinating literary piece, Hamlet. Stuck

Democratic Theory and Practice free essay sample

Democratic Theory and Practice First Semester 2013 Potential Class Test Questions You are encouraged to prepare for this examination collectively, using whatever information you find relevant (e. g. class notes, readings, the library, throw the dice, etc†¦). At the same time, we will attach a great deal of weight to the originality of your answers (e. g. making insights, or using examples different to those we used in class). On Wednesday 20 March, you will have forty-five (45) minutes to answer some of the questions listed below. Your answers will be evaluated on completeness, conciseness, organization and originality. Good luck! Part I. Identification (50%) In at most one paragraph, define and discuss the significance or relevance of the following (using examples to illustrate your points). Answer six of the following items. (You will be given 10 choices, of which you will have to answer 5) 1. Procedural Vs. Substantive Definitions of Democracy 2. Minimalist Vs Maximalist Definitions of Democracy 3. We will write a custom essay sample on Democratic Theory and Practice or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Procedural Prerequisite Vs. Behavioural Outcome Definitions of Democracy 4. Validity and Reliability 5. Transparency 6. Type of Data and Levels of Precision 7. Freedom House Index of Political Freedom 8. Przeworski / Cheibub Index of Autocracy/Democracy 9. Transition to Democracy 10. Legitimation Crisis 11. Hurting Stalemate 12. Liberalizing Vs. Democratizing Reforms 13. The Third Wave of Democratization 14. Positive Conjunctures of Democratization 15. The 1974 Portuguese Coup 16. The Unsolved Dilemmas of the Demos Kratia Part II. Essay (50%) Answer one of the following questions. Be as complete as possible, and give examples to illustrate your arguments. (You will be given four and must answer one). 1. What do we know about the way in which countries transitioned to democracy in the latter 20th century? What are the key variables to consider in comparing transitions, especially in terms of whether or not the transition is successfully completed, and how the nature of the transition shapes subsequent prospects for the consolidation and quality of democracy? 2. Critically compare and contrast South Africa’s transition to democracy with earlier Third Wave transitions in Southern Europe and Latin America, and also with contemporary Fourth Wave transitions in the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa. Is there any evidence that the path South Africa took to democracy has affected its current quality of democracy? / 3. How has the practice of democracy grown across the world, and over time? 4. Discuss the historical development of the idea of democracy, paying particular attention to its meaning, and its perceived importance. Political scientist David Beetham has argued that while democracy is a contested concept, it is not a contestable concept. Is there only one valid way to define this term in the modern world, or are multiple definitions justifiable? 6. Is it possible to measure democracy scientifically? Or are existing measures of democracy simply reflections of the imposition of culturally specific understandings? Discuss in terms of the strengths and weakness of alternative data sets on democracy.

Institutional Racism free essay sample

Having explored my target and agent identities has helped me identify certain types of institutional racism that my family and I go through. In this paper I will go into depth on one specific institutional form that I feel has impacted my family and me in the long run. I will also link that form to two other forms of institutional racism and explain how each one of them potentiate one another increasing their ability to exclude or deny. Last but not least I will reflect my thoughts and emotions towards these issues for both my family and I. Incorporating the collage sharing that I had with two of my classmates and their feelings and emotions as well. In the book, â€Å"Racism in the United States, Implications for the Helping Profession† written by; Joshua Miller and Ann Marie Garran. The authors talk about this web of institutional racism in chapter 04 (pg. We will write a custom essay sample on Institutional Racism or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 61), they focus on nine types of institutional racism Residential, Educational, Employment, Accumulation of wealth and upward mobility , Environmental and Health, Criminal Justice, Political ,and Media. The author’s purpose is to emphasis how racism remains institutionally embedded in the U. S society and focus on what remains as oppose to what has been accomplished. When I put thought into which forms of institutional racism affects my family and I the first three forms that catch my attention right away are, Residential, Educational and Employment. Having being born and raised in the city of Watts . CA and living in public housing were to me the best years of my life as a child. Yes there were several shootings and drug abuse and many other crimes being presented but as a child you learn how to appreciate the roof over your head. Now as an adult I question this residential racism that my family and I had to go through and are still going through. As a child I never really paid attention to the type of people that were living in my community until now I have realized that blacks and Latinos have been segregated into these communities for a reason. I remember growing up and my father always complaining how it was too expensive to own a home outside the community we lived in. He would go out looking for different homes and would come back saying† the real estate showed me a couple houses but they are still in bad communities and we cannot afford something different according to him†. Now I understand what was the real estate doing he was practically redlining my family and I because of our low income. Education was also a form of institutional racism in my family. In my family out of eight children only one has been able to pull through k-12 and now University level. Education in my community is not enforced as it should be there’s no sense of motivation from teachers or mentors. Parents are forced to work two jobs at times to meet their needs as well as their children’s needs. So reading writing or help with homework is the last thing that is consider around my community. The lack of involvement in schools also plays in. As for employment low paid jobs are available to people who tend to drop out of school. Not having the proper education forces them to work hard labor jobs for the minimum wage and stressing some people out leading them to the use of drugs. My family has faced these three types of racism in many different viewpoints. Being raised in the ghetto put some of my family members at a disadvantage from actually getting a good education and employment. My three older brothers all dropped out of school due to lack of motivation in the school environment, leading them to low paid jobs in which they had to work in horrible conditions. They soon became frustrated with their economic status and began to get involved with gangs which lead them to prison. As for my parents they had little to no education and were forced to work low paid jobs but always did their best to encourage all of us to seek higher than what’s expected. All four of my sister have been able to survive these forms of institutional racism and are now seeking higher education little by little. Educational racism has played a huge role in my own personal life both good and bad. Speaking from experience I can honestly say that throughout my K-8Th years of school never was I once introduce to the idea of attending junior college let alone a four year University. The lack of motivation in my school communities deterred my knowledge of higher education. I don’t remember ever getting homework as a child or having to write a paper. The teachers at the time were never really concern about whether the students were learning or not. It wasn’t until my high school years that I begun to get the proper education. I knew that I wanted to pursue higher education so I decided to enroll into a charter school outside my local neighborhood. Once I was enrolled never did I figure it would be so difficult to learn the material I felt lost in all my classes. I felt like if I were dumb because I didn’t understand the lectures and I kept failing my entire test. Luckily the teachers were very helpful the school was very resourceful and my grades went up after tutoring and practice test provided by my high school. I can honestly say that if I wouldn’t have made that choice I wouldn’t be where I am now. I thank all my teachers and mentors that taught me all the skills of becoming a well-educated person. Educational racism broke me and builds me in a sense which made me knowledgeable enough to never give up seeking for the appropriate assistance in other to succeed. Now that I have been able to overcome and continue overcoming Educational Racism I will be able to overcome Residential and Employment Racism. My urge to a higher education will lead the way to a successful career and possibly a beautiful home in a good community. I will also be able to set a good example for my little sister and my nephews and nieces. Having them realize that although our family has struggle for many years due to these intuitions that oppress us there’s always a way around it. I feel privilege in a sense because the struggles that my older family members went through were lived experiences that made me stronger and strive for a better outcome. The endless nights that my parents worked to provide me with food and shelter has kept me alive long enough to change history. I have also come to realize that these forms of Institutional Racism exist on many levels. The fact that we were redlined and segregated from good neighborhoods with lack of proper resources leads my brothers to dropping out of school. Forcing them to work at fast food places living check by check causing stress upon which lead them to gangs. Which eventually had them in jail facing time due to these forms of racism? Having explored these forms of institutional racism brings about mixed emotions. It makes me realize that Racism still exists and it remains strong. It bothers me to know that my family members and I have been victims of these forms. Yet it makes me stronger as a person and builds the passion to seek higher education. I can honestly say that knowing that these forms of racism exist challenges me to become bigger and better. To overthrow those expectations those societies has for minorities and pull through. Being able to hear my two partners experience confirms my experiences and made me feel as if Am not alone in this battle. It also opened up my eyes to realize that we all have experience racism in both good and bad aspects. The outbreak of these forms is to use them towards your advantage and seek education to its higher degree.