Alternative Perspectives on Business

I am not sure if the way I felt is common in the society. But I would imagine it would be because of the individualistic mindset that most people have. Even my friends resist help if they can manage it. The parents, the school and other social institutions are helping perpetuate this kind of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. This is perhaps a crucial part of being part of the society. Deep down, I may be afraid to admit that I need help. Perhaps other people feel the same way too. My self-worth is dependent, in part, on my ability to make decisions for myself and do things for myself.If that is taken away from me, then I would feel like I lost my worth. I wanted to air my annoyance to the manager, which I promptly did. I was not really surprised that I acted as such because I am used to acting based on what I think is my right. I also felt like asking the lady directly to desist from following me was a bit rude. So I had to talk to her manager instead. It is so much easier to talk to a superior than to a subordinate. If I talked to the lady, myself, I might have condescended and reprimanded her harshly. I did not want to make a scene so I just talked to the manager.My motives were that I wanted to be discreet while making sure that my experience at the store was not spoiled. I know that I acted in my best interest and also in the interest of the store. If they followed my advice and just let their customers choose what they want while standing there patiently waiting and congenially for anything the customer asks, the sales might be a little better and customers will be happier. I would not have liked to behave otherwise. That would mean just letting go of what I felt was an affront to my shopping experience. I do not like sitting still when I felt that things are not going according to my liking.I was conscious that I was a customer and therefore I deserved the best possible treatment in the store. The mall and the store is designed for the customer to have the best experience in shopping. From the arrangement of products and the colourful promotional items, the customer or shopper is made to feel as if he is at the centre of the mall’s universe. Anything that suggests otherwise would therefore be treated like it was an intrusion into the personal life of the shopper. Managers also are being seen as the keepers of the ranks in the sense that they have the power over their subordinates in helping them do their jobs properly.They can also reprimand employees who do not perform according to the pre-agreed standards of behaviour within the organization. As such, the manager is seen as the ally of the customers in making sure that their shopping experience is protected and ensured. Synthesis There are power relations in almost all social settings. Even in the seemingly business-centred environment of the mall and department stores, there are power relations between and among the owners of the store, the managers, the employees and th e customers who visit the stores (Pred, 1996).While the customers have considerable power by virtue of the money that they will be using in purchasing products and services, the organisation also displays its power in dealing with the customers. The customers have the money and therefore they command the respect of the attendants and the managers in the store. This is also why the store is arranged in such a way that the customers’ shopping experience would be superb. Anything that could disrupt that is met with strict reprimand (Cuthbert, 2003). A store that cannot make a sale is close to being worthless and is on its way to bankruptcy.One thing I noted though is that there are more women on the stores than there are men. Quite probably, the men are working â€Å"behind the scenes† and are tasked with moving large boxes and other things that need to be moved every now and then. I could not rightly say that this is discrimination but perhaps, there is a preferred gende r when it comes to choosing attendants in particular areas of the store. This also opens up a whole new dimension of power relations. The manager I encountered was a middle-aged male who had the look of authority on him (Harding, 2004).While I felt nothing more than a coincidence during the incidence, it now dawned on me that perhaps the power relations within the store are arranged that way so that it would be easier to subdue the attendants for anything that might have been seen or reported as inappropriate behaviour. In addition to this, the customer is, most of the time, given a big deal of power in dealing with the attendants at the store. There are customers who are treated like spoiled brats while there are difficult customers who insist on having their way even in violation of store policy.Stores and malls arrange their space or architecture to maximize the purchasing power of buyers. As such, the products and services are arranged in such a way that customers will be entice d to buy. In exchange of this, customers also exert their power over the attendants and employees of the store so that they get something extra out of the money they will shed out as payment. The attendants, employees and managers also act as safeguards of the interests of the store while at the same time encouraging the customers to buy and spend on the stores. This kind of power relations or network is always at work within the store.What seemed like a simple act of buying something at the mall is actually a complex pattern of relationships involving a number of factors. For example, managers tend to act as guards for the owners of the store as much as for the customers. Most of the time, it is the employees who are caught in the middle. With the concepts I learned in the course, I manage to identify these power relations much more clearly than if I was just using my common sense. Because of my cultural affiliation and the way I treat shopping as a commonplace affair, I have becom e inured to it.The concepts discussed in the course helped me become more critical and draw on various theories in explaining what seems like commonplace behaviour, not only in the malls but in different social settings and situations. Reference Cuthbert, AR (2003). Critical Readings in Urban Design. New York: Blackwell Publishing. Harding, SG (2004). The Feminist Standpoint Theory Reader: Intellectual and Political Controversies. London: Routledge. Pred A, (1996). â€Å"Interfusions: consumption, identity and the practices and power . relations of everyday life† Environment and Planning A 28(1) 11 – 24.

Oration Piece Essay

When I am neither man nor child†¦my voice falls from high C to B flat minor and every pimple tries to find its resting place on my face. I am sensitive to criticism, fear often change my mood. My nights are spent thinking so many things, school works, unrequited love and how to pursue the pleasures of youth without reprimanded. Every time I imply â€Å"I WANT TO BE FREE TO DO WHAT I WISH† thing, a long sermon is being delivered to a statement that rings to my ears â€Å"FREE IS BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR ONESELF â€Å". All teens go to school and have normal teenager lives experiencing what I have also experienced which I have mentioned lately. Being a scout does not spoil the education and life of teenagers, instead it guides them to become a good citizen. Scouting emphasizes the value of learning and tries to instill in youth the thirst for knowledge. The goals are the same – to help us learn and grow so that we will become productive, engaged members of the community and provide opportunities to reach our full potential. Scouting Is a Partner in Education. Some say that men who were Scouts five or more years are more likely to graduate from high school and graduate from college. They are also more likely to assume leadership roles at school, think of others, make honest decisions, and appreciate the education they are getting and the environment in which they live. Scouting teaches citizenship, compassion, cooperation, courage, faith, honesty, perseverance, resourcefulness, respect, and responsibility. In addition, Scouting activities help boost a child’s self-esteem and self-image, and give them a generally more positive attitude about themselves and others. All of these traits make us more receptive to learning and enhance our academic performance. Scouting also prepares youth to work and care for the larger community through providing community service. Through these activities we learn that we are a contributing part of society and build a sense of pride in their community and themselves. We also learn that the community sees us as a valuable resource and that the community values us. Thus, scouting not only influences our academic performance but also our lives as citizen, as a part of the community. Being a scout makes us free and at the same time responsible after all.

Genetically Modified food should not be banned Essay

Food is the basic requirement for living, as more and more people need food while the population was increased every year, food is becoming an important issue in the world. The invention of Genetically Modified food is a reasonable solution to solve this issue. Therefore, the Genetically Modified food should not be banned for several reasons. In addition to the fact that Genetically Modified food already provides benefits to us, there are several considerable profits to agriculture, environment and human health. Genetically Modified food should not be banned while they provide benefits to agriculture. The high productivity is creating by Genetically Modified food; the GM crops double the food yield by improves the pesticides and fertilizers in the crops. â€Å"the productivity gains from G. M. crops, as well as improved use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, allowed the world’s farmers to double global food output during the last 50 years, on roughly the some amount of land, at a time when global population rose more than 80percent. † (Prakash, C. S. , Conko Gregory, 2004, p17) The GM food not only improves the productivity, but it also put the insect resistance and weather resistance into the crops. â€Å"Examples include insect-resistance rice for Asia, virus-resistance sweet potato for Africa, and virus-resistance papaya for Caribbean nations. † (Prakash, C. S. , Conko Gregory, 2004, p18). Compare to the traditional crops, GM crops can provide resistance to bugs and insect or virus-resistance, thus, the GM crops can grow well then the traditional crops. Because the GM crops have resistance to insect, farmers do not need use pesticide to their crops. Furthermore, using of GM crops can reduce the damage from pesticide to the land, and protect environment. Genetically Modified food has benefits to the environment when they provide advantage to agriculture. GM food can reducing the using of natural resources while they growing, such as water. â€Å"In 2000 alone, U. S. farmers growing bioengineered cotton used 2. 4 million fewer gallons of fuel and 93 million fewer gallons of water, and were spared some 41,000 ten-hour days needed to apply pesticide. † (Prakash, C. S. , Conko Gregory, 2004, p18). GM crops not only reduce the using of natural resources, but it also decreases the damage of farming land. â€Å"With potentially reduced environment consequence, such as reductions in agrochemical use, including pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. † (Schaal, Barbara, 2002, p110), the less herbicide used on land, the less damage that land have. In addition, the GM crops protected environment by reducing the using of natural resources and herbicide. GM food provides benefits for human health, it not only decreases the negative effect, but it also proffers nutrition which human need. The indirect negative effect from pesticide is worked on human body, and it is damaged human health, â€Å"In China, where pesticide are typically sprayed on crops by hand, some 400 to 500 cotton farmers die every year from acute pesticide poisoning. † (Prakash, C. S. , Conko Gregory, 2004, p18). Every year, people and farmers were dying from acute pesticide. However, GM crops contain the insect resistance which means farmer does not need acute pesticide to the crops. Therefore, GM food can provide advantage to human health by reduce pesticide need. GM food also can furnish nutrition that human require, â€Å"Among the most well known is Golden Rice-genetically enhanced with added beta carotene, which is converted to Vitamin A in the human body. â€Å". In next a few years, GM food will improve to provide further nutrition to benefit human health. There people who oppose Genetically Modified food suspect that long-term effects are unknown. However, the Genetically Modified food have been investigated, there are no negative effect found on GM food on current market. â€Å"While traditionally developed foods are not generally tested for allergenicity, protocols for tests for GM foods have been evaluated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO). (Campbell, Jonathan, 2006 p67). In addition, scientist still focus on develop Genetically Modified food to achieve more and more benefits to human. GM foods may give us a long-term effect, but it will not be find on the current market. The opponents also consider that Genetically Modified food is not safe and it has negative effect on human health. Nevertheless, Genetically Modified foods on the international market have no risk for human heath. â€Å"GM foods currently available on the international market have passed risk assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health. In addition, no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved. † (Campbell, Jonathan, 2006 p67) Thus, the GM foods will not provide a negative effect on human health. Although Genetically Modified food is not used in every single country, Genetically Modified food is still the suitable solution to solve the food for hungry people. Furthermore, people will not banned Genetically Modified food, and stop the development. In the future, as Genetically Modified food will get more development, it will achieve further benefits to our agriculture, environment and human health. ReferenceCampbell, Jonathan. â€Å"Genetically Modified Organisms Production, Regulation, and Marketing. † International Debates, 4, 2006, 66-69. Prakash, C. S. , and Conko Gregory. â€Å"Technology for Life: How Biotech Will Save Billions From Starvation. † American Enterprise,15,2004,16-20. Schaal, Barbara. â€Å"Genomics and Biotechnology in Agriculture. † The Genomic Revolution, 2002, 108-123.

Anthropology kinship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Anthropology kinship - Essay Example The topic is about the kinship and bonds formed between foreign students of the same ethnicity or background that met at university in the united states. I wanted to talk about how foreign students from the same country or ethnicity have the tendency to immediately form their own group of people due to ethnicity and kinship.Culture and Classification. One of the goals of social anthropology is to acquire gain an understanding of how and why human beings interact with each other and with their environment. And Kinship is what deals with interaction oh humans with each other. One important idea that contributes to this understanding of kinship is what anthropologists term as culture. One of the many ways that anthropologists use culture is to refer to systems of shared ideas among a group of people.By system we mean that there is some similarity or regularity to the way that ideas, and concepts are shared. There are various possible ways this sharing could happen.The same language, spi rituality or religious belief can be a system that connects two minds. KINSHIP The study of kinship is the greatest common denominator across the various parts of social anthropology. Kinship was one of the first fields where anthropologists discovered social structure and logical patterns The unparalleled pioneer in the field of kinship studies was the 19th century American anthropologist, Lewis Henry Morgan; later, French structuralists and British structural functionalist carried on the tradition. Kinship brought about opportunities to map cultural variation within a relatively well-bounded empirical field, and hence, it was a perfect point for making comparative conclusions. In societies which are egalitarian, kinship often works as a kind of universal institution, which organizes everything from economy to religion. Before embarking upon a discussion on "why kinship and bonds are formed between foreign students of the same ethnicity or background that met at university in the United States. " , lets revise the definitions of ethnic group, ethnicity, nationalism. Ethnicity "Ethnicity seems to be a new term", state Nathan Glazer and Daniel Moynihan (1975: 1).Both of them also pointed to the fact that the term appeared in dictionary for the first time in 1972 in Oxford English Dictionary. In 1953,American sociologist David Riesman,first used this word. The word "ethnic" is much older. Derived from the Greek ethnos (which in turn derived from the word ethnikos), "ethnic" which originally meant heathen or pagan (R. Williams, 1976: 119). But from mid 19th century, it gradually began to be associated with "racial" characteristics. It was around Second World War, that the United States started using the word as a polite term to refer to Jews Italians, Irish and other people considered inferior to the dominant group of largely British descent. While, in everyday language, "ethnicity" carries a meaning of " minority issues" and "race relations", but in social anthropology, "ethnicity"means aspects of relationships between groups which consider themselves, and are regarded by others, as being culturally distinctive. While,it is true that "the discourse concerning ethnicity tends to concern itself with subnational units, or minorities of some kind or another" (Chapman et al., 1989: 17),majorities are no less"ethnic " than minorities. In the United States, "ethnics" came to be used around the Second World War as a polite term referring to Jews, Italians, Irish and other people considered inferior to the dominant group of largely British descent. None of the founding fathers of sociology and social anthropology - with the partial exception of Max Weber - granted ethnicity much attention. WHY FOREIGN STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY IN AMERICA MINGLE Ethnic groups tend to possess myths of common origin, and they nearly always have ideologies promoting endogamy(marrying within the same social group,

Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Accounting - Essay Example The information contained in financial reporting must be both relevant and reliable to the user – relevant data must be recent enough to be useful and be confirmed in the future as well as confirm older data, and reliable in that different users are able to use the same information to come to similar, if not the same, conclusions about the company’s economic status, and unaffected by our own concerns within the business. (36) The latter means that no one is permitted to skew information’s presentation to better our image, so that the data is dependable for any user, whether internal or external. The information in financial reporting must also be comparable to other companies in our industry – if a practice is normally used, we should use it also so that it is easier for investors to read our reports – and consistent. (37) Should an accounting practice change, it needs to be very clearly stated and if necessary, we should adjust former periods’ information so that the impact of the change is easily discerned. Consistency is a critical attribute for us to demonstrate, so that users are able to watch the trends of our company’s success without worrying that we adjust accounting practices to improve the bottom line when having difficulties, and comparability is so that users are able to compare us to our other industry members. A last feature of the above information is the ‘matching principle’ that is required by U.S. GAAP. The matching principle is a simple rule – any expenses incurred in the current period must be matched to any revenues incurred in the current period. (45) This is a component of when we recognize revenue, and has a direct impact on the balance sheet. The above information should be helpful in understanding how our accounting practices work, and why they are so important for our investors and creditors. If

Magnolia Therapeutic Solutions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Magnolia Therapeutic Solutions - Case Study Example Question 1 How could your decision be compared to the board’s decision? Why did you make this decision? What effect did organizational infrastructure and culture have on your decision? Definitely, I would not approve the budget. In the first place, I would find considerable support of my decision prior to my approval of it. There must be reliable references or supporting evidences needed in the first place in order to justify my decision. A budget needs to have substantial references or supporting facts in order not to have a shortfall or over calculation in the future. Thus, it should guide and even predict future actions or moves (Hutton & Phillips, 2009). In the case of Mary Stewart’s decision, she failed to consider the point that her assumption would be subjected to environmental factors. Being confident that the government would renew its grant given to Magnolia in 2001, Mary assumed that the budget in 2002 would be substantially higher as compared to that of the previous year. Furthermore, she also failed to consider the ailing economy and so was able to address the steeper demands with regard to the development department. This would incur additional cost which eventually led to having one third of her staff laid off; it had negative impact on the remaining staff and organization that could cause stagnation of the organization in years to come. With the kind of decision that I have taken, I could have probably saved one third of my staff. The point is I would not have focused on giving substantial budget for the development department. This has to be considered in the first place because overspending would not be the right approach, especially in a poor economic condition. My decision would remarkably maintain the potential teamwork at Magnolia because everyone would be encouraged to potentially use and maximize only what was available. Question 2 What do you think were the main causes behind the problems that Magnolia ultimately suffered? What would you have done differently to avoid those problems? In the first place, considering that Magnolia was not a profit organization, there was a clear evidence of poor financial management within the organization. This becomes clear when one looks at the way the budget was emancipated in 2002. Lack of financial knowledge was one of the main reasons. This eventually led to poor organizational structure, which also resulted in lacking the ability to handle financial resources in the best way possible. Furthermore, Mary was made assumptions without any reliable basis. In other words, Mary herself lacked managerial skills in handling the organization, particularly within the context of planning strategy. As reflected on how the planned budget in 2002 turned out, Mary simply was missing the point on how to efficiently handle the financial resources. If I were Mary, I should have hired a financial consultant who could give me professional advice on what to include in my budget plan for 2002. Furthermore, knowing this would help me to come up with good plans in the future. The point in here is that Mary’s organization was still moving forward closer to financial stability. In other words, this has to remain her critical area of consideration prior to displaying any ambitions as to other future plans. As for me, since the organization was already doing great in its service and became popular in its field, financial

Reality and Fantasy of Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms Research Paper

Reality and Fantasy of Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms - Research Paper Example While some have concluded her character as an embodiment of an adolescent male fantasy† (Hatten, 76; Lockridge, 170), others have used her recovery to make a case for her realistic character. Catherine had just opted to give her services in the war as a volunteer 8 years after her engagement with her fiance, who was also fighting in the war. However, amidst the World War II, her fiance dies and gradually Catherine gets involved in a romantic relationship with Fredric. Although Catherine presents a very submissive and self-abnegating character, I want to explore her character to argue for its realism. For decades, Catherine’s character has been a complex and problematic one, drawing diverse set of interpretations by various scholars. Catherine is looked upon as a character far from reality and a figure essentially inspired by male fantasy of an ideal lover. Both Catherine and Frederic present a commonality in their evaluation of the Italians as they both feel negative of them. Catherine and Frederic meet in Italy where Frederic is serving as a volunteer ambulance driver for the Red Cross in Italy while Catherine is a volunteer Red Cross nurse. At several instances, Frederic hints at his lack of motivation for entering the Italian army, saying that he was a â€Å"fool† (Hemingway, 109) thereby implying a false sense of drive for soldering (Mandel, 61). On another occasion, Catherine tells Frederic how she only joined the services and moved to Italy out of support for her late fiance but later, as the story progresses, her motivation to help the wounded men is evident out of her humanitarian motivations. Catherine presents a very strong character of a woman who working for the soldiers in a world order which is chaotic. A World War is going on and Catherine is serving in Italy although her initial motivations for coming are not present