Tess life Essay Example

Tess life Paper Also, Hardy tries to show the more optimistic future for Tess in Talbothays by using many techniques in his language for the audience to detect a more positive atmosphere in Tess future. For example, he describes the valley in which Talbothays lies to be luxuriantly beautiful. These adjectives make the valley sound appealing and thus this may describe the future for Tess to be appealing. Furthermore, the adjectives clear, bracing, ethereal portrays the valley to be heavenly and peaceful; a fate that Tess has probably been longing for. This concept is extended as Hardy also uses the adjectives to describe the river to be slow, soft and often turbid which also showed the valley to be tranquil and a place to be desired which is underlined by the use of alliteration. Moreover, Hardy uses the phrase; The Froom waters were clear as the pure River of Life shown to the Evangelist. This signifies how positive Tess is feeling as before, in her past, she had been considered to sin against her religion thus religion was seen as being unfair to her. Here, however, the valley is conceived to be a quite a holy and pure place which shows that religion is on her side; the adjectives, clear and pure suggest this, and the concept of religion is shown by the noun Evangelist. This has an encouraging effect on Tess as further on in the Chapter, she begins to chant; O ye Sun and Moon . . . O ye Stars . . . This illustrates that Tess feels lightened and that she is prepared to leave her past behind and start afresh. This is furthered as she says bless ye the Lord, praise Him and magnify him forever! We will write a custom essay sample on Tess life specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Tess life specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Tess life specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This shows Tess to be forgiving as she is now still keeping faith in her religion despite Sorrow dying and being buried in the allotment of the graveyard because he was not baptised properly. Also the chanting shows Tess to be quite cheerful and optimistic which shows the effect of the amid new scenes around her, which had sent up her spirits wonderfully. Furthermore, Hardy ends the chapter with a rich description, to perhaps show the readers the future that lies ahead for Tess at Talbothays; their large-veined udders hung ponderous as sandbags. This simile is referring to the cows as Talbothays and this whole concept can be regarded as a metaphor which ultimately shows Tess future to be prosperous and fruitful as he says that the cows have too much milk in stock. This is shown by the adjectives ponderous and large-veined. Also they are compared to be sand bags as they are heavy with milk. This means that Tess will also have a positive future because she finds friendship and love at the farm. Chapters 43 and 47 narrate Tess life after Angel marries her but then leaves her when he finds out about her being raped by Alec. She spends this time at Flintcomb Ash, and this can be considered her lowest point of her life so far. Matters are worsened when she meets Alec again. At this point, Tess life has changed dramatically and quite rapidly. In chapter 16 she was seen to have a positive future ahead of her, however now it seems like her fate has changed as she is living a life of sorrow and solitude without her husband. Hardy has set this time of the year to be cold and dark, in which the bright hours of Tess life have disappeared. The readers can seen this instantly as Hardy uses pathetic fallacy to describe Tess mood; the rain had no occasion to fall. This is suggesting that the rain was continuous and that it was a part of Tess now as she remained heartbroken all the time. Also, Hardy uses personification; yelling wind. This can be interpreted as Tess feeling trapped at Flintcomb Ash as she has no where to go and this ultimately makes her feel useless for being so helpless. Hardy also uses alliteration to describe the surroundings of Flint comb Ash, the words desolate drab signify how boring and tedious it is at the farm. The word desolate suggests sadness for Tess and can be connoted to be quite grey and down. The simile Hardy uses; as if a face, from chin to brow, should be only an expanse of skin. illustrates Flint-comb Ash to be boring, and tells the readers that Tess feels nothing but continuous sorrow day after day. Overall the rain and the wind suggest a dark time for Tess. Moreover, in chapter 47, Hardy gives a description of Tess working at Flint-comb ash during the harvest time. Here, Hardy re-introduces the thresher machine which the farm workers are now using for the harvest. Hardy calls it a red tyrant that the woman had come to serve it. This implies that it has control over the workers in the harvest and that incorporates hard work and labour as it is need to be looked after at all times; the man who fed it could not stop. This also suggests that the machine was a monster and Hardy used the machine before, to describe the hard labour in Tess life when she had Sorrow, her baby, just after she was raped. The Machine ultimately displays the bad times for Tess as it is shown when Tess life is not in the most positive state. We can tell that Hardy dislikes the machine as he calls it a tyrant which is a negative metaphor. This shows that his overall view on the industrial revolution was that it was a bad thing. Hardy also illustrates the labourers work to be continuous and straining. This is shown as he states that the machine kept up a despotic demand upon the endurance of their muscles and nerves. This, again, furthers the monstrosity of the thresher machine and also portrays the labourers work to be hard and very manual despite the invention and introduction of machinery as the words despotic and demand are used and this use of alliteration emphasises the monotony of the work. The noun endurance emphasises how much strength was needed to be used and this is seen as harsh for the workers. The conditions would be hard and boring for example, the labour prevented speech. The workers work, overall is conceived to be tiring and strenuous. To conclude, Thomas Hardy has used a range of many different techniques of figurative language to display the setting and thus Tess feelings and mood. Furthermore, he uses the techniques to help the readers predict what the future holds for Tess for example he uses pathetic fallacy, metaphors, similes, adjectives and personification to do this. Hardy used all these techniques to help the reader understand and perhaps paint a visual picture of the setting and story. This means that the readers can visually picture the mood and feelings of Tess whilst reading about her life. Hardy may have written this story to highlight abuse of the lower class society of the country and of women. I feel that he wrote this novel to acknowledge the real issues with society and the unfairness behind many events which happened so much in the past but had been over-looked. Moreover, Fate is the biggest theme in this novel and can be seen as a very important aspect in peoples lives in the past. Although Hardy may feel that what happens to Tess is unfair, he shows his belief in fate. For example, Hardy makes it that Tess has no control over certain events in her life but when she tries to grasp hold of her own life and kills Alec, she is hanged. This may ultimately infer that Hardy believed in fate as this shows that Tess has no control over her life and that when she does, things do not go as she plans. I feel that the readers in the past may have seen this novel to be quite controversial in the messages put across as Hardy may have been seen to be blaming religion for Tess state. Furthermore, Hardy may have also tried to emphasise how society is unfair to Tess as she is almost shunned to such an extent for being an unmarried mother. This is not her fault as Alec rapes her but as she is a lower class woman and Alec is of a higher class, he felt that he could do what he wanted with her. This signifies the injustice on Tess part as the class system in the past meant that she is blamed for her own state and shows that Hardy felt this is wrong. Readers in the past may have felt that what happened to Tess was quite normal and not as surprising. However, I think that people nowadays can empathise more with Tess as the events which occur dont happen as much nowadays and because society has changed dramatically. Overall, I feel that Hardy wrote this novel to expose the wrong that happened in society in his views.

Free Essays on Tamoxifen

TAMOXIFEN 1. Why shouldn’t everyone all women take the drug tamoxifen? Which category of women may be helped? Why might â€Å"more women be harmed than helped? It couldn’t be determined which women were at high risk. It was not sure that tamoxifen would not cure breast cancer â€Å"but prevent it.† Many women have died or developed cancer of the uterine lining or blood clots. 2. How does tamoxifen work in the body? It prevents the hormone estrogen from over stimulating breast tissue. PATTERN AND OBSERVATION: It prevents the hormone estrogen from over stimulating breast tissue. PREDICTION: If 85 women developed cancer when they took tamoxifen against against 154 women who took a placebo. Then: Tamoxifen should be given to the 154 who have developed cancer. EXPERIMENT: Remove breast tissue from both category of women to see what is causing the cancer. PATTERN OF RESULTS: The % of women should be less in developing breast cancer when tamoxifen is used. 4. What causes tamoxifen to develop blood clots or cancer of the uterine lining in women. 5. Retest tamoxifen to find out what caused the lining of the uterus to be cancerous in 33 women tested. b. test the placebo to see what it contains that prevents less women to develop breast cancer than when they used tamoxifen. c. inject good tissue with cancerous cells to see if it develops cancer. d. Does the lining of the uterus contain the same gene as breast tissue. Hence the development of cancer of the uterine lining. HERCEPTI N: Herceptin should only be given to women with advanced breast cancer. b. women with mestastic breast cancer whose tumors produced excessive amounts of HER2 receptors. OBSERVATION: Herceptin targets a special gene alteration linked to the cancer. HYPOTHESIS: HERC... Free Essays on Tamoxifen Free Essays on Tamoxifen TAMOXIFEN 1. Why shouldn’t everyone all women take the drug tamoxifen? Which category of women may be helped? Why might â€Å"more women be harmed than helped? It couldn’t be determined which women were at high risk. It was not sure that tamoxifen would not cure breast cancer â€Å"but prevent it.† Many women have died or developed cancer of the uterine lining or blood clots. 2. How does tamoxifen work in the body? It prevents the hormone estrogen from over stimulating breast tissue. PATTERN AND OBSERVATION: It prevents the hormone estrogen from over stimulating breast tissue. PREDICTION: If 85 women developed cancer when they took tamoxifen against against 154 women who took a placebo. Then: Tamoxifen should be given to the 154 who have developed cancer. EXPERIMENT: Remove breast tissue from both category of women to see what is causing the cancer. PATTERN OF RESULTS: The % of women should be less in developing breast cancer when tamoxifen is used. 4. What causes tamoxifen to develop blood clots or cancer of the uterine lining in women. 5. Retest tamoxifen to find out what caused the lining of the uterus to be cancerous in 33 women tested. b. test the placebo to see what it contains that prevents less women to develop breast cancer than when they used tamoxifen. c. inject good tissue with cancerous cells to see if it develops cancer. d. Does the lining of the uterus contain the same gene as breast tissue. Hence the development of cancer of the uterine lining. HERCEPTI N: Herceptin should only be given to women with advanced breast cancer. b. women with mestastic breast cancer whose tumors produced excessive amounts of HER2 receptors. OBSERVATION: Herceptin targets a special gene alteration linked to the cancer. HYPOTHESIS: HERC...

Profile and Biography of Socrates

Profile and Biography of Socrates The Greek philosopher Socrates was born c. 470/469 B.C., in Athens, and died in 399 B.C. To put this in the context of the other great men of his time, the sculptor Pheidias died c. 430; Sophocles and Euripides died c. 406; Pericles died in 429; Thucydides died c. 399; and the architect Ictinus completed the Parthenon in c. 438. Athens was producing the extraordinary art and monuments for which she would be remembered. Beauty, including personal, was vital. It was linked with being good. However, Socrates was ugly, according to all accounts, a fact that made him a good target for Aristophanes in his comedies. Who Was Socrates? Socrates was a great Greek philosopher, possibly the wisest sage of all time. He is famous for contributing to philosophy: Pithy sayingsThe Socratic method of discussion or dialogueSocratic irony A discussion of Greek democracy often focuses on a sadder aspect of his life: his state-mandated execution. Family Although we have many details about his death, we know little about the life of Socrates. Plato provides us the names of some of his family members: Socrates father was Sophroniscus (thought to have been a stonemason), his mother was Phaenarete, and his wife, Xanthippe (a proverbial shrew). Socrates had 3 sons, Lamprocles, Sophroniscus, and Menexenus. The oldest, Lamprocles, was about 15 at the time his father died. Death The Council of 500 [see Athenian Officials in the Time of Pericles] condemned Socrates to death for impiety for not believing in the gods of the city and for introducing new gods. He was offered an alternative to death, paying a fine, but refused it. Socrates fulfilled his sentence by drinking a cup of poison hemlock in front of friends. Socrates as Citizen of Athens Socrates is remembered chiefly as a philosopher and the teacher of Plato, but he was also a citizen of Athens, and served the military as a hoplite during the Peloponnesian War, at Potidaea (432–429), where he saved Alcibiades life in a skirmish, Delium (424), where he remained calm while most around him were in a panic, and Amphipolis (422). Socrates also participated in the Athenian democratic political organ, the Council of the 500. As a Sophist The 5th century B.C. sophists, a name based on the Greek word for wisdom, are familiar to us mostly from the writings of Aristophanes, Plato, and Xenophon, who opposed them. Sophists taught valuable skills, especially rhetoric, for a price. Although Plato shows Socrates opposing the sophists, and not charging for his instruction, Aristophanes, in his comedy Clouds, portrays Socrates as a greedy master of the sophists craft. Although Plato is considered the most reliable source on Socrates and he says Socrates was not a sophist, opinions differ on whether Socrates was essentially different from the (other) sophists. Contemporary Sources Socrates is not known to have written anything. He is best known for the dialogues of Plato, but before Plato painted his memorable portrait in his dialogues, Socrates was an object of ridicule, described as a sophist, by Aristophanes. In addition to writing about his life and teaching, Plato and Xenophon wrote about Socrates defense at his trial, in separate works both called Apology. The Socratic Method Socrates is known for the Socratic method (elenchus), Socratic irony, and the pursuit of knowledge. Socrates is famous for saying that he knows nothing and that the unexamined life is not worth living. The Socratic method involves asking a series of questions until a contradiction emerges invalidating the initial assumption. Socratic irony is the position that the inquisitor takes that he knows nothing while leading the questioning.

Political science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 6

Political science - Essay Example The Supreme Court is a political institution like the other branches of the government such as the executive thus cannot be relied upon to make decisions on the original intention of the bill of rights. Supreme Court decisions and interpretation of the constitution is not always wrong, but the political influences experienced results to an opinion that reflects the current political tide (Garry 30). There is no explicit wording in the constitution or bill of rights that applies on to the federal government. The Constitution applies universally to all citizens and institutions in the whole nation and so do the bill of rights. The constitution and the bill of rights are thus inseparable and apply universally to the federal government, state or local authority governments. Article VI, Section 2 of the constitution is clear on the intention of those who framed the constitution since it states that ‘the constitution shall be Supreme law of land, and judges in every state shall be bound by the constitution’. Since the constitution framers implied that the judges in every state must obey the laws regardless of any contradictory state laws, it is clear that the intention was to limit the powers of both levels of government and protect the rights of all citizens in the country (Garry 67). From the ten amendments, it is only the first amendment that states that ‘Congress shall make not law’, but none of the other articles Congress shall not make such laws. It is clear from the other nine amendments that this are constitutional general statements that protect the rights of all citizens against excessive powers of federal, local and state governments. The first amendment was worded differently due to the prevailing political units and inhabitants in every state since most states were bound by religion and origin (Garry 123). The bill of rights does not intend to restrict government powers since historically there was no federal militia

The Supply Chain Management at Durham International Manufacturing Research Paper

The Supply Chain Management at Durham International Manufacturing Company (Dimco) - Research Paper Example A successful integration effort requires collective effort between suppliers and distribution. Teaming up will facilitate immense relationship among them. The effort starts with the two parties teaming up on sharing information related to the activities that they do. This will enhance communication between the two since they will have the chance to explore more on the development of new products, and developing extraordinary systems that will facilitate production. Good relationship based on communication will facilitate stream of information continually to work on a successful integrated supply chain. Ways that Dimco Could Benefit from Leveraging B2B E-commerce B2B e-commerce is the electronic swap of business documents among businesses for the principle of conducting business. B2B information switch is a system-to-system swap of data with little or no physical involvement. Dimco can benefit from leveraging B2B e-commerce through various ways. An effective e-commerce solution will e nable Dimco to grow and scale easily to meet market demand and customer requirements by opening new sales channels and constantly reaching new market segment. A B2B e-commerce site will improve Dimco’s sales teams’ visibility into customer orders, and pricing.... B2B e-commerce enables exceptional customer service. E-commerce provides an exceptional opportunity for the B2B organization to improve its customer service initiatives. E-commerce sites can offer access to self-serve account and order information after a customer completes the secure login process. Through integration with an organization’s enterprise resource planning, an e-commerce site can display only the products, services and pricing based on client log in qualifications (Sinha, 2009). Steps Dimco Could Take to Improve its Relationship with Suppliers For Dimco to improve its relationship with suppliers, a variety of steps have to be followed. This will enable good relationship between Dimco and suppliers. Acknowledging past mistakes that were made between Dimco and suppliers and decide whether the relationship is worth saving then hunt for an open and honest communication with the supplier. This will enable Dimco and suppliers to connect and discover more concerning the errors and remedies to prevent future mistakes. Identifying the cause of the mistake is the second step Dimco will take. This will enable Dimco and supplies to find out the real cause of the mistakes that were made in the earlier period. This will allow them to know if there were warning signs before the mistake happened. Ineffectiveness to the origin of a crisis, only the sign will be resolved, and another one that is more destructive to the relationship will unavoidably appear. Dimco will then spot and apply corrective actions to the past mistakes made. These actions can include technical changes, changes in security stocks, increased communication, and changes in personnel. Dimco will finally monitor and maintain the relationship with the suppliers. This will be effective

Everyday Learning vs. Scientific Learning Essay Example for Free

Everyday Learning vs. Scientific Learning Essay There are many tasks that a child learns in their early life. Some of which include learning how to crawl, then walk and learning how to talk. I think a child learning how to talk and communicate is very important. That alone will shape them and how well they will communicate later in their life. Our system of language and the process of communication are closely linked. Communication can be described as any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person information about that persons needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge or affective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or non-linguistic forms and may occur through spoken or other modes. Children learn communication from their parents. Communication is not something that can be studied; it is something that people have to learn by doing. As a parent, good communication needs to be emphasized as they are talking and listening to the child. A child can tell when a parent is not really listening to them, and this can create a big problem in the relationship. Children who feel misunderstood or feel like they arent being listened to will start to hold their feelings inside. This is the exact opposite of what good communication should be. Communication is necessary for everything we do in life and we learn it while we are children. The communication skills learned by children from their families will stick with them throughout their lives. In order to have a society of good communicators, it needs to start in the home. Parents need to start communicating with their children and need to show them how to communicate with others. This is a skill that will be valued all throughout life and is something that shouldnt be ignored. The skill of communication will be valued in every relationship throughout life. It is a necessity.

Caribbean Integration Essay -- essays research papers

CARIBBEAN POLITICS and SOCIETY Caribbean Integration Rationale for Integration. The Caribbean remains fragmented both economically and politically as a result of competition and conflict among the European powers. Fragmentation is in part the product of a long history as separate colonies of a metropolitan power or powers. It is also in part the psychological effects on people of separation by sea. The case for regional integration is both simple and irrefutable. First we are small and we need to achieve economies of scale. We need to achieve such economies in markets, production, the mobilisation of regional capital for regional use, university education, science and technology, sea and air transport to mention some areas. We therefore need to pool as far as is feasible our markets and our financial human and natural resources. We need a single unified and truly common market for goods and services, capital, and trained manpower. In addition we need to coordinate not only the development of our productive sectors but also our economic policies. And we need both a common external tariff and a common set of external trade, economic and other policies. Very basically put, we must come closer together because even the more economically advanced and biggest of us are mere specks of dusts in international terms. To admit that we are specks of dust does not however mean that we should sink ourselves in passive apathy in economic and international matters; rather we should get together to forma an object with more mass and more weight so that our presence could be more easily seen and more effectively used in the promotion of our own interests. We are small states by world and even Hemispheric standards, we are economically and politically weak individual units. We must avoid the temptation if at any given time our individual national economy is more prosperous than those of our other partner states, to be so arrogant as to forget that our economic situation may be suddenly reversed and that therefore we will soon need close links with our partner states in matters concerning both the intra-regional and extra-regional spheres. West Indian history abounds with instances of countries suffering sudden reversals of their economic fortunes. Advantages of Integration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  a stronger voice internationally (a)  Ã‚  &nbs... ...ess and Hurdles: A European View, Kingston: Kingston Publishers. West Indian Commission (1992) An Overview of the Report of the West Indian Commission: Time for Action, Barbados: West Indian Commission. Issues to Think about: What are your reasons for Caribbean Integration. Is the integration process within CARICOM marred by cynicism, lack of political will and self-aggrandisement of the political directorate? Comment with regard to the issues confronting the realisation of the CSME. What role can the OECS play in strengthening the Caribbean Community? Can the goal of integration be realised without the building of trust? What is the role of the ACS (Association of Caribbean States). Do you think the ACS will enhance or undermine CARICOM? Questions to Consider: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"What God have divided no man can put together†. Discuss in relation to Caribbean integration. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Assess the approaches to integration in the region and consider what have been the main failures and benefits of the movement. What else needs to be done and why? 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Should Commonwealth Caribbean countries politically integrate?

Rhetorical Analysis of Walter Benn Michaels, “The Trouble with Diversity” Essay

Diversity isn’t something to be ignored, but is that where our primary focus should lie? It is in our very nature to celebrate our differences; without it we lose our identity. As a society we literally dance in the streets to celebrate our individualities. However, Walter Benn Michaels points out a very interesting issue that is not only social but economical as well, in his book The Trouble with Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality. When we strip away our color, our heritage and begin to look at our wallets we become embarrassed, even shy about our how fat or thin it becomes. His political stance is intended for a general audience to: show present concepts of cultural diversity, to illustrate how Americans have come to love race, and to shift the focus from race to economic inequality. The introduction of The Trouble with Diversity is merely a glance at Michael’s agenda and becomes quite confusing to an average reader. He spends a fair amount of time discussing how we have become engulfed in our, as Michaels puts it, â€Å"love affair† with diversity that his primary goals are diluted within the text. When we break it down, his arguments become clearer. To fully understand Michaels objectives one must take into account his general audience. It becomes clear with his use of the first person narrative, â€Å"The argument, in its simplest form, will be that we love race—we love identity—because we don’t love class.† As Michaels points out the bulk of society is below the poverty line and when discussing economic inequality no one will listen more closely than those who are suffering the most. The upper class will also be able to identify with because as he emphasizes, â€Å"Survey after Survey has shown, Americans are very reluctant to identify themselves as belonging to the lower class and even more reluctant to identify themselves as belonging to the upper class.† As a society, we would rather associate ourselves as being middle class. In this way, no matter what the race, we are alike. Beginning The Trouble with Diversity with F. Scott Fitzgerald famous saying to Ernest Hemingway, â€Å"The rich are different from you and me.† Expresses how some people view the upper class as a completely different race of individuals. Hemingway’s witty response, â€Å"Yes, they have more money.† Illustrated to Fitzgerald that there is no difference in the rich, or the poor, except their wallet size; they are still human. Michaels goes on from there to describe how we have come to warship diversity. In Bakke v. Board of Regents, the Supreme Court ruled that it was reasonable for colleges to consider race when accepting applicants, as long as was in the interest of diversity and not to exclude members of certain racial background. Along with racial diversity, diversity became something to describe more than just the color of our skin. It now is used for sexual orientation, medical coding, and religious preferences. Unfortunately, diversity became closely associated with the struggle with racism and ended up with a notion that we should be â€Å"a color-blind† society. As Michael states, â€Å"Why do we assume black people want to stop being black; why do we assume the deaf want to hear?† He finishes the intro of his book by illustrating how we have come to hate class. While we have become to love our identity, we have become increasingly uninterested in identifying ourselves based on the classification of income. He even accuses the left wing party (or liberals who have prided itself on working for social equality) in diverting focus of economic inequality. â€Å"Giving the priority to issues like affirmative action and committing itself to the celebration of difference, the intellectual left has responded to the increase in economic inequality by insisting on the importance of cultural identity.† So by his observation Michaels believes that even the liberals are guilty of thinking the solution to inequality is simply to appreciate the lower class.

Loss and Grief

What is loss? What is grief? Loss is most often equated to death but generally, â€Å"loss occurs when an event is perceived to be negative by individuals involved, and it results in long-term changes in one's social situations, relationships, or way of viewing the world and oneself† (Marriage and Family Encyclopedia 2008). One tends to experience loss in one’s lifetime. Children usually experience loss through a death of a pet or a parent. Adults likewise experience loss through death of a spouse or because of divorce; they may also experience job or health losses.When we value something or someone that we lost, we experience grief. â€Å"Grief is the psyche’s natural healing response when faced with change and loss† (PsychCentral 2008). This suggests that grief is a normal and natural experience to a person who has experienced personal loss. Furthermore, it is said to be a â€Å"process, not an event† (PsychCentral 2008) which means that grief sho uld be allowed and given time to completely take place. Strayhorn enumerates the characteristics of grief (PsychCentral 2008). First, he says that pain is a natural part of grieving.One may choose to repress or ignore the pain but he says that further losses in life can always trigger it and eventually, the hurt only doubles. Second, he maintains that ‘grieving is a highly individualized process’ (PsychCentral 2008). This demonstrates how different each person is while in grief. Though grief is said to be a universal and a natural occurrence, the way one person grieves differs from another. Furthermore, being aware of the five stages of grief: â€Å"shock, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance† (PsychCentral 2008) helps one to cope with grief.Lastly, Strayhom states that â€Å"grief has no timetable† (PsychCentral 2008). Grief therefore should be allowed to take its own course. However, each individual in the process of grieving should also do activiti es to help them heal. Constantly sharing ones deepest sentiments to a trusted friend is always beneficial to a person in grief. There have been known grief responses, â€Å"such as a yearning for the lost person or state of affairs, a need to think repeatedly about past events, a sense of guilt, or even thoughts of suicide.(Death Reference 2008)† According to the Death Reference website (2008), Terry Martin and Kenneth Doka formulated 3 basic patterns of grief. First is the Intuitive Pattern, where the griever freely manifests his/her feelings. He/She can display intense emotions such as outbursts and crying. Any means to allow the griever to vent out his/her emotions is beneficial for coping. Second is the Instrumental Pattern where the griever would recall memories of the dead person and doing something in relation to those thoughts.An example cited by Martin and Doka (1999) where a man who has lost his daughter in a vehicular accident fixed the fence which his daughter has ruined during the accident. He said that it was the only thing he could repair. Third is the Dissonant Pattern. â€Å"Dissonant grievers are those who experience grief in one pattern but who are inhibited from finding compatible ways to express or adapt to grief that are compatible with their experience† (Death Reference 2008). For instance, when a man loses his wife, he can feel the urge to cry with his daughters and to show weakness.However, he chooses to keep it, as it is inappropriate for a man to do so. Women who lose spouses can experience the same situation, when she inhibits emotions and puts up a strong stance to protect her children. Loss and Grief on Different Perspectives There have been various studies about grief and prove that its characteristics are individualized and unique. On the one hand, children, grieve differently from adults (PsychCentral 2008). Young kids often think that the person who died will soon come back as seen in cartoon shows.Meanwhile, the re are signs which tell whether the child is experiencing significant grief. He/She tends to become immature for his/her age and there is also a considerable decrease in school performance. When these are present, Cohen advises the child be seen by a child psychologist (PsychCentral 2008). On the other hand, men and women also have distinct characteristics of grief. In an article written by Karen Carney in PsychCentral (2008), she enumerates the key points on how men grieve basing from Tom Golden’s book entitled ‘Swallowed by a Snake: The Gift of the Masculine Side of Healing’ (1997).Golden mentions that counselors tend to use approaches similar to what they use towards women, which was later on found to be ineffective to men. Men usually cope by busying themselves with any activity that would either use the mind or the body (PsychCentral 2008). Moreover, men try to go on living their lives as normal as possible like going on their usual routine. In contrast, wom en are attached to their feelings. They have the tendency to recall memories of the loved one who died (Linda-Angel 2005).It is significant to note that there are differences between the characteristics of the male and female human brain, which can be a cause of the distinction on how each sex grieves (PsychCentral 2008). In a study by Buchebner-Ferstl (2002), she mentions the differences between how a woman and a man deal with loss of a loved one (death). She said that women have broader social networks than men, and that women are often the source of social support between the couple. Being the case, she says that some experts would conclude that because of this, women cope better with loss.Moreover, â€Å"women are said to have a more emotionally-oriented behaviour, and men are said to be more problem-oriented† (Buchebner-Ferstl 2002). This means that women are more geared than men to grieve and share their emotions with other people. In addition to this, she mentions that research shows that women are said to have a â€Å"stronger sense of survivability †¦ [and] men are biologically more susceptible to the negative effects of stressors† (Buchebner-Ferstl 2002). This demonstrates that women are more apt to survive loss than men.Also, it was mentioned in the Death Reference website (2007) that men were socially conditioned to hide their emotions. In contrast, women can openly share their feelings to other people, allowing grief to take its course. Further, Louis LeGrand states that the gender difference â€Å"does not mean that men are not grieving; it does indicate that they may not accomplish the task as successfully as women† (LeGrand 1986:31). In a research conducted by Martin and Doka (1999), the differences between how women and men grieve were tackled. Their research showed the following:†¢ Upon the death of a spouse, the widower would usually engage in activities such as working or gym activities and are likely to resor t to alcohol. Conversely, widows spend time with friends and family for emotional support. †¢ Similarly, for those parents who have lost a child, the mothers tend to show emotions than the father. †¢ For those middle-aged children who lost a parent, the sons were more likely to engage in busy activities to deal with the loss while daughters show grief. †¢ Basing on the older generation, there are only slight differences on manifesting grief.†¢ â€Å"Differences in gender are also affected by other variables such as social class, generational differences, and cultural differences† (Death Reference 2008). †¢ The paper suggests that studies show varying results in terms of which gender copes with grief more effectively. The study of grief on the basis of gender is remarkable however Doka claims that the â€Å"[grief] pattern is not determined by gender† (Death Reference 2008) alone but is affected by other factors as well. Cultures differ in socia l norms and practices.There are societies where the sight of a man crying in grief is as acceptable as when a woman does (Death Reference 2008). Additionally, cultures differ in valuing relationships and attachment towards people and things, thus they also differ in grief experiences. Models of Loss and Grief There have been a number of loss and grief models that is based on the notion that every person in grief goes more or less in ‘the same sequence of stages in the recovery from grief, and at relatively the same speed’(Slap-Shelton 2008). Particularly on death, Kubler-Ross has formulated a model composed of 5 stages, as follows:1. ‘Denial and Isolation’ – The person who experienced death cannot accept that he/she actually lost a loved one. In severe cases, the person completely denies that death took place (Slap-Shelton 2008). 2. ‘Anger’- Here the person expresses anger towards others, and towards God, questioning Him why the loss had to happen to him/her (Slap-Shelton 2008). 3. ‘Bargaining’ – This is when one bargains and tries to compromise with God. 4. ‘Depression’ – As the person realizes and acknowledges the loss, he/she now experiences depression and deep sadness.5. ‘Acceptance’- The bereaved now accepts the reality of loss and is able to project a new life ahead. Based on a number of literatures on grief, Kubler-Ross’s model has become one of the most known and familiar. This model appears to define the stages of dying, phases of grief and is applicable not only to death but in other losses such as divorce or a break up. In the University of Kentucky website, Kastenbaum criticizes Kubler-Ross’s model, saying that these are not supposed to be stages as they do not happen chronologically (1998).In addition, he says that all these five stages are not necessarily undergone by a person dying or grieving. He further maintains that grief is uniqu e to every individual (University of Kentucky 1998). This demonstrates that these stages limit the process of grieving which is supposed to be individualized. Following this, various theoretical models on loss and grief were formulated. Charles Corr, specifically believed in the individuality of coping with death (University of Kentucky 1998). People differ in values therefore they also differ in need and coping mechanism for the same experience of loss.Meanwhile, Worden, Leick & Davidsen-Nielson (1991) proposed four means to understand loss and help accept its reality. First, one should recognize the fact that someone died or left for good. Second, one should not suppress the emotions but let them take their course. According to Slap-Shelton, (1998) among the intense emotions that one can feel during loss include â€Å"sadness, despair, anger, guilt, fear, loneliness, shame, jealousy. † Furthermore, to allow feeling these and letting these manifest will help in recovering ov er the loss.Third, it is advisable to let in something new in your life. For instance, one can learn a new skill or find a new set of friends. Through the process the person who experienced loss can grow despite the circumstance. Lastly, one ought to â€Å"reinvest emotional energy into the present† (Slap-Shelton 1998). This means that the bereaved person should focus on what is ahead and what he/she can do to live this new life without the person who died. Some, for example, do activities that commemorate and celebrate the goodness of the dead person.Furthermore, grief can be more understood in two other perspectives: psychoanalytic and attachment perspectives Basing from psychoanalysis, grief stems out of the griever’s uncertainty of where his/her relationship stands, now that the partner died. At the same time, â€Å"the psychological function of grief is to free the individual of the tie to the deceased and allow him or her to achieve a gradual detachment by means of a process of grief work† (Death Reference 2008). Many counselors and therapists have been influenced by this however such theory has also been criticized.On the other hand, Bowlby’s theory was based on the biological aspects of grieving. He maintains â€Å"that the biological function of grief was to regain proximity to the attachment figure, separation from which had caused anxiety† (Death Reference 2008). This means that when humans are separated from a figure whom or which they had attachment to, this results to reactions of grief. Conclusion According to the Marriage and Family Encyclopedia (2008), more recent models on loss and grief are now focused on â€Å"identifying symptoms [rather than] the process of grieving† (Marriage and Family Encyclopedia 2008).Stroebe and Schut (1990) formulated the Dual Process Model of Coping. Humans cope with grief with a combination of both â€Å"loss orientation† and â€Å"restoration orientation†. Loss orientation is allowing grief to take place for instance crying and reaching out to others while restoration orientation is â€Å"adjusting to the many changes triggered by loss† by engaging in new activities. Such dual model recognizes grief as a â€Å"dynamic and fluctuating process, labeled ‘oscillation,’ that incorporates confrontation and avoidance of different components at different times, and includes both positive and negative reappraisals† (Death Reference 2008).For instance, a man who lost his wife learns how to paint and takes pleasure in the activity (restoration orientation). However in the process, he is asked to paint a memorable place and thus reminded of the wife who has died and feels sad about it (loss orientation). Basing from the literature reviewed, grief can be described as universal since all humans at one point in their lives experience grief. Grief is natural since it is said to be an inevitable response to loss. However, th ere has not been an encompassing theory that can gauge grief; perhaps due to its vastness and complexity.Further studies and research, particularly on the biological perspective, how grief starts and where it ends, will allow a deeper understanding of human grief. List of References Buchebner-Ferstl, S 2002, Gender-specific differences in coping with bereavement, Osterreichisches Institut fur Familienforschung, Austria, viewed 30 Maarch 2008, . Carney, K 2006, How men grieve, 4 November, viewed 1 April 2008, . Cohen, H 2007, Children and grief, 4 June, viewed 1 April 2008 Coping With Loss 2008. Marriage and Family Encyclopedia viewed 28 March 2008 . Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. 2008. [online]. [accessed 29-31 March 2008]. Available from World Wide Web: . LeGrand, L. 1986 Coping with separation and loss as a young adult. Springfield, IL: Charles C.Thomas. Martin, T. & Doka, J. 1999. Men don't cry, women do: Transcending gender stereotypes of grief. Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis . Rosenblatt, P. , Walsh, R. & Jackson, D. 1976. Grief and mourning in cross-cultural perspective. Washington, DC: HRAF Press. Schwab, R n. d. ,Gender, Encyclopedia of Death and Dying, viewed 29 March 2008, . Slap-Shelton, S 1991, The phases and tasks of grief work, Self Help Magazine, viewed 31 March 2008, .Strayhorn, D 2008, Surviving a life crisis, 21 January, Psych Central, viewed 1 April 2008,. Stroebe, M. , & Schut, H. , 1990. The Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement: Rationale and Description. Death Studies 23, p. 197–224. Stroebe, M, Stroebe, W & Schut, H, Theories on grief, viewed 29 March 2008, . Women, men & grief 2005, Child Bereavement Trust, viewed 31 M arch 2008, .

The Organizational Study of Levi Strauss Essays

The Organizational Study of Levi Strauss Essays The Organizational Study of Levi Strauss Paper The Organizational Study of Levi Strauss Paper Abstract This paper analyzes the organizational structure and design of the world’s largest brand-name apparel marketers, Levi Strauss Company. The concepts of hierarchy, change management, and employee involvement applications will be discussed, along with the organization’s environment and competitive strategies. The premise of this paper is the accomplishment of this organizational mode Levi Strauss for change and the ultimate success of the company’s transformation. Levi Strauss and Company was founded in 1853 and since has become a household name in the trouser industry. They are the world’s largest producer of brand-name clothing and the second largest maker of jeans in the United States. Levi Strauss started the tradition of being an apparel innovator and today, the company still upholds the commitment to offering products that are right for every generation. Levi Strauss mission statement is to seek to reflect the voices of the communities where they have a business presence and make a difference by addressing tough social issues and empowering people to solve their own problems and those of their communities The values of Levi Strauss and Company are the foundation of the company. It is what defines them and sets them apart from the competition, sets the vision for the future, the business strategies and the decisions that are made. The four core values are empathy, originality, integrity, and courage. When they talk of empathy, they are walking in other people’s shoes. Their success comes from listening to what consumers want and meeting their needs of the consumers, retail customers, shareholders and employees. The company’s long-standing traditions of community involvement and employee volunteerism continue today which contribute to their commercial success. Authenticity and innovation is what makes Levi’s an original. The jeans have been worn by generations who incorporated them into their own sense of style. The ethical conduct and social responsibility illustrates the integrity that the company holds for always doing the right thing. The commercial success maintains the company’s beliefs and behaviors which motivates customers trust and loyalty. And lastly, the company has the courage to always stands up for what they believe in, whether it is challenging accepted practices or conventional perception. Their ultimate goal for Levi Strauss is making the company more competitive by implementing a number of business turnaround strategies and by changing the process of how they develop, deliver, and market the products. The organization markets their products under the leading brand names such as Levi’s, Dockers, and Signature. These are the most widely recognized brands in the apparel industry. The company’s organizational level analysis begins with their strategy. The corporate citizenship states a strong belief in the company which can shape society through civic engagement and community involvement, responsible labor and workplace practices, charity, ethical conduct, and environmental awareness. The four core values of the company’s mission statement of empathy, originality, integrity and courage sum up the long-term purpose of the company’s goal Levi Strauss for successful strategy and transformation. Levi Strauss developed and implemented a sourcing program in 1991 that incorporates value in working with stakeholders for improvement of working conditions in factories that produce their products, and a Levi Strauss in the communities where these are located at. They were able to gather valuable information and maximize positive effects by working with other companies and key stakeholders, such as non-governmental organizations, local governments and trade unions. Other memberships and working groups that this organization is a part of are The Business for Social Responsibility, American Apparel and Footwear Association, and The U. S. Council for International Business. Information technology assisted the organization by obtaining a sharper customer focus and helping management make better decisions. Levi Strauss was able to acquire detailed knowledge and understanding of their customer base, which in turn, provided products which brought back interest in the Levi’s brand. With the Information Technology revolution, Levi’s Jeans even designed a jean with a docking station in the pocket to place one’s IPOD. Last year, they a Levi Strauss produced a mobile phone with a range of denim cases to choose from. The ideas of merging fashion and technology came from customer feedback and satisfaction. The Levi Strauss and Company Technology Center has eighty employees and is responsible for the research and development, design, engineering and manufacture of specialized sewing equipment for Levi Strauss plants. In 1999, they purchased MK Manufacturing Software which managed centralized purchasing operations for the United States and Canada factories and to support the manufacturing and inventory of the machines used to make Levi Jeans. In the company’s ransformation and structural change, they have managed to modify the entire process of how they develop, deliver and market their products by making their products more innovative and appealing to customers. They expanded the licensing programs so they can offer more product ranges; and they a Levi Strauss improved the economics of brands for the customers. Lastly, they improved the operational efficiency by implementing new business planning and performance mode Levi Strauss that clarifies roles, responsibilities and accountabilities. The end result was steady sales and profitability for the company. The main focus of the company’s human resource management is conducting activities designed to fit cultural differences and career development of employees. The employees must attend classes that teach the company’s objectives, values and ethics, and a Levi Strauss how to understand the lifestyle and background of people. The company a Levi Strauss expresses concern for the employee’s work and family life by helping them balance their responsibilities. The company’s corporate culture purpose is ethical conduct and a strong commitment to social responsibility. The company developed an Aspiration Statement which specified their commitment to communication and ethical management practices. Those that followed and abided by it received recognition and empowerment. They value the diversity of employee’s backgrounds, experience and knowledge, and welcome the ethnic, cultural, and lifestyles of the communities where the employees live and work. Levi Strauss installed self managed teams which increase performance, improve the quality of the products, and promote originality level Levi Strauss. The organizational system refers to the members in making team decisions, which in turn, increase effectiveness, sense of responsibility and ownership of the work. T. Gary Roger is the Chairman of the Board. John Anderson is the President and CEO. And Hans Ploos van Amstel is the Chief Financial Officer. The organization knows they still have work to be done in order to stay on top and continue to be the most worn line of clothing in the world. Their value-driven competitiveness and major transformations has definitely set the standard in becoming a successful company. The biggest challenge and uncertainty is the massive change in the world, and what customers want. Customers are becoming more demanding and suppliers are abundant. The company is in the process of remaking Levi’s for the 21st century. They set targets for the new design and implementation. They are researching what the organization should look like and what the customers expect. By listening carefully to not only the consumers, by the employees themselves, the work and concepts will be built to everyone’s satisfaction. Levi Strauss: Product Life Cycle Levi Strauss has gone discount. We see this change in distributors such as Wal-mart, Kmart and JCPenny. This is indication that Levi is in the decline stage of the product life cycle. At this point there is a downturn in the market. For example more innovative products are introduced or consumer tastes have changed. There is intense price-cutting and many more products are withdrawn from the market. Profits can be improved by reducing marketing spend and cost cutting. Efficient Vs. Learning Levi Strauss has a Horizontal structure. This dominant structure consists of the following: ? Shared tasks, empowerment ? Relaxed hierarchy, few rules Horizontal, face-to-face communication ? Many teams and task forces ? Decentralized decision making This type of structure as we will further discuss is functional with cross functional team integers is decentralized but lacks stability, efficiency, control and reliability. Intervention Strategy: Levi Strauss Company Change of an organization structure and ability to adapt occurs when three elements are in place simultaneously: (1) dissatisfaction with the present situation, (2) a compelling vision of how the change will create a better future; (3) first steps for reaching the vision. If any of these elements is missing or collectively they are less powerful than the resistance to the change, then change will not take place. Thus the first part of an intervention focuses on creating a common database and the foundation for the dissatisfaction. Following that, the intervention moves to creating a future that is far more desirable than that which caused the dissatisfaction. It ends with participants developing and implementing steps that are necessary for moving the organization and themselves forward. We chose to focus on a large group intervention process facilitated by outside consultant OD practitioners. Reason for this is to dismantle the group think and develop strategic ideas that would be innovative and effective. Desired Outcomes: ?Prepare, Practice and Participant in the change process ? Gain a better understanding of the business, customers, what we sell, and whose needs the products meets ? Levi Strauss vision are effectively communicated ?Renew individual Levi Strauss and organization spirit Begin thinking globally, internally and externally The goal of this intervention is to elicit feedback and input from all members of the organization, develop an effective annual plan based on the proposed long range plan. It should be designed to accommodate full and part-time members and administers to a one-day event which should include over 95 percent participation. This would allow all members to engage in whole system conversations since many employees come from different parts of the system. Implementation of change management activities Perhaps the primary means to directly implement change is for the leaders to forcefully create a sense of urgency. Many organization fail at change management because of lack of communication, failure to define objectives, project management problems, technical issue and inexperience in scope and complexity. Levi has emphasized quality, being socially responsible, and hiring the most talented people the firm can recruit. The value of each individual, the effective leadership of work groups and the success of enterprise has been the emphasis at Levi Strauss since founded. However like any other organizations, Levi has had its problems. Being slow to adopt to new fashion trends, Levi is struggling with generation gap problem. In 2003, Levi closed it last U. S plant and decided to focus on manufacturing outside because of the cheaper cost of labor (www. levistrauss. com). Levi has attempted to attract 14-17 year olds without turning off older people and as Levi plotted along fashion shifts occurred and passed Levi. As result many young people will not wear Levi and many hardly know about the brand at all. These are problems that create uncertainty in the organization leading management to rethinks it position and develop new strategy to remain competitive. We decided to have an effective change management strategy Levi could implement an Open Space intervention. Open space is a large-group process that helps participants focus energy on issues or opportunities of interest, and collectively design appropriate courses of action. Although it works with as few as 8 participants, Open Space is considered a large-group intervention because it works equally well with hundreds of participants. This simple, but very powerful framework creates the right conditions for Levi Strauss management team and provides a dynamic process of discussion and cooperation. Every single participant who contributes with his knowledge and experience influences the end result. Because participants in an Open Space Conference all participate actively, and talk to others regardless of function or background, creates a high level of employee involvement, commitment among participants and much networking across boundaries, usually resulting in a much deeper understanding of the issues as stake well as new ideas about the way forward. Levi Strauss Competitive Strategy-Using Michael Porter’s Five Forces A competitive assessment consists of an analysis using Porter’s Five Forces of Competition. The Five Forces of competition shape every industry and every market. The Five Forces Model is based on microeconomics, and is an extension of the SWOT analysis. This model is an important tool for analyzing organizations’ industry structure and strategy. Michael E. Porter identified five competitive forces that determine the intensity of competition and the attractiveness of any industry. Porter’s model is based on the insight that a corporate strategy should meet the opportunities and threats in an organizations external environment. The model accounts for supply and demand, complementary products and substitutes, volume and cost production, and market structure. We will analyze the industry using Porter’s model. The five forces of competition are illustrated below: Threat of New Entrants Competitive Rivalry Between Existing Players Bargaining Power of Customers Threat of Substitutes Bargaining Power of Suppliers The collective strength of these five forces determines the ability of a firm to gain market share in the apparel industry. Once an analysis has been conducted, managers can search for options to influence these forces in the interest of the organization. In the apparel industry, an organizations’ main objective is to reduce competitive forces. In detail, the five forces are illustrated in the following paragraphs (www. valuebasedmanagement. net). New Entrants Porters indicates new entrants pose a threat due to increases level capacity afforded. For example, suppliers could drive prices down and cut into profits. We have noticed this with Levi’s joint ventures with Wal-mart and JcPenny. More importantly the chance of new comers entering to market depends upon two variables, the barriers to entry and probability. The barriers for apparel industry includes economies of scale, product differentiation, capital requirements, switching costs, accessibility of distribution channels and competing firms which includes learning curves and location. Rivalry The intensity of rivalry among existing competitors depends upon the level of saturation within the industry. For example, for one organization to gain market share they must take it from a competitors, the level of rivalry that exist is high, often resulting in retaliation and price wars. Rivalry may stem from a variety of source which has numerous and equally balanced competitors, slow industry growth, high fixed or storage costs and overproduction and high exit barriers. Bargaining Power of the Customer Historically, the bargaining power of apparel retailers went unchallenged. Fortunately, globalization of the free world and the increased availability of foreign products have increased the bargaining power of the customer. In the appeal industry, consumer markets and foreign competition forces prices down. Thus, the bargaining power of consumer market determines how much pressure it can impose on margins and volumes. Customers a Levi Strauss possess a credible backward integration threat resulting in the purchase from a rival/foreign company. However, due to worldwide economic strain it’s becoming more difficult for Levi to maintain its selling power and to remain economically diverse overall, customers do not have much buying power, as they never purchase in large volume. Here are some ways Levi Strauss can reduce the bargaining power of customers: ? Partnering ?Supply chain management ?Increase loyalty ?Increase incentives and value ?Move purchase decision away from price Threat of Substitutes The treat substitute of competition occurs if multiple products are found to perform the same function. Levi must recognize the customer is no longer bound to one product or rely of customer loyalty. They must consider price, availability and quality to avoid loss of market share. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Materials, production, operation cost and capital are necessary for any production process. For example, suppliers comprise all sources for inputs that are needed in order to provide goods or services. Levi Strauss buyer/supplier relationship is crucial to attain growth in the apparel/retail market. Normally, the strength of a supplier affects an industry’s profitability, and they can exert a major influence on a firm’s goods and services. However, the suppliers bargaining power in the apparel industry is very low. The apparel retail supply business is quite fragmented. Many suppliers relies one or two distributors to buy a majority of their products. If decided to switch suppliers, it would be devastating to the previous supplier’s business. As a result, suppliers are extremely susceptible to the demands and requirements of the apparel manufacture. SWOT Analysis This was a SWOT provided for Levis Strauss acquired off the web and was most useful. Levi Strauss as the conclusion we thought SWOT was the best way to conclude with the Competitive assessment of Levi Strauss Company. The analysis will present Levi Strauss’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strength Strong Brand Image Good Distribution Market Leader in Western Europe Good market position and partnership Efficient human resource management Weaknesses Quality Retail sales network is too big and inefficient Niche demand Multi-brand strategy and full range market presence is cost-intensive Opportunities Better acceptance of Levi Strauss Brand The strong market position in China is a guarantee for prosperous future Partnership with Mal-mart Threats Lower Priced Asian apparel The stock price evaluations, unattractiveness of the old economy Decline Stage of life cycle Competitive Strategy Critique First, environmental uncertainty means that managers do not have sufficient information about environmental factors to understand and predict environmental needs and changes. (Environment here refers to more than the physical environment, such as pollution or hurricanes. It a Levi Strauss involves the economic, sociocultural, technological, legal phenomenon that affects the operation of the business (www. soi. org). Companies have to make an effort to adapt to the rapid changes in the environment. The environment creates uncertainty for managers, who must respond by designing the organization to respond to adapt to the environment. Managers use several strategies to counter environmental uncertainty. They may use boundary spanners to link and coordinate the organization with key elements in the environment. Boundary spanners detect and process information about changes in the environment, and then they represent the organizations interest to the environment. They help to synchronize the activities of the organization to therapid changes in the environment. Some of their roles include scanning the technological horizon to detect any changes, sourcing information on competitors and getting feedback from suppliers and customers. Another strategy is the use of interorganizational partnerships where separate businesses make a collaborative approach to riding the wave of changes that stem from environmental uncertainty. Instead of going in all out competition, businesses now form alliances, sharing information through networks to ensure that they all have more information about the environment than if they had collected info on their own we see this with Levi’s positioning in Wal-Mart stores. Structural Form of Levi Strauss Company Levis Strauss led the way of flatter hierarchies, cultural diversity, empowerment, quality and globalization. Levis chosen structural form of nonhierarchical organizations have many advantages over their competitives that use conventional methods. For example, experience and expertise are often shared; creativity and new ideas are fostered, tested and discussed. These organizations are more cohesive and collaborate; empowerment is a key feature; and it can be highly supportive of multiple stakeholders in global environments. However, the chosen structure is more likely to have higher Group think’. Groupthink is a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. During groupthink, members of the group avoid promoting viewpoints outside the comfort zone of consensus thinking or the herd mentality can prevail; implementing decisions can be difficult since flatter organizations serve multiple constituencies and stakeholders; and many flatter organizations are team-based organizations, often geographically dispersed and electronically networked. Levi Strauss: Diagnosing the organization’s culture Culture is perhaps the most important characteristics in an organization. The first step in cultural analysis is describing the culture of the organization. Levi Strauss Company is often describing as being parentalistics. The framework is considered Clan culture, for example the figure below provides the framework matrix of four type’s cultures of which we based our analogy. Flexibility and Discretion ClanAdhocrachy Internal Focus and IntegrationExternal Focus and Differentiation HierarchyMarket Stability and Control The Hierarchy Culture key values center on maintaining efficient, reliable, fast, smooth-flowing production, for example many fast food organization fall within the section. The Market Culture core values are competitiveness and productivity. We see Market Cultures generally in manufacturing companies such as general electric. The Adhocracy Culture is temporary characterized by a dynamic, entrepreneurial and creative workplace. For example military, NASA would be considered part of this section. Levi Strauss currently has a Clan Culture. The Clan Culture is like an extended family where shared values and goals, cohesion, participation, individuality, and a sense of togetherness exist within the Levi Strauss organization. The primary strategic implication of a culture should be a source of competitive advantage to the organization (www. coachingandmentoring. com). Critique: Levi Strauss Organization Environment Adaption The rapidity and volume of changes have resulted in less lead time for management to analyze changes in their organizations external environment and to formulate appropriate strategies. In addition, the risks and uncertainty involved in implementing a particular strategy or set of strategies have intensified. In summary, the turbulence in the apparel industry from the change in customers taste and the circumstances that lead to external environment challenges has an effect on the decision makers and how they effectively anticipate changing conditions. Recommendations It is recommended that employees be made aware of the competitive position of the industry in relation to its competitors; competitive related information must be fed to all staff regularly. Management and employees need to be sensitive to customer needs, trends and what the competition is doing. This should create a sense of discomfort within the organization and make members of the organization aware that things always change and that there is always rivalry in the apparel industry competing for customers. Senior management need to reduce the levels of complacency by continually speaking of changes in the industry and that the absence of a visible crisis should not create comfort in the minds of employees. The leadership of Levi Strauss needs to inspire employees, acting with honesty and integrity. It is recommended that a planned and coordinated change management intervention be developed to focus on strategic change. Middle management needs to also be involved in these initiatives with trust existing between all levels of management, which is visibly noticed by all employees. It is strongly recommended that the organization formulate a vision for the change process during the planning phase. Employees need to understand what the business look and feel like after the change process. It is recommended that management formulate and communicate the master plan for the business. A specific vision and mission needs to be created and communicated. The gap between the current state and future state needs to be highlighted. It is recommended that any future communications relating to the alignment project include the vision for the change and the strategic significance. Communications should enhance the driving forces for change and reduce all retraining forces. Senior management needs to review their communications plan and strategies and need to measure the effectiveness. The communications plan needs to include the context of the change taking place. Future change interventions need to be honest, open and take into account the audience by being simple and straightforward. Communications need to be frequent and need to motivate more employees to participate in the process by creating enthusiasm. Reference: Cameron, K (2007) Diagnosing and Changing Organization Culture, Retrieved June 5, 2008, www. coachingandmentoring. com Lima Tony, (2006), Five Forces Model Porter, Retrieved June 2008, www. valuebasedmanagement. net/methods_porter_five_forces. html N. A, Levi Strauss Company Fact Sheet, Retrieved June 2, 2008, www. valuebasedmanagement. net/Downloads/CompanyFactSheet. pdf

An Overview of Population Growth in Vietnam and New Zealand

In this essay, I would make some comparison and contrast of population growth rates between Vietnam and New Zealand since 2000s as well as give reasons for rise or decline in population. Besides that, population growth has effects on the economy and society of two countries will be discussed. There are differences in the population growth in Vietnam and New Zealand. Overall, the rates look dissimilar in two countries. It is evident from both graphs about the population growth rate in New Zealand and Vietnam of CIA World Factbook, New Zealand is the country with low population growth rate while Vietnam has high population growth rate. As can be seen from the graph of New Zealand (CIA World Factbook) , the rate fluctuated mildly. The highest rate in 2000 reached 1. 17% whereas the lowest one in 2011 accounted for 0. 88%. Between 2000 and 2007 the population growth rate dropped steadily from 1. 17% to 0. 95% then rose slightly to 0. 97% in 2008. From 2008 to 2011, it declined gradually to 0. 88%. It is noticeable from the graph of Vietnam (CIA World Factbook), the population growth rate fluctuated widely. The highest rate in 2000 made up 1. 49 but the lowest one stood at 0. 98% in 2009. From 2000 to 2003, the number of population growth has a sharp fall from 1. 49% to 1. 29% then increased slightly to 1. 3% in 2004. Between 2004 and 2009 the rate dropped dramatically to 0. 98% afterward had a minimal rise to 1. 1% in 2010. Then it went down gradually to 1. 08% by 2011. Similarly, both the population growth rates in Vietnam and New Zealand declined in some periods, 2000-2007, 2008-2009, 2010-2011. However, a comparison of population growth rates in two countries reveals several similarities but the great deal number of differences. In stages 2003-2004 and 2009-2010, while the number of population growth increased in Vietnam, it decreased in New Zealand. From 2007 to 2008, the population growth rate went up in New Zealand whereas went down in Vietnam. Second, the reason for the rise or the decline in population in New Zealand is completely different from that in Vietnam. While the main reasons in New Zealand are emigration and low birth rate, in Vietnam those are high population structure and low awareness of women living in rural areas. The main reason to explain the decrease in population in New Zealand is emigration. According to the ABS and Statistics New Zealand, it is estimated about 14% New Zealanders emigrate to other countries each year. Of these, over three-fourths emigrate to Australia. Other communities of New Zealanders abroad are concentrated in other English-speaking countries, specifically the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, with smaller numbers located elsewhere. The low birth rates also affect the decrease in population in New Zealand. As professor Natalie Jackson from Waikato University’s National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis mentioned New Zealanders’ birth rates have declined over the past several decades. People are living longer because of increased access to immunization, primary health care and disease eradication programs. Many parents are realizing that as health conditions improve, more of their children are likely to survive, so they are choosing to have fewer babies. In addition, with greater access to education and jobs, more women in New Zealand are starting their families later and are having fewer, healthier children (Study to find solutions to population decline, www. waikato. ac. nz). It is said that Vietnam is the third most densely populated country in Southeast Asia behind Singapore and Philippines. The main argument to explain the rise in population in Vietnam is high population structure. According to UN’s article in Vietnam, the population growth rate in Vietnam went down recently because the country has experienced a decrease in the total fertility rate. Even when the total fertility drops below replacement level, the absolute number of people will continue to increase due to population momentum . The continued population growth is the legacy of earlier years of high fertility rates and cannot be avoided. So each year population in Vietnam increased reaching an average of one million people (Vietnam’s population keeps growing despite decrease in total fertility rate, http://www. un. org. vn). Another convincing reason is low awareness of women living rural areas. There were 60,410,101 people (70. 4% total population of the country) living in rural areas. Of these, three-fourth women especially in high land central provinces married before the age of 20, with a woman on an average bearing four or more than four children. However, later the legal marriage age for women was set at 22 but this law met serious opposition in those areas. As the Vietnamese believed in â€Å"falling in love early and getting married early† (Vietnam Population, http://www. asiarooms. com). Changes in population have both positive and negative impacts on the society and economy. In Vietnam, increased population growth generally represents problems for country- it means increased need for food, infrastructure, services, jobs†¦ In addition, the population growth also provides a huge amount of labor force, the potential for rapid economic development is certainly there (Population Growth  Rates, www. geography. about. com). In contrast, New Zealand’s government is facing a considerable loss of gray matter because of emigration. Nearly one quarter of New Zealand’s highly-skilled workers live overseas, mostly in Australia and Britain, more than any other developed nation. That will cause a serious damage on its economy (Demographics of New Zealand, http://en. wikipedia. org). In conclusion, population growth rate varies from country to country. Even though Vietnam and New Zealand seem similar in many features of population growth rates since 2000s, the causes of declining or increasing population and the effects on economy and society of two countries are totally different. Besides that, Vietnam’s government should have strict population policies, education programs for women to control population growth and New Zealand’s is expected to have more investments to prevent skillful workers from emigrating as well as improve the birth rates. An Overview of Population Growth in Vietnam and New Zealand In this essay, I would make some comparison and contrast of population growth rates between Vietnam and New Zealand since 2000s as well as give reasons for rise or decline in population. Besides that, population growth has effects on the economy and society of two countries will be discussed. There are differences in the population growth in Vietnam and New Zealand. Overall, the rates look dissimilar in two countries. It is evident from both graphs about the population growth rate in New Zealand and Vietnam of CIA World Factbook, New Zealand is the country with low population growth rate while Vietnam has high population growth rate. As can be seen from the graph of New Zealand (CIA World Factbook) , the rate fluctuated mildly. The highest rate in 2000 reached 1. 17% whereas the lowest one in 2011 accounted for 0. 88%. Between 2000 and 2007 the population growth rate dropped steadily from 1. 17% to 0. 95% then rose slightly to 0. 97% in 2008. From 2008 to 2011, it declined gradually to 0. 88%. It is noticeable from the graph of Vietnam (CIA World Factbook), the population growth rate fluctuated widely. The highest rate in 2000 made up 1. 49 but the lowest one stood at 0. 98% in 2009. From 2000 to 2003, the number of population growth has a sharp fall from 1. 49% to 1. 29% then increased slightly to 1. 3% in 2004. Between 2004 and 2009 the rate dropped dramatically to 0. 98% afterward had a minimal rise to 1. 1% in 2010. Then it went down gradually to 1. 08% by 2011. Similarly, both the population growth rates in Vietnam and New Zealand declined in some periods, 2000-2007, 2008-2009, 2010-2011. However, a comparison of population growth rates in two countries reveals several similarities but the great deal number of differences. In stages 2003-2004 and 2009-2010, while the number of population growth increased in Vietnam, it decreased in New Zealand. From 2007 to 2008, the population growth rate went up in New Zealand whereas went down in Vietnam. Second, the reason for the rise or the decline in population in New Zealand is completely different from that in Vietnam. While the main reasons in New Zealand are emigration and low birth rate, in Vietnam those are high population structure and low awareness of women living in rural areas. The main reason to explain the decrease in population in New Zealand is emigration. According to the ABS and Statistics New Zealand, it is estimated about 14% New Zealanders emigrate to other countries each year. Of these, over three-fourths emigrate to Australia. Other communities of New Zealanders abroad are concentrated in other English-speaking countries, specifically the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, with smaller numbers located elsewhere. The low birth rates also affect the decrease in population in New Zealand. As professor Natalie Jackson from Waikato University’s National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis mentioned New Zealanders’ birth rates have declined over the past several decades. People are living longer because of increased access to immunization, primary health care and disease eradication programs. Many parents are realizing that as health conditions improve, more of their children are likely to survive, so they are choosing to have fewer babies. In addition, with greater access to education and jobs, more women in New Zealand are starting their families later and are having fewer, healthier children (Study to find solutions to population decline, www. waikato. ac. nz). It is said that Vietnam is the third most densely populated country in Southeast Asia behind Singapore and Philippines. The main argument to explain the rise in population in Vietnam is high population structure. According to UN’s article in Vietnam, the population growth rate in Vietnam went down recently because the country has experienced a decrease in the total fertility rate. Even when the total fertility drops below replacement level, the absolute number of people will continue to increase due to population momentum . The continued population growth is the legacy of earlier years of high fertility rates and cannot be avoided. So each year population in Vietnam increased reaching an average of one million people (Vietnam’s population keeps growing despite decrease in total fertility rate, http://www. un. org. vn). Another convincing reason is low awareness of women living rural areas. There were 60,410,101 people (70. 4% total population of the country) living in rural areas. Of these, three-fourth women especially in high land central provinces married before the age of 20, with a woman on an average bearing four or more than four children. However, later the legal marriage age for women was set at 22 but this law met serious opposition in those areas. As the Vietnamese believed in â€Å"falling in love early and getting married early† (Vietnam Population, http://www. asiarooms. com). Changes in population have both positive and negative impacts on the society and economy. In Vietnam, increased population growth generally represents problems for country- it means increased need for food, infrastructure, services, jobs†¦ In addition, the population growth also provides a huge amount of labor force, the potential for rapid economic development is certainly there (Population Growth  Rates, www. geography. about. com). In contrast, New Zealand’s government is facing a considerable loss of gray matter because of emigration. Nearly one quarter of New Zealand’s highly-skilled workers live overseas, mostly in Australia and Britain, more than any other developed nation. That will cause a serious damage on its economy (Demographics of New Zealand, http://en. wikipedia. org). In conclusion, population growth rate varies from country to country. Even though Vietnam and New Zealand seem similar in many features of population growth rates since 2000s, the causes of declining or increasing population and the effects on economy and society of two countries are totally different. Besides that, Vietnam’s government should have strict population policies, education programs for women to control population growth and New Zealand’s is expected to have more investments to prevent skillful workers from emigrating as well as improve the birth rates.

Marketing - Saturn Corporation in 1998 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing - Saturn Corporation in 1998 - Essay Example When Saturn looks for parts suppliers for future vehicles, the Marketing and Product Planning team looks for companies that have not only the technology for today, but also have the depth in resources that will enable them to grow in technology and support. Saturn needs these suppliers to be a contributing part of the project development team. To help ensure effective involvement, Saturn enters into long-term, sometimes even lifetime contracts with selected suppliers. (Lenz, 1999, p. 53) The Saturn Corporation had to be in complete contact with the GM, since the GM planned to launch the big cars and decided to have a shift from small to mid size cars, Saturn Corporation should have planned the similar and should have quit the idea of manufacturing the same old small cars. The reason that the strategy was not hard to implement is that the Saturn Corporation had previously been spotted number one in manufacturing small cars and because of that it had made some reputation and capital to cope well with the GM and this is exactly what GM had thought about the company. But it was not the part of the company’s mission statement and therefore the immediate job of the Saturn Corporation was to convince the GM that further launching of any such cars can make the market more competitive and already there are big leaders like Toyota and Honda performing well in the market, the scheme can be a flop. Whereas if the GM keeps on manufacturing such small sized cars which are having lesser costs and are already competing Toyota and Honda, the GM and Saturn could both be in greater profitability. Further, the Saturn Corporation could have stated to GM that the target audience should be the younger generation who is not capable of buying expensive cars and therefore would buy smaller cars already being manufactured, further more the traffic is increasing day by day and therefore the demand of small cars would be even higher in the future and thus the company should keep