Le Coq Sportif

Governance of le coq In 2005, a Swiss Holding buys the brand Le Coq Sportif. Indeed the results of the brands were well below the desired expectations. With the partnership of Sir Robert Louis Dreyfus, a great Swiss businessman who was leader of the group including Adidas, Le Coq sportif sees the opportunity for a fresh start with this strategic alliance for the future. Airesis immediately set up a plan to revive the brand that demonstrates the strong interest of the group to give new life to this legendary French brand.Here is a chart explaining the governance of the brand Le Coq Sportif since it creation (1882) until the takeover by the Swiss holding Airesis. Few words about Airesis: Historic part: HPI Holding AG is a name that marked the industrial history of western Switzerland since 1920, date of creation of the company. Hermes Precisa International (formerly Plants Paillard) has built its success on the production of typewriters Hermes known internationally. Since 1981, the hol ding company HPI has been used as an investment vehicle for investments in new technologies that have suffered damage in the industry with full force in early 2000.Currently, there are eight entries all together in the sub-holding A2I SA. In 2004, reducing the part value of its shares cleaned up the company. A capital increase of the arrival of four participants (the Boards & More group, the group Fidexpert, group and society Ouat Hazard Properties SA). These arrivals have been extraordinary for the group which has restored and a new life HPI Holding AG, which has since become Airesis. The majority shareholders (Sirs: Robert Louis-Dreyfus, Yves Marchand and Marc-Henri Beausire) then set up the new company strategy: active management of its investments in private equity and residential property.Today the group owns brands such as: * Le Coq Sportif * Fanatic * Ion * North Kite boarding * North Sails Windsurf Here we are going to explain few words about each brand, because most of them are unknown. Fanatic: In 1999, leaving his first kite a board, Fanatic has to believe in this new trend. With its history in windsurfing, the company was able Fanatic showcase its expertise to make its entry into the sport in the making. Ion: In spring 2005, Boards & More brand launches Ion.The technical skills of the mark are highlighted in the wet suits, neoprene accessories, harnesses, a range of clothes and carrying bags, all items used in sports on the water. North Kite boarding: Kite boarding world leader. North Kite boarding has entered the market in 2001 and became leader. This brand has a very good technical level recognized. North Sails Windsurf: The company specializes North Sails sailboat U. S. and world number 1 in this sector. Boards & More has acquired the exclusive license for the sail of surfboards since 1981.Its strategic axis is oriented technique and style. Since late 2005, Robert Louis-Dreyfus, former owner of Addidas and Yves Marchand, who was the boss of the three stripes for France, have gained a foothold in the business and have made some good seeds to make: 10 million euros through the Swiss investment fund Airesis. And some big marketers have been poached in market heavyweights such as Reebok, Nike, Puma and Quicksilver†¦ For example, the arrival of Antoine Sathicq, former CEO of Adidas, which was transferred to the head as general manager of Le Coq Sportif.After joining Adidas in 1997 as director of sales, this former Procter & Gamble, aged 44, joined a new team of Le Coq Sportif establishment since its acquisition by Airesis. A team already marked by the culture of this Adidas Swiss investment funds: Airesis is held by Robert Louis-Dreyfus, former CEO of Adidas France, Marc-Henri Beausire and Yves Marchand, former CEO of three stripes. The latter assumed the presidency of Le Coq Sportif, replacing Olivier Jacques, former majority shareholder. Antoine Sathicq therefore had the task of launching again the Coq Sportif.Porterâ⠂¬â„¢s Five Forces: Sportswear Industry Internal Rivalry – Fierce Competition Adidas,Reebok, Nike – Mature Industry – Mostly Non-Price competition – Differentiation strategy Threat of New entrants – Capital Intensive – Strong Brand Following Economies of scale – High R & D Costs – Industry in consolidation phase Supplier Power – Raw Materials are abundantly available – Cheap resources commodity items – Cheap labor on the East World. Buyer Power – Everything depends on Customer Preferences – Price sensitivity issues – Growing power of retail chainsSubstitutes * Other types of products from other brands * New brands that make the sport more ready to wear high-end (15 Serge Blanco, Eden Park †¦ ) * Entertainment brand to substitute to sport activities (Reading, video games†¦) Internal Rivalry – Fierce Competition Adidas,Reebok, Nike – Mature Industry – Mostly Non-Price competition – Differentiation strategy Threat of New entrants – Capital Intensive – Strong Brand Following Economies of scale – High R & D Costs – Industry in consolidation phase Supplier Power – Raw Materials are abundantly available Cheap resources commodity items – Cheap labor on the East World. Buyer Power – Everything depends on Customer Preferences – Price sensitivity issues – Growing power of retail chains Substitutes * Other types of products from other brands * New brands that make the sport more ready to wear high-end (15 Serge Blanco, Eden Park †¦ ) * Entertainment brand to substitute to sport activities (Reading, video games†¦) Explanation: 1. Internal Rivalry * Fierce competition: In effect in the sportswear industry, there are many competitors.Two leaders have the most important share value on the market (Nike and Adidas). The competitors are smaller than the two big groups, whic h have much money to invest in marketing investment, and can develop easily than the smaller. * Mature industry: In this market, it’s difficult to innovate much more than today. The innovation exists for sure but it comes from details. It’s really hard to find for the company the perfect innovation. However companies works hard and try to find the best innovation possible to increase their share value. Mostly non-price competition: In this market, the price war doesn’t exist. In effect the competition between companies comes from the marketing, brand image and innovation (sometimes) but not on the price. All the brand are close and cannot compete on the price. * Differentiation strategy: A differentiation strategy will pursue a unique position among your competitors. The aim of the strategy is for the business to become unique in the minds of its customers. For this reason, a small business needs to create a product offering that is somehow unique.Uniqueness can be achieved through different factors like design or brand image, technology, customer service or other attractive features. 2. Threat of new entrants * Capital intensive and strong brand: It is as very capital-intensive industry. Even though it would not be difficult for a new company to obtain the raw materials and the labor needed to produce shoes, there is almost no chance for them to gain popularity in such a mature industry with some of the strongest brand names in the world. Brand loyalty is extremely strong and it would be very hard for a new entrant to â€Å"steal† loyal customers from the already existent players. Economies of scales: Economies of scale play a huge role as well and the bigger players have an advantage of producing the products at a lower price than compared with newer entrants. As the output is bigger and the fixed costs of factories, machinery, marketing and R&D will be decreased per unit. Both marketing and R&D constitute high costs and since new entrants will not be able to take advantage of the economies of scale they will be less competitive. * High R&D costs: It means that it’s necessary to invest in R&D if they want to compete against others brands.It’s a survival question in this market. * Industry in consolidation phase: The industry itself is in a consolidation phase and only the big ones will survive. The large companies are strategically and constantly acquiring smaller companies. Some of the most popular acquisitions include Reebok by Adidas, Converse by Nike. Small companies are bought before they become a threat to the bigger ones and before they have a chance to gain market share. In other words, it is impossible to grow in this industry because someone will take over your company. . Substitutes * Other types of product from other brands: Each company has the same product (shoes, tee-shirts, socks†¦). If the customer is not satisfied with one product, it’s easy for him to go in anothe r brand and acquire something close to the first purchase. That’s why each company has to be aware of what it sells and what is the customer’s reaction. * New brand with different strategies: As said in the PORTER’s analysis, today there is some sport brand which are producing apparels but higher than the best known.For example the brand Quinze of Serge Blanco, famous in the rugby world is producing clothes which are expensive than Nike for example but not with the same quality. This kind of brand products with another savoir-faire and the price are not the same but the customer can be attracting to try it. * Entertainment brand: To have fun today and doing something else than working, the customer has plenty of substitution products. The customer can read and there are many brands, which allow reading. Video games are product to entertain people (Sony, Nintendo†¦) . Supplier power * Raw materials and cheap resources: Typically apparels and shoes are manufa ctured using major raw materials cotton, rubber, and foam. All of these materials are commodity goods. In other words, the suppliers do not have the power to bargain the price of their product, since there are numerous suppliers. Hence the supplier power is low. However, there has been some standardization of production in the industry due to growing concerns of labor practices of the suppliers and manufacturers.These practices have been damaging the image of some companies including Nike. Therefore, the big companies prefer to work only with approved manufacturers and suppliers that are known to follow these labor standards. Both Adidas and Nike have created a system to ensure that all the high quality of the product, the working conditions, and the distribution are at high standards. Therefore, suppliers are trying to establish themselves as reliable because once they gain Nike as a customer they know that they will request enormous volumes. However, to reach this level, the suppl ier needs to make investments in their facilities to improve working conditions and many suppliers cannot afford to do so. * Cheap labor: Many people works for â€Å"nothing† in the eastern countries, in Asia to be precise. Competition against the labor cost is impossible and many company delocalize the production abroad to reduce costs. 5. Buyer power: * Everything depends on customer’s preferences: The customer has the choice to buy product in retailing store with general brand or he could go to the special store, branding store as Nike store or Adidas store to get a product.It’s a question of desire and where the customer lives too. * Price sensitivity issue: In the general retailer store, prices are lower than official store. That’s why some customer prefers to go in retailer store and purchase product for lower price and maybe get more compare to the official store. * Growing retailer store: More and more retailer store open and sell apparels and sho es from all sportswear brand. The customer has a lot of choice today and can choose whatever he wants and with his own criteria.

John Steinbeck Essay

Introduction The American dream was created by James Truslow Adams in 1931, James Truslow Adams believed that the American dream was of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunities for each according to ability or achievement, the American dream was targeted at poor people who wanted to have a better future, some of the things that might be in the American dream is to have a house with a nice family. In the book’ Of Mice and Men’. The American Dream is everyone has a dream to strive for the better things in life. The poor men and women wish to be their own bosses, and actually have stability in their lives, the poor wanted to have there own homes and have a nice family. But in the 1930’s there weren’t many or even any jobs available for the average everyday people of America. The American dream was for everyone to have a dream, the dream was created in the 1930’s America, and the great depression was caused by the Wall Street crash, because of the crash many people had lost there jobs and were unemployed, any money that would have been saved in there banks, it wasn’t possible for them to take it out because of the wall street crash, the entire banking system had collapsed and a huge number of banks went bust. There where many people staving and illnesses started to flood through out America. The only jobs that people could get where at ranches so there where many migrant farmers going to farm to farm trying to find a job, it was very competitive for them to get a job because every one wanted to make money so the could fill them self’s in the time of the great depression there was a big drought which caused a lot of farms to dry up. All the useable ranches where you could actually get some crops out of where in California. Many rich people had ranches in California so every one who’s ranches where dried out and couldn’t be used they would go to California, but not every one would have got a place because of the overcrowdings. In the story ‘of mice and men’ the two men are also migrant farmers and are in need of a job at a ranch, this is how the ‘of mice and men’ is linked to the great depression. George and Lennie. The relationship between George and Lennie is like a father and son relation ship, in the story lennie is represented like a child because of his disabilities and how he acts. In the story George is always telling off lennie for any thing bad which he does, a quote to represent George telling off lennie is,’ Aw, lennie George put his hand on Lennie’s shoulder â€Å", I aint taking it for meanness. ‘ This is showing two things one which is that he’s telling off lennie for something bad what he has done and that at the time of telling him off he’s actually being nice and saying he doesn’t do it for meanness, just like a father would do. Lennie treats George like a father by always listening to him, in the story lennie mimics George’s moves, a quote showing this is, ‘Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees, embraced them, and looked over to George to see whether he had it just right’. This shows that George treats Lennie in a father perspective and thinks of him as a role model. George also gets Frustrated over Lennie when he doesn’t listen and does bad stuff a quote showing this is,† But not us! An’ why? Because†¦ because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you. † This is showing that if he didn’t have to look after Lennie he would have a better life and George could go to a cat house when ever he wanted to and spend all his money unlike now when he has to save it up for the both of them and try and fulfil there dream as best as possible. Why George keeps Lennie around is because he doesn’t want to be lonely and live his life like all the other migrant farmers which go to cat houses and spend there earned money on useless money, a quote showing this is,† they come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then go into town and blow their stake, and the next thing you know they’re pounding’ their tail on some other ranch. † The quote is showing that other migrant farmers spend all there earning but George has a reason to earn money, the reason being lennie. George likes to have lennie around a quote showing this is. ‘ it’s a lot nicer to go around with a guy you know. † The quote was when George was talking to slim and took out his feelings. George and Lennies dream is to have a house and land and to have many farm animals especially lennie he is really interested in having lots of rabbits to tend and chickens, a quote to show this dream is† All kin’s a vegetables in the garden, and if we want a little whisky we can sell a few eggs or something, or some milk. We’d jus’ live there. We’d belong there. There wouldn’t be no more runnin’ round the country and gettin’ fed by a Jap cook. This quote shows that George and lennie want to be free to have what they want when they want, there is no hustle of doing anything they can grow fresh vegetables on the land run around on the fields enjoying themselves and lennie can tend the rabbits which he would be pleased about. As this would be relevant to the 1930s migrant farmers, George and lennie were alone and didn’t have any one to talk to and were quite lonely, a quote to show this is â€Å"but not us! Because†¦.. because I got you to look after me , and you got me to look after you and that’s why† this quote shows that George and lennie were together to look after each other referring to the 1930s many people didn’t travel together and didn’t have the right people to go to if something happened in their lives, referring to the book of mice and men George is always looking after lennie and having to care and see what he is doing where ever he goes, George is a good parent to a lennie he sometimes can get frustrated with lennie but at the same time he doest want to be lonely as he keeps him company. And the interactions he makes towards lennie to make him understand what he is doing. George and Lennies dream didn’t succeed because Lennie was getting into to much trouble, like the time in weed when he started to feel that girls dress, a quote showing the time when Lennie got in trouble was,† well, he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch ever’ thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. † This quote shows George getting into trouble because he of his child like behaviour.

Psychology Questions

————————————————- Outline and evaluate the multi-store model? The multi-store model is a model of memory that has the advantage of being able to be broken down into sub-models of memory. According to the multi-store model of memory (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968) memory can be explained in terms of 3 stores (sensory store, short term store and long term store) and 2 processes (attention and rehearsal). Sensory Memory stores the incoming information from the senses.The model assumes that these are modality specific that is there is a separate store for each of the five senses. The store is very brief and the vast majority of information is lost here. Only information that is relevant or important is attended to and passed on to STM. STM Atkinson & Shiffrin believed the store to be fragile and retains information for about 30 seconds. Compare this to the 18 seconds of the Brownâ €“Peterson technique. Material that is rehearsed is passed on to LTM. LTM can store this information for a lifetime. Forgetting from LTM is by decay or interference.Attention: needed to transfer information from the senses to STM. Most stimuli that reach the senses are ignored because they aren’t seen as important. Only relevant or interesting information or material that we choose to concentrate on is passed to the STM. 99% is lost at this stage. Rehearsal: needed to transfer information from STM to LTM. We can rehearse information out loud as a child would do or we can rehearse sub-vocally, in our heads. Either way it is seen as crucial and is one of the main criticisms of the theory, as we shall see.Later models distinguished between maintenance rehearsal in which material is repeated in ‘rote’ fashion to maintain it in STM and help with transfer to LTM. Elaborative rehearsal links the information with existing material or elaborates it in some other way, again as an aid to longer term storage. To evaluate, the model has simplistic appeal and has been influential in stimulating research. Other models such as the ‘working memory model’ take the multi-store model as starting point and then add to it.Much of the supporting evidence for the multi-store model comes from artificial, laboratory studies which might not reflect how memory works in real life. Therefore memory research data have accumulated that traditional multi store models simply cannot explain. Researchers have, therefore looked to new models in order to explain memory more fully. ————————————————- Outline and evaluate the effects working memory model? Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch proposed a model of working memory in 1974, in an attempt to describe a more accurate model of short-term memory.Baddeley & Hitch proposed their tripartite working memory model as an alternative to the short-term store in Atkinson & Shiffrin's ‘multi-store' memory model. The model consist of three main components; the central executive, the phonological loop and the visuo-spatial sketchpad. The central executive has limited capacity but can process information from any sensory system. It has responsibility and controls for a range of important control processes, which include setting task goals, monitoring and correcting errors etc†¦ Moreover this core component is supported by two slave systems, which can be used as storage systems.Therefore the slave systems have separate responsibilities and work independently of one another. The phonological loop, is a limited capacity, temporary storage systems for holding verbal information in a speech based form. The visuo-spatial sketchpad is a limited capacity temporary memory system for holding visual and spatial information. To evaluate, although the working memory model has been applied to vari ous real life settings. However the working memory model does not offer a complete understanding of how memory works.For example the exact role for the central executive remains unclear and other researchers have also questioned whether there are separate verbal and spatial working memory models systems. Baddeley (2001) added the episodic buffer making the model more complex. This suggests again that the model is not complete and may need still further revision as more evidence is uncovered. Overall the model has proved to be influential and has stimulated lots of research. It is still being developed and expanded. ————————————————-Outline and evaluate the effects on day care on peer aggression? Day care is a form of temporary care not given by a family member or someone known to the child. It usually takes place outside of the family. There are many forms of day care but the most common ones are nursery and child-minders. Some research has shown that day care has negative effects on the social development of infants, however most importantly several factors have been identified as factors which will affect the effects day care has on an infant. These factors are the quality of care and the number of hours the child spends in day care.Vandell and Corasaniti (1990) found that eight year olds who had spent their early years in day care were rated as more ‘non-compliant’ by both their teachers and their parents. A number of studies e. g. Belsky (1999) have tended to support this finding that long periods of day care in the first five years can lead to raised levels of aggressive behaviour in later childhood. Haskins (1985) found that children kept in larger groups were more likely to be aggressive. Clarke-Stewart (again) argue that much of the research into aggression (e. g. Vandell and Corasaniti) fail to distinguish non-compliance from as sertiveness from aggression.What are being reported as more aggressive behaviour in the day care children could simply be children that have greater confidence and have learned to assert themselves better and to control their feelings and emotions. To evaluate, day care can be seen as a potentially stressful experience and poor quality care can be associated with less positive social outcomes such as increase aggression. Oreover it can be difficult to assess the effects o day care due to the variety of settings and individual differences in children’s attachments to their parents.

AtekPC Project Management Office Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

AtekPC Project Management Office - Case Study Example It was mandated with developing entrepreneurial improvements in the cost reduction and management benefits. AtekPC desired to create new products for the markets meeting creative, adaptive and agile standards through designing innovative systems manufacture processes. The office depended on coming up with duties involving a project focus strategy and enterprise-oriented strategy. Responsibly, they were to mentor other workers within the organization through consultation, mentorship, and offering training (Warren McFarlan, 2007). At the heart of any company’s operation are its customers. They are the individual consumers who and why the company exists. AtekPC had different personnel and organizations they sell them PCs. It was identified through customer character that they feared and clung to old technology and could not buy new products that came into the market. AtekPC needed a reliable and cheaper production process to achieve its goal. The production department head Mr. Steven consented that they had challenges with their current manufacture processes (Warren McFarlan, 2007). There are many options available for meeting the process and could be through plant installation or outsourcing of the manufacturing process to another company. To deliver on milestones, a company needs the right employee mix from various departments to achieve their goals. In the project endeavor, AtekPC employee was divided into two factions; those that were pro-PMO and those who resisted the change. The IT department now of the need to change was not quite experienced. The management had the right experience but needed other expatriates to implement the process. Owing to the development of a new PMO, they needed to hire fresh and experienced professionals to spearhead the new department (Warren McFarlan, 2007). Every business wants a positive limelight, which presented from the media. To maintain customers, get to them, and receive their

American Music History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

American Music History - Assignment Example Hence, Jazz music was established by African American slaves who were prohibited from maintaining their indigenous musical traditions, and this made them feel the need to substitute some home-made form of musical expression. In relation to that, we can depict that the white were not ready to be associated with jazz music since they perceive jazz music as an African American art and not of the white. However, some conservative white and black Americans did not approve of jazz music. For instances, some conservative white did not approve of jazz music since they perceive jazz as a black American music. Jazz music features the black American experience over conservative white insensibilities that made them exploit the black American. This made Lois to say that some conservative white like did not approve of jazz music since â€Å"Jazz music created a sense of identity, originality, and social cohesion among black musicians† (Lois L.pg .9). I prefer this quotation it has helped me to illustrate how the Whites failed to acknowledge black-Americans music since they repudiated to equate anything valuable with black Americans. Subsequently, some conservative black-Americans did not approve of jazz music due to the social stigma associated with the music. For instance, â€Å"Jazz Must Go,† was the heading of a critique published in 1921 by one journal in America (Scaruffi, P. pg. 103). I prefer this quotation as it has helped me portray how stigma formed an environment for black mistreatment since jazz was considered black folk music. The University of Chicago Library. "Chicago, Jazz, and the Great Migration." The University of Chicago Library. N.p.,  2012. Web. 27  May  2015. Retrieved from

ARTICLE REVIEW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ARTICLE REVIEW - Essay Example Something must be done. The scientists who have written this article explain their idea. What they think will be most successful at solving this problem is implementing catch share programs more widely. Catch share are transferable fishing quotas that can be used at various times, often prolonging fishing seasons. In essence, fishermen own a portion of the fish stocks in any given fishery. The main point that the authors make is that putting catch share programs into effect dramatically reduces the chances that a stock will collapse. Based on the evidence they have found, they suggest it would be a good idea for more fisheries to implement this policy. The argument made by these men seems sound. They are all credible writers and their interpretation of the data makes sense. There are a few points, however, which bear critique. To begin with, what the authors are suggesting would dramatically change the way certain fisheries have been operating. By giving fishermen a private property right in the fishery, fisheries may become exclusively owned by rich corporations. There may be no way for smaller fishermen to get involved in a fishery if all the stock is privately owned by companies. Another difficult question that their policy brings up is how these rights in stocks are to be distributed.

International Adoption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Adoption - Essay Example The adoption process brings an influx of emotions for anyone who is remotely involved within the process. This is true whether one is a child awaiting an adoptive family, a family who is desperate for a child or a social worker hoping to find a match between a waiting child and a waiting family. There are as many types of adoption as there are types of families who pursue adoption in order to complete their family. Domestic, international, familial, transracial, special needs and older adoption are just some of the adoption options available for individuals and families to pursue (Adoption.com, 2009). Whether a family is pursuing domestic (within the United States) or international adoption, many of the steps are similar, however international adoptions require an intensive paperwork collection, a knowledge of the sending country's culture and demanding financial costs. In order to understand the adoption process, an individual or family wishing to pursue adoption should conduct extensive research into the adoption process and choose an adoptive agency that is suited to their needs and beliefs. A quick perusal of the internet shows a multitude of agencies available both nationwide and worldwide, many with agency locations throughout the United States. One such agency, Bethany Christian Services, offers extensive services to both birth parents and adoptive parents and has a multitude of locations and support services. "Bethany Christian Services began in 1944 as the fulfillment of a dream shared by two women, Marguerite Bonnema and Mary DeBoer. The agency now employs nearly 900 individuals and is the largest national adoption agency" (Bethany Christian Services, Working at Bethany, 2009). Bethany Christian Services houses its corporate offices in Grand Rapids, Michigan and offers "70 locations nationwide and services in 15 countries" (Bethany Christian Services, Working at Bethany, 2009). One of the countries that Bethany Christian Services participates in international adoption with is China, which they began working with in 1992 and have two programs with. Per Bethany's website, "all adoptions in China are processed through The China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in Beijing, China (Bethany Christian Services, Working at Bethany, 2009). China is one of 77 countries who participate in the "Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention)" (Intercountry Adoption, 2009)). The agreement was "concluded on May 29th, 1993 in Hague, the Netherlands, and established international standards of practices for intercountry adoptions. The United States signed the convention in 1994, and the Convention entered into force for the United States in April 2008" (Intercountry Adoption, 2009). "Children of Promise is a program that Bethany Christian Services provides for chidlren with speical needs as man y of the children from orphanages may have developmental or oganizational delays" (Bethany Christian Services, Working at Bethany, 2009). In 2001, China reported having "25% of the children adopted by United States citizens" (International Adoption Facts, 2009) and continues to be the top country of choice for international adoptions. Of note, China's adoption to the United States increased three times from 1992 until 2001 while in 2003, there were 4,681 children placed in the United States (travel state Government, 2009). "In October, 2001 the China

Importance Of The Tea Party Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Importance Of The Tea Party Movement - Essay Example Tea Party disrupts the political process and it does not help America move forward. Instead of contributing to the national government, it thoroughly muddles policymaking to the point of paralysis. It’s the reason for existence is redundant, echoing that of the Republican, although in a noisier and more populist manner not unlike the voice of the rabble. A core component of the argument that the Tea Party is not a helpful addition to American politics is the fact that it does not have a single uniform agenda. The leaders and organizers try to rationalize this by saying that such fragmentation and decentralization prevents the party from being co-opted and corrupted from within (Rauch 2010). But, unfortunately, this is not the case. The lack of leadership and unifying principles paved the way for divergent goals and priorities among the various groups that constitute the party. The result is raucous agenda that even confounded the very Tea Party members or those affiliated with the group. Consider, for example, the rally that some of Tea Party members staged amidst the debt limit deadline while the Senate is deadlocked and nowhere near the resolution of the crisis. The group converged on the World War II memorial on the National Mall and did some damage to some facilities before proceeding to stage their antics near the White House. As speaker after speaker spoke in unorganized fashion either on a platform or before television cameras, the different messages were vying for the public’s attention. At one point, someone was talking about the government closing down the national park. Then, an attendee interviewed by the members of the media covering the event was calling for civil disobedience, demanding that Obama is removed from office (Cooper 2013).

Experience as an engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Experience as an engineering - Essay Example Honestly, I am still stunned by the achievements of the school, the University of California, Irvine as it displays excellence and advancement in many aspects most especially in Science and Technology. It is true that I have undergone tough trainings in terms of solving problems of different levels of difficulties but this has trained me to become more aware of the more important role of theories in the real world, that is to provide solutions to the challenges that face humanity and the environment as well. I have learned that highly mathematical equations are not to be hated nor to be intimidated, instead, they need to be embraced through understanding them and consequently, learning them for greater purpose. I used to wonder why people had stay in the laboratory for so many hours and I used to ask myself why the need for painstakingly, learning various equations and theories from Engineering books, journals, and researches; it is then that I realized the relevance of these mathematical formulas and concepts their importance in establishing a good research that will certainly provide long term solutions to the many problems in the environment as well as help alleviate the pains of those suffering from particular medical challenges such as breast cancers and other related health problems whose solutions have been made possible by application of engineering concepts. Just like any ordinary student, I was also able to meet different types of personalities in the department such as strict professors who would give piles of home works that sometime seemed impossible to get done within the specified time frame and I also had the chance to become a student of Faryar Jabbari, the person who I value most as an inspiration due to his passion for his work which makes the difficult concepts become easy to understand and therefore, generated more positive responses apparently in the marks that we would get from his class. He was to me the opposite of the meaning of strictness and he taught Linear System in class. Despite the fact that I have experienced a lot of positive things during my stay in the Engineering Department, I also felt that my intellectual capacity is continuously challenged which is consistent to what people say about learning, that it never ends most especially here in this University whereby research is given importance as this is the reason why people do not stop studying and keep on achieving excellence which is also apparent in teaching methods of educators and the standard of education. Transparently, the University of California, Irvine offers a wide range of academic courses from Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Moreover, the University ventures into furthering the education to the next level in terms of complexity and relevance of the studies in Graduate Programs. Also, the school provides avenues for researches that are relevant to the various demands of

Chinese civilization.World history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chinese civilization.World history - Essay Example Early Chinese civilization has a number of unique characteristics; to start with, the civilization process has been protected from external civilized invaders, who instead of having an effect on the civilization process get absorbed by adopting Chinese language and the culture. Secondly, its strategic geographical location boarder resourceful physical features such as the Pacific Ocean in the eastern part. Steppes, rivers, mountains and deserts are also found in it. Thirdly, Chinese culture advocates for a social welfare of the whole community other than an individual’s life style. In addition, Chinese civilization did not recognize any social class as superior than others and no single person had a valid political mandate to execute. Finally, thousands years ago before any other nation, the Chinese introduced a stabilizing institution that hired and recruited civil servants based on their academic qualification merits.The histories of the early Chinese civilization can be tra ditionally categorized into three main dynasties; the Shang, the Hsia and the Chou (Ian 229). The Shang Dynasty This dynasty is believed to have existed between ca 1766 and 1050. Historical records put it that Shang family fought and conquered the Hsia Dynasty. This was achieved under his ruler, King T’ang who was believed to have been called upon by the Heavens. It was an empire that was surrounded by a great perimeter wall situated in a rich agricultural land. This is how the Shang Civilization was structured; the King was the ruler who lived in the palace and had the social, political, economic and religious powers. In his office were the court officials, and the worriers .The armies defended the empire against internal and external enemies. They were armed with bronze swords and matches. Slaves and Agricultural workers lied at the bottom and they performed manual jobs (Ian 229). The Chou Dynasty (ca. 1050-256 BC) This is the third Chinese dynasty to originate and it was s ituated along Wei River. They conquered and captured the Shang dynasty. They borrowed the Shang Civilization system and their cultural practices such as the pictograph writing style. One of the most important contributions they made was the discovery of a ruling god. This is where the first feudalistic form of governance first originated. The King exchanged land for the loyalty he was paid to by trusted family and military members. The Ch’in Dynasty It existed between 221-202 BC. They replaced the Chou Dynasty and for the first time, its rulers united China. They brought the feudal system of governance into an end and introduced a centralized empire. They built Hsienyang and Xianyang along the Wei River that acted as their capital. Its rulers reigned over a larger empire than their former counterparts. This was the time when a centralized government and a bureaucratic form of government that acted as a basis upon which a political organization was built down to the present ce ntury (Ian 237). The Han Dynasty (202BC- AD 220) This was the regime that lasted up to AD 220. It also introduced a stabilized centralized government. Its success may be attributed to the brutal excessive force that they avoided unlike their former counterparts who applied excessive force on their subjects. Its first capital was Chang’an, Liu Bang being its first emperor who expanded the empire to the south. The new idea that they came up with in the Chinese civilization process, was the recruitment of civil servants based on merits. Confucius and Mencius According to Confucius ideas, in

The Economic Institutions of Capitalism Essay Example for Free

The Economic Institutions of Capitalism Essay Abstract: This study is based on the belief that economic organization is shaped by transaction cost economizing decisions. It sets out the basic principles of transaction cost economics, applies the basic arguments to economic institutions, and develops public policy implications. Any issue that arises, or can be recast as a matter of contracting, is usefully examined in terms of transaction costs. Transaction cost economics maintains that governance of contractual relations is mainly achieved through institutions of private ordering instead of legal centralism. This approach is based on behavioral assumptions of bounded rationalism and opportunism, which reflect actual human nature. These assumptions underlie the problem of economic organization: to create contract and governance structures that economize on bounded rationality while safeguarding transactions against the hazards of opportunism. The book first summarizes the transaction cost economics approach to the study of economic organization. It develops the underlying behavioral assumptions and the types of transactions; alternative approaches to the world of contracts are presented. Assuming that firms are best regarded as a governance structure, a comparative institutional approach to the governance of contractual relations is set out. The evidence, theory, and policy of vertical integration are discussed, on the basis that the decision to integrate is paradigmatic to transaction cost analysis. The incentives and bureaucratic limits of internal organization are presented, including the dilemma of why a large firm cant do everything a collection of small firms can do. The economics of organization in presented in terms of transaction costs, showing that hierarchy also serves efficiency and permits a variety of predictions about the organization of work. Efficient labor organization is explored; on the assumption that an authority relation prevails between workers and managers, what governance structure supports will be made in response to various types of job attributes are discussed, and implications for union organization are developed. Considering antitrust ramifications of transaction cost economics, the book summarizes transaction cost issues that arise in the context of contracting, merger, and strategic behavior, and challenges earlier antitrust preoccupation with monopoly. URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1496720 The Economic System of Socialism Socialism—defined as a centrally planned economy in which the government controls all means of production—was the tragic failure of the twentieth century. Born of a commitment to remedy the economic and moral defects of capitalism, it has far surpassed capitalism in both economic malfunction and moral cruelty. Yet the idea and the ideal of socialism linger on. Whether socialism in some form will eventually return as a major organizing force in human affairs is unknown, but no one can accurately appraise its prospects who has not taken into account the dramatic story of its rise and fall. The Birth of Socialist Planning It is often thought that the idea of socialism derives from the work of Karl Marx. In fact, Marx wrote only a few pages about socialism, as either a moral or a practical blueprint for society. The true architect of a socialist order was Lenin, who first faced the practical difficulties of organizing an economic system without the driving incentives of profit seeking or the self-generating constraints of competition. Lenin began from the long-standing delusion that economic organization would become less complex once the profit drive and the market mechanism had been dispensed with—â€Å"as self-evident,† he wrote, as â€Å"the extraordinarily simple operations of watching, recording, and issuing receipts, within the reach of anybody who can read and write and knows the first four rules of arithmetic.† In fact, economic life pursued under these first four rules rapidly became so disorganized that within four years of the 1917 revolution, Soviet production had fallen to 14 percent of its prerevolutionary level. By 1921 Lenin was forced to institute the New Economic Policy (NEP), a partial return to the market incentives of capitalism. This brief mixture of socialism and capitalism came to an end in 1927 after Stalin instituted the process of forced collectivization that was to mobilize Russian resources for its leap into industrial power. The system that evolved under Stalin and his successors took the form of a pyramid of command. At its apex was Gosplan, the highest state planning agency, which established such general directives for the economy as the target rate of growth and the allocation of effort between military and civilian outputs, between heavy and light industry, and among various regions. Gosplan transmitted the general directives to successive ministries of industrial and regional planning, whose technical advisers broke down the overall national plan into directives assigned to particular factories, industrial power centers, collective farms, and so on. These thousands of individual subplans were finally scrutinized by the factory managers and engineers who would eventually have to implement them. Thereafter, the blueprint for production reascended the pyramid, together with the suggestions, emendations, and pleas of those who had seen it. Ultimately, a completed plan would be reached by negotiation, voted on by the Supreme Soviet, and passed into law. Thus, the final plan resembled an immense order book, specifying the nuts and bolts, steel girders, grain outputs, tractors, cotton, cardboard, and coal that, in their entirety, constituted the national output. In theory such an order book should enable planners to reconstitute a working economy each year—provided, of course, that the nuts fitted the bolts; the girders were of the right dimensions; the grain output was properly stored; the tractors were operable; and the cotton, cardboard, and coal were of the kinds needed for their manifold uses. But there was a vast and widening gap between theory and practice. Problems Emerge The gap did not appear immediately. In retrospect, we can see that the task facing Lenin and Stalin in the early years was not so much economic as quasi military—mobilizing a peasantry into a workforce to build roads and rail lines, dams and electric grids, steel complexes and tractor factories. This was a formidable assignment, but far less formidable than what would confront socialism fifty years later, when the task was not so much to create enormous undertakings as to create relatively self-contained ones, and to fit all the outputs into a dovetailing whole. Through the 1960s the Soviet economy continued to report strong overall growth—roughly twice that of the United States—but observers began to spot signs of impending trouble. One was the difficulty of specifying outputs in terms that would maximize the well-being of everyone in the economy, not merely the bonuses earned by individual factory managers for â€Å"overfulfilling† their assigned objecti ves. The problem was that the plan specified outputs in physical terms. One consequence was that managers maximized yardages or tonnages of output, not its quality. A famous cartoon in the satirical magazine Krokodil showed a factory manager proudly displaying his record output, a single gigantic nail suspended from a crane. As the economic flow became increasingly clogged and clotted, production took the form of â€Å"stormings† at the end of each quarter or year, when every resource was pressed into use to meet preassigned targets. The same rigid system soon produced expediters, or tolkachi, to arrange shipments to harassed managers who needed unplanned—and therefore unobtainable—inputs to achieve their production goals. Worse, lacking the right to buy their own supplies or to hire or fire their own workers, factories set up fabricating shops, then commissaries, and finally their own worker housing to maintain control over their own small bailiwicks. It is not surprising that this increasingly Byzantine system began to create serious dysfunctions beneath the overall statistics of growth. During the 1960s the Soviet Union became the first industrial country in history to suffer a prolonged peacetime fall in average life expectancy, a symptom of its disastrous misallocation of resources. Military research facilities could get whatever they needed, but hospitals were low on the priority list. By the 1970s the figures clearly indicated a slowing of overall production. By the 1980s the Soviet Union officially acknowledged a near end to growth that was, in reality, an unofficial decline. In 1987 the first official law embodying perestroika—restructuring—was put into effect. President Mikhail Gorbachev announced his intention to revamp the economy from top to bottom by introducing the market, reestablishing private ownership, and opening the system to free economic interchange with the West. Seventy years of socialist rise had come to an end. Socialist Planning in Western Eyes Understanding of the difficulties of central planning was slow to emerge. In the mid-1930s, while the Russian industrialization drive was at full tilt, few raised their voices about its problems. Among those few were ludwig von mises, an articulate and exceedingly argumentative free-market economist, and friedrich hayek, of much more contemplative temperament, later to be awarded a Nobel Prize for his work in monetary theory. Together, Mises and Hayek launched an attack on the feasibility of socialism that seemed at the time unconvincing in its argument as to the functional problems of a planned economy. Mises in particular contended that a socialist system was impossible because there was no way for the planners to acquire the information (see Information and Prices)—â€Å"produce this, not that†Ã¢â‚¬â€needed for a coherent economy. This information, Hayek emphasized, emerged spontaneously in a market system from the rise and fall of prices. A planning system was bound to fail precisely because it lacked such a signaling mechanism. The Mises-Hayek argument met its most formidable counterargument in two brilliant articles by Oskar Lange, a young economist who would become Poland’s first ambassador to the United States after World War II. Lange set out to show that the planners would, in fact, have precisely the same information as that which guided a market economy. The information would be revealed as inventories of goods rose and fell, signaling either that supply was greater than demand or demand was greater than supply. Thus, as planners watched inventory levels, they were also learning which of their administered (i.e., state-dictated) prices were too high and which too low. It only remained, therefore, to adjust prices so that supply and demand balanced, exactly as in the marketplace. Lange’s answer was so simple and clear that many believed the Mises-Hayek argument had been demolished. In fact, we now know that their argument was all too prescient. Ironically, though, Mises and Hayek were right for a reason they did not foresee as clearly as Lange himself. â€Å"The real danger of socialism,† Lange wrote, in italics, â€Å"is that of a bureaucratization of economic life.† But he took away the force of the remark by adding, without italics, â€Å"Unfortunately, we do not see how the same or even greater danger can be averted under monopolistic capitalism† (Lange and Taylor 1938, pp. 109–110). The effects of the â€Å"bureaucratization of economic life† are dramatically related in The Turning Point, a scathing attack on the realities of socialist economic planning by two Soviet economists, Nikolai Smelev and Vladimir Popov, that gives examples of the planning process in actual operation. In 1982, to stimulate the production of gloves from moleskins, the Soviet government raised the price it was willing to pay for moleskins from twenty to fifty kopecks per pelt. Smelev and Popov noted: State purchases increased, and now all the distribution centers are filled with these pelts. Industry is unable to use them all, and they often rot in warehouses before they can be processed. The Ministry of Light Industry has already requested Goskomtsen [the State Committee on Prices] twice to lower prices, but â€Å"the question has not been decided† yet. This is not surprising. Its members are too busy to decide. They have no time: besides setting prices on these pelts, they have to keep track of another 24 million prices. And how can they possibly know how much to lower the price today, so they won’t have to raise it tomorrow? This story speaks volumes about the problem of a centrally planned system. The crucial missing element is not so much â€Å"information,† as Mises and Hayek argued, as it is the motivation to act on information. After all, the inventories of moleskins did tell the planners that their production was at first too low and then too high. What was missing was the willingness—better yet, the necessity—to respond to the signals of changing inventories. A capitalist firm responds to changing prices because failure to do so will cause it to lose money. A socialist ministry ignores changing inventories because bureaucrats learn that doing something is more likely to get them in trouble than doing nothing, unless doing nothing results in absolute disaster. In the late 1980s, absolute economic disaster arrived in the Soviet Union and its Eastern former satellites, and those countries are still trying to construct some form of economic structure that will no longer display the deadly inertia and indifference that have come to be the hallmarks of soc ialism. It is too early to predict whether these efforts will succeed. The main obstacle to real perestroika is the impossibility of creating a working market system without a firm basis of private ownership, and it is clear that the creation of such a basis encounters the opposition of the former state bureaucracy and the hostility of ordinary people who have long been trained to be suspicious of the pursuit of wealth. In the face of such uncertainties, all predictions are foolhardy save one: no quick or easy transition from socialism to some form of nonsocialism is possible. Transformations of such magnitude are historic convulsions, not mere changes in policy. Their completion must be measured in decades or generations, not years. URL: http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Socialism.html The Economy System of Mixed Economy A mixed economy has many of the characteristics of market, command and traditional economies. The United States is a mixed economy because its Constitution protects many of the characteristics of a market economy, including ownership of private property, limitations on government interference, and promoting innovation. However, the Constitution also encourages the government to promote the general welfare. This allows many aspects of a command economy, where needed. In addition, many American traditions still guide economic policy. A mixed economy seeks to have all the advantages of a market, command and traditional economy with little of the disadvantages. Therefore, most mixed economies have three of the six characteristics of the market economy: private property, pricing and individual self-interest. Mixed economies also have a command economy in certain areas. Most allow government to have a command role in areas that safeguard the people and the market itself. This usually inclu des the military, international trade, and national transportation. An increased governmental role depends on the priorities of the people. Many mixed economies also allow centralized planning and even government ownership of key industries, such as aerospace, energy production and even banking. Some mixed economies encourage the government to centrally manage health care, welfare, and retirement programs. In addition, most mixed economies follow traditions that have been so ingrained that they may not even be aware of it. For example, many mixed economies still fund and give some power to royalty or emperors. Most of the worlds major economies are now mixed economies. It would be difficult to avoid, thanks to globalization. A countrys people are best served through international trade oil from Saudi Arabia, consumer products from China, and food from the U.S. As soon as businesses within a country are allowed or even encouraged to export, the government must give up some control to free market forces. Second, the global economy is primarily free-market based. There is very little government control, although some regulations and agreements have been put into place. However, there is no world government today that has the power to override a countrys sovereignty and create a global command economy. URL: http://useconomy.about.com/od/US-Economy-Theory/tp/Mixed-Economy.htm The Economy System of Islamic Economics The way of defining Islamic Economics is to qualify the term modern or conventional economics with Islam. Islam is a religion from Allah SWT through prophet Muhammad SAW to mankind which means the total way of Man kind’s life, that is what ever man does or is going to do must be abided by the Islamic norms and values as well as laws and other rules and regulations(shariah). And conventional economics has best been defined by robbins as science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have an alternative uses. Based on the definitions of the two concepts above, many scholars defined Islamic economics according to their understanding of the concepts. The following are the various definition of Islamic economics from different scholars: 1)Ahmad (1981) defined Islamic economics as a study of human behaviour in their attempts to satisfy needs from the abundant resources whose ultimate aim is to maximise benefit of self and society both in this world and the hereafter. 2)Akram(1983) sees Islamic economics as aims at the study human falah achieved by organising the resources of earth on the basis of cooperation and participation. 3)Hasnuzzaman(1984) defined Islamic economics as the knowledge and application of injunctions and rules of shariah that prevent injustice in the acquisition and disposal of material resources in order to provide satisfaction to human beings and enable them to perform their obligations to Allah and the society. 4)Mannan (1986) defines as studies of a social science in the economic problems of people to fill with the values of Islam. 5)S.M Ghazali Wafa et al (2002) defines as all human activities to use the sources which follow the law to perform their obligations to Allah. Observing the above definitions Islamic economics is the some part of conventional economics plus morals, norms and values of Islam, it covers a lot of micro and macro concepts of conventional economics like ownerships, rights to produce or create, what to produce, how to produce and for whom to produce, others include equity, returns on investments, development projects, stability in the value of money, broad base economic well being with full employment, optimum rate of economic growth, joint ventures, fiscaland monetary policies, etc . However Islamic economics ejected injustice, enforced the prohibition of interest (riba), hoarding etc. And also promote the determination of the level of individual liberty, recognition the right of property, controlling the economic inequality within the natural limits, maintaining the equality of social life, and social security. It however prohibits the wider circulation of wealth, and recognizes social and individual welfare. In conclusion, Islamic economics is designed for economy to contribute richly on the achievement of the major socio-economic goals of the society. Prof. Tariq is very talented and eloquent lecturer, in this lecture he pinpoint the following: 1.Muslims are of full of potentials 2.Universality in time and space in Islam 3.Changes and faithful 4.Things we shouldn’t confused: a)Relationship between text and context b)Difference between principles and models c)Rules and ways d)Rules and meaning. 5.Difference between adaptation and transformation vision beyond reality. 6.Dealing with rejection and projection 7.Thinking of what to produce and how to produce of halal goods to match the competition with western products. The above are the lessons we learnt from the lecture, therefore those points are what I am going use and see how Islamic economics can be developed. Firstly, the muslims are of full potentials this so because muslims economics thinkers and economist tried and developed the Islamic economics concept and its now a discipline accepted worldwide, so the other muslim economist should start striving and explore their potentials in developing Islamic economics worldwide. Secondly universality in time and space in Islam, this means mind should be active to make changes in diversity, that is Islamic economic thinkers should have active mind and develop as many theories and models as they can in the time of the their life and places they are living , their universality of Islam should be use to manage diversities, manage changeable dimensions and new challenges with the view of developing Islamic economics. Thirdly those things that we shouldn’t confused in the improvement of Islamic economics development is text and context should be clearly differentiated ,that is the context in the text of Quran, hadith and fiqh are vividly understood before applying it into the economic theory or model. The difference between principles and models should be understood by Islamic economics ulamas, where principles are universal in nature and models are historical in nature we shouldn’t confused those in developing anything in Islamic economics. The next is the rules and ways, in Islam rules are in Quran and Sunnah (shariah) then the interpretation of ulamas on some concept and issues that are not clearly interpreted in the Quran and hadith and ways are how those rules are being followed with a light of vision, those must be considered and improvement in Islamic economics will be achieved. The last one is different between rules and meanings, dealing with rules will come to a point where rules forget the meanings so this must be taken into consideration for improvement of Islamic economics. Fourthly is the difference between adaptation and transformation that is transformation is the visionary change beyond reality in a society and adaptation is transferring the idea of other society into the society, Islamic economics should be a transformation of conventional economics not adaptation. Lastly is the thinking of what to produce and how to produce of consumable goods(halal) to match the competition with western products, professionals in Islamic economics should continue with the introduction of products which will substitute haram goods and services that muslims are always consuming , this will tremendously improve Islamic economics development.

Clubs, Clubs, and More Clubs Essay Example for Free

Clubs, Clubs, and More Clubs Essay According to the BoomerProject. com, there will be seventy-eight million ‘boomers’ turning fifty by 2006 that will spend two trillion dollars annually on ‘goods and services and just shopping around. ’ Advertisers, marketers and various club organizations are fighting to attract these trillions of dollars by offering exclusive experiences, luxury condominiums and timeshares, private residential communities, among a multitude of other diversions. According to this same 2005 study, in 2006 thirty-nine additional timeshare plans, including single site and multi-site vacation clubs, are forecasted to open having three thousand nine hundred ninety-eight dedicated timeshare units and, thirty-two projects with four thousand eight hundred and thirty-one condo hotel units are forecasted to open. This article summarizes the different kinds of clubs that are attracting boomers by the millions: The Country Club, the Golf Subdivision, Lot Sales/Sporting Club, the Condominium Club, the Fractional Club and Private Residence Club, the Destination Club, the Timeshare Plan Club, the Multi-Site Timeshare Plan Club (Vacation Club), and the Crossover that implements elements from all of the other options. Indeed, clubs, clubs, and more clubs abound as our baby boomer generation is exiting the workforce and entering the leisurely land of retirement. Boomers have trillions of dollars of expendable income and whichever club concept proves to be the most popular and exclusive will attract top dollar when it comes to luxury, convenience, status, and location.

Impact of Money on Happiness

Impact of Money on Happiness The love of money, as they say, is the root of all evil. Yet money remains an essential commodity in everyday living. It is a universal need that is pursued one way or the other world over. There are several amenities in life that can mostly only be purchased by money; hence the lack of it can speedily reduce an individual, any individual into distress and a state of depression. Money is acquired by several means; for most people of certain ages, to acquire money means to simply work for it. For others of younger and even older ages, their acquisition of money is largely determined by others, such as parents, guardians in the case of younger people or the government, pension and previous investments in the case of the older generation. All in all, money is an essential part of living. It may not necessarily be the most important aspect in life as will be critically examined later on but it most certainly ranks very high indeed on the list. Some might argue that with enough money or a dequate finances, every other aspect of life falls into perspective. Yet it may immediately be counter argued that the term ‘enough money or adequate finances’ is, in itself, a relative one. What constitutes adequate finances, when is a man said to have enough money? Perhaps it is worth mentioning at this juncture the economic theory of supply and demand and vice versa. The more you make, the more you need. Human need is such that can never be fully satisfied. For instance the needs and demands of a toddler differ significantly from that of a teenager as does that of a man in his 20s from that of a family man with children. Is it then possible to quantify one’s overall state of wellbeing by how much wealth the individual has been fortunate enough to acquire? Can money be said to possess the ability of buying or at the very least orchestrating happiness? What, in the first instance, is happiness? While it remains difficult to attribute a specific definition to hha ppiness, it is often referred to as the state of well-being characterised by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy or emotions experienced when in a state of well-being. The opposite of ‘happiness’ would therefore be ‘sadness’ or to be in a sober mood. Happiness is a robust state of mind that has been pursued by mankind since the stone ages and is as old as man himself. Man as a social being has goals and expectations in life. Such goals and expectations are quite naturally based on individual beliefs, societal or cultural norms as well as personal experiences. It is however safe to surmise that whatever a man’s[1] ambitions, goals, expectations and desires, when these desires and expectations appear to be within easy grasp and ultimately achieved, he will naturally be in a state of well being and experience what is known as happiness. Some of the major contributory factors to happiness include but are by no means limited to the following: Good or optimum state of health Secured and well paid employment Supportive family or friends As pointed out above however, these factors are based on individual concepts of happiness and the means by which this state of mind can be achieved. From the factors above, it becomes increasingly visible that happiness can be analysed from the economic as well as psychological perspectives. According to economists, it is a standard assumption that happiness – individual utility in the economic vocabulary depends on income, leisure and sometimes a few other factors. Yet, although mainstream models would predict that higher income leads to greater happiness, most earlier empirical research has been unable to find a sufficiently strong correlation between subjective well-being and per capita income in rich countries to support the standard utility assumption.[2] In a research carried out in the 90s, it was discovered that even though many, if not all, African countries were classed as under developed societies where poverty assails most of the population, people were still happ ier than others of more substantial means in countries like the United Kingdom and the United States. In a country like Nigeria for instance, the term ‘depression’ was almost a strange expression for many while others who had heard of the world had never even come close to suffering such a low state of mind. Research on the other hand, shows that quite a significant number of patients in the UK suffer depression which is the exact opposite of happiness or a state of bliss and well being. The pursuit of happiness and all it entails has been a goal shared by people world over more than any other goal in the history of mankind. While economics might be associating the pursuit and ultimate capture, so to speak, of this rather elusive blissful state of mind with the accumulation of wealth and material satisfaction, it has been proven in recent times that this may not very well be the case. In fact, a positive association has been shown to hold only at certain points in time within particular countries and not for the group of high-income countries as a whole.[3] The usual explanations given for this paradox are either that people compare themselves with their peers and neighbours[4] or that as incomes increase, so do people’s income aspirations[5]. Both these factors are assumed to be present already at fairly modest levels of per-capita income. However, one recurring problem with previous studies is that conclusions on the absence of an effect of economic performance on well-being have typically been based on either limited cross-sectional samples which may be contaminated by a strong time-constant cultural component[6] or on sparse and incomplete longitudinal data.[7] The unavoidable fact remains that with the accumulation of wealth or any other commodity for that matter, comes more responsibility or need which in turn leads to even more desire for greater accumulation. In that regard, it might be safe to surmise that perhaps wealth or its end less accumulation does not exactly guarantee happiness.[8] For instance, if a man is said to have achieved his goal and been fortunate, lucky or smart enough to secure a fantastic job and comfortable income, if the economist approach on consumer behaviour is accurate, he should be in a blissful state of mind. However there are other factors which need to be considered to determine a man’s state of mind and this is where the psychological and social researches into happiness comes into play. In support of Duesenberry’s paradox, Kenneth Arrow believes that it offered â€Å"one of the most significant contributions of the postwar period to our understanding of economic behaviour†[9] and that it was to be commended for attempting to link economic theory more directly with psychological motivations and with consumer learning processes.[10] Some saw Duesenberrys work as attempting to broaden the theoretical economists horizon.[11] Others like A. C. Pigou, expressed se rious methodological reservations but nonetheless commended the potential significance of the work.[12] In more recent times, there has been a steadily increasing interest on the part of economists in happiness research. It has been argued that reported subjective well-being is a satisfactory empirical approximation to individual utility and that happiness research is able to contribute important insights for economics. It has also been reported how the economic variables such as income, unemployment and inflation affect happiness as well as how institutional factors, in particular the type of government; democracy or dictatorship and the extent of government decentralisation, systematically influence how satisfied individuals are with their life, the effects and some of the consequences for economic policy and for economic theory. Whereas psychologists and sociologists have been researching the concept of happiness for a very long time, the economist approach to happiness is actual ly a more recent approach. Early economists and philosophers, ranging from Aristotle, who promulgated that a happy life is a good complete life and concluded that although happiness is good other things are equally good and important; such things as health and wealth, knowledge and friendship, and a good moral character[13] to Bentham, who formulated that â€Å"happiness is the greatest good†[14] John Stuart Mill, an ardent supporter and disciple of Bentham who agreed that â€Å"†¦. actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness†¦.†[15] have all incorporated the pursuit of happiness in their work. Yet as economics grew more rigorous and quantitative, more parsimonious definitions of welfare took hold. Utility was taken to depend only on income as mediated by individual choices or preferences within a rational individual’s monetary budget constraint. Even within a more orthodox f ramework, focusing purely on income can miss key elements of welfare as numerous economists have noted over time. People have different preferences for material and non-material goods. They may choose a lower paying but more personally rewarding job, for example. The study of happiness or subjective well-being is part of a more general move in economics that challenges these narrow assumptions. Richard Easterlin was one of the first modern economists to re-visit the concept of happiness, beginning in the early 1970s.[16] In economic researches world over, when people are asked relevant questions about what for them constitutes happiness, the answers are mostly identical. For those who are currently struggling to make ends meet, those who are out of jobs, those who are classified as under priviledged in society by virtue of their meager or no income it would appear that the wide belief is that money can indeed buy happiness. But when probed further and deeper, it emerges that money on its own, may not necessarily bring happiness but mere momentary satisfaction. What money certainly does however is to relief people from their financial burdens. Where a family struggles to pay the rent/mortgage at the end of every month, bills accumulate from lack of adequate finances, holidays are a thing of the past or never experienced. If such a family is transported to a place where they can suddenly afford to consolidate their debts, pay off the mortgage, go on holidays, eat what and when they like, their spirits will certainly be lifted significantly higher than when they had little or nothing to exist on. It is therefore apt to surmise that money would most probably clear debts, reduce or out rightly pay off mortgages, which would certainly be a tremendous source of relief for most people. Money however may not necessarily have the ability to purchase true happiness. The human brain is trained to adapt to situations, good or bad. It is therefore only a matter of time before the new found wealth becomes a ‘given’ and the family is faced with other challenges. Many people, cross-section, agree that acquisition or possession of significantly more money than they have at the moment can calm their day to day frustrations and perhaps distract them from their personal problems, but it cannot make them truly happy. If an individual is basically positive and optimistic, the acquisition of wealth will only enhance that persons life. It is believed that money can bring relief if the lack of it is causing stress (as is the case in the majority). If however, a person is generally neurotic, unhappy and pessimistic, no amount of money will eradicate such pessimism or other unrelated psychological problems the individual deals with on a daily basis. A windfall can also bring problems to people who have no idea how to deal with money. To those who have lived from hand to mouth all their lives, unless they are intelligent about it, there is a tendency to fritter a windfall away. One has to know how to use or invest money wisely, in order to make it work for them. In a survey carried out in England and America on lottery winners it became a clear pattern that people essentially remain who they basically were before winning the lottery. A pessimistic, uninspired individual who wins  £1,000,000 in lottery is more likely to be back to exactly the same spot he was in before winning the lottery in less than five years. While a more optimistic, ambitious and level headed indiv idual who wins  £500,000 is more likely to go ahead and invest the money in ventures that will guarantee him better income for the foreseeable future. Money or shall we say too much money is itself a catalyst for trouble for those who are not psychologically balanced enough to handle instant wealth. Economists and psychologists have come together in numerous attempts to untangle the webs of how, why and why-not of money and the general state of well being/welfare. Of particular importance, it would appear, is the aspect of why money is seen by many as unable to set right all that is wrong in their lives and by so doing guarantee them lasting happiness. Why is it that the more money one has, the more one aspires to acquire? In the popular words of an artist ‘..the more money you come across, the more problems you have’[17] The economics of happiness is an approach to assessing welfare which combines the techniques typically used by economists with those more commonly used by psychologists. It relies on surveys of the reported wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of individuals across countries and continents.[18] Why is it that when one is finally able to possess those material things that appeared all so important in the absence of money and to basically achieve their dreams it only brings momentary joy? In attempting to answer these seemingly depressing questions, scholars of happiness have arrived at some insights that appear very useful and educational indeed. It has been commonly acknowledged and accepted that money can help find more happiness, so long as one knows just what to expect from it and does not have unrealistic expectations. Splashing out money on luxurious cars or even buying a private jet is not necessarily a means of utilising money to becoming happy. Research suggests that seeking the good life at a store is an expensive exercise in futility.[19] It is essential to realise and understand where one has been going wrong in order to achieve a blissful state of mind. According to Richard Gelfond, co-chairman and CEO of Imax, being an achiever and rising out of poverty certainly brings happiness. Wealth therefore appears to play a bigger factor in being happy than most would like to admit. In surveys, people consistently give thre e reasons for their personal happiness: wealth, family and health. Being richer means being able to afford better health, however debatable an argument this is. For a terminally ill patient for instance, perhaps with the notorious HIV virus or the equally formidable cancer; wealth most certainly affords them better treatment and immediate access to the very best specialists in those fields as well as the very best medication. The patients are therefore guaranteed far more comfort in their sickness than the ordinary man on the street who depends on the state or government for his treatment. At the end of the day however, can one honestly assert that the affordability of better health care makes the former patient happier than the latter? Can either be truly happy simply because one has more money than the other? Does it not then depend on the individual’s outlook on their conditions? Would the wealthy not willingly give up their wealth to become healthy again? Strange and surp rising as it might sound, it is not uncommon for the poorer man to come to better terms with his condition and find, if not downright happiness, some sort of peace in the terminal medical situation he finds himself than for his richer or wealthier counterpart. Professor Robert Shiller, a Professor of Economics at Yale University, in his argument for the advantages of having money is of the opinion that more money, in all likelihood, guarantees better relationships.[20] This is open to extensive debate and arguments. The simple question thereafter arises, if money or wealth enables one to find better relationships, how come then that most celebrities, by far the best paid individuals in the world, find it, from time immemorial, practically impossible to be happy in their relationships and marriages? It is common knowledge that marriages and relationships in Hollywood or any other star studded part of the world, for that matter, are more often than not, a fleeting experience for the p arties involved. Talking about celebrities and their wealth, if money does indeed procure happiness, why is it that the majority of celebrities have had at one time or the other alcohol problems, drug addiction issues, depression, suicidal tendencies and even in albeit admittedly fewer cases, death by over dose of one dangerous substance or the other? Surely if money brings happiness they, the celebrities with more money than most should be the happiest on earth. This is however evidently not the case. It stands to reason therefore that while money promotes a better sense of well being in some, better sense of achievement in others, contentment, the satisfaction that comes with the ability and affordability of luxury items o comfort, and even perhaps momentary happiness and joy in others, it is not the mere happenstance of such money or wealth in one’s life that procures happiness or any true sense of joy for the consumer. Tim Webber of the BBC’s Business Edition, in o ne of his editorials, ‘Why money doesn’t buy happiness’[21] quotes an African artist, Youssou N’Dour as follows†¦ â€Å"†¦ Forget money entirely†. Youssou NDour is reported as going on to say that there is plenty of happiness in Senegal, even though its people are not wealthy at all. Just see the joy that music and entertainment can bring to the boys in the poorest parts of Dakar. says Mr NDour. But he concedes that one thing was even better than the music and other elements that promote happiness in Senegal; the moment when Senegal beat France in the 2002 Football World Cup.[22] Catherine Sanderson, a psychology professor at Amherst College expresses her opinion on the debate of economics approach to happiness by saying that human beings are never satisfied. It is standard consumer behavioural pattern. The more we have, the more we are likely to want. It is the inherent nature of man. Ms. Sanderson authoritatively asserts that we always t hink just that little bit more money will be the answer to all our problems and bring ultimate satisfaction.[23] Indeed, it would appear that the more money one makes, the more one wants or continue to aspire to make. The more one has the less effective it is at bringing one joy. Little wonder it is therefore that this seeming paradox has long bedeviled economists. Another reputable scholar, Professor Dan Gilbert, psychology professor at Harvard University opines that â€Å"Once you get basic human needs met, a lot more money doesnt make a lot more happiness,[24]. Regrettably, there is no easy way out of being unhappy; money is no short cut to happiness for a depressed person. Overcoming one’s emotions and teaching one’s self to be happy can be more difficult that earning more money or winning the lottery as explained above. In fact, according to Matthew Herper,[25] if a person is handed $10, the pleasure centres of his brain lights up as if he were given food, sex or drugs. But that initial rush does not translate into long-term pleasure for most people. Surveys have found virtually the same level of happiness between the very rich individuals on the Forbes 400 and the Maasai herdsman of East Africa. Lottery winners return to their previous level of happiness after five years. Increases in income just do not seem to make people happier and most negative life experiences likewise have only a small impact on long-term satisfaction.[26] Probably via media exposure or even in real life, at some point in time or another extremely rich, wealthy and famous people have been seen to be unhappier than one would expect them to be, given the amount of material benefits that they have. It is surprising that a large number of wealthy people do not seem to experience the happiness that one would expect goes with so much money and riches. A study conducted by the University of Illinois indicated that more than 30 percent of the richest people in America were n ot as happy as the person who earned a modest income.[27] It is worth mentioning that more often than not, most of the sulking, miserable people one comes across in everyday life are rich people. This is obviously not due to the fact that these wealthy people are unable to afford three square meals, pay the mortgage, go on holiday or afford whatever luxurious item catches their fancy. Their misery is as a result of the fact that people generally seem to have more expectations from money. Money cannot buy anyone everything but in the minds of people who give up everything for money, it is difficult to accept, having acquired the wealth of their goal that they strove so hard to achieve partial success. This is not to negate the positive effects money has in the society and on one’s well being in particular. Yes, money most certainly is important to help one live life to the fullest and be able to experience the good things in life, not necessarily criminally expensive activitie s but such holidays, clothes, jewelries, and cars that become seemingly unreachable when one is void of the purchasing means. But at the same time, an increase in its inflow does not bring proportional happiness with it. As the age old saying goes†¦the grass will always (appear to) look greener on the other side. If ‘A’s’ income increases by $20,000, he is happy until he finds out his next door, perhaps less qualified neighbour’s income has increased by $60,000 and that the neighbour can now afford the car of A’s dreams without breaking the bank. The economics of happiness does not purport to replace income-based measures of welfare, but instead to complement them with broader measures of well-being. These measures are based on the results of large-scale surveys, across countries and over time, of hundreds of thousands of individuals who are asked to assess their own welfare. The surveys provide information about the importance of a range of factors which affect wellbeing, including income but also others such as health, marital and employment status, and civic trust. The approach, which relies on expressed preferences rather than on revealed choices, is particularly well suited to answering questions in areas where a revealed preferences approach provides limited information. Indeed, it often uncovers discrepancies between expressed and revealed preferences. The latter cannot fully gauge the welfare effects of particular policies or institutional arrangements which individuals are powerless to change. Examples of these inclu de the welfare effects of inequality, environmental degradation, and macroeconomic policies such as inflation and unemployment. In a recent happiness survey at the University of Colorado, it was established that actual involvement in doing things can bring more joy than having things. Gilovich and Leaf Van Boven, both of the University of Colorado conducted this survey by asking students what makes them happy, when and where. The students were also asked to ultimately decide if they were at the happiest when they were doing something as against when they were buying something. It emerged that man’s preoccupation with stuff obscures an important truth: that the things that do not last create the most lasting happiness. One reason may be that experiences tend to blossom and not diminish as they are recalled. In your memory, youre free to embellish and elaborate,[28] Gilovich admonished the students. â€Å"Your trip to Mexico may have been an endless parade of hassles punctuate d by a few exquisite moments. But looking back on it, your brain can edit out the surly cabdrivers, remembering only the glorious sunsets. So next time you think that arranging a vacation is more trouble than its worthor a cost youd rather not shoulderfactor in the delayed impact.†[29] Economists have found out in the United States for instance that an increase in income does not necessarily automatically yield an equal increase in one’s level of happiness. In one of the several surveys conducted, it was discovered that going from earning less than $20,000 a year to making more than $50,000 admittedly makes the recipient twice as likely to be happy, yet the payoff for then surpassing $90,000 is slight. And while the rich are happier than the poor, the enormous rise in living standards over the past 50 years has not made Americans happier.[30] Why? David Futrelle gave three reasons for this. According to him, we overestimate how much pleasure there is to be derived from having more. Humans are adaptable creatures, which has been a plus during assorted ice ages, plagues and wars. But, he argues, that is also why people are never all that satisfied for long when good fortune comes their way. While earning more makes people happy in the short term, we quickly ad just to the new wealth, status and everything that comes with it. Granted, there is bound to be a certain thrill and sense of achievement which comes with the first shiny and exotic car one buys from the increased income or new found wealth, splashing out on huge screen televisions and even spending money on family. But it is not long before all these become ‘normal’ and the consumer begins to want even more. It is when this insatiable appetite for more yields little or no result that man begins again to experience dissatisfaction and many people find themselves descending back to the very initial position they were in the first place; reverting to a state of running in place that economists call the ‘hedonic treadmill.’[31] The hedonic treadmill theory explains the popularly held observation that rich people are no happier than poor people, and that those with severe money problems are sometimes quite happy. The theory supports the argument that money does not buy happiness and that the pursuit of money as a way to reach this goal is futile. Good and bad fortunes may temporarily affect how happy a person is,but most people will end up back at their normal level of happiness.[32]Buttressing Mr. Yarrow’s point on the same subject, John Lanchester also observed that following studies of data from all over the world, it is clear that, instead of getting happier as they become better off, people get stuck in a place where their expectations rise at the same pace as their incomes and the happiness they seek remains constantly just out of reach.[33] Reference is here being made yet again to the hedonistic treadmill. Daniel Kahneman, the one time (2003) winner of Nobel Prize for economics is best known for his work on hedonic psychology.[34] Kahneman opines that suddenly the big question is being asked by those who spent their lives on making and measuring money: what indeed is it all for when people are no happier than they were.[35] Be all these as they may, the fact remains undisputable that money does matter in various ways. In England, for instance, people who are earning less than or around  £10,000 per annum are measurably, permanently happier when paid more. It matters when people of any income feel a drop from what they have become accustomed to. But above all, money makes people unhappy when they compare their own income with others.[36] Richer people are happier not by the simple virtue of the absolute size of their wealth, but because they have more than other people. But the wider the wealth gap, the worse it harms the rest. Rivalry in income makes those left behind more miserable that it confers extra happiness on the winners. This insatiable appetite for more will keep driving a man back to the car dealership or to the electronic gadget stores in search of better and bigger items for more satisfaction. According to Gilbert[37] however, what is being mistaken for happiness and satisfaction at buy ing a new ‘toy’ is simply the feeling that comes on the day one actually buys the item in question. Once the initial razzmatazz fades away and the new Ferrari or even private jet no longer races the heart, man tends to draw the wrong conclusions. Instead of questioning the notion or erroneous, if honest, belief that happiness can be bought at the dealership, one often begins to question their choice of car. ‘Perhaps I would feel better with a Ford Mustang?’ This thought alone sparks a fresh burst of enthusiasm and hope for more happiness which simply leads to yet more disappointment once the new car is purchased and the racing heart also inevitably settles back to normal after a few days or weeks. Again this is what economists refer to as typical consumer behaviour. More often than not, this dissatisfaction with the material things that come with wealth is borne out of envy for others around us. Quite naturally, more money can and does lead to more stress. The big salary pulled in from a high-paying job may not necessarily procure much in the way of happiness, at least not much more than the individual is accustomed to. Some have even gone as far as saying if one is unable to find happiness in their current situation on a low income job; it is unlikely that such persons will ever be happy even in a high paying job. The whole idea is to cut one’s coat according to one’s size to afford flexibility, satisfaction and happiness because however low one’s income is, there are always people below the hierarchy of earnings. Just as however much one earns, there will always be people on the upper rung of the ladder of success. What more money can do however is to buy one a (more) spacious house in the suburbs. What immediately becomes a problem is the long trip to and from work, taking the children (if there are any) to school and commuting to social activities from the suburbs or the countryside. At the end of the day, it is only natural that the everyday commute, even if permissible initially, becomes a problem and however much one loves their job, becomes a burden and wears down the individual. As in the case of lack of continued satisfaction with ones purchases, compariso

Good Man Hard to Find Essay -- essays papers

Good Man Hard to Find O'Connor's "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" In "A Good Man Is hard to Find," Flannery O'Conner really puts the reader in the middle class mode and throws a little religion at us. By this I mean that she takes us to an important part of her mind and soul. One could even say that she lets the Devil come out in her own little way. In reading " A Good Man is Hard to Find," we find ourselves in a setting of a lower middle class family with a dominant mother, annoying grandmother and a whinny mother-in-law. I tend to believe that she is to be the main character. The grandmother is representative of godliness and Christianity. However just from this one story I get the feeling that she could be telling of the changes that took place in the US after W.W. II when violence began to grow rapidly. Women were coming home from the war, and men were demanding their voting rights. In the 50's crime was on everyone's mind, on television and in the moon. O'Connor's knew taht society was drastically changing for the worse, and she probably knew that one day we'd ...