Contrast Japanese Families with US Essay Example for Free

Contrast Japanese Families with US Essay Japanese and U. S. families have many dissimilarity one of this the family concerns, role of the family towards raising and education and wedding ceremony practiced in Japan and American people. These can be read in the next paragraph. Family Concern The Japanese family is concern with their children and their aging grandparents. Greenfield Cocking, (1994) point out the practice of â€Å"collectivism† as also reveal by Naito Gielen, this volume. The children obey their parents and they are dependent on their parents. The children must not only obey the parents and grandparents, but must observe among themselves the domestic law of seniority: thus the younger brother should obey the elder brother, and the younger sister the elder sister. At the same time, Japanese parents have a strong expectation that the oldest son will take care of them when they get old. (Kagitcibasi, 1996) This is why the Japanese parents don’t encourage children to be independent as much as American parents do. The grand parents share their experiences and wisdom with grandchildren and provide unconditioned love. In return the children respected, and appreciated learning from them. While the U. S. families the individualism is develop. (Naito Gielen, p. 10) Children are encouraged to be independent and individual. During teenage years, children tend to emphasize â€Å"self† too much, and ignore â€Å"others† as emphasized by Naito and Gielen. American teenagers’ rebel against rules to gain freedom is independent and individual to them. The author further added that the parents need to fight through against â€Å"freedom without rules and responsibilities† that children insist on holding â€Å"Individual right protected under the Law†. (American Family Tradition 2006). The children allowed going to the party alone although the parent sets the time but they cannot force their children’s to go home early. The early freedom they give from their children’s is a preparation for their being responsible. Roles in the family In Japanese raising children, supervising their educations, do some household chores and other home accounting are a sole responsibility of the mothers’. The father will provide a monthly income needed for the family. They have their grandparents living with them. The grandparents still support the married children. In contrast the American families raise their children with a shared responsibility of a mother and father. Both parents participate in their children’s school activities when they need their presence. The household works are shared by both parents. Fathers often take the financial matters however the mothers also shared some depending on their agreement. Wedding Ceremony Excerpted in the Mothra Online Organization in Japan â€Å"The Japanese wedding ceremony they called it Shinto wedding and is performed before a Shinto sanctuary, set up for the occasion unless the wedding takes place in a Shinto shrine. It is preside by a Shinto priest who first holds the purification service of all present. After a ritual by the priest, reporting to olds on the marriage and requesting their lasting favors on the newly-weds it is now customary for the bridegroom to read an oath to keep faithful and obedient to each other in the married life. The oath may be given by the go-between in behalf of the new couple. The San-San-Kudo or ceremony of the Three-Times-Three Exchange of nuptial cups is then performed by the bridegroom and bride. The bridegroom and bride proceed to the sanctuary to offer twigs of Sakaki sacred tree in worship to gods to end the main part of the wedding ceremony. Drinks of Sake are then exchanged between members and close relatives of the both families to signify their union through the wedding†. According to Shizuko Mishima, Non-family members dont usually attend the marriage ceremony itself; rather they go to the wedding reception, called Kekkon Hiroen in Japanese. This very different in American wedding, the Wedding Ceremony is most often performed as part of a religious ceremony each with its own specific customs and traditions. On the day of the wedding the Groom does not see the Bride until the actual ceremony. As Custom would have it from Victorian Times: the Bride wears Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and a Sixpence in her shoe. Finally, a ring is exchanged to mark the permanent commitment of the new spouses to each other. (American Family Tradition 2006). It was perform by a priest or a pastor depending on the religious belief agreed by the groom and bride. Conclusion As read and figured by the different author that there are lots of differences that American and Japanese exhibit. They have different upbringing when it comes to children for the Japanese practice collectivism still supporting the children even if they have graduated college. With the contrasting American, that practice individualism preparing their children for early independence. All the disciplines on how to deal different family practices are sacrifice on the part of the parents. But the culture has great influence on all this issue.

Kantian ethics Essay Example for Free

Kantian ethics Essay Kant argued for the use of a normative ethical theory based around the idea that all men have a similar common goal; his theory was absolute (meaning one must follow a common set of rules no matter the scenario) and deontological (focused on actions themselves rather than the outcome of said actions). Kant advised the use of this theory despite it being a priori, meaning he had no observations or experience of the theory in practice. Kant believed that all men have duties which they ought to fulfil, not to gain a desired outcome or avoid a less desirable outcome, but simply because it is their duty. For example, if we can assume it is always wrong to kill people, it would be considered immoral to kill someone even if that action saved the lives of hundreds of people. Similarly, if you consider a foetus to be ‘alive’ then it would be immoral to terminate it no matter the affect it would have on the mother’s physical or mental health. Nearly everyone would find fault in the former, notably fewer for the latter, yet I would hope that the majority would still disagree. David Gauthier suggested that as morality is an agreed concept, designed so that people cannot run amok doing as they please with no consideration for others, an absolutist theory cannot function as rules are subject to interpretation. Let us briefly consider the foetus example once more, if the rule states that it is immoral to take a life, what should be considered a life? Does life start at conception or at birth, or maybe somewhere in between. For this reason, though an absolute theory should be applied to every situation, the rules do not necessarily mean the same thing for every single person. Kant said that in order to create a duty one had to pass it through three tests, the first of which being the law of nature. This law states that in order for something to become a duty it must be capable of being universalised, so everyone must be able to follow said duty ad infinitum. So, for example: ‘jump the queue’ could not become a duty as if everyone jumped the queue there would be no queue to jump. Though this seems sensible, it is possible that immoral acts could be universalised. For example ‘lie to people’ could be universalised even though it is a traditionally immoral act. Not only that but the rule could easily be manipulated by phrasing things differently, for instance ‘everyone called Hector Benjamin Stellyes can jump the queue’ could be universalised as it would most likely only apply to me. To counteract these faults Kant put in place a second law, the law of wills. This stated that for something to become a duty it must be desirable for the population. This rule however, also has faults. In order for a rule to satisfy an entire population (and if this theory was applied worldwide that would be nearly 7.5 billion at the time of writing) it would have to be extremely broad, leaving it open to being interpreted in drastically different ways. If the rule said that one simply had to please the majority, what happens to those who disagree? As all duties are absolute and universal, one would have to do something they disagreed with in order to be moral citizens. Kant attempts to rebuttal this with his argument that all humans still have free will, even though they should follow their duty they don’t have to; humans remain autonomous. However, some would suggest that though humans are nearly always capable of independent thought, it is human nature to be moral. A psychological study by Yale in 2013 on a number of babies that were as of yet unaffected by modern culture (they couldn’t read, speak etc.) making them almost purely instinctual showed that it is human nature to be ‘good’. If society tells you that there are a set list of moral acts, most people will conform to these acts to the best of their ability. So far, we have a set of rules and how this set of rules are constructed, so now I ask: why should anyone follow this philosophy? If we should not consider consequences when doing our duty, what reason do we have to do so? Kant believed there to be two separate reasons to perform any action: the hypothetical imperative and the categorical imperative.

Strategic Human Resources Management (SHRM) in Bank Study

Strategic Human Resources Management (SHRM) in Bank Study The importance of human resource management cannot be undervalued in todays intensely competitive global market place. The reason for this is that there is a very small margin for error from becoming a market leader to becoming a market joke. A lot of emphasizes is now put on good human resource management, as it is the difference between employing a qualified work force and hiring inept workers. Human resource management nowadays is not just about employing people or drafting work policies; it is also about being able to rapidly respond to customers needs and competitors moves. In Abbey Nation Bank human resources is viewed as a source of having a competitive advantage in this competitive market situation. What this means is that human resources is now playing a more vital role than ever in the organizational hierarchy of a company. This is because a carefully implemented human resource policy can obtain a high quality workforce More and more these days the importance of strategic human resource management is coming to the forefront of many businesses. Here the word strategic means keeping in view the long term results or the so called bigger picture. Strategic human resource management focuses is human resource programs that can lead Abbey National Bank to long term on right track In strategic human resource management, an HR manager becomes a very important player in the company, the reason for this being that rather than acting as passive administrators, they play a more proactive role in policy formulation. The HR manager thus becomes a resource manager as he or she will utilize the full potential of their human resources From the above we can thus see that strategic human resource management is now coming to play a very important role in todays business world. Strategic human resource management is all about strategically managing a business. For Abbey National Bank human resources management is important for improve employees skills and competent advantage. (Smallbusinessbible 2008) Assess the impact of strategic human resource management activities in AbbeyNational The impact of strategic human resource management activities in Abbey National Bank as follows: High Skills Employees As impact of SHRM activities in Abbey National Bank is to improve employees skills and provide best customers services to its customers on improve employees learning about their tasks which can helpful for them. Best services to customers. Customers are a base for any organization and we cannot forget this factor. With SHRM we can provide best services to customers and can get feedback from customers that how we serve you. New innovative and reliable organization performance Innovation and reliable performance of Abbey National Bank can possible by using SHRM theories apply on employees and provide best training to employees and give them reward in bounce and other packages to employees. Revise employees performance according to organizational goals. With the help of SHRM, we can measure performance of employees on the basis of settle goals which are settle to achieve these goals and provide best information structure which can improve communication among employees. Provide new skills to employees to get competent advantage over competitors. By using SHRM practices, employees of Abbey National Bank can improve professional skills and provide new ideas that can get competitive advantage over other banks in the market. Evaluate the contribution of Strategic Human  Resource Management to the achievement of Santanders objectives at Abbey National Bank Improve business performance Contribution of SHRM is in Abbey National Bank for the objectives of Santander Bank is first to improve business performance on the basis of mission statement and provide right people for right job in all departments. Develop organizational culture To achieve Santanders objective there should be improve cultural environment of Abbey National Bank so that it can helpful to employees and provide right information with communication channels. Competitive advantage As competitive advantage, there should be hire such people who are more skilful and professional basis are strong and that can participate to achieve objectives of Santander Bank. (2011 EzineArticles.com) Analyse the business factors that underpin the new human resource planning in  Abbey National Government policies: UK Government policies are changing policies for banking industry due to current economic conditions in the world. There should be develop new policies for employees and develop their skills according to requirements of bank.   Because Government has cut HSMP immigration system and no more high skilled people can enter in UK due to current recession and pressure of population.   Business Competition As business competition, Abbey National Bank should be hire such people which are more educational and high skills who can achieve requirements of jobs. There should be made a strategy to develop employees skills according to   Location of operation In UK, in some areas are not more business type, for example in towns there are not more business activities and while in these are there should be opened new branches for customers and provide best services to public. Assess the human resource requirements for next two years In the next two years Human Resource requirements will be as well: Identifying personnel requirements (numbers, skill sets, experience, qualifications) Match personnel to organisational requirements; Internal factors: Employees development For Abbey National Bank, in next two years Human Resource requirements are basis market situation and compete competitors.   While employees development is very important so that we can get competence advantage over competitors. For example, Barclays, HSBC, Nationwide and other banks in UK are use different policies for development of employees. Skill requirements: On the basis of skills for the next two years HR requirements, provide high skills employees to organization and develop different approaches so that employees can achieve objectives of Abbey National Bank. External factors: Government policies: UK Government policies are changing with the passage of time and during for next two years there should be hire highly skilled people who can contribute for success of Abbey National Bank. Education For the HR requirements, there will be need to provide short term and long term courses to employees from different top ranking institutions of UK. So that, employees personal skills and professional development can achieve and there will be more chances of competency advantage over competitors in future.   Training: Training of employees is a base to provide better performance and achieve determine objectives.   In Abbey National Bank, there should be made more plans for employees training and for best results provide different methods for example customer care and customer feedback approaches also helpful for Abbey National Bank. Process of developing a human resources plan for Abbey National First, we should understand demands of HR department and then we can determine a plan for   Abbey National Bank.   In current market situation and economic recession there should be hire high skills people who can understand and can drive Abbey National Bank in right direction and to achieve determine goals by HR policies and practices.   New employees should be hire only in this condition that there will be need more staff and there is no more chances to promote current employees means current employees cannot match job criteria. While there should be also provide best training to current employees and match their performance with determine standard which is defined in objectives of   Abbey National Bank. (2000-2010, 2011 Buzzle.com) Present a critical evaluation on how the human resources plan can contribute to meeting an Abbey Nationals objectives HR contribution to meeting can provide as follows: Employees performance: Human Resource plan can contribute to Abbey Nationals objectives by improve employees performance and evaluate on different scales. Customers feedback: Provide best products and services to customers and consider them as basic and focus on customers satisfaction. Then take feed back from customers and comments of customers about products and services. New ideas for workforce development By using Human Resources plan, Abbey National Bank can drive its employees in right direction and can get its objectives which are determined in mission statement. Explain the purpose of Human Resource Management Policies in organisations Human resource management is playing vital role in Abbey National Bank.   Its purpose not only select people for right job but utilize their competency and develop skills which can compete to other competitors in banking industry.   The skills that are necessary to meet the organizational goals are developed in employees. This point is considered during the planning phase and included in the policies devised for meeting goals. Nowadays, the human resource department does much more than just recruiting employees for the company. Using the human resource effectively in order to give bank a competitive advantage and completing the set targets, are some of the priorities. The mission statements reflect the strategies, goals and the overall approach of companies. The values inherited and the policies redefined   by firms are based on the mission statements; which are the driving force thatmotivatethe employees to move ahead. (2000-2010,2011 Buzzle.com) Analyse the impact of regulatory requirements on human resource policies in an organisation The effects and impacts of laws and regulations on the plans of businesses cannot be overemphasized as the above indicate. Recent insurance scandal in Britains oldest insurance company, Equitable, nearly caused its demise.   Equitables crisis is alleged to have started as a result of loopholes in regulation governing British insurance industry when it emerged that it did not have sufficient funds to honour guaranteed annuity policies to a large group of policyholders. The immediate impact on the Equitable insurance was that a court ruled that it closes all new businesses meaning a fall in services leading to huge debts and also lost of trust and market position to the insurance community and public as a whole which will inevitably force the mutual company to change its business plans and operations.   In the UK, the recent spate of financial scandals leading to loss of pensions for retired workers has prompted the government to put forward a bill in parliament to avoid future los s of pension funds to retired workers. Analyse the impact of organisational structure Organizational structure refers to the way people are organized Culture The behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a workplace are itsculture. The culture and structure of an organization affect one another. A structure appropriate to the organization helps to develop a healthy culture. Communication In companies with rigid structures, communication tends to follow reporting lines. In companies with flatter structures, communication may occur more easily across departments. Job Satisfaction Studies have found arelationshipbetween job satisfaction and organizational structure. Organizations with flatter structures may foster more feelings of self-actualization and create less anxiety in employees. Customer Relations Relationshipswith customers may suffer if departmental relationships cause the customer difficulty in getting problems addressed. Multi-functional teams that can answer a customers questions and resolve issues have a positive effect on customer satisfaction. Projects Organizational structure impacts the success of a companys projects. If project personnel also perform routine operational work, it may be difficult for them to focus on projects and meet schedules. If the flow of information across departments is difficult, it may affect ability to share resources effectively. Analyse the impact of organisational culture Analyzing organizational culture can occur on many different levels. On the theoretical level, one of the foremost individuals on the study and analyzing organizational culture is Dutch sociologist and writer Geert Hofstede. Hofstedes studies of how corporations and companies function most effectively is compared to how a good company had many comparisons to a successfully run nation, and how the culture of a people had an effect on organizational culture, and vice-versa. When a company is not running to its full potential, there are various reasons that a culture may not be working. The CEO may want to chart an aggressive course looking to be willing to take chances and to exploit every little opportunity, while the mid level managers might be prone to avoiding uncertaintyand thus play it way too safe. The organizational culture can be one of the most important factors in whether a large corporation succeeds or fails, but it is also one of the hardest things to change about a company since by its very definition organizational culture is shared throughout the entire company. This is why success tends to breed success while a sinking company is so hard to turn around, even if huge changes are made at the top. On a practical level, especially with a quick turnaround or shift in culture as the eventual goal, there are a few things to keep in mind. One is feedback. Setting up a system of quick feedback means someone at the top can get a quick, if not instant, response to a program or situation. Sometimes if a bad situation, such as a CEO who tended to over micro-manage, gets removed, then that simple action can provide an instant feedback, or in that case an instant response to the removal of bad influence. A good leader will be able to ride this early momentum to at least set the base of a new style of organizational culture. When analyzing organizational culture, you also want to figure out what types of managers and workers you have on every level, and: a) what type of organizational culture can maximize their abilities for the larger good of the company, or b) if the workers and supervisors already in place simply do not have the ability to shift to the organizational culture that is best. Analysing both strengths and weaknesses can help determine where a company is, and what direction it can most effectively head towards. A company with a very strong culture wants to make sure it doesnt go so far that no new ideas are let into the conversation. This would kill innovation. Likewise, in a company with a weak culture, if bureaucracy is a problem, while eliminating the unnecessary layers, your company still has to function. Analysing organizational culture can be difficult, but it is a process that is well worth undertaking. Examine how the effectiveness of human resources management could be monitored in Abbey National Bank An important aspect of Abbey National Banks focus and direction towards achieving high levels of competency and competitiveness would depend very much upon their human resource management practices to contribute effectively towards profitability, quality, and other goals in line with the mission and vision of the bank Staffing, training, compensation and performance management are basically important tools in the human resources practices that shape the organizations role in satisfying the needs of its stakeholders. Stakeholders of an organization comprise mainly of stockholders who will want to reap on their investments, customers whose wants and desires for high quality products or services are met, employees who want their jobs in the organization to be interesting with reasonable compensation and reward system and lastly, the community who would want the company to contribute and participate in activities and projects relating to the environmental issues. A comprehensive Human Resource Strategy plays a vital role in the achievement of Abbey National Banks overall strategic objectives and visibly illustrates that the human resources function fully understands and supports the direction in which the organisation is moving. A comprehensive HR Strategy will also support other specific strategic objectives undertaken by the marketing, financial, operational and technology departments. Right people in right place There should be select right people for right job while there should be select talented people to achieve objectives of bank. Right mix of skills: In Abbey National Bank employees skills should also be evaluate according to achieve competency advantage in market. Employees are developed in the right way: For the development and rise up performance of employees there should also be use different tools and training programmes so that employees can compete and doing their jobs according jobs descriptions. (2011 EzineArticles) (10.4.4) Make justified Recommendations to improve the effectiveness of human resources Management Work of Human resource management is not end on reqruite people and pay them and discharge rather than which people are working in Abbey National Bank they should be utilised them according to objectives of organization. While there should also get competence advantage over competitors in market by provide best customer focus strategy. Employee attitude surveys: For the effectiveness of human resources management in Abbey National Bank there should be surveys about employee that they are satisfied about their jobs and they are working according Abbey National Bank objectives. Benchmarking HR performance: To achieve human resource effectiveness there should be benchmarking system for HR performance and evaluate and redefine all activities which are determined in objectives of Abbey National Bank.

Free Essays - Animal Farm :: Animal Farm

Animal Farm By George Orwell The theme of Animal Farm is not difficult to follow with in the book. The allegory of history that was during the time of the books development, Orwell intended to criticize the communist regime he saw sweeping through Russia and spreading to Europe and even the United States.   Though he agreed with many Marxist principles, Orwell was unable to accept the communist interpretation of socialism because he saw many similarities between the communist governments and the previous czarist regimes in old Russia.   Communism, he thought, was inherently hypocritical. In his book, Orwell uses his allegorical farm to symbolize the communist system.   Though the original intention of overthrowing Mr. Jones (who represents the Czars), is not inherently evil in itself, Napoleon’s subsequent adoption of nearly all of Mr. Jones’ principles and harsh mistreatment of the animals proves to the reader that indeed communism is not equality, but just another form of inequality.   The pigs and dogs take most of the power for themselves, thinking that they are the best administrators of government.   Eventually the power corrupts them, and they turn on their fellow animals, eliminating competitors through propaganda and bloodshed.   This is of course a reference to Stalin, who murdered many of his own people in order to maintain his dictatorship of Russia.   Because Animal Farm was written, it opened the eyes of the Western world to finally realize the danger of communism.   Soon a Cold War began between the world’s greatest superpowers— the Soviet Union and the United States.   In the end, America would prove that capitalism and democracy could outlive a system of government-mandated equality. As Orwell’s presentation within in the book, many animals were used to symbolize different public figures in that time frame. Each animal had an outstanding role through out this book from the pigs to the pigeons each with their own mischief characters. Mr. Jones: Mr. Jones is Orwell’s chief villain in Animal Farm. Of course Napoleon is also the major villain, however much more indirectly. Orwell says that at one time Jones was actually a decent master to his animals. At this time the farm was thriving. But in recent years the farm had fallen on harder times (symbol of the world-wide Great Depression of the 30’s) and the opportunity was seen to revolt. The worldwide depression began in the United States when the stock market crashed in October of 1929. Free Essays - Animal Farm :: Animal Farm Animal Farm By George Orwell The theme of Animal Farm is not difficult to follow with in the book. The allegory of history that was during the time of the books development, Orwell intended to criticize the communist regime he saw sweeping through Russia and spreading to Europe and even the United States.   Though he agreed with many Marxist principles, Orwell was unable to accept the communist interpretation of socialism because he saw many similarities between the communist governments and the previous czarist regimes in old Russia.   Communism, he thought, was inherently hypocritical. In his book, Orwell uses his allegorical farm to symbolize the communist system.   Though the original intention of overthrowing Mr. Jones (who represents the Czars), is not inherently evil in itself, Napoleon’s subsequent adoption of nearly all of Mr. Jones’ principles and harsh mistreatment of the animals proves to the reader that indeed communism is not equality, but just another form of inequality.   The pigs and dogs take most of the power for themselves, thinking that they are the best administrators of government.   Eventually the power corrupts them, and they turn on their fellow animals, eliminating competitors through propaganda and bloodshed.   This is of course a reference to Stalin, who murdered many of his own people in order to maintain his dictatorship of Russia.   Because Animal Farm was written, it opened the eyes of the Western world to finally realize the danger of communism.   Soon a Cold War began between the world’s greatest superpowers— the Soviet Union and the United States.   In the end, America would prove that capitalism and democracy could outlive a system of government-mandated equality. As Orwell’s presentation within in the book, many animals were used to symbolize different public figures in that time frame. Each animal had an outstanding role through out this book from the pigs to the pigeons each with their own mischief characters. Mr. Jones: Mr. Jones is Orwell’s chief villain in Animal Farm. Of course Napoleon is also the major villain, however much more indirectly. Orwell says that at one time Jones was actually a decent master to his animals. At this time the farm was thriving. But in recent years the farm had fallen on harder times (symbol of the world-wide Great Depression of the 30’s) and the opportunity was seen to revolt. The worldwide depression began in the United States when the stock market crashed in October of 1929.

life after 9/11 :: essays research papers

or most of us, airports are the only places where life has really changed since 9/11. The terminal has become a vast theater of the absurd where aspiring passengers line up halfway back to town. The shoes of little old ladies are gravely removed and inspected. Men in suits take their cell phones out of the bag and put their laptop computers into the bag—no, wait, cell phones in and computers out. Random passengers stand spread-eagled while strangers say to them softly, "Now I'm going to run my hands around your waist. Is that all right?" Somewhere unseen, a food-service worker is assembling plastic knives but metal forks in meals headed for first class. And all the while the public-address system hectors us to "report any suspicious activity." Many people, understandably skeptical about these quasi-religious rituals, have stopped flying instead. Others are thinking about moving out of New York and other big cities, and some have done so. These are responses more in keeping with the scale and drama of the episode that provoked them, but they may not make any more sense. David G. Myers of Hope College in Holland, Mich., calculated that terrorists would have to hijack 50 planes a year and kill everyone aboard before flying would be more dangerous than driving an equal distance. The steps we have taken to protect ourselves from terrorism (not counting the military effort to stop it at the source) seem either farcically trivial or farcically excessive. Is there a rational middle ground? Dealing rationally with the risks of terrorism is hard for several reasons. First, human beings are bad at assessing small risks of large catastrophes. And Americans are especially bad at this because we are Americans, and catastrophes are not supposed to happen to us. Our legal culture, our political culture and our media culture all push us toward excessive caution by guaranteeing that any large disaster will produce an orgy of hindsight. Lawyers will sue, politicians will hold hearings, newspapers and newsmagazines will publish overexcited revelations about secret memos that could be interpreted as having warned of this if held up to the light at a certain angle. Second, the actual risk of being a terror victim is not merely small—it is unknown and unknowable. Economists make a distinction between "risk" and "uncertainty." Risk refers to hard mathematical odds. Uncertainty refers to situations in which the odds are anybody's guess

Essay on Song of Solomon: The Names of a Society -- Song Solomon essay

Song of Solomon: The Names of a Society    Think of a time when the black society was still getting used to the word freedom and the white society hated the thought of it. The book Song of Solomon, written by Toni Morrison in 1977, takes place in Michigan on the shores of Lake Superior. The book emphasizes the racial and social tensions between blacks and whites between the 1930s and the 1960s. The Dead family goes through many phases of self-discovery throughout the story. In an effort to hide his southern, working class roots, Macon Dead, an upper-class northern black businessman tries to insulate his family from the danger and despair of the rank and file blacks with whom he shares the neighborhood. Macon can not keep this from influencing his family when he learns that his son has different plans. The book introduces many characters that have received their names from yearnings, events, mistakes, and weaknesses. Some of these names are out of respect and others are given by certain occurrences. Mostly the names are used i n defiance to the "cracker society". The black society used this term to relate to the "white society".    The Dead family lives on a street officially named "Mains Avenue". The only black doctor in town lived on this street and it soon became known as "Doctor Street". Soon it became the unofficial name of the street known not only to the doctor's patients, but also to the rest of the black citizens of the town. White legislators soon put a stop to the incorrect naming of the street and posted notices forbidding incorrect references to it in the black neighborhood. The notices stated that the avenue "would always be known as Mains Avenue and not Doctor Street"(p. 4). In a subtle retaliation, the ci... ...ack society in those days. They kept and used names that the cracker society would forget about in a few days. By keeping such names the black community quietly defied conformation to the white society.    This novel illustrates how the human spirit can not be dominated. The black community is able to fill in the empty spaces, which the "other society" is not able to enter into or relate to. When Milkman thinks back of all of the people that he had met on his journey it reflects the essence of the novel, " Names they got from yearnings, gestures, flaws, events, mistakes, weaknesses. Names that bore witness"(p. 330). The African American population found a way to allow for life and spirit in a world controlled by "crackers". Their defiance shows that the human spirit is unstoppable.    Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: First Plume Printing, 1987.

Coke and Pepsi Learn to Compete in India

1. The political environment in India has proven to be critical to company performance for both PepsiCo and Coca-Cola India. What specific aspects of the political environment have played key role? Could these effects have been anticipated prior to market entry? If not, could developments in the political arena have been handled better by each company? Answer The political environment have played key role as follow: – Indian government viewed as unfriendly to foreign investors.Outside investment had been allowed only in high-tech sectors and was almost entirely prohibited in consumer goods sectors. The â€Å"Principle of indigenous available† If an item could be obtained anywhere else within the country, imports of similar items were forbidden. This made Indian consumers had a little choice of products or brands and no guarantees of quality or reliability. – Indian Laws, the government mandated that Pepsi’s products be promoted under the â€Å"Lehar Pepsi † name. For Coca-Cola, they attempted to enter into Indian market by joining with Parle and became â€Å"Coca-Cola India†Some of these effects may have been anticipated, especially foreseeing the corruption within Indian government. Taking that into account more proactively might have helped Coca-Cola avoid hardships in the past. As far as the contamination issues goes, that might not have been so easy to anticipate. Both companies held their own when trying to prove their products were within safe limits compared to other food products. They could developments in political arena; Coke could agreed to start new bottling plants instead of buying out Parle, and thus wouldn’t agreed to sell 49% of their equity.2. Timing of entry into the Indian market brought different results for PepsiCo and Coca-Cola India. What benefits or disadvantages accrued as a result of earlier or later market entry? AnswerPepsi early entry than Coca-Cola so it must be different in benefits and disadvantages between them in timing of entry into the Indian market: Pepsi: Advantage – It could enter into market before Coca-Cola so it could gain a foothold in the market while it was still developing. Disadvantages – It was forced to change its name to Lahar Pepsi.And government limited its soft drink sales to less than 25% of total sales. Coca-Cola:Advantages – It could buy 4 bottling plants from industry leader (Parle). It also bought Parle’s leading brands such as Thums Up, Limca, Citra, Gold Spot and Mazaa. And it could set up 2 new ventures with Parle to bottle and market product. Disadvantages – It denied to entry in Indian market until 1993 because Pepsi was already there, so it was not easy to establish the market share with Pepsi.3. The India market is enormous in terms of population and geography.How have the two companies responded to the sheer scale of operations in India in terms of product policies, promotional activities, p ricing policies, and distribution arrangements? Answer Product Policies Coca-Cola and Pepsi launched different product lines for attractive to the Indian consumer tastes. They started with product lines that were already available, such as cola, fruit drinks, and carbonated water. And they introduced new products such as Sprite and bottled water. Promotion Activities – Pepsi and Coca-Cola adapted themselves to the local market with promotions.Pepsi: They promoted heavily during the cultural festival of Navrarti by offering people fetch one kilo of Basmati rice with every refill of a case of Pepsi. This is an effective strategy to exchange between the old (rice) and the new (Pepsi). On the other side, Coca-Cola offers free passes, and giveaway as well as vacations to Goa, a famous resort in India for promoting its product. Pricing Policies – Pepsi launched with an aggressive pricing policy to attempt to get immediate market share from Indian rivals. For, Coca-Cola reduc ed prices nationwide by 15-25% to make them affordable and to access the market share easily.Distribution Arrangements – Production plants and bottling centers were strategically placed in large cities all around India. They were more added as demand grew, along with new product lines. In Coca-Cola’s case, the JV with Parle provided access to its bottling plants and its products. By forming partnerships, both Coca-Cola and Pepsi were able to get initial access into the market.4. â€Å"Global localization† (glocalization) is a policy that both companies have implemented successfully. Give example for each company from the case.Answer Pepsi – Pepsi forms joint venture when first entering India with two local partners, Voltas and Punjab Agro, forming â€Å"Pepsi Foods Ltd†. In 1990, Pepsi Foods Ltd. changed the name of their product to â€Å"Lehar Pepsi† to conform to foreign collaboration rules. In keeping with local tastes, Pepsi launched its Lehar 7UP in the clear lemon category. Moreover, Pepsi is most effective glocalization strategy has been sponsoring world famous Indian athletes. Coca-Cola – Firstly, joined forces with the local snack food producer Britannia Industry Indai Ltd. in the early 90’s.Then, Coca-Cola formed a joint venture with the market leader Parle in 1993. For the festival of Navrartri, Coca-Cola issued free passes to the celebration in each of its â€Å"Thums Up† bottles. It also ran special promotions where people could win free vacations to Goa, a resort state in western India. Furthermore, Coca-Cola also hired many famous Bollywood actors to guarantee its products.5. How can Pepsi and Coke confront the issues of water use in the manufacture of their products? How can they defuse further boycotts or demonstrations against their products?How effective are activist groups like the once that lunch the campaign in California? Should Coke Address the group directly or just let the furor subside? AnswerMany failures of both Pepsi and Coca-Cola experienced due to the unforeseen external environment, including the boycott placed on American and British Goods following the Second Gulf War in 2003. Firstly, Pepsi and Coca-Cola should have more focused on its products. The market still hasn’t taken off so they need to penetrate harder. In 2003, India’s annual consumption rate was still a poor seven per person.Specifically, Pepsi spent very small amounts on its 7UP marketing campaigns in India due to its relatively low market size (4. 5%). Advertising dollars should be pumped more freely and strategically if they want to see a return on investment. Next, they should be defined more specifically in their target markets. Coca-Cola separates its markets as â€Å"India A† and â€Å"India B†. This is too broad and lacks focus. We can differentiate demographics by gender, race, age, interests, job, and location. Then, Coca-Cola entered the mar ket at a wrong time because they had to agree to abide by all of the Foreign Investment Laws of that year.To avoid having to sell its 49% stake though, Coca-Cola should have agreed to set up Greenfield bottling units instead, as Pepsi did. Further, Coca-Cola lost valuable market share by entering the beverage market after Pepsi. By the time Coca-Cola was fully owned in 1993, Pepsi had already amassed a 26% market share. By continuing to apply for extensions and attempting to deny voting rights for the Indian stake, Coca-Cola was only tarnishing its public image and destroying its relationship with the government. When entering into a foreign market, maintaining a good relationship with the host country’s government is crucial.6. Which of the two companies do you think has better long-term prospects for success in India? AnswerIn my opinion, Pepsi will fare better than Coca-Cola in the long run because Pepsi has better in marketing and advertising. It’s also more widely accepted from consumers because it came in this market early so this could make Pepsi got more market share than Coca-Cola.7. What lessons can each company draw from its India experience as it contemplates into other Big Emerging Markets? AnswerFor Coca-Cola, firstly, it must consider more in dealing with government and also establish a good relationship with government. And it must pay attention for investment in quality products. For Pepsi, it must keep their products with local taste, and it should be focus on market trends in that area, celebrity appeal makes for exceptional advertising, and it must keep up with emerging trends in the market as well.8. Comment on the decision of both Pepsi and Coke to enter the bottled water market instead of –continuing to focus on their core products carbonated beverages and cola-based drinks in particular. AnswerPepsi and Coca-Cola did successful in continuing to research emerging trends and implementing them. Pepsi created smaller bo ttles to keep up with the trend of high frequency/ high volume consumption. Coca-Cola launched the â€Å"minis† in an effort for higher volume. So, they should keep a close watch on the advertising campaign effectiveness, and research on pleasant of the advertising for intention to buy.This measure ensured that advertising dollars were being strategically allocated and not wasted. Moreover, they must to consist of establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing non-alcoholic, carbonated beverages, mineral waters and concentrates and syrups for the manufacture of carbonated beverages. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing fruit juices and non-carbonated fruit drinks are classified in canned and Preserved Fruit and Vegetable Industry.