Fast Food Contain Harmful Food Additives Essay

In America, fast food chains are a significant symbol of the American traditional food trends which expand widely and grow fast all over the world. Thus, a large number of Americans eat fast food as their daily diet. However, these tasty fast foods are highly processed foods which are filled with plenty of chemicals, additives and preservatives. By adding these additives and artificial flavorings into fast foods, so the food is attractive and also tasty. Fast food companies, like McDonald, attract customers’ attention by using various advertisements to make their products look good and also selling these delicious foods at low prices. Many people do not realize the negative side of those unhealthy and processed fast food meals that contain lots of unsafe additives, which can lead to bad health effects and shorter life. For instance, all the burgers and beverages that people consume in the fast food restaurant are risky to people’s health because of food additives. According to Fast Food Nation, â€Å"Without this flavor industry, today’s fast food industry could not exist† (Schlosser 120). It is significant that artificial flavor is one essential element which use in the fast food industry and helps to operate fast food business successfully and permanently. After World War II, a vast flavor industry invented processed food that was popular and widely used by American. The flavor additives create more demand since it benefits both consumer and businessman in some ways. For example, most food additives are cheap and functional so that companies are willing to buy and add it into food to reduce the cost of product and gain more business benefit. Because of the low cost, the company is able to lower the price of fast food in order to appeal more customers to buy. As a result, many customers choose to consume more fast food in order to save money; Fast food companies added various chemical flavors and manufactured coloring additives into diverse foods and beverages. Chicken McNugget is one of the popular foods serviced in the McDonald meal. The fair outward appearance, crispy skin and tender meat of Chicken McNuggets are a big part of what makes people feel more enjoyable to eat it. The chicken nugget is not simply a piece of fried chicken but more than that. So what is really in the chicken nuggets in McDonald? To answer this question, we might look at the great amount of ingredients of chicken nuggets. It is surprising to see that there are not only chicken but numerous other components which are almost unfamiliar with us, such as sodium aluminum phosphate, TBHQ and bleaching wheat flour. Basically, this small piece of Chicken McNugget only has 50% of what is called the real chicken, and chemical and additives make up the other half. Many additional additives are used in Chicken McNuggets’ ingredient now, and I would show only a few of the most common ones here. First of all, sodium aluminum phosphate and sodium acid pyrophosphate are the primary components of a baking power as chemical leavening agents. They are food additives that are mostly and widely used in food industry for many baked products. It accelerates food to yeast faster in order to save time, as well as affects the final texture, flavor and moisture of food. (Longe P43) Sodium aluminum phosphate is released slowly during the fermentation period, which â€Å"enhancing the properties of the formula ingredients†. (Leavening Agents) â€Å"Sodium acid pyrophosphate is also a slower reacting acid and is used in refrigerated biscuit dough recipe. † (Longe P45) As a result, the product will have a crispy taste and fine texture. Likewise, McDonald Company adds these chemical materials into Chicken McNugget to make it taste better. However, both of these agents are harmful to people’s health. For instance, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate is a toxic drug that could cause people’s mental problem, such as memory loss, and confusion. A direct possible consequence of eating these additive-containing foods frequently may lead to Alzheimer’s disease and osteoporosis. Second, â€Å"the most alarming ingredient in a Chicken McNugget is TBHQ, which is an anti-oxidant derived from petroleum that is either sprayed directly on the nugget for keeping its shelf time longer. (Pollan P113) Moreover, TBHQ helps the food to â€Å"maintain its freshness, minimize nutritional losses in edible oils, and preserve the present color of iron and metal complexes†. (Shree Additives) Obviously, the effective functions of TBHQ makes fast food industry often use this artificial additive in thousand food products. Chicken McNuggets are just one of the fast foods that contain TBHQ. The result from consuming processing foods with TBHQ can lightly cause â€Å"nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse. (Pollan P114) It can even lead to death if you ingest too much fast food with TBHQ. Last but not least, McNuggets also contain bleaching wheat flour which is one of the ingredients often used in McNugget and other productions. As we know, flour is used to improve the gluten baking quality. The food industry adds flour bleaching agent in order to make the product appear whiter and fresher. Also, the function of this agent is to maintain the foods’ stability, food color and improve the structure forming capacity, allowing the product produce higher proportions of gluten and sugar. Flour Bleaching Agent) During the bleaching processing, most nutrients are destroyed and removed from the grain, and then produce amounts of alloxan. â€Å"The fact of alloxan is a product of the decomposition of uric acid which is used to produce diabetes in healthy experimental animals, so as to help researchers to study diabetes treatments in the lab. † (The Little-Known Secrets about Bleaching Flour†¦ ) It turns out that the nutritional value of food has been lost and we are actually eating the sugar what cause us fat and led to diabetes. According to recent research, alloxan is also a poison which may lead to the country’s diabetes epidemic and other chronic diseases in America. Even though this bleaching agent has a great impact on food industry, we still cannot neglect the negative effect of this additive. Base on the ingredients in McNugget I mentioned above, it would be easy to think that McNugget as final product has been processed through many chemical mechanics and scientific methods which change the actual â€Å"meaning† of the chicken nugget. In other words, it is hard to tell how much actual chicken goes into a real nugget. We have such tasty chicken nuggets available for us anytime because of these food additives. These nasty ingredients and harmful chemicals make people fat and cause serious illness or even death. Imagine how much chemicals and additives are contained in a little piece of Chicken McNugget that could easily endanger people’s health. So I wonder if other fast foods may contain the same dangerous or more harmful additives in its ingredient which lead to more health problems. In conclusion, fast food chains play a vital role in the U. S’s health problems, people should to be up in arms with our government in order to fight against these hazardous chemicals to be used in fast food restaurants. Fast foods are rich in food additives that can badly affect people’s health as it cause cancer, nervous system damage, birth defects, and much more. From my point view, I think that we should avoid the fast food, and especially the overconsumption of fast food, in order to pursue a healthy life style.

Management and Golden Rule

At work, we should always be aware of the ones that do not appear to be ethical with decisions made for the company. Golden Rule 1 Samuel 19:1-3: How does Jonathan live by the Golden Rule in disclosing this information to David? Saul is on the hunt to kill David, but Jonathan, the son of Saul, is very fond of David. So Jonathan tells David about the plan and tells him to go hide. Jonathan Is living by the Golden Rule by telling Jonathan of the plan, because he feels that he should warn Jonathan as he would Like the same done to him if the tables were turned.In the working place, you should always show your coworkers respect and you would want the same In return. Causes Significant Harm Samuel 16:1-3: Does Samuel have a duty to disclose this Information to Saul? If not, why? No Samuel does not have a duty to disclose this information, because the Lord, the most high, has asked him to do this. The Lord is the highest leader and his rules should be followed. Sometimes you are asked to f ulfill a task at work in confidence.When asked by the team leader, rules should be followed. Chapter Eleven 1. Human Dignity Isaiah 58:3: Why doesn't God hear the prayers of these managers? God doesn't hear the prayers of these managers because they are fasting, but the fasting ends with arguments and fist fights among each other. They cannot expect to be rewarded for these things. Getting along with each other In the office Is essential to get the Job done. One cannot be rewarded when each other cannot get along. 2.Reciprocity Daniel 2:48-49, 6:1-4: Why is Daniel promoted? What admirable characteristics does he display? Daniel was promoted by the King because he was able to interpret his dream. The dream was interpreted correctly, and the King promoted him. Daniel displays dignity and loyalty to the king and all of its wise men. Being loyal to your am members promotes dignity and trust among the workplace. 3. Servant Leadership Mathew 20:24-28: What are the primary characteristics of Jesus' view of leadership?His primary characteristic view is servant leadership. Leadership is based on power and self-interest. Authority is not an avenue for self-promotion but should be used to serve others. Being a leader you should still have respect for your team. 4. Gift Recognition Acts 6:1-6: Why are these seven men chosen to become early church leaders? These seven were chosen because they were spiritual and full of wisdom. These leaders

Gift Giving in Japan

Anthrop 525 Term Paper Yi Min Yeng ( Leon ) Katherine Rupp began the study of Japan and Japanese when she was an undergraduate at Princeton University as noted in the Acknowledge portion of the book, Gift-Giving in Japan: Cash, Connections. Cosmologies. After that she had her graduated training in the University of Chicago funded by the National Science Foundation and the University itself, including one year of support from the Committee on Japanese Studies. Before the writing of this book, Katherine Rupp took twenty months of field work In Japan which is funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education.She finally completed the manuscript of Gift-Giving in Japan as a postdoctoral associate of the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University in the Anthropology Department (Rupp 2003). Much like Mauss, Katherine Rupp is interested in the cultural effect of the gift giving and exchanges in Japan. She too believes that there is a social and cosmic order, much like Marcel Mauss’s total social phenomenon that it influences people but is also shape by the individuals. She focuses on the content of gift giving considers historical changes in gift exchange practice and differences in giving among groups.Like Mauss, provokes thought on our own practices of exchange, gift and otherwise (Citation). She spent eighteen months of intensive scientific field works in Tokyo metropolitan area and also short term research on other parts of Japan by interviewing experts such as authors of gift giving books, Buddhists and Shinto priests, departmental and funeral home employees, workers and different classes of families. All these because she seeks to understand multiple questions such as â€Å"Why do people give as much, as often, and in the particular ways that they do? Why do some people reject giving and receiving?How do attitudes towards practice of giving relate to considerations of age, class, gender, geographic area, occupation, and religion? †¦ In What ways ca n these study of gifts in Japan contribute to the field of gifts and exchange in anthropology? † (Rupp 2003:2). Other than that, she conducted observational studies on festivals, election rallies, house building ritual and other kinds of ceremonies with gift giving integrated in it. Besides using comparative methods, the use of statistic is also incorporated such as recording the amount and value of gift received and purchased on different events.She believes that the recent anthropological attention of the strong contrast between commodities and gifts are not distinctively unrelated but are interconnected (Rupp 2003:182). The Gift Giving in Japan can be separated into six chapters. The book first emphasized the importance of gift giving in various ways such as pointing out reasons and giving the enormous examples of gift giving. People in Japan feel obligated and burdened when they receives gifts, some even avoid visiting their hometown or decide not to enclose the informatio n to people when they do.Gift giving on the other hand is very crucial to the macroeconomic level as well as departmental stores earn most of their profits during ceremonial festivals throughout the years such as ‘gosekku’ the five seasonal celebrations, new year, Christmas eve and Valentine’s day (Rupp 2003:2,119). Rupp too focused on examples of gift giving such as wedding gifts and returns sent to Mrs. Ueda, Mr. Hoshino’s house building ceremonial gift and returns, Mr. Ishiyasama’s father’s funeral gifts and returns, Mr. Tanabe declination of gifts and lastly gift categorizing of â€Å"meaningless† gifts, travel gifts, and seasonal gifts from Mrs.Inoue. All these examples raise questions of relationships, the level of gratitude, and the influence of class between giving and receiving that will be explained on further chapters (Rupp 2003:33). Second chapter focus on the question raised previously with the emphasize in strength of rel ationship, gratitude and hierarchy. The value of the gift varies with the strength of the relationship. At times of celebration, those who bring enormous gifts are usually close friends or relatives and those who hardly brought anything are superficial friends or unfamiliar relatives most of the time.For example during the house building ceremony people that are Mr. Hoshino’s true friends gave more than his superficial friends. And that those who gave a higher value of gift in order to create stronger relationship can be precarious as sometimes it can distant one from the receiver causing a backfire (Rupp 2003:36). Secondly, gift value can increase enormously as a form of gratitude to show appreciation for the receiver. For example, Mr. Hoshino received a large sum of money during his house building ceremony from his cousin because his wife had been taking care of his mum (Rupp 2003:41).Lastly, the social class of a person can influence the value of gifts. A person with a hig her hierarchy is obligated to give a higher value of gift compared to a lower one. On the other hand, they are also able to receive higher value of gifts as well. During Mrs Ueda’s son’s wedding, his superior in the company who made the decision to hire him gave them a gift worth a hundred thousand yen which is compared to be higher than average, yet he received three hundred thousand yen in return as a form of gratitude also because of his superior ranking.In order to understand and interpret the meaning of gifts it is crucial to understand the three main factors which are relationship, gratitude and hierarchies that influence the value of gift giving (Rupp 2003:50). Gifts are not only given in considering of value, as not all items with high values symbolize auspiciousness for certain events. Gift giving practices are implemented during life and seasonal cycle practices and are considered highly important.These rites of passages vary in places and modern cities such as Tokyo considers these practices burdensome, old fashioned and irrelevant where else people in Warabi observed these practices for generations (Rupp 2003: 53). There are three important life cycles which are birth, marriage and death which all three will be given bowls of rice packed into a mound sphere shape symbolizing total consumption and breaking of relationship and it was considered inauspicious not to do it. For the birth of a child, it meant it means separation from the world of the dead.A woman consumes bowls of rice symbolizing separation from her side of family and lastly the dead is separated from the live world when a bowl of rice is given to the deceased. But as time passes, history changes and most of the people do not implement some of these traditions and nor do they consider as inauspicious as before. Life cycle events are divided into happy and sad occasions. During happy occasion such as birth and marriage, bills should be new and shiny while facing up in an el aborately decorated envelope where else sad occasion such as death, bills given should be old and crumbled while facing down in another kind of envelope.Also, certain colors and method of tying a knot are used in happy and sad occasion with different meanings. For example, black or white ‘musubikiri’ knots which are knots that cannot be undone are used for funerals and red, white or gold butterfly knots are used for marriage. Returned gifts too are carefully considered as it is inappropriate to return inauspicious gifts as different items symbolize different meanings (Rupp 2003: 59). Besides life cycles, most gifts in Japan are given in related to seasonal cycles with yearend and midyear gifts with the highest percentage also there are festivals such as ‘bon’, ‘Gosekku’, ‘Higan’.Throughout the history, traditions in festivals have changed especially when the Meiji government changed most of the ritual to the worship of Shinto God i n order to bolster State Shinto and the emperor’s position (Rupp 2003:123). The book then describes the auspicious decorates people put up for each traditional festivals such as the zigzag white flags during New Years and Carp banners during ‘Gosekku’ festival, and people send auspicious gifts such as long noodles during the New Year which symbolize one life’s will extend like the long noodles (Rupp 2003:117).Other than that, gifts will be offered to the dead on ‘bon’ festival in the form of gratitude. Relatives will visit their families and company employees will visit their superiors during New Year and they will be given auspicious gifts or snacks such as the two rounded rice cakes similar to the rounded bowl rice thus reinforcing the hierarchy of their relationships (Rupp 2003: 122). Besides traditional seasonal festivals, Japan do celebrate Western holidays such as Christmas Eve, Valentine’s day, Father’s day and Mother†™s day. Christmas Eve is quite unique in Japan as it is strongly associated with romance.Heart shape decorations with bells will be decorated in the streets and young men are willing to pay over one hundred thousand yen for a date during Christmas Eve. Even though men think Valentine’s Day chocolate gift as absurd but at the same they would be secretly delighted if received. Yet these western festivals still requires return gifts similar to the traditional festivals. Interestingly enough, unlike traditional festiavals which benefits men more than women, western festivals are the only festivals that it is women who have the upper hand (Rupp 2003: 144-154).The practice of gift giving has variations of attitudes and it â€Å"vary according to regions, occupations, education, class, family background, gender, religion, and personality† (Rupp 2003:155). For example, most funerals in Warabi region returns a fixed value of gift yet funerals in Tokyo returns records each rec eived gift and returns the half value of it after forty nine days. Also, most people studied in Warabi region did receive higher education in the middle or lower class. They are straight forward and do not concern with politeness and will assume people from Tokyo are calculative concerned with ranking.Other than that, it is an assumed social fact that women have perfect knowledge in gift giving and that they are responsible for the gift giving between their husbands or other households as well. If a women who was from another region married to a men in Tokyo and do not know the region’s practices, she would be sanctioned yet people would not fault the husband which could have told her. By giving gifts from women on behalf of their husband, it â€Å"softens† the gifts and saves face for men as it is unusual for men to offer gifts to the people who are superior over them (Rupp 2003:159-161).Thus this type of gift giving system reinforced the hierarchy of men and women an d the subordination of women below men. Besides hierarchy between men and women there are practices between other subordinates and superior such as tenant and landlord, patient and doctors. People send gifts to their land lord or doctors as a form of gratitude even though there is a contract between them which the tenant or patient has already fulfilled. Interestingly enough even though hospitals forbidden gifts for doctors, patients still send cash gift certificates from high ranked departmental stores to the doctors’ house.It seems to be a bad custom according to Mrs. Inoue, yet everyone abides by it and they do not consider it as a bribe (Rupp 2003: 164). Even with people like Mr. Tanabe who declined a valuable live shrimp gift from his customer as he felt burdened are uncomfortable of calling these practices bribery (Rupp 2003: 166). Due to these norms, there is a rising of abuse of the system and forming an example of forced giving by doctors throughout Japan. There are cases that if no valued gifts are given to the doctors as a form of â€Å"gratitude†, the quality of the patient’s care will decrease dramatically.In the conclusion of the book, Rupp emphasizes that the Western concept of gift and market cannot be in the same realm and should not be applied in Japanese culture. Rupp uses Mauss’s theory of reaching back into history to seek explanation and highlight that Western culture have once been like Japanese culture which when gifts are not separated from the realm of buying and selling (Rupp 2003: 181). Japan is a place that challenges the stereotype of Western capitalist societies which are characterized almost exclusively by the commodity form with the circulation of independent transaction as alienable objects.Rupp brought up multiple reviews on Japan’s gift giving practices and evaluates those who critics it as irrelevant and misleading. Japan is a major capitalist society, yet gifts and commodities are not two different realms but entangled together. In Japan, calculation of value on an item might not always be related to the economic realm compared to the Western societies. She concludes that the practice of gift giving in Japan is not so much in relation to an individual level as it is the shaping and solidification of the social order, which then influences the individuals. Notes for review:On gift giving guan xi : purpose of Gift giving is shifting from its original meaning. Nowadays coporate gift givings are mainly aimed for illicit payments, corruption and pursuit of self interest instead of the building of ‘guan xi’ which means relationship or even providing social solidarity in macro levels. Understanding gift giving in japan page 20 the practice of gift exchange encompasses a wide range of social and cultural implications. Many purposes are served, such as fulfilling a sense of obligation to return a favor, reciprocating a favor, cultivating rapport, and enhancing a willingness to share sad and happy occasions.When the Japanese practice gift giving, they always have some reason why they wish to give a gift to another. A gift without reason is not acceptable For example, when one company in Japan wishes to do business with another company in Japan, a salesperson from the first company will visit the prospective client company and take a small gift, perhaps sweets or candy valued 1,000 yen The ‘Social Death' of Unused Gifts:  Surplus and Value in Contemporary Japan page 396 it is the sentimental value we attribute to things we have had a long-term relationship with that keeps us from disposing of them.However, my ? eldwork suggests that in Japan the propensity for not throwing things away is more affected by a feeling of duty than emotional attachment. The duty people felt towards objects is grounded in an awareness of the interrelatedness of human and nonhuman entities. In other words, things offer their service to people who, in return , should be thankful and treat objects respectfully Many people receive excessive quantities of these gifts because of the overall increase in af? ence since the economic growth of the 1970s that has led to an acceleration of the scale of the Japanese gift economy. Because the surplus of value embodied in unused gifts can only be recouped through sociality (Henderson, 2004), many tried to re-circulate their ‘unused goods’ through intimate, personal networks. These data thus question accounts that depict Japan as an hierarchical, formal society primarily grounded in ritualized gift exchange. GIFTS BRIBES AND GUAN XI page 399 Clearly guanxi can be used for instrumental purposes, and this usage is recog- nized by members of the society.However, it is referred to as the art of guanxi, be- cause the style of exchange and the appropriateness of the performance are critical to its effectiveness. The style and manner of gift exchange is not optional; rather, it is fundamental t o its operation. Although a relationship may be cultivated with in- strumental goals foremost in mind, the forms must be followed if the goals are to be achieved. The relationship must be presented as primary and the exchanges, useful though they may be, treated as only secondary.If, instead, it becomes apparent that the relationship involves only material interest and is characterized by direct and immediate payment, the exchange is classified as one of bribery Gifts, bribes and solicitions: page 522 In traditional Chinese society, relationships, quanxi, are moderated and balanced by renqing, obligations of reciprocity (Hwang, 1987). A patient receiving service from a doctor may feel obligated by renqing to reciprocate with an informal payment or gift. Alternatively, patients who desire new or continuing care from a doctor may give a gift or payment as a way of ‘‘seeking relationship’’ (Lyckholm, 1998).The rules of renqing dictate that if the keeper of a r esource accepts a petitioner’s gift, he or she now has an obligation to provide a service (Hwang, 1987). The implementation of Taiwan’s system of national health insurance (NHI) in 1995, and the introduction of concepts of consumer rights into Taiwanese culture, created tension with the tradition of informal payments (Ensor & Savelyeva, 1998). The premises of NHI—that the health care system had an a priori obligation to provide care and that doctors’ fees would be set and paid by a third party—stood in sharp contrast to the premises of renqing.This study examines how the meaning of informal payments (red envelopes), as an integral part of the doctor–patient relationship, evolved during the process of healthcare reform in Taiwan. The red envelopes discussed in this paper differ from traditional gift-giving. ‘Red envelopes,’ in the context of the doctor–patient relationship, imply the transfer of money or valuables from pat ients to doctors in return for an enhanced or improved medical encounter Dagang Write gift giving and mauss idea Good field world Then say about bribery Then conclude bribery is not same with gift giving. Why Conclusion

The Advantages of Depression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Advantages of Depression - Essay Example When a person is unhappy about something on a subconscious level, they do not realize it consciously. They continue to get unhappier and more discontent, without realizing why. Then, as a defense to letting this condition continue, the mind goes into depression. Only when the patient addresses the problem (cause of depression) consciously, does the depression end (Seligman et al, 1988). Here, one can think of depression as the minds way of bringing attention to ignored problems in the mind. It sheds light on the problems which are keeping the person from becoming happy, and refuses to let the person live normally until the problem stands addressed (Lehrer, 2010). Thus, far from a nuisance, depression is a tool of the mind to bringing a person closer to happiness. Finally, this disease also provides the patient with an advantage as far as abilities is concerned. A rather unexplained fact related to depression is that it leads to an increase in creativity. Several artists and writers from both past and present have been reported to be patients of depression. According to Nancy Andreasen, a neuroscientist who has researched extensively about this characteristic of depression, this correlation is explained by the increased levels of persistence found in patients of depression. They are able to fully concentrate on their work, and persevere with the task. This leads to a boost in their creativity enjoyed by these patients of depression (Lehrer, 2010).

Islamic Feminism as an Umbrella for Different Tendencies Research Paper

Islamic Feminism as an Umbrella for Different Tendencies - Research Paper Example Awde (2005) believes that Islamic feminists may or may not share the main tenets of Western feminism. What Feminists believe Feminists generally criticize a number of discriminatory Islamic rules. A large number of these feminists formulate their criticisms from within the Islamic framework. They profess a double allegiance, to Islam and to women rights. Doorn-Harder(2006) states that feminists generally express the belief that the divine message of Islam is inherently egalitarian. Yet, its egalitarian content has been partly or wholly destroyed by human interpretation. Souaiaia(2007) states that feminists, however, do not all think the same way or even about the same kind of problems and the immensely diversified topics under feminism are self-speaking proof of this. The issue of marriage and divorce, the veil and its necessity as an adornment for Muslim women in order to protect them from causing seduction or discomfort to the society in general, the struggles that women have faced over centuries and the pain that they have borne to make their place in the mainstream market are just a few of the issues that feminists deal with. In the pre-Islamic era and where the woes of polytheism and polyandry prospered, women were gravely burdened by highly discriminated societal views. Rituals like the killing of young girls at birth, restricting of women to household chores, giving women no right over property or land and depriving them of the most essential human rights were some of the major problems. Souaiaia(2009) claims that feminists over the years have raised questions on traditions such as the Crimes of Honor and inform the law upholders how for honour's sake; the protectors of women take away their lives and are unjustly supported by our religious scholars. According to Wilson (2011), the helplessness of a woman in a male-dominated society is a major bone of contention for feminists; a woman is merely a puppet whose strings can be tightened, loosened or even cu t by her guardians.

Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Performance Management - Essay Example Firstly I will be basing my argument on the fact that apart from financial measures ‘Non-financial indicators is likely to be used for identifying best practices within cooperative relationships’ (Patelli and Dossi, 2012). Next the team’s activities will be further related with job satisfaction and motivation as a consequence of 360 degree feedback, supervisor skills and work itself. (Shah et al, 2012) A positive relationship can be found between Job Satisfaction and motivation and Reward and Recognition, Supervision and Work itself. The fact that a healthy supervision was maintained through relative feedback and unbiased opinion through rotation of team leaders will be discussed later in the subsequent paragraphs.(Shah et al, 2012). In our 6 weeks of reading and team activities we have been taken through various stages. Every week was characterised by a unique and essential quality of team work, individual performance, relative moderation all of which sum up to g ive a first-hand experience of the following experiences: relationship between professional work and supervision( through weekly activities), supervisory skills (Through weekly rotation of the role of a leader) and balance between nature of work, reward and recognition and intrinsic motivation towards one’s job ... Performance Management in context of group activities Performance Management is not a one-dimensional activity as seen from the weekly group activities, involving not only supervision, but also assessment, emotional understanding, intellectual brainstorming seen in week 2 and 3 activities of questionnaire on a summary and the debate. In the same way Performance Management relies not just on absolute parameters and outcomes but relative analysis. As shared by one of the subsidiaries, ‘In our company, we pay much attention to information-sharing, and relative performance evaluation is one way to learn from each other’ ( Dossi and Patelli, 2012). Reflective analysis of weekly activities The diverse tasks in the first activity like: reading out a summary, comprehending the same and testing the assimilation and understanding through a rapid fire round of question, followed by subsequent critique by the leader and an open discussion gives an all-round practical exposure to Per formance and Talent Management. My group is composed of 6 participants, all of them being female. Participant A is an Australian local, participant B is another Australian local who already has a job and some work experience. Participant C is an international citizen thirty five year of age and having two children. Participants C, D and E are Chinese full time student. I am participant E. As can be observed form the above assimilation of participants. They have a balanced mix of students and professionals, young and middle aged participants, locals and foreign nationals, college graduates, undergraduates and working professionals. Various stages of Forming Storming, Norming, Confirming and

Western Civ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Western Civ - Essay Example However, this failed because the powers of the Europeans were limited. The New Imperialism occurred between the periods of 1870 to 1914. This followed the increasing interests of the industrialized European nations to venture more into other nations and colonize them. The New Imperialism majorly focused on Africa as well as Asia (Canterbury, 2010). During the period of New Imperialism, these two continents were faced with several political challenges involving decline in empires as well as wars. These left them so vulnerable thereby enabling the superior nations to colonize them. New Imperialism was caused by several reasons. These causes can be categorized into economic causes, social causes and political causes (Canterbury, 2010). Economically, there was need for the superior nations to access more natural resources and exploit them from such colonies. This meant that such countries with such resources had to be colonized in order for such countries to gain access to those resources. The other economic reason that led to New Imperialism is the need to create new markets for the goods from the colonizers (Canterbury, 2010). This aimed at expanding the market bases of the colonizers thereby contributing to strong economies back in their countries of origin. The colonies were to provide this market to the colonizers thereby informing the rise of New Imperialism. The New Imperialism also arose due to the need for the growing population in the superior countries to get places for settlement (Canterbury, 2010). The population pressure back in their countries of origin forced them to colonize other countries thereby expanding their territories. This follows that as a population increases, the place to accommodate such increases become limited. Therefore, there was need to expand the territories to accommodate the increase in population. The colonizers had massive and superior weapons that aided them in conquering the

Gender differences in entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gender differences in entrepreneurship - Essay Example Men expect women to put family handling as their top priority and preference. However, gradually women are combating this prevalence of bigotry in the society created by their counterparts. Many studies show that level of women entrepreneurship is less than men’s in many countries, however, there is a high rate of women entrepreneurship where women have no alternatives to earn for a living. Many researches and studies conducted portray that women enter into entrepreneurship as a necessity and not responding to opportunities. Entrepreneurship is a mean to culminate the skills and potential which women possess, and also it can bring forward to the world’s attention that women do not harbor less potential or competition, instead they may create healthy competition for the men too and result in economic prosperity. Entrepreneurship was once a kingdom ruled by men, but it seems that women are pacing into this kingdom too. Ayala Malach Pines, Miri Lerner, Dafna Schwartz, (2010) "Gender differences in entrepreneurship: Equality, diversity and inclusion in times of global crisis", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, Vol. 29 Iss: 2, pp.186 -

The Walt Disney Method Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Walt Disney Method - Research Paper Example He is achievements are evidenced by the creation of a successful business empire that holds its basis on the creativity he developed together with ideas. Disney’s innovative method of working remains relevant until the date and a majority of organizations still emulate the process referred to as Disney approach although it took a further development from Robert Dilts. The paper, therefore, examines Walt Disney approach as well as its usage in professional practice. The method is based on creativity with the aim directed at achieving a result that borrows from the best ideas through the elimination of the unimportant ones in the creativity process. The technique is based on Disney’s success where he managed in turning what appears as fantasies into ideas. Robert Dilts further developed the creativity technique of Disney to achieve the heights of a national language processing tool where companies across the American population perceived the method as essential in enhanci ng in achievement of organizational goals and strategies (Unamuno et al., 2007, pg 67). Organizations borrowed and still continue to borrow from the method, to enhance in presented well revised and coordinated set of ideas before embarking on any project. The most important point from Disney towards the development of the method relates looking at an issue from a different perspective as well as including all those ideas in the conclusion. Whenever Disney developed an idea for a film prepared for the public.  

Influence of Optimist and Pessimist for Success Essay Example for Free

Influence of Optimist and Pessimist for Success Essay For example, an optimist will look at a sunset and think, â€Å"Look how beautiful nature is, thank god, life is a wonderful present,† where a pessimist will look at the same one and think, â€Å"The sunset means another day of life passed over and I have one day closer to death. † It is just like an optimist seeing a half-water filled bottle as half full when the pessimist sees half empty. Scientists believe that people with an optimistic attitude towards life can be more successful than pessimists. It is no doubt about that, but people need pessimistic thinking to triumph. Despite everyone knowing optimists are more likely successful, too much optimism or over confidence will lead to negative consequences, even disaster. For example, in ancient times there were three most undoubtedly powerful and prosperous dynasties: Ancient China, Ancient Babylon and Ancient Egypt. Once Ancient China ruled the world. Over a period of 5,000 years the Chinese people developed a unique, self-contained and self-centered society at the extreme eastern end of the Eurasian landmass. The Chinese complacently thought that they did not want what modern science offered—greater technology, power over the natural world, and an improved standard of living. Unlike Westerners, the over-optimistic Chinese felt no need to develop modern science to conquer the natural world. Eventually, as a consequence, Chinese people had been suffering from catastrophic warfare for more than hundreds of years, and there had been not less than one hundred million dead. The only reason why it happened was just because of an unintelligent decision that secluded China from the outside world made by an over-confident and over-optimistic empire. A perfect piece of art or invention, as I have observed, cannot be made simply by those are without pessimistic thinking or critical thinking. Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955-October 5, 2011) was a co-founder, chairman and CEO of Apple Inc. He had such an active professional life that it would not be easy to list all his incredible achievements in one article, but many people knew he had been a over-optimistic loser when the Apple III model came to the public. Jobs thought everything would be going well as he wanted, but truthfully it was not. The over optimism got him fired from the Apple company for eleven years before he finally returned to the Apple company that he established. After that, Jobs became a revolutionary inventor of the digital world. He made legends; he amazingly changed the world. What made Jobs success was that he turned from an optimist to a critical thinker during a low tide of his life. He no longer thought what he invented was perfection and began to criticize his work thousands of times before publishing. Having pessimistic think or called critical thinking makes it possible for people to be as successful as Jobs. However, the information above does not imply that it is wrong for us to be optimists. Optimists succeed more easily in all areas of life. Recent studies show that optimists excel in school, have a better love life, make more money, have better health and live longer. Optimists also do better in the face of stress. Even though optimists bite off more than they can chew, they still end up healthier and happier than pessimists. So the answer of which perspective is correct is neither. What is really important is not which way of thinking is correct but which is more beneficial. You can make a case for each side of the situation. Information about China history from I have learned in history class Information about Steve Jobs from Youtube Steve Jobs speeches The following list from http://www. centreforconfidence. co. uk/pp/overview. php? p=c2lkPTQmdGlkPTAmaWQ9NTY= The benefits of being optimistic include: * Better health * Longer life A happier life * Less stress and anxiety * Successful careers * Better educational qualifications * Better relationships * Better at problem-solving * More resilient in the face of adversity * Cope better with failure The costs of being pessimistic include: * Depression * Dying younger * Inertia in the face of adversity * Having a lower immune system * Suffering increased ill-health, both physical and mental * Not performing well at work * Failure when faced with crucial situa tions * Poorer relationships Even when things turn out badly, pessimists don’t feel good about making the * More fun and worthwhile. People’s Attitude towards Life Outline Thesis: It is no doubt that optimists are more likely to succeed, but success cannot be without pessimists. Opinion 1: the overoptimistic attitude will lead negative consequence. For example ancient China Opinion 2: the pessimistic thinking or called critical thinking can help you succeed. For example Steve Jobs Conclusion: we cannot totally deny the benefit brought by optimistic attitude.

How Do Financially Distressed Companies Overcome Decline Economics Essay

How Do Financially Distressed Companies Overcome Decline Economics Essay The present paper analyzes the recovery process of 526 US firms facing an initial financial distress situation in order to determine the variables of influence on their final survival status. The proposed model of this recovery process implies that severity and reaction capability should be understood as initial conditions that will impose restrictions in the selection of strategies which will drive the performance during recovery, thus, determining the final resolution of long term financial distress process. We found that these variables have an impact on i) the ability of a company to overcome decline; ii) the efficiency of the selected strategies and iii) the results of these strategies on post-distress fit position. Keywords: Recovery process, financial distress, severity, Data Envelopment Analysis Introduction Every organization is inevitably exposed to ups and downs during its lifecycle (Krueger and Willard, 1991; Burbank, 2005) and failure is not a sudden event (Agarwal and Taffler, 2008). The ecological theory of organizations states that in a continuous process of firms, those who survive are better capable to compete. Kahl (2001) defines fittest firms as the ones that have greater chance to survive. In this way, the financial distress process should be understood as a selection mechanism by means of which good performers survive and bad performers do not. In this same line, Sheppard and Chowdhury (2005) consider that failure is a firms misalignment with its environment. Failure is a reversible process and not necessarily degenerative if the company is able to detect signs of underperformance and to achieve an effort in its economic performance. Firms facing a distressed financial situation usually share a series of common patterns which make it difficult to estimate a possible outcome of this situation (Barniv et al., 2002). Among the distressed firms, there are little divergences in the financial weakness indicators in the different failure processes (Ooghe and Prijcker, 2008). The dissimilarities between the failure stages and the turnaround effectiveness as well, become evident on the how quickly the indicators evolve and on the ability of the management to react when distress signals are detected. Ignoring these alert signals may lead to a continuous decline process which may end up in failure without even trying any recovery strategy (Burbank, 2005). Managing a crisis situation is a fundamental issue as it is not a spontaneous process. Moulton and Thomas (1993) affirm that the reorganizations during a financial distress situation are not a simple matter and the probability of a successful exit is very low. However, the percentage of firms that succeed in getting through decline cannot be disregarded. Barniv et al. (2002) found that 50% of the sample firms which filed bankruptcy from the Office of the General Council of SEC resolved their situation as emerged firms. One third of the financially distressed firms in Kahls (2001) study survived as independent companies. Moreover, Gonzà ¡lez-Bravo and Mecaj (2011) found that 22.5% of sample firms presenting a strong crisis situation were still active in the market 10 years later. Yet, we should consider that the exit from a difficult condition, as Moulton and Thomas (1993) sustain, is only the beginning of the story. Not all the successfully exiting firms manage to keep the new situa tion stable. For some firms, operating in a crisis situation constitutes their normal state of environment with crisis periods that can attenuate or loose up. Anyway, being able to maintain this kind of condition is also a manner to survive. In this sense, Kahl (2002) states that the financial distress should be considered a long term process that makes firms end up debilitated even after having recovered from decline. This weakness is observed in poor performance that inevitably may again drag the firms to a new financial distress situation. Hotchkiss (1995) attested that during the first five years after exiting a bankruptcy, 35 to 40% of firms show negative operating income and up to one third of the firms that manage to ease their distress through debt restructuring re-enter a financial distress situation a few years later. Several studies have shown that different factors may determine the exit from a crisis situation. These factors may have a direct influence on the recovery process or on the capacity of the company to develop appropriate redirection strategies. The initial severity degree is considered an important hurdle in implementing successful actions. In this line, Smith and Graves (2005) found that, among all variables of the study, severity and firm size were the only variables significantly important during a turnaround process. Other authors (Robbins and Pearce, 1992; Pearce and Robins, 1993; Harker and Harker, 1998) state that strategies oriented towards cost reduction and efficiency improvement were safe bets for a favorable outcome. However, Castrogiovani and Bruton (2000), Sudarsanam and Lai (2001) or Smith and Graves (2005) affirm that no positive relation could be found between certain strategies and successful outcome. These results indicate that severity, through its influence on th e selected strategy, could be an indirect factor in the turnaround process (Robbins and Pearce, 1992). More consensual results were obtained when stating that the performance in-distress is fundamental for the outcome of the difficult situation. In particular, it is observed that successful companies show better returns when compared to unsuccessful firms (Routledge and Gadene, 2000; Pearce and Doh, 2002; Kahl, 2001). The present paper analyzes the recovery process of 526 US firms facing an initial financial distress situation in order to determine the variables of influence on their final survival status. The proposed model of this recovery process states that severity and reaction capability should be understood as initial conditions that will impose restrictions in the selection of strategies which will drive the performance during recovery, thus, determining the final resolution of long term financial distress process. These variables have an impact on i) the ability of a company to overcome the difficult situation; ii) the efficiency of the selected strategies and iii) the results of these strategies on post-distress healthy position. The proposed model considers that final survival status measures the welfare quality of a firm based on its risk to re-enter in distress, so it discriminates well performers and best performers during the management of a crisis process. Overcoming a financial distress: Determinant factors Even though some weak crisis situations tend to show a natural evolution throughout the exit and may be solved by simply making routine decisions (Gonzà ¡lez-Bravo and Mecaj, 2011), recovery process is not a spontaneous event. The distressed firms will face a long term scenario involving a continuous effort of adaptation to the diverse situations through which a firm passes during the upturn. The effort invested in this process will allow the reestablishment of stakeholders trust, while the variables related to solvency and profitability gain stability (Burbank, 2005). Companies that do not have a long term orientation and just adopt patch strategies do not usually reach successful exits (Pretorius, 2008). However, certain initial conditions may affect the reaction capacity as well as the effectiveness of the measures taken by managers. Severity Similar to a disease process, the gravity of the initial crisis position not only conditions the measures to take but also their success possibilities. Firms that face worse starting situation need to make greater efforts. In this sense, Robbins and Pearce (1992) affirm that there exists a relationship between retrenchment strategies and performance in firms having a severe starting situation while this relationship is not observed in firms facing a weak crisis state. Although Smith and Graves (2005) indicate that the gravity of the starting situation is strongly associated with the probability of recovery, Kahl (2002) sustains that the financial distress diagnosis is an imperfect indicator of the economic feasibility of a firm. In the same line, Gonzà ¡lez-Bravo and Mecaj (2011) affirm that the severity of the initial situation, observed in widely accepted indicators, does not have to be a crucial factor in the outcome of the crisis. Perhaps, following Moulton and Thomas (1993), th e initial gravity status has an influence over the process of recovery more than on the final resolution. Thus, severity determines the rate of recuperation, so that the harder the severity, the greater the effort to react and the slower the process of healing the levels of solvency and profitability. This effort during the process, and not the starting situation, may be the main determinant of the final outcome. Moreover, solvency and profitability indicators such as continuous negative results, inability to generate income by means of operating activity, continuous solvency and/or liquidity problems or incapacity to generate cash flow which reflect problems in the health of the company, are widely accepted as measures of severity degree (Mutchler and Williams, 1990; Gilbert, Menon and Schwarz, 1990; Ponemon and Shick, 1991; Poston, Harmon and Gramlich, 1994; Geiger, Raghunandan and Rama, 1995; Raghunandan and Rama, 1995; Davydenko, 2007). Reaction capability The possible effect of severity on the initial state may be mitigated if the firm counts on appropriate resources which increase the probability of a successful recovery. The structural reaction capability may ease the recovery process to a safe position cushioning the possible actions to implement. The capacity to obtain additional funds or generate additional incomes to implement treatment strategies can soothe the prior pressure imposed by a deteriorated financial distress position. In this sense, Barker and Duhaime (1997) associate successful turnaround processes with increases in sales that make companies have more options to undertake change strategies. Similarly, Pearce and Doh (2002) affirm that firms in distress that used debt and supported their sales to improve profitability successfully solved their difficult situation. They also state that changes in activity and in leverage level are associated with different phases of a turnaround process. In turn, Jostarndt (2006) ide ntifies three factors which could be helpful to measure the risk of becoming financially troubled. An excessive leverage level, a poor firm performance, and an industry downturn may inhibit firms from obtaining the right amount of cash flow to operate normally. Firm operating performance trend dominates as the reason causing financial distress showing that a firm may fail but not only for financial reasons. This allows the author to consider an association between financial distress and economic distress. These results are comparable to the patterns evidenced by Gonzà ¡lez-Bravo and Mecaj (2011) when distressed firms with remarkable financial reaction capacity and/or a solid financial structure evolve mainly toward a healthy zone. However, concerning debt structure Kahl (2001) did not find evidence on if the debt level or the debt structure of a firm influences the final outcome of a crisis situation. Severity Status and Reaction Capability, as initial restrictions, could be moderated by firm size when considering the exit from a crisis situation (Moulton and Thomas, 1993; Barniv et al., 2002; Schutjens, 2002). Altman and Hotchkiss (2006) found that one of the most obvious factor that discriminates between firms that successfully restructure and those that liquidate, after being classified inside Chapter 11, was the firms size. Nevertheless, other works observe that this variable did not present any clear relation with the survival chance (Kahl, 2001; Ooghe and Prijcker, 2008). Possibly, firms size does not determine the final resolution of a distress situation but it influences the reaction capability to confront it, moderating /strengthening the drawbacks when additional support should be guaranteed and restructuring decision must be made. Performance in-distress Regardless of the initial state restrictions, the adopted strategies and the behavior of companies during a financial crisis are crucial for the exit process (Sun and Li, 2007). An inappropriate diagnosis of the firms weaknesses in order to act and react quickly may lead to a fast deterioration of the financial indicators (Barker and Duhaime, 1997). Beaver (1966) already stated that if a difficult situation was properly detected, measures that lead to an improved position could be taken, avoiding so a state of ultimate failure. A series of strategies and action plans should be implemented aiming to reduce the detected weaknesses of the company (Smith and Graves, 2005; Krueger and Willard, 1991, Robbins and Pearce, 1992; Pearce and Robbins, 1993; Arogyaswamy et al., 1995; Castrogiovanni and Bruton, 2000, Pearce and Doh, 2002 and Pretorius, 2008). The operating performance during the recovery process drives a successful evolutionary route towards a new healthy scenario (Kahl, 2001; Routledge and Gadenne, 2000). Improving efficiency through some actions like cost cutting and/or asset reduction is crucial in this sense, having a positive impact on firms performance despite the underlying weaknesses (Robbins and Pearce, 1992; Pearce and Robbins, 1993; Harker and Harker, 1998). Firms facing a distress situation and carrying out a retrenchment strategy are more likely to survive, even though the performance was statistically not greater than that of not retrenched firms (Castrogiovanni and Bruton, 2000). In this sense, Sudarsanam and Lai (2001) showed that the strategies applied by firms successfully recovering were not that different from the strategies applied by firms that did not recover. So, the implementation efficacy was the cause of these differences, even though more intensive restructuration was done by firms that could n ot redirect their situation. The effectiveness of efficiency oriented strategies is supported by the results showing that firms resolving a situation of financial distress are statistically more profitable than those who did not settle (Campbell, 1996; Routledge and Gadenne, 2000; Pearce and Doh, 2002). These authors found that operating efficiency was the only variable used in distinguishing successful turnarounds from unsuccessful ones that significantly persisted during the recovery process. Kahl (2001) also stated that, in-distress, operating performance has a strong positive relation with the survival prospect. In particular, the author shows that an improvement in the standard deviation of ROA during a crisis period can increase the survival probability up to 0.62. In the same line, Gonzà ¡lez-Bravo and Mecaj (2011) found evidence that the companies positioned in a safety zone, starting from a situation of failure status, are characterized by a strong managerial action measured by ROA ratio, generating fu rthermore higher operating cash flow. However, other authors such as Barniv et al. (2002) or Laitinen (1993) found that the ROA coefficients were statistically not significant in predicting the outcome of a crisis situation. The post-distress status The main objective of a firm facing a distress situation is to heal the crisis state. Some researches, oriented to modeling the variables that influence a recovery process, identify the final stage of this process when a firm objectively exits a failure situation emerging as an independent firm, leaving Chapter 11 classification or keeping a defined period of positive income (Smith and Graves, 2006; Barniv et al., 2002; Altman and Hotchkiss, 2006; Kahl, 2001). However, the accomplishment of this objective should have one necessary quality condition. The new post-failure position should be achieved in suitable conditions that would permit an appropriate and continuous growth and performance rate. A financial distress process could place a firm in a weak position, even if it had managed to solve its difficulties, inciting a poor performance that inevitably makes it enter again in an emergency situation (Kahl, 2002). If a firm does not emerge profitably in the restructuring phase, in order to achieve a long term success, the probability of a successful exit process is very low (Burbank, 2005). In this sense, Hotchkiss (1995) showed that up to one third of the firms that relieve their conditions by means of debt restructuring tend to go into a financial distress situation few years afterwards. With regard to post-distress position, Robbins and Pearce (1992) affirm that industry indicator variations should be considered in order to better identify the good performers or the exceptional good performers during turnaround. Despite of the assessment of Altman and Hotchkiss (2006) stating that the firms overcoming a Chapter 11 situation perform below firms of the same industry that di d not pass through that same situation, Kahl (2001) found that the post-distress operating performance of firms getting through a crisis situation is similar to the industry performance. The model of recovery When a firm is facing a distress situation and considering all the above analyzed dimensions, severity and reaction capability should be understood as initial conditions that will impose restrictions in selecting the strategies which will drive the performance during recovery, thus, determining the final resolution of long term financial distress process as shown in Figure 1. (Figure 1 here) The left side of the diagram gathers the initial determining factors to initiate the recovery process, outlining the firms ability to improve its future and overcome the difficult situation. Severity Status offers valuable information about the initial degree of gravity of a firms situation. This degree will condition the actions to be taken in a deteriorated situation and the possible outcome as well. Reaction Capability measures the firms capacity to apply such actions through: i) the possibility to obtain further resources without worsening its position, ii) the capacity of debt negotiation or iii) the ability to generate additional incomes which may facilitate the application of strategy changes. The right side of the above Figure 1 defines the final subsequent status of firms, once specific actions have been taken. Post-distress Status shows the effectiveness of the management effort in a crisis situation, not only because the firm solves the initial state, but also since the new position is reached evidencing a well performance to set a suitable continuity in the new balanced situation. Accordingly, Post-distress status assesses the quality of firms welfare accounting for the risk to re-entry into distress discriminating well performers and best performers in a crisis management process. In a distress context, a well-performer just achieves the objective (i.e. exiting the crisis situation) while best-performers are located in a new healthy scenario minimizing the likelihood to reenter in distress. Hence, considering the above model, the following hypotheses will be tested: H1: Severity degree of financially distressed firms is likely associated with the post distress status. H2: Reaction Capability of distressed firms is positively related to a fit final position after recovery process. H3: Performance in-distress is positively related with the welfare of the post distress status. H4: Retrenchment strategies have a positive influence on the outcome of a distressed situation. H5: Size of financially distressed companies is associated with the final position after recovery process. Methodology, sample and variables To test the hypothesis we use the financial data of US firms derived from the Compustat Database in an eight year period: 1993-2000 which is considered to be economically appropriate for the analysis. Smith and Graves (2005) affirm that in an economic expansion context distressed firms could easily perform a successful turnaround. Particularly, the US economy experienced an economic expansion during the analyzed period. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research (2001), a peak in business activity occurred in the U.S. economy in March 2001. A peak marks the end of an expansion and the beginning of a recession  [1]  . So, the year 2001 was marked by events like the Dot-Com Bubble, Stock Market Crash, the loss of investors confidence in the Stock Market or the emergence of corporate fraud and corporate governance. The September 11, 2001 attacks also, may have been an important factor in turning this decline in the economy into a recession. The financial data for the year s after 2000 would be, to a greater or lesser extent, influenced by all these external factors. From a total of 1721 companies that offer complete data in their financial statements during all years, only the ones that presented a crisis situation in the first year of analysis, 1993, were selected. We consider a crisis status as a variety of enterprise adversity situations that threaten the future viability of the company (Turetsky and Mcwewn, 2001; Graveline and Kikalari, 2008), which show some incapacity to generate resources and/or to fulfill the payment of debts in time. This incapacity can be transitory and of a major or minor gravity and it can be observed through a series of symptoms alerting that the health and the future of the company are at risk. Considering this general approach and following Gonzà ¡lez-Bravo and Mecaj (2011), we classify a firm as financially distressed if, in the first year of our analysis, it presented one or more of the following criteria: Negative Net Income, Negative Operating Income, Negative Retained Earnings, Negative Working Capital, Negative Cash Flow, Negative Operating Cash Flow and Negative Shareholders Equity. In agreement with Gilbert, Menon and Schwartz (1990), to prevent the selection of firms that only had a poor performance in t he starting year firms presenting merely a Negative Net Income for the year 1993 were not selected. This criterion made possible that poor performers were selected only when they also showed a continued instable situation such as losses in previous years or solvency problems. As a result, our study is performed on a total of 526 companies that satisfied all the previous conditions. Table 1 shows the principal features of the analyzed sample. (Table 1 here) The number of observed symptoms permits an objective a priori classification based on the gravity of the starting situation. A firm would experience a weak crisis if it presents three or less criteria and, on the contrary, a strong crisis if it shows 4 or more. Following this further, in the first year of the analysis 77.38% of the firms encounter a weak crisis while 22.62% are facing a situation of strong crisis. Variables Severity Status, Reaction Capability and Fitness Status, as representative indicators of post-distress position, in the above proposed model (Figure 1) are built by gathering information given by some individual variable-indicators according to the features evaluated. The complete picture integrating the model and variables is showed in Figure 2. (Figure 2 here) Severity status (SEV_STAT) should be understood as an index assessing the degree of severity distress by seven financial ratios. These ratios correspond to the 7 symptom-indicators used to classify a firm as being in financial distress previously described, all divided by Total Assets in order to eliminate the size effect. Ratios such as: Net Income/Total Assets, EBIT/Total Assets and Retained Earnings/Total assets, representatives of the economic performance, are also commonly used to determine the existence of a decline phase in turnaround and recovery research (Pearce and Robins, 1993; Arogyaswamy et al., 1995; Smith and Graves, 2005). Negative Operating Cash Flow is also an indicator of liquidity deterioration and of financial distress probability (Anandarajan et al. 2001; Bell and Tabor, 1991; John, 1993). These seven indicators should be considered in a negative direction with respect to financial distress. That is, the lower value of the indicators, the worse the starting situ ation of the firm. In the same way, the more the number of negative indicators in a firm, the higher the crisis severity degree will be. Reaction capability is evaluated through three indicators: Sales/Total Assets (TURNOV), Shareholders Equity/Total Liabilities (FIN_AUT) and Current Assets/Current Liabilities (SOLV). The first one reflects the capacity of the company to enhance profitability while the other two indicators are linked to the financial structure of a firm and enable us to value its self-sufficiency and solvency. Together, these three variables measure the capacity of a firm to obtain external and additional funds or to reorganize its debts, the short term response capacity and the ability to generate resources. Fitness status (FIT_STAT) is defined as an index measuring the final health position on an objective and on a quality base as well, by means of 4 variables. Final Position is a categorical variable which indicates the existence or not of a crisis situation, when the firm still presents any symptom of distress. This variable takes value 0 if the firm exits successfully and doesnt present distress signals or value 1 otherwise. Additionally, to measure the health quality of this position, we follow the approach of Jostarndt (2006) when he identifies three factors that could cause financial distress: excessive leverage, a poor firm-specific operating performance and an industry downturn. These factors could be interpreted as indicators of the incapacity of a firm to generate cash flow which may influence a continuous economic and financial deterioration. The variables are defined as follows: (For further details on all variables calculation refer to Appendix B): Debt payment level: it permits the evaluation of the effects that a higher debt level of a firm has on cash flow generation, with respect to the industry where it operates. It indicates the level of interest payment the firm is paying compared to the median of the sector. If the level is above the median, the firm is paying more than other firms, so it should reduce it. Firm Performance: It measures the effects that a poor performance, lower than the median of the industry, has on cash flow generation. It measures the operating income of a firm compared to the median of the sector. It indicates if the firm is performing above or below the median of the sector. Sector performance: it allows analyzing to what extent the trend of the performance of the sector where the firm operates influences its capacity to generate cash flow if it behaved as the industry average. This item measures the improvement or the deterioration of a sectors performance, compared to its performance the year before. These three variables measure the risk of distress which could be the consequence of leverage problems or economic issues, including the downturn of the industry. The former three defined ratio-indicators should be understood in a negative sense, thus, the higher the three ratios are, the worse the quality position of the firm and the greater the probability of financial distress. Therefore, Fitness Status variable measures the position of a firm t years after the financial distress has been detected, allowing to evaluate the performance in managing a difficult situation. Severity Status and Fitness Status indexes could be interpreted as two composite indicators gathering the information of 7 and 3 individual ratios, respectively. To overcome some of the drawbacks of aggregated indexes, such as the degree of subjectivity in attribution of weights to each individual component (Munda, 2005; Messer et al., 2006; Munda and Nardo, 2009; Ramzan et al., 2008), we decided to use Data Envelopment analysis to summarize the complex information in just one index (Nardo et al., 2005a; Cherchye et al. 2008; Dyckhoff and Allen, 2001). DEA is a non-parametric performance measurement technique, based on a productivity approach, widely used to evaluate the relative efficiency of Decision Making Units (Cooper et al., 1999; Seiford, 1997; Gattoufi et al. 2004; Sherman and Zhu, 2006). However, this methodology has also been used to create indexes combining different components by means of an optimization process, when the structure of weights of these components is not kn own, and without making any assumption concerning the internal operations of a DMU (Cherchye et al., 2006; Zhu, 2000 and 2001; Puig-Junoy, 1998; Sexton and Lewis, 2003). Thus, both Severity Status and Fitness Status scores are obtained applying a DEA model without explicit inputs, called DEA-WEI models by Liu et al. (2011). This formulation, discussed by Lovell and Pastor (1999), considering a model with only outputs and a single constant input, has been used by Chen (2002) and Cooper et al. (2009), and it is similar to other approaches as DEA-R (Despic et al., 2007) or DEA-Index composite (Cherchye et al. 2008). Fitness Status use as DEA variables a series of indicators that measure negative features of a firm and they are also linked to the possibility of presenting a marked financial distress situation. This consideration is in agreement with the called pessimistic DEA approach, where the efficiency frontier contains, using Azizi and Ajirlu (2011) terminology, the worst-practisers as efficient in being poor-performers. In this way, DMUs scoring unity or close to unity levels will be the ones with higher degree of severity in their financial distressed situation. Furthermore, Fitness Score DEA manages a categorical variable Final Status indicating the existence or not of distress symptoms. In this sense we follow the approach of Banker and Morey (1986) concerning the treatment of exogenously fixed data. To measure the strategies and the behavior of firms during distress, profitability and downsizing actions have been included in the analysis. With regard to profitability, we use ROA in the last year of the analysis (ROA) and the average of its variations in the previous years (ROA_AVG) to measure the impact of efficiency oriented strategies to the final post-distress position. Concerning downsizing actions, variations in total assets during previous year are included to measure the impact of retrenchment strategies (RET_STG) Finally, to control the size effect (SIZE), natural logarithm of sales [ln(sales)] is included in the analysis in order to assess the influence of size on the possibility to return on a healthy scenario. Methodology The DEA score Fitness Status will be treated as a dependent variable in order to analyze to what extent post-failure position could be explained by issues such as severity, reaction capability or certain strategies implemented by the firms. Many different approaches can be found in the literature when a DEA score is used as a dependent variable of a regression to relate efficiency to the factors and study their influence on the former. The consideration of the DEA score as a censored variable (showing values between zero and unity) has been the argument for using regression censored models such as Tobit. On the other hand, Mancebà ³n and Molinero (2000) do not share this opinion and affirm that efficiency takes natural limits of zero and one and they estimate a model of the log type to explain inefficiency. In the same line, Puig-Junoy (1998) considers that DEA scores do not fit the theory of sampling censoring for Tobit models explaining inefficiency by a multiplicativ

The Other And The Intersubjective

The Other And The Intersubjective In the following write up, my attempt is to explicate the understanding of the other and intersubjectivity vis-Ã  -vis the way people interact with each other. It appears that there are two ways of interactions the subject-object interaction and the subject-subject interaction. The subject-object interaction can perhaps be understood through the method of the positivist, the scientist, the behaviorist, and those of the ilk who divide the universe into the material and the non-material and declare the material to be real. They then create an objective universe of method and thought. The subject-subject interactions can be understood on the differences between the inter-subjective (between two subjects) and the intersubjective (within two subjects thereby avowing continuity), the former is available in the thought and writings of Hegel, Husserl, Levinas and Lacan and the latter through the thought and writings of Buber. Questions that arose in the mind of the researcher from this cate gorization have become the groundwork for exploration in the direction of developing a research proposal. The understanding of I, Other and the ensuing implications for the method of Dialogue in education may become the thrust for this study. What follows is an articulation of the possibilities for developing a research proposal In todays techno-mechanistic world our object-centered understanding dominates our interaction with not only inanimate things but also in our approach towards beings around us. The interaction with beings is replaced by the inferences based on the outward manifestation of behavior. The world, then, is an object, and by looking at things, empirically, one can understand the truth. This is the approach of the positivist paradigm, in which the content of knowledge consists of objective truths or facts and the knower can gather these facts as information. The knower then becomes a recipient of information who has to process it to assimilate into the preexisting categories or to make new ones for reproducing that information as and when required. The universe of educational studies is largely dominated by an understanding of the processes and purposes based on the discipline of psychology and the positivist paradigm is the basis of most of the personality theories in Psychology. Neverthel ess, psychology has expanded itself with the understanding of philosophies like existentialism and phenomenology to fill this gap. This movement is the response to the cry against the objectivity of science and the psychological theories based on the scientific model. As we move from the subject-object interaction towards the subject-subject interaction, we realize that the self itself requires the other to define itself. This other is not an object though it may be an inanimate thing. Then everything around one becomes a walking mirror for one to see the image of oneself in all and all in oneself. The interactions, then, are not with persons but with projected images of ones own self, sometimes even to the extent of denying the others existence. With these images, one identifies and because of these identifications, one emotes. Because of this identification on believes that he can understand the other, empathize and make predictions about his behavior. Other people are part of ones totality in ones sameness and this primary way of being-in-the-world with others seems to be quite egocentric. It is to say that we are always being-in-a-situation, where our being as selves is inseparable from a shared, meaningful life-world. This inter-subjective of the subject-subject is the focus in the phenomenological inquiry. This intersubjectivity refers to the contents, not the context, of consciousness and addresses the psychological domain rather than philosophical issues and this intersubjectivity is preceded by the subjectivity of the participants. The intersubjectivity refers to the coming together of already existing and experiencing subjects, where they have separate consciousnesses being shaped interdependently by their interaction. This incorporates in itself the notions of self as ego, which is there to experience the world. Nevertheless, Husserls idea of the other seems to be quite close to the above elaboration, The other then is a phenomenological modification of myself, for Husserl, grasped only within my ownness. This grasping is on the basis of something like analogy. Just as a primary givenness is experienced in perception, memory affords a kind of secondary givenness (Moran, 2000. p.177). Hegel claims that, such subject-object identity, such self-consciousness, exists perfectly only in love (Beiser, 1949.p.113) in which the subject and object, self and other, realize their natures through one another, they recognize itself only through the other. This is possible because, there is a single structure of self-consciousness holding between self and other: the self knows itself in the other as the other knows itself in the self (ibid.). Levinas, however, uses two different words for speaking of the other; the non-personal other in general and the other person, as the Other. Levinas claims that the self-other relation is not reciprocal, but rather that there is a priority of the other over the self. This is what he calls the asymmetry of the relation between self and other. The Other means for Levinas that which cannot be objectified, the sphere of subjectivity, although not understood in the spirit of mastery, but rather as founded on openness to the other (Moran, 2000. p.342). Levinas pays special emphasis on the understanding of the other for the understanding of ethics. For Levinas, ethics is never an egocentric mode of behaving, nor the construction of theories, but involves the effort to constrain ones freedom and spontaneity in order to be open to the other person, or more precisely to allow oneself to be constrained by the other (Ibid. p.321). Lacan uses a similar classification in which the other is, the other who is not really other, but a reflection and projection of the EGO (Evans, 2006. p.135) and the Other designates, the radical alterity, an other-ness which transcends the illusory otherness of the imaginary because it cannot be assimilated through identification (ibid. p.136). Lacan explains that the child, during the mirror stage, acquires the sense of self at the price of his self becoming an-other that is distinct from him and visible in the reflection of the mirror. However, the inherent continuity in the relation of the I and the other in intersubjectivity as opposed to the distinction of the I and the other emerges through Bubers writings. This intersubjectivity is different from the Inter-subjectivity that refers to how the consciousness of participating subjects is in interaction during an experience. The understanding of intersubjectivity that Buber explicates here is that the intersubjectivity is from the whole being of an individual and this is its most radical meaning. Therefore, intersubjectivity now can be conceptualized as a process of co-creativity, where relationship is ontologically primary. The being of any one subject is dependent on the being of all other subjects in the relationship. Here, intersubjectivity precedes subjectivity. Further Buber (1958, p.1) wrote, There is no I taken in itself, but only the I of the primary word I-Thou and the I of the primary word I-It. Here, the I-It refers to the subject-object and the inter-subjective of the subject-subject ways of interaction. The I-It is the primary word of experiencing and using of the positivist paradigm in which the I is distant from the object. It takes place within a man; it is entirely subjective and lacking in mutuality whether in knowing, feeling, or acting, it is the subject-object relation. Whereas in I -Thou, the inter in intersubjectivity refers to an interpenetrating subjectivity which is holistically mutual. The I-Thou is not limited to men but may include the whole world. Thus in the silent or spoken dialogue between the I and the Thou both personality and knowledge come into being. Unlike the subject-object knowledge of the I-It relation, the knowing of the I-Thou relation takes place neither in the subjective nor the objective, the emotional nor the rational, but in the between -the reciprocal relationship of whole and active beings (Friedman, p.60). The questions, then which the researcher is left with, after this very preliminary and tentative probe are around the three areas probed so far and may lead to other areas like the Self in relation to the above and to implications of the Consciousness or Self, I, inter-subjective and the Other. Some of the questions my be articulated as under: How has the movement in the understanding from the subject-object interaction of the positivist paradigm to the subject-subject interaction of phenomenology helped us in our understanding of the other? What is the relation between the self and the other? Does the phenomenological entails the merging of the I in the other or does it endanger the other by consumption and annihilation? How does the understanding of the I, the other, inter-subjective and intersubjectivity impact on pedagogy? How does our understanding of Dialogue develop with our understanding of the I, the other and the intersubjectivity? Does our understanding of the I, the other, inter-subjective and Intersubjectivity affects our understanding of the Values, Selfhood and Consciousness? Will a study of the I, the Other, inter-subjective and the Intersubjectivity lead us to the probe the normalize, i.e. in the realm of ethics and axiology, when contextualized in education,

John Steinbecks In Dubious Battle Essay -- Dubious Battle John Steinb

John Steinbeck's "In Dubious Battle" Summary This story opens with the main character named Jim Nolan leaving behind his former life and going to meet Harry Nilson, a leader of the "Party." Jim had a father killed in a riot, a mother who died, and a sister that was missing. He wants to join the "Party" because he wants to do something that will give his life meaning. He is accepted, and is introduced to other members of the party. The next day, Jim accompanies Mac McLeod to Torgas Valley to help workers organize a strike against the orchard owners in the valley. They meet a restaurant car owner named Al, who gives them food for free. Jim and Mac get off the train and meet a group of people. They help a woman named Lisa who is in labor deliver a baby. This event is important in the story, because this leads to the trust that Jim and Mac receive from all the other workers. They also meet London, the father-in-law of Lisa, who they will trust to lead the strike that they start. The workers already have a lo w mood, and when an old apple-picker falls out of a tree, the workers no longer wish to work in concern of their health. The workers start to strike, and assemble on the land of Al’s father, in exchange for picking his crop for free. London is charismatic, and takes the ideas from Mac to lead the strike. What will be the fate of the strikers, and what will Jim accomplish with his newly acquired skills? Sketch 1 Jim Nolan is a character who has always been angry at some type of institution throughout his life, which causes him to join the "Party." He is young, and goes from being an apprentice to a leader. He is keen and brave, which emanate from his innate leadership ability. Sketch 2 Mac McLeod is a seasoned veteran of the "red" work, as he knows more about fieldwork than anyone else does. He is an older character, who has broad shoulders, long arms, and dried and cracked lips. He uses his experience to lead and organize the men that he works with. Sketch 3 Joy is an enforcer who contributes to the "Party" by sacrificing his body in taking chronic beatings. He is a short man with a disfigured face. He is typified by some as not too bright and insane by others; he is very pugnacious, as he is willing to fight anyone. Sketch 4 London is a working stiff who is able to command... ... book included the strikers’ raid on the replacement workers, for it illustrated the roles of the different groups involved, such as the police, the vigilantes, the strikers and the scabs. Another intense portion of the book was that of the strikers’ raid on the apple orchard in which they attacked their replacements, for it showed the type of brutality that the strikers could carry out to send their message. The scene where Mac tortures a young boy who was caught around Anderson’s barn when it was set on fire is also a very intense scene. The aspect of the book that I did not care for was that of their being no explanation of what happened after the strike was resolved. It would have been interesting to learn about the type of effect that the strike had on the people, as well as what type of change occurred among them. Because of the interesting perspectives that this book provides, I would recommend that others read it. I would especially recommend this boo k to those who do not fully understand the power of the group and how it can be manipulated by its leaders, because the book goes into great detail of how this is accomplished. I would give this book a four star rating ****.

A Psychological Analysis of Alice Walkers Everyday Use Essay -- Every

A Psychological Analysis of Alice Walker's Everyday Use  Ã‚     Ã‚   The human mind is divided into three parts that make up the mind as a whole. These parts are necessary to have a complete mind, just as the members of a family are needed to make up the entire family. The use of components to equal a whole is often exercised in literature. Alice Walker's short story, "Everyday Use," contains the idea of family and of the mind, therefore her work can be evaluated through psychological methods. Through their actions, the characters symbolize the three different parts of the mind: the id, the ego, and the superego. The first type of mind division, the id, "constantly strives to satisfy basic drives...[and] seeks immediate gratification" (Myers 379). In "Everyday Use," Dee's personality is equivalent to the id because she seeks her own personal gain and does not necessarily consider the consequences of her actions. Mama, the narrator in "Everyday Use," says that "Dee wanted nice things. She was determined to stare down any disaster in her efforts" (Walker 92). Dee strives for satisfaction in all she does; she will do everything in her power to get what she desires. The story recounts a situation in which Dee wants some quilts that were stiched by her grandmother, but Mama has already promised these treasures to Dee's sister, Maggie. Mama said that as she "[moved] up to touch the quilts. Dee moved back just enough so that [Mama] couldn't reach the quilts. They already belonged to [Dee]" (Walker 96). Mama explains that Dee is determined to gain possession of the quilts. Although the quilts belong to her mother, Dee has already mentally determined that the quilts belong to her. Dee's personality is comparable to the id branch of the... ...The use of psychological strategies in the Walker's work shows that the characters are joined and create one unit, a family. Works Cited Alice Malsenior Walker: An Annotated Bibliography, 1968-1986. Eds. Louis H. Pratt and Donnell D. Pratt. Connecticut: Meckler Corporation, 1988. Everyday Use: Alice Walker. Ed. Barbara T. Christian. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1994. Myers, David G. Exploring Psychology. Third edition. New York: Worth Publishing, 1996. Walker, Alice. "Everyday Use." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Sixth edition. Eds. X.J. Dennedy and Dana Gioia. New York: Harper Collins, 1995. http://www.dc.peachnet.edu/~shale/humanities/composition/handouts/sample/walker.html http://www.luminarium.org/contemporary/alicew/ http://www.seattletimes.com/extra/browse/html97/altalic_051697.html