Conflicting Cultures in Gish Jens Mona in the Promised Land Essays

Conflicting Cultures in Gish Jen's Mona in the Promised Land Novels that illustrate a confrontation between disparate cultures provide particularly straightforward insights into basic human behavior. Characters confronted with a cultural conflict must explore basic human commonalities to breach the gap between the cultures. In doing so, one diminishes the differences between her culture and the unknown culture, ultimately bringing her closer to her raw humanity. Simultaneously, this sets the stage for countless sociological case studies that may illuminate important human behaviors that are otherwise masked by the bias of a dominating culture. A prime subject for one such examination is Mona Chang, a natural-born American who strives to overcome the cultural pressure posed by her Chinese immigrant parents so that she may be accepted by her peers. Appearing in Gish Jen's Mona in the Promised Land, Chang finds herself in a situation that tests her identity as an American. The test, occurring in her adolescence, proves inconclusive. In turn, it motivates Chang to affirm her identity at the expense of her maturity-a struggle that continues until she overcomes the factor that initially questioned her identity. Thus, the cultural backdrop of Jen's Mona in the Promised Land provides an excellent basis to study the human character, from which one may infer that an incident that causes identity confusion in one's adolescent life must be resolved before one may reach maturity. In Chang's case, her oriental appearance pairs her with Sherman Matsumoto, the newest ad... ... one must rely primarily upon the text itself as well as interviews with Jen. Although few scholarly resources are available with pertinence to this novel, it is not difficult to make a substantial argument for the aforementioned themes. Naturally, those themes apply only to adolescents who have not yet matured fully from a psychological perspective. In conclusion, the cultural clash in Jen's Mona in the Promised Land allows one to discern easily that one must figuratively conquer that which troubles her sense of identity lest her maturity remain underdeveloped. Works Cited April Guest: Gish Jen. McDougal Littell Page. 1999. . Jen, Gish. Mona in the Promised Land. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 1997.

Firing an Employee

Week One Assignment Terrence Rice In any situation when it comes to a supervision position it takes face to face communication with the employee. From previous experience I have done all the things described in the assignment. There was an employee named David I had to terminate because of cutbacks in the company. Here is how I handled that situation; David can you come to my office please? When he arrived I told him, you remember in the staff meeting we discussed how many jobs were going to be cut from the company and it would go by hire date.So your number came up during the time frame so due to company policy I have to give you your pink slip take it to the unemployment office and you can get your unemployment. I also remember when the economy was in good shape and I welcomed David to the company. Jennifer the main secretary presented him to me and I said, Welcome to R & R transportation, my name is Terrence Rice and I am your supervisor.David paused as I held my hand out as we sh ook hands I told him what he was responsible for and how we did things. I personally trained him and released him to be on his own. When they told us the company was selling out to another company I wrote due to the process the company is going through and my disagreement with the process I must submit my two week notice and advise the owners of my resignation effective Oct. 12th, 2002.

Isabella’s Shut Lips: An Answer to the Duke’s Proposal in Measure for Measure

At the beginning of Act V, one will see Isabella kneeling and pleading in front of the Duke to render her mercy and justice. She asked him to consider and hear her complaints first before judging her in front of the spectators. Angelo insists that she shouldn’t be heard for she has lost her mind. But Isabella persisted that she in a sound mind and should be heard by the Duke. The Duke agreed with Angelo’s assertions and acknowledged to the possibility of Isabella being insane â€Å"By mine honesty,/If she be mad,–as I believe no other,–/Her madness hath the oddest frame of sense,/Such a dependency of thing on thing,/As e'er I heard in madness (Shakespeare 114). † Here we see that he (the duke) already mistrusted Isabella on their first meeting even before Isabella could speak her mind. He favored Angelo’s assertions over her confessions. He trusted Angelo, the man that caused her suffering, over her. The initial reaction of the Duke towards Isabella is not something that a gentleman interested in a certain lady would do. It is an initial display of disregard and apathy towards Isabella’s causes and appeals. He could have believed her in the first instance that she speaks of her sanity instead of prompting her more to prove it to everyone in the crowd. He could have treated her more nicely. However, the Duke decided to hear her cause despite his belief that she is insane. He let her state her affairs and her complaints. She said that she is the sister of poor Claudio which was condemned of a crime. In her desire to save him, he pleaded Angelo to pardon him. However, Angelo abused his superiority and implored her to sacrifice her virginity for the sake of her brother. She agreed to it but still Angelo prosecuted her brother. In this event, the Duke mistrusted Isabella one more time. He asserted that it is impossible for Angelo to do that for â€Å"By heaven, fond wretch, thou knowist not what thou speak'st,/Or else thou art suborn'd against his honour in hateful practise. /First, his integrity/Stands without blemish (Shakespeare 117). † He fervently believed that Angelo is not the kind of person that was described by Isabella. Furthermore, he accused Isabella of dishonesty and implored her to reveal the truth. He accused her of being advised by someone to stain the morality of Angelo â€Å"Confess the truth, and say by whose advice/Thou camest here to complain (Shakespeare 117). † In this case, the Duke showed his favoritism for Angelo by defending his integrity and morality in front of the speactators. He could have scrutinized the pieces of evidence first before judging in favor of Angelo. He could have given Isabella a chance to support her claims and complaints instead of mistrusting and misjudging her right away. Moreover, he asked the guards to send her to prison. Immediately after Isabella aired her complaints, he immediately dismissed them as fallacious and immediately asked her to be sent to prison. He claimed and justified this so as to free the people from her scandals and her influence. He deemed it necessary for her to be taken away from the crowd. â€Å"I know you'ld fain be gone. An officer! /To prison with her! Shall we thus permit/A blasting and a scandalous breath to fall/On him so near us? /This needs must be a practise. /Who knew of Your intent and coming hither? Shakespeare 117). † But while the Duke permitted Isabella to present a witness to support her claims in the name of Friar Lodowick. But even before he agreed to let him testify, he doubted the possibility of a Friar having known the woman and would actually defend and take her away from the misfortune that befallen her. Furthermore, he spoke ill of Isabella by calling her a â€Å"wretched woman†. â€Å"W ords against me? this is a good friar, belike! /And to set on this wretched woman here/Against our substitute! /Let this friar be found (Shakespeare 118). † The last dialogue of the Duke was about thanking everyone for their assistance and guidance in the resolution of the problem that they were confronting. â€Å"Thanks, good friend Escalus, for thy much goodness:/There's more behind that is more gratulate. /Thanks, provost, for thy care and secrecy:/We shill employ thee in a worthier place (Shakespeare 135). † Right after that the Duke then asked Isabella to marry him. Dear Isabel, I have a motion much imports your good; Whereto if you'll a willing ear incline, What's mine is yours and what is yours is mine. So, bring us to our palace; where we'll show What's yet behind, that's meet you all should know (Shakespeare 135) However, Shakespeare eliminated the possibility of the Duke being bluntly rejected by Isabella. I believe Isabella would have rejected the offer of the Duke. First, she is still nursing a broken heart from the death of his brother. Second, she is planned to be in a nunnery and anyone who plans to be a nun doesn’t have marriage in their vocabularies. Third, there is no indication or hint that Isabella was ever interested to neither the Friar nor the Duke. She did not reveal any clue for us to infer that Isabella has fallen in-love to either of those personas. And lastly, the Duke has not treated her well enough for her to feel that his proposal is not an impulsive and therefore sincere. As stated in the arguments above, the Duke’s treatment towards Isabella is not something that deserved a â€Å"yes† from her. He treated her without sympathy and care which every man who wishes to marry a woman should do. The proposal was done in a spur-of-the-moment manner. Aside from treating her severely, the Duke have not in any way showed Isabella that he’s interested in her and that he wanted her to be his wife. His proposal is not something that is to be deemed sincere and genuine. Isabella deserves more.

How to Study for an Exam Process Essay Essay

A cumulative exam, or final is a test given to students at the end of a course of study. Studying for a final cumulative exam can be both a stressful and scary time. Most high schools, colleges, and universities have final exams at the end of a particular academic term, semester, or more traditionally at the end of a complete course. These tests can be worth high percentages of your grade and can determine how well you do in a class. There are many steps to being able to take these tests well but they begin long before the studying for the test actually begins. To be successful on a final exam but ultimately in a class the first thing you must do is attend class. It is important you attend class so that you don’t miss out on anything important. The class time you spend listening to your instructor is one of the most essential ways of retaining information on the subject you’re going over. I’m not saying you must attend every single class in a semester but try your hardest to. If for some reason you do miss class, the next step you would follow is to be sure to get anything you’ve missed from a classmate. I never have an issue when it comes to getting information off classmates because you’ll find that everyone needs a friend in a class one day. The next thing you must do is take good notes. I use a variety of methods when I’m taking notes. I color-code things and use different ways of pointing out information such as stars, bullets, and arrows. These different things are a useful way to indicate different types of information. It makes it easier to pick out key points when you’re studying for your final. The next thing you do is keep up with your homework. In high school you typically get your homework the day before it is due so it is a lot easier to make sure you keep everything up to date. As a college student you receive a syllabus at the beginning of the semester that lists all assignments, tests, and readings for the class. I list all of these things in a planner and keep that planner with me at all times. You must keep up with everything on time because if you get behind you will fall further and further behind until you can’t catch up anymore. This could lead to doing poorly in your classes. You must continue with these steps for months leading into the end of the semester. Then, once it gets close to the final exam there are many things you must do. There are things you have to specifically do the week before, the night before, and then the morning of. If you follow certain steps then you’re surely to do just fine. First, a week or so before your exam compile all your materials in one place. I use a small binder of folder just so it’s easily carried around for studying. I go back through old notebooks and folders and collect any article that contains information I will need for the exam, all homework, handouts, quizzes, and tests. Get your syllabus and make sure you have notes covering everything you’ve done in the semester. Final exams contain information from the entire class so it is very important you collect everything. The next thing you must do is re-read all the information you have collected. As you read gather important points, make flashcards, study guides, and other study materials that could be of use to you. While making study guides it is often helpful to use different means of labeling things like arrows, stars, and color-coding things. Afterward, you must spend a large amount of time studying your material using many different methods. Personally I use practice tests, highlight, and re-take notes. Using many ways allows you to make sure you know the material and are not just memorizing it in a certain order. Be sure to spend extra time on any material you feel will either be a large part of the test or anything you are still unsure about. There are many steps to follow the night of the exam as well. First, get rid of all your distractions. Turn your phone on silent, log out of everything and put yourself in a non-distracting environment. The next step is to not spend too much time studying material you already know. Review and spend the majority of your time on things you are still unsure of. Your last step the night before your exam is simply, get some sleep. Your brain will be completely useless if you are exhausted so the smartest thing to do is to study early on, avoid the all-nighters, and get some rest. Finally, you must take your exam. Do not rush. Take your time on every question. If you do not know the answer to a  question do not panic, simply breathe and give it your best effort. After you have answered everything go back over your exam and make sure you have at least attempted every question. Make sure to check your answers and if any seem wrong change them. Then, turn your exam in and continue on your way. It is important to know how to study for and act the day of a final because every type of student goes through it. Whether you are in high school, college, or graduate school all scholars must be able to do well on these tests. Finals can determine how well you do in your classes and can ultimately determine parts of your future. You must receive good grades to be able to continue on an education path and obtain a good career. If you follow the steps I have provided for you then you are surely to do just fine.

Cross Cultural Beliefs About the Afterlife Essay

Abstract A study of American undergraduates indicated that the beliefs about the nature of life after death were quite complicated. A 41-item questionnaire produced 12 independent groups of beliefs. Belief in an internal locus of control and that one’s life is owned by God were associated with a more positive view of the afterlife, as was being Roman Catholic rather than Protestant. The most common beliefs were that one is reunited with family and friends, that the afterlife is comforting, that there is Heaven and that the transition is peaceful, all believed by more than 90 percent of the students. The afterlife is an idea that the conscious or mind of a being continuous after physical death occurs. There are many different believes about how the afterlife will be and what effects that outcome. In many popular views, this continued existence often takes place in an immaterial or spiritual realm. Major views on the afterlife derive from religion. Deceased people are usually believed to go to a specific planet after death. Regardless of the lack of evidence that is typically believed to be determined by a God. This is based on their actions during physical life. In contrast, the term reincarnation refers to an afterlife in which only the â€Å"essence† of the being is preserved, and the â€Å"afterlife† is another life on Earth or possibly within the same universe. Lester, Aldrige, Aspenberg, Boyle, Radsniak, and Waldron (2001-2002) based their research proposal on what Flynn and Kunkel (1987) found. Flynn and Kunkel (1987) used data from about one thousand respondents in the 1983 from a General Social Survey to analyze beliefs that the people had for life after death. They found three groups of beliefs. One is Otherworldly: life of peace, tranquility, paradise of pleasure and delight, loving intellectual communication, union with god and reunion with loved ones. Worldly Rewards: life of intense action like it is here on earth but a paradise of pleasure and delight. The third group was No Rewards: life without many earthly joys, a pale, shadowy sort of life, spiritually involving mind and not the body. The researchers found that the type of belief held about life-after-death was related to social class, financial status, and a history of trauma. No recent studies were identified on this issue until Lester et al. (2001-2002). The designing of this study was made to explore and expand the beliefs that people held about life-after-death. They used a 21-item questionnaire of the concepts of the afterlife. In the first method the questionnaire was given to 50 students who were enrolled in social science undergraduate courses. The mean age was 23.8 years old and the participants were mainly white. In the first method nine factors ever extracted about beliefs about afterlife. There were three major findings from the research that was obtained. One was that 19.8 percent accounted for that the life is much like the life on earth. There is a good and an evil. Not everyone is equal and that there are material objects in the afterlife. 13.4 percent accounted for that the cause of death, rituals carried out for you, the physical and psychotically state at death has an effect on how the afterlife would be. Lastly 8.5 percent accounted for the belief that the afterlife is a specific place, there is a day of judgment, and there is eternal bliss and that that is the final destinations. The second method was designed to enlarge properties, increase sample size and explore other personality correlates of beliefs, specifically belief on external locus of control. The research study consisted of 152 male and180 female participants who were undergraduate students from the same state college as the participants in the first method. The second method was expanded into a 41-item questionnaire. The mean age in the second method was 22.5 years old and the participants were mainly white. In this method twelve factors were identified about beliefs about afterlife. Three of the major factors were that 12.1 percent believe in Heave and Hell. 7.9 percent believe in reincarnation and 6.6 percent believed that there ate material objects and sexual desire in the after life. The gender differences that were found are that men are not less likely to believe in afterlife but they were less likely to believe in Heaven, reuniting with loved ones, communication with the living and request for forgiveness before death. Men were more likely the women to believe that there are material objects, that spirits have human form, that there is pain, hunger, thirst and that rituals carried out after death are important. The religious differences they found were that Protestant students were less likely to believe in life-after-death then Roman Catholic students. On the other hand, Protestant students were more likely to believe that there is Hell and that forgiveness needs to be requested to get into Heaven.One of the strengths that this article has is that they provided a broad hypothesis. It was not specific and that gave them more room to play around with how they want to test the beliefs on life-after-death. They basically just wanted to explore from what was found in previous search on the afterlife and find more detailed data. Another strengths in this article were the specific questions that the participants were asked about their beliefs in the afterlife. The researchers made the questions into simple yes or no answer kinds. This made it easier for the participants to answer what they believe in about the afterlife and it also made it easier and clearer for the researchers to extract the exact data that they were looking for. Also the researchers conducted two methods. There were extra questions that were added also. This helped the researchers find other specific beliefs. Overall, having two methods gives a better view of what data is best to keep and present. The first weakness of this article is that the date was only consumed from one specific university. This has a major limit on how this data will be taken into account by others. When data is taken only from one part of he country it limits how credible the findings are and how they can be used in future research. Another weakness is that the researchers only conducted a questionnaire in their method to finding data on beliefs about the afterlife. Another weakness is that the sample size was small in the first method. It may be hard to compare data between method one and method two because they have significant difference in sample size. Lastly, a major weakness would be the data expenditure of only undergraduate students with mean ages of 23.8 and 22.5 within the two methods verses consuming data from many different age groups. Cross-cultural research on beliefs about the afterlife is one of the major directions that can be taken with this research topic just as it was done by: Ambwani, Warren, Gleaves, Benito and Fernandez (2007) in their research on fear of fatness across the world. The data they conducted showed differences in beliefs on what body shape is socially acceptable in the United Sates verses Spain. There are so many different religions, cultures and individual beliefs regarding how life should be lived and what will come out of that. Some religions do not believe in the afterlife at all and some believe that this life is just a test for what will be the ever-lasting life after death. These differences need to be taken into considerations and research on more to further our understanding about all the cultures in our environments. Another future directions that can be taken with beliefs about the afterlife can be of great importance to the medical fields in research. Patients that have experienced trauma in their lives may have very important data that can help understand why people may have the different thoughts and beliefs about how the afterlife will and what will be in it. Research Purpose Cross-cultural Research would be a key direction to take beliefs about afterlife on. This would assess the differences in beliefs about afterlife beyond America. Cross-cultural research is beneficial because it covers a much wider range of variations in cultural activities then other studies that are based on single societies. For this particular subject on afterlife a comparison between America and Croatia will be done. The cultural differences about what beliefs individuals hold will be taken. The purpose is to show how different cultures may have different dynamics in how they believe their life had effected the belief they hold on afterlife. Croatians compared to Americans on average will believe in afterlife more. Another proposal is to test participants that have experienced trauma verses participants that have not experienced trauma. This would show how experience of trauma can affect a person view on life and how they may feel about afterlife. For this particular research it would show the difference been the two countries and between experience with trauma and experience with no trauma. On average participants that have experienced trauma will have a greater belief in afterlife verses participants with no experience with trauma. Research Methods The budget for this research proposal is 12,000.00 dollars. There are 400 participants to which 20.00-dollar Starbucks gift card will be given. That is 400Ãâ€"20, which equals 8,000.00 dollars. The money for the Starbucks gift cards will be transferred from here to Zagreb Croatia trough Bank of America free of charge. There are also four research assistants. Two native speaking Croatians that also speak English from the University of Zagreb and two Americans from Oakland University. Each of the assistants receive 1,000.00 dollars 4Ãâ€"1000, which equals to 4,000.00 for a total of 12,000.00-dollar research budget. The ideal characteristic for the participants in this research would be that they are college health college students that have a global point of view so that the date that will be collected from them is from a point of view that has seen more then just one way to live. The participants would also be ideal if they are completely honest about their answers since these are completely confidential items on the questionnaire. An equal amount of men and women would also be ideal. Although, that may be a difficult task it can be established by keeping track of how many men and women have come to take the online questionnaire. There will be 400 student participants will be chosen from America and Croatia. From America the participants will be gathered from Oakland University in Rochester Michigan and from Croatia the participants will be gathered from University of Zagreb in Zagreb. The participants will not be from a specific major study or group but randomly selected individuals. They will all be undergraduate students. There will be a total of 400 participants. Students will be split, 200 from Oakland University and 200 from University of Zagreb. The sampling methods will proceed in the fallowing order. The questionnaire will be taken online on a website make just for this research. The website that will be made by the Oakland Universities IT departments assistance free of charge. The online questionnaire will be taken individually in a room that will be provided for the research. This way the students do will feel more comfortable and less anxious about answering the questionnaire. There will be a research assistant present in that room during the time when participants take the online questionnaire to assist them of they have any questions about how to start the questionnaire and to assist them when they are done. After the participant completes the online questionnaire the research assistant will grant them with a twenty-dollar Starbucks gift card. The Measurements will be done with the questionnaire from method two of the original research study. The questionnaire will be back translated to Croatian. Items 1 to 41 will aid in determine if the participants believe in afterlife and what specific facts they believe about afterlife. How will the afterlife be? What will be in the afterlife? These items are very specific and will with no trouble help distinguish between participants that believe in afterlife verses those participants that do not in America and Croatia and it will help find the specifics that participants believe in about afterlife. Items that do not pertain to research purposes will be taken out and replaced with more appropriate items for the research. The participants will be asked to report their age. Also other items will be added to the questionnaire to fit the need for data consumption for the research of effect of trauma on participants and their beliefs (see appendix 1 for questionnaire items). Items 42 to 55 have been added to assist in finding the right data that is needed. These specific items in the questionnaire will help determine what kind of traumatic even the participant has experienced. Do they believe this has changed how they think and feel the afterlife will be like? Also a consent form and confidentiality agreement will be given to participants to sign. The data analytic plan will consist of Two-way ANOVA. A Two-way ANOVA of variance is an extension to the one-way analysis of variance. There are two independent variables. Some of the assumptions for Two-way ANOVA are that the population from which the samples are obtained must be somewhat normally distributed. The sample must be independent. The variance of population must be equal and the groups must have the same sample size. The two independent variables in Two-way ANOVA are called factors. The idea is that there are two variable, factors, that effect the dependent variable. Each factor will have two or more factors within it. For this research study the two independent variables (factors) are American students and Croatian students. Each of the factors has two other factors in it. In this case study the participants with trauma versus participants with no trauma are the factors within the independent variable. When using Two-way ANOVA the main effect, interaction effect and within variation are also establish. The main effect involves the independent variable one at a time. The interaction effect is the effect one factor has on the other factor. Lastly the within effect is the sum of squared within each treatment group. Two-way ANOVA will provide all the necessary dynamics need to aid in this research in finding and separating the data. The research procedure will consist of the fallowing method to assemble the participants and obtain the data needed. Back-translate the original questionnaire to Croatian. Invite participants to take part in the study via email and announcements by the staff member that are chosen as assistants in this study to their students in class. As participants walk in they will be guided to a computer in the designated room to take the online questionnair. Before participants take the online questionnaire they will be asked to sign a consent and confidentiality form. After taking the online questionnaire participants will receive their twenty-dollar Starbucks gift card. Then data will be collected and analyzed from America and Croatia. The significance of this research proposal is simply that it can be used in many ways for future research. This is simple because researching on culture always brings up interesting data apart from what the researches goal was to find in first place. However, to focus on the main significance of this research is health care. It is always the fasted growing field and the most advanced in technology but there is also always room for more improvement for people skills and knowledge about diversity. Being that America is the melting pot of the world, knowledge about cultural differences is always needed. This future direction can serve nurses and doctors and other medical professionals in understanding and communicating better with their patients. Since trauma is nothing new to the health care world it is a major fact that all health care professionals need to advance and keep getting educated about. Trauma has major effects on an individuals and it will have a major effect on what they believe after the traumatic experience. Some people may have come close to death in their traumatic experience. This might have taken them to the thought about what may be next? Is this it? These are just some of the questions people may wonder about. On the other hand people that have ever had major trauma may and may just have a broad belief about what they think the afterlife will be. Research on afterlife would benefit the medical fields in a great way. The nurses and other health care professionals would have a deeper understanding on what their patients that have chronic illnesses are feeling intrinsically. It would also give them a better chance of understanding different culture and know what the patient feels or does not feel comfortable with. This research can also benefit social worker and counselors and educators in connecting with their patients or students in a better way. Education about how traumatic experiences effect how people believe their afterlife will be can also be a factor of why they feel the way they do right now. This research will also open many more doors for future research on sub topics regarding afterlife and other interesting factors that may rise from this. Since there is not much research on afterlife this can be the icebreaker. References Ambwani, S., Warren, C., Gleaves, D., Benito, A., and Fernandez, M. (2008). Culture, Gender and Assesment of Fear of Fatness. European Journal of Psychological Assesment. 24, 81-87. Flynn, C. p., Kunkel, S. R. (1987). Deprivation, compensation, and conception of an afterlife. Sociological Analysis, 48, 58-72. Lester, D., Aldridge, M., Aspenberg, C., Boyle, K., Radsniak, P., and Waldron, C. (2002). What Is the Afterlife like? Undergraduates Believes about the Afterlife. Omega Center for the Study of Sluiced. 44, 113-126.

An Example of Successful Change Essay

Introduction Why is Wal-Mart so Successful? Is it Good Strategy or Good Strategy Implementation? In 1962, when Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart store in Rogers, Arkansas, no one could have ever predicted the enormous success this small-town merchant would have. Sam Walton’s talent for discount retailing not only made Wal-Mart the world’s largest retailer, but also the world’s number one retailer in sales. Sam Walton has made certain changes that help Wal-Mart to achieve its success today. His change techniques involve changing people, technology, and product. Indeed, Wal-Mart was named â€Å"Retailer of the Decade† by Discount Store News in 1989, and on several occasions has been included in Fortune’s list of the â€Å"10 most admired corporations.† Changing People Wal-Mart is successful not only because it makes sound strategic management decisions, but also for its innovative implementation of those strategic decisions. In order to become a superstore, Wal-Mart decided to change the skill level of its workforce. Walton’s greatest accomplishment was his ability to empower, enrich, and train his employees. He believed in listening to employees and challenging them to come up with ideas and suggestions to make the company better. At each of the Wal-Mart stores, signs are displayed which read, â€Å"Our People Make the Difference.† Associates regularly make suggestions for cutting costs through their â€Å"Yes We Can Sam† program. The sum of the savings generated by the associates actually paid for the construction of a new store in Texas. One of Wal-Mart’s goals was to provide its employees with the appropriate tools to do their jobs efficiently. The technology was not used as a means of replacing existing employees, but to provide them with a means to succeed in the retail market (Thompson and Strickland 93). Changing Product Wal-Mart stores operate according to their â€Å"Everyday Low Price† philosophy. They provide customers access to quality goods, to make these goods available when and where customers want them, to develop a cost structure that enables competitive pricing, and to build and maintain a reputation for absolute trustworthiness (Evan, Shulman, and Stalk, 55). Through Sam Walton’s â€Å"Buy America† policy, Wal-Mart encourages its buyers and merchandise managers to stock stores with American-made products. In a 1993 annual report management stated the â€Å"program demonstrates a long-standing Wal-Mart commitment to our customers that we will buy American-made products whenever we can if those products deliver the same quality and affordability as their foreign-made counterparts† (Thompson & Strickland 68). With a variety of product and low cost, Wal-Mart has attracted more consumers. Changing Technology Wal-Mart has invested heavily in its unique cross-docking inventory system. Cross docking has enabled Wal-Mart to achieve economies of scale which reduces its costs of sales. With this system, goods are continuously delivered to stores within 48 hours and often without having to inventory them. Lower prices also eliminate the expense of frequent sales promotions and sales are more predictable. Cross docking gives the individual managers more control at the store level. A company owned transportation system also assists Wal-Mart in shipping goods from warehouse to store in less than 48 hours. This allows Wal-Mart to replenish the shelves 4 times faster than its competition. Wal-Mart owns the largest and most sophisticated computer system in the private sector. It uses a massively parallel processor computer system to track stock and movement which keeps it abreast of fast changes in the market (Daugherty 24). Information related to sales and inventory is disseminated via its advanced satellite communications system. Conclusion Sam Walton, a leader with an innovative vision, started his own company and made it into the leader in discount retailing that it is today. Through his savvy, and sometimes unusual, business practices, he and his associates led the company forward for thirty years. Today the company is still growing steadily. Wal-Mart executives continue to rely on many of the traditional goals and philosophies that Sam’s legacy left behind, while simultaneously keeping one step ahead of the ever-changing technology and methods of today’s fast-paced business environment. The future also looks bright for Wal-Mart, especially if it is able to continue its customer-driven culture, it should remain a retail industry leader well into the next century.

Immanuel Kant †Ethics Essay

Immanuel Kant was born in Konigsberg, East Prussia in 1724. He attended the Collegium Fridiricianum at eight years old where he was taught classicism. Then he went to the University of Konigsberg where he spent his career focusing on philosophy, mathematics, and physics. When his is father past away, Kant left the university and earned his living as a private tutor. In 1755 he returned to the University to receive his doctorate in 1756. Immanuel Kant remained at the University teaching for 15 years. He received his tenure at the University in 1770, where he stayed for the next 27 years. In 1792 he was barred from teaching or writing on religious subjects do to his unorthodox approach in his teaching by King Fredrick William II. He returned to teaching after the king had passed away five years later. In his retirement he published a summary of his views on religion. Immanuel Kant passed away in 1804. Immanuel Kant was widely known for his categorical imperative theory. Categorical imperative is how one determines one’s duty, what principles are proper, and which are not. Doing one’s duty for the sake of duty itself is better than simply acting in agreement with one’s duty. Telling the truth in order to benefit yourself is acting in accordance with duty and not acting for the sake of duty. The categorical imperative states, â€Å"Act only on that maxim whereby thou canst at the same time will it should become universal law(Keele, 2008). † Maxim in this sentence is the moral part of your action. Categorical imperative tells us it is immoral to make an exception of our self. Just like my mother would say treat and act as you would want others to treat and act towards you. In the news I view an article about â€Å"School knife attack poses ethical dilemma for daily. † In this article they talk about the Worcester New identifying a schoolboy as a suspect. The news published the boy’s name and picture on Facebook putting the boy’s life at risk. After the boy was found the news took down the boy’s picture at once. Everyone was perplexed by this situation asking why they put picture up and then took it down. According to the Worcester News, the situation change, where they were trying to find the boy to stop him from hurting himself or others and then to protecting the child. Would the newspapers actions have been ethical according to Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative? First let’s take a look at the reasons why they did it. The newspaper stated they put his picture up to protect him and other, then took down to protect him. I believe they were acting in the best of society myself by putting the information up. According to Immanuel Kant’s theory they were acting in accordance with their duty. They had a duty to let the public know what was going on to protect other students and teachers If they didn’t act with such speed would the boy have been found so soon? I think not! This boy could have went on a killing spree and if the Worcester News didn’t report it they would not have been acting in the best of society and would not have been doing their duty. But then to take down the information I feel is unethical. They don’t take down any information when it comes to any other person involved in a crime. Immanuel Kant stated that it is immoral to make an exception of yourself. The Worcester News should hold to the same standards as any other crime they report. I understand that they are trying to protect the boy, but if you are going to report any other crime and not take it down this should happen in the same way. In conclusion, based on my research I feel that Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative theory is important to our society today. It holds everyone to the same standards! He has help to maintain a set of standards for our society that requires everyone to be treated the same. The study of ethics is important in today’s business and government world because it sets standard for all to abide. From John Locke’s right theory to Kohlberg’s moral development stages. They all 1 / 2 set standards in which business need to stay within. If there were no standards there would be more scandals in the news than there is. References Britannica. (2014). Immanuel Kant. Retrieved from http://www. philosophypages. com/ph/kant. htm. Keele, Lisa. (2008, The Categorical Imperative of Immanuel Kant. Retrieved from https://www. suite. io/lisa-keele/ypd2fk. Linfold, Paul. (2014, September 28). School Knife Attack Poses Ethical Dilemma For Daily. Retrieved from http://www. holdthefrontpage. co. uk/2014/news/school-knife-attack-poses-ethical- dilemma-for-daily/ POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).