A character analysis of john irving’s novel ‘a prayer for owen meany Essay

Applying to the theme of religious faith and personal fate in his famous novel A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving discusses this crucial issue through the narrator John Wheelwright whose unusual understanding of God and extreme political views uncover inner doubts of people in relation to Christianity. In this regard, John Wheelwright is portrayed as a person who is lost in his wrong worship and who is destroyed by his obsession of his closest friend Owen Meany, failing to find the true meaning of his life. In the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany John Wheelwright, the offspring of the noble family, uncovers the story of his upbringing, religious faith and his relations with Owen Meany who is usually treated by the narrator as a symbol of Christianity. In fact, John’s belief in God is based not on his faith, but on his belief in Owen Meany. As the narrator claims at the beginning of the novel, â€Å"I am a Christian because of Owen Meany. I make no claims to have a life in Christ, or with Christ – and certainly not for Christ, which I’ve heard some zealots claim† (Irving 1). John acknowledges that he has no profound knowledge of the Bible, although he regularly visits the Church and is used to repeat some passages from this Holy book. Such a contradictory attitude towards Christian religion reveals inner doubts of John, his inability to accept all religious dogmas created by the Church and his attempts to form his own belief. This is especially obvious from the following words of John Wheelwright: â€Å"†¦ but every study of the gods, of everyone’s gods, is a revelation of vengeance toward the innocent (This is a part of my particular faith that meets with opposition from my Congregationalist and Episcopalian and Anglican friends)† (Irving 7). Thus, the narrator eliminates some wrong assumptions of Christianity, substituting them with his own concepts and demonstrating his ironical attitude towards the existing images of gods. Applying to such a portrayal of the principal character, Irving makes an attempt to show that a person’s fate depends on his/her actions and his/her ability to critically evaluate social and religious systems of the modern world. But despite his acquired wisdom, John is unable to accept reality; instead he constantly returns to the past, failing to accept the changes that occur in the present. As John Wheelwright rightfully states, â€Å"Your memory is a monster; you forget – it doesn’t. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from you – and summons them to your recall with a will of its own. You think you have a memory; but it has you! † (Irving 35). As a result, in his middle age John appears to occupy a neutral position in life, while his friend Owen Meany is overwhelmed with powerful emotions and energy in his religious activity. Despite the fact that John claims to believe in God, he also expresses anger towards his religious faith and opposes Regan ruling. John is greatly influenced by Owen, but deep inside he is not able to decide whether there is God or not; it is this doubt that makes John claim at the end of the novel: â€Å"watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean – make sure they know what they mean† (Irving 572). The writer intentionally repeats the phrase two times to intensify the meaning of the whole narration and to reveal the importance of a personal choice; John is so influenced by Owen’s faith that he is not able to overcome the limitations of Christian dogmas and seek his own understanding of some crucial issues of existence. On the other hand, inner doubts of the narrator contribute to the formation of such negative traits as self loss and indecisiveness in him. As John Wheelwright points out in the letter to Owen, â€Å"You’re always telling me I don’t have any faith†¦ Well – don’t you see – that’s a part of what makes me so indecisive. I wait to see what will happen next – because I don’t believe that anything I might decide to do would matter† (Irving 504). Perhaps, John’s childhood experience results in his self loss and his unusual worship of Owen; the narrator constantly wants to find out the truth about his father, but mother’s death deprives John of this opportunity. Simultaneously, John losses both his parents and long-expected truth, hoping that somehow God in the face of Owen will give him the clue to his birth. However, as John becomes older, he finds it impossible to blindly follow everything that he believed in youth; for instance, when at the end of the narration Mr. Meany tells that Owen appeared as a result of a virgin birth and, thus, was similar to Christ, John expresses doubts as to this news. In fact, throughout the novel the narrator makes an attempt to overcome his doubts and understand the essence of religion, but he fails to find an appropriate balance between his doubts and his religious belief. The death of Owen relieves John of the necessity to differentiate between two excesses. However, John Wheelwright still has to decide whether to believe in the existence of God or not, but the novel ends without this answer. The narrator’s ambiguity intensifies the narration, revealing that John is psychologically destroyed by certain events of his life. Although John tells the story of another person, he implicitly expresses his views on some religious and political issues, demonstrating his inability to overcome the events that occurred with him in the past. Searching for his identity, John tries to explain his profound relations with Owen and his unusual religious faith, but his explanation is rather complicated. John makes an attempt to understand Owen and his belief in God, but everything that the narrator manages to achieve is intricacy. As John claims at the end of the novel, â€Å"How could Owen Meany have known what he ‘knew’? It’s no answer, of course, to believe in accidents, or in coincidences; but is God really a better answer? † (Irving 571). Thus, on the one hand, the narrator challenges the necessity to believe in God, but, on the other hand, John Wheelwright continues to pray for Owen Meany’s resurrection. To some extent, John explains this ambiguity at the beginning of the narration: â€Å"I was baptized in the Congregational Church, and after some years of fraternity with the Episcopalian†¦ I became rather weak in my religion: in my teens I attended a non-denomination church. Then I became an Anglican† (Irving 1). The variety of churches that John attended contributed to John’s inability to choose; this inability concerns not only his religious views, but also his political and social concepts. John believes in God only in view of Owen’s religious belief, he criticizes political leaders and their actions through Owen’s understanding of political events. As John remembers, â€Å"The only way you can get Americans to notice anything is to tax them or draft them or kill them, Owen said† (Irving 431). John’s life appears to be closely connected with Owen’s life and ideas, and after Owen’s death, Johns finds it difficult to live. Although John builds new life in Canada, finds an interesting job and constantly visits church, he feels that he lacks something important, the sense of life that he had while Owen was alive. In his middle age the narrator has no family and no sexual relations with women; he criticizes Iran scandal and the Vietnam War. His worship of Owen destroys John’s personality, depriving him of the possibility to create a personal life; as John admits, â€Å"I make no claims to be especially pious; I have a church-rummage faith – the kind that needs patching up every weekend. What faith I have I owe to Owen Meany, a boy I grew up with. It is Owen who made me a believer† (Irving 2). Throughout the narration Irving implicitly shows that such worship may be dangerous for a person, especially if it is formed in early childhood and youth; this childhood worship may destroy a person in adulthood. As John narrates of his early years and of his present life, he simultaneously reveals various psychological problems; he is a person who is unable to adjust to the existing political and social life in Canada, rejecting his status as an American citizen. The narrator is not able to find his true self, because he chooses wrong paths and wrong ways, although, contrary to Owen, he belongs to a well-known family that lives in New Hampshire. According to John, â€Å"I was a Wheelwright – that was the family name that counted in our town: the Wheelwrights† (Irving 6). However, growing up in a rather unconventional family, John follows the faith chosen by his best friend Owen, but his belief in God is different from Owen’s belief. John believes in a person who embodies God, but not in God, and this personification deprives John of the possibility to find true faith that will help him to overcome his inner problems. John’s criticism of Regan ruling is based on the fact of Owen’s death rather than on any specific political ideology. He does not want to accept Owen’s death and he implicitly accuses American government in his friend’s death. This oddness of the narrator is exposed to harsh satire by Irving who reveals the impact of worship on the behavior and thinking of John Wheelwright. Other characters of the novel explain John’s psychological problems as a result of his complex childhood: â€Å"You keep doing that and you’ll make yourself sterile’, said my cousin Hester, to whom every event of our shared childhood was either sexually exhilarating or sexually damaging† (Irving 54). Thus, Irving applies to some aspects of psychoanalysis in his portrayal of John, trying to find several explanations of his unusual behavior. John’s childhood experience and especially his ambiguous religious faith transform the narrator into a cripple. As John moves to Canada, he leads a secluded life there, working as a teacher of English, but being obsessed with his thoughts and recollections. John’s criticism of social and political life conceals his anger as to Owen’s death; although he accuses American government and God in this tragedy, he hurts himself for this death. Being a virgin in his middle age, the narrator reveals powerful emotions only when he reads some facts about crimes in the United States, as if seeking relief in the news that manage to suppress his pain. However, nothing can give John a hope after Owen’s death; his friendship with Owen was so prolonged and so strong that John continued to feel the presence of Owen. Even after death Owen influences John and controls all his actions, although only on a spiritual level. John Wheelwright believes in Owen’s support as if Owen is God; in fact, the narrator identifies Owen with an image of God, hoping that one day they will meet again. When Owen implicitly helps him to find his father and his identity, John is convinced of Owen’s divine origin, feeling that â€Å"Owen Meany was very near† (Irving 542). The mystery of his birth troubles the narrator, he is in search of various ways to find out the truth, because he feels that he is not able to lead a normal life without recognizing his origin. John’s faith in Owen is so powerful that he believes that Owen saves his life several times throughout the narration. Owen is John’s closest friend, despite the fact that Owen is the reason of the death of John’s mother. Creating a new life in Canada, John constantly thinks how Owen would act in various circumstances. In this regard, Irving demonstrates that John’s faith in Owen is intensified after Owen’s death; John is unable to forget a person who accompanied and supported him for many years. Through Owen, John tries to find answers to some crucial issues of existence. In his early years John makes constant attempts to repeat everything after his friend; however, he feels that he is not able to be like Owen, although he admires him. In his adulthood John also follows Owen’s advice, moving to Canada and finding a place in the Bishop Strachan High School. Thus, it is Owen who controls John’s fate, considering that he has such a right. Applying to a rather prosaic speech, the narrator contrasts himself to Owen and his inner power. The narrator even emphasizes Owen’s words throughout the novel, trying to prove Owen’s greatness and his impact on John’s personality. Owen’s authority is explicitly vivid, as the novel progresses, but Owen dies, failing to realize that, to some extent, his influence on John possesses some negative features. The fact is that faith inspired by Owen in the heart of John destroys the narrator, because this faith is a label that is not able to provide the character with real belief and understanding of the world around him. John appears to depend much on Owen, being unable to lead an independent life and experiencing considerable insecurity. When John has to take a decision, he applies to Owen for advice or simply evaluates something from Owen’s point of view. After Owen’s death John starts to believe that there are no coincidences in this world, everything is predestined; the similar words are expressed by Owen when he was alive: â€Å"Owen Meany believed that ‘coincidence’ was a stupid, shallow refuge sought by stupid, shallow people who were unable to accept the fact that their lives were shaped by a terrifying and awesome design† (Irving 186). However, following Owen’s thoughts, John Wheelwright ignores the profound understanding of the occurred events; although he accepts the fact of his mother’s death from the hands of Owen, he does not want to think why God punishes him in such a way. John seems to be the only person who has such a strong belief in Owen and in miracles that are connected with him. In this regard, the narrator evokes sympathy, because his wrong worship saved him only in early years. In adulthood he experiences discomfort over many things; although John claims to believe in God, he does not really understand the essence of Christian religion. Although he criticizes some political events, he does nothing to change the situation; for instance, he prefers to injure himself to avoid taking part in Vietnam War. The narrator is afraid of being destroyed by this War, but in reality he is destroyed by Owen. Throughout the narration John expresses contradictory viewpoints as to certain aspects of life; in particular, at the beginning of the novel he tells that faith should not be based on any miracles, but finally he accepts these miracles as an integral part of his own faith. Despite the fact that John constantly cites some passages from the Bible, he admits that he does not really know this Holy book; he simply wants to support the ideas of Owen with these passages. Thus, the narrator does not sincerely believe in God and he does not take part in any social or political activity. John Wheelwright lives in his own secluded world, keeping other people out of this world and believing only in Owen. John’s faith is intertwined with inner doubts, and faith can not survive if these doubts are not suppressed. True faith is based on trust, but Owen expresses the contrary idea that evokes doubts in the narrator. According to Owen, â€Å"That isn’t exactly what faith is†¦ I don’t believe everything that pops into my head – faith is a little more selective than that† (Irving 472). In fact, John does not realize his dependence on Owen until Owen’s death, he does not realize his weakness, and he has to face the consequences of his ignorance. As the narrator writes to Owen, â€Å"What good does it do to make whatever decision you’re talking about? What good does courage do – when what happens next is up for grabs? † (Irving 504). As a result of his dependence on Owen, John is afraid of life, he is afraid of any changes that may destroy his little world. Growing up with Owen in New Hampshire, John feels that this friendship is the only thing that supports him throughout his life. The narrator is not able to broaden his horizons and find other interesting things; his strange worship prevents him from finding the true meaning of life. John’s life is reflected in Owen’s life, thus, despite the fact that Owen and John share the similar life principles, their ways of life are different, as John has no personal life, he simply makes an attempt to resemble Owen. Contrary to Owen who manages to find the goal in life, John is unable to understand his own predestination. The narrator lives in the light of Owen, failing to find his own light; as a result, his life is spiritually destroyed after Owen’s death. Although John brings up some life issues, he is not able to understand what is crucial in his own life. Thus, at the end of the narration John turns to prayers, as if hoping to find solace in them, to find the meaning of his further life, but he is still full of doubts that prevent him from accepting reality. Although John Wheelwright is already an adult, to some extent, he remains a little boy who is in search of comfort and understanding and who needs another person to guide him through life. With Owen’s death, John collides with inner conflicts, concerning his faith. Perhaps, these conflicts can be explained by the fact that absolute faith created by Owen Meany is impossible for such persons as John; he is not Owen, although he tries to resemble him. John’s upbringing and life experience are different from that of Owen’s, thus John fails to fully believe in the things believed by Owen. Due to John’s inner doubts and inability to create a personal life, John usually turns to sarcasm in his evaluation of certain events. Instead of analyzing political or religious issues, the narrator treats them through his personal experience. Thus, John’s insight is restricted by his infirm intellect; the faith that he seems to have does not shed light on the narrator’s life; instead it transforms him into a person who experiences constant pain and obvious displeasure. Unlike Owen who finds power and inspiration in his belief, John is unable to experience the similar inspiration. He appears to be a tool in the hands of Owen who utilizes the narrator to his own liking, persuading John that he is a God’s instrument. It is Owen who performs home tasks for John, it is Owen who makes him receive a major degree in English, it is Owen who saves him from Vietnam and who persuades him to move to Canada. John is so used to this guidance and dependence that he does not realize that Owen manipulates him, depriving John of the possibility to become a mature adult in his middle age. Influenced by Owen, John Wheelwright prefers to keep in the background of Owen’s life, implicitly challenging the issues of true faith. Works Cited Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany. New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1990.

On Becoming a Writer Essay

In â€Å"On Becoming a Writer,† the author, Russell Baker, expressed his interest in writing as a way of thinking about himself and forming an identity. â€Å"The only thing that truly interested me was writing, â€Å"he states. â€Å"It was the only thing for which I seemed to have the smallest talent†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Even though he used to dislike English classes in high school, in his third year, the chance of being a writer knocked on his door. When Mr. Fleagle, the English professor, with an out of date look and behavior, took over the class, he brought on an opportunity to Russell to realize his talent and stay with open eyes for the future. Mr. Fleagle introduced to the class an assignment, an informal essay. The choice of topics was â€Å"The Art of Eating Spaghetti. † â€Å"This title produced an extraordinary sequence of mental images. †Russell says. â€Å"Suddenly I wanted to write about that†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The author wanted to write this essay not for Mr. Fleagle, but for himself, for his own satisfaction, as a way to recapture and hold forever this dear memory. Even though he realized the possibility of getting a failing grade, he took the chance and submitted his assignment to Mr. Fleagle. â€Å"Two days passed before Mr. Fleagle returned the graded papers, and he returned everyone’s but mine. † The author’s suspense didn’t last long as Mr. Fleagle kept his essay last, and started reading it to the class. â€Å"My words! He was reading my words out loud to the entire class. † At that minute, Rusell Baker experienced his happiest moment of all school years, which gave him the confidence and opportunity to simply become a writer. â€Å"†¦Mr. Fleagle had opened a door for me. † â€Å"On Becoming a Writer† is an essay for the students, who are interested in writing but are afraid to face their desire, because of doubt or not taking writing as a real job. It is an essay for the teachers, showing them how much of an impact they have on a student’s future. It is vital for the teachers to remember that everything they do or say can influence their students at this stage of their life. â€Å"On Becoming a Writer† is also an essay for everybody interested in the subject and can decide to become a writer. The author is telling us his story as a friend. His purpose is to make us realize that things are possible and happen if we really believe in our qualities and ourselves. Dreams come true every day, and we, the dreamers, have to work hard for those dreams, to wake up and asleep with them and be very persistent to make them happen. As Paulo Coelho states in his book, â€Å"When you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. † Therefore, essays as â€Å"On Becoming a Writer† and many other are meant to give their readers the confidence and the support they need to follow their dreams. In most of the time it, doesn’t happen immediately or short period of time; in most of the time it may take years before any dream becomes reality. Therefore, having someone like Mr. Fleagle in your life, give you hope and motivation to keep dreaming.

Adolescence Acting Out In Group Theraphy

Acting-out means performing an act that expresses emotional conflict in the individual. The emotional conflict may be subconscious. The actions done in acting out are usually antisocial and are meant for getting attention. Behaviors acted out include drug taking, or behaving promiscuously.Actions in this category are harmful to the individual and stand in the way of the individual developing constructive behavioral responses to feelings. Acting out is the opposite of response to feelings in ways like talking out, or psychodrama. (Blatner, 1996)This behavior happens within group processes and is studied in group dynamics which is the study of groups. The group dynamics study’s primary concern is small group behavior. A group is a number of individuals who are brought together by social relations. Groups develop peculiar dynamic behaviors among its members due to their close interaction.According to psychoanalysis findings by Sigmund Freud, human actions can be explained by look ing at the conscious and the subconscious part of the mind. The unconscious is a section of the mind that is not immediately connected to perceptions but is a store of a persons past experiences. The past experiences come out of the unconscious to the conscious and in a way affect our personalities.The imperative here is that the motivations for acting out are beyond conscious control. However the motivations can be accessible through inference on behavior as the actions are believed to be the expression of repressed material. (Jones, 1973)The term used to describe the relation of experiences from one interpersonal setting to another is called transference. It deals with revisiting past experiences in existing circumstances. The relation of past and present behaviors are established by other people who come into contact with the individual. The individual will be discovered to be trying to address the unresolved issues from his/her past.  In this paper, group therapy is tackled on the basis of psychotherapy, and psychoanalytic studies. Psychotherapy is the field that specializes in investigating the manifestations of relations of past actions on the present actions with aim of helping the persons overcomes the influence. Psychotherapists look into the unconscious projections of transference.In psychoanalytic study transference is seen as a source of conflict and as one of the influences of choices in life including occupations. They lead a person to be interested in certain things like settings, and people. It therefore unites the past and the present.A good understanding of transference helps psychotherapists understand the causes of some human behavior more clearly in order to be able to implement effective interventions. According to Sigmund Freud the formative experiences of a person are critical, and relationships of childhood years are reflected with other significant ones through life. The earlier events come out in repeated difficulties in relationsh ips and dreams.Lack of happiness and conflict can in this case be understood through knowledge of unconscious human motivations. (Nickel, 1987)The repressed materials are thus acted out. Interpretations of acting out of individuals vary with the contexts under which they act, and the audiences that witness the actions. In the context of parenting acting out is literally understood. It means acting those desires that are forbidden by the society.According to psychoanalysis study the laws in the society make the Superego and a person’s body of desires is called the Id. The Superego acts on the Id to make a person behave in socially acceptable manner. Freud used the theory of psychoanalysis to devise ways of treating patients with mental problems.  The initial desires of the individual are replaced with socially accepted behavior in a process called sublimation. However, in acting out the individual goes contrary to the authority of the superego on the Id. Acting out entails c oping with pressure by giving in to the desires of the Id. The person who acts out their desires do it with little or no regard to their conscience and with little thought.Hence the acts are either deliberately bad or unpremeditated wrongdoing. Even when the people are aware of their wrongdoing they try to protect themselves against the society’s censure by hiding their deeds. Other coping mechanisms that use are such as denial which is used to protect one from feelings of shame. (Freud, 1972)Acting out in essence is handling pressure by giving in to the desires. It is however not actually coping, for coping mechanisms try to handle pressure and not conforming to it.Acting out is the opposite of sublimation. Unlike in sublimation where the desired action is replaced by another socially acceptable activity, here the desire is acted out bluntly. Such things as temper tantrums are episodes of acting out. At the early age the children have not developed communication means for th eir distress feelings.Thus they use tantrums as an effective means of alerting parents of their needs and commanding attention. But then when the children pass through the society they learn to get attention through strategies that are socially acceptable and that are constructive.It is then interesting that the behavior of acting out shows again during the years of adolescence in many youths. It comes in the form of acts of rebellious nature such as smoking, and drug abuse that can be seen as a cry for recognition.The youth may be disruptive, a behavior that is caused by an inability to control emotions in other ways. During adolescence emergence of antisocial and criminal behavior occurs. This behavior goes on into adulthood with considerable loss that comes from the action to the individual, families and also the community. Attempts to identify risk factors of antisocial and criminal behavior have been done with aim of preventing the problems.Some of the risk factors are identifi ed in the years of beginning primary school. At this age there is identified difference of acting in that two groups are found. The groups are the antisocial and social. From this age there is difference of behavior between the two groups. In mid childhood the antisocial group manifested higher levels of acting out, and showed more trouble behaviors like hyper action and aggression. They were also found to act in manner craving for attention.Problematic behavior continues in late childhood. The children continue showing problematic behavior. They also become less cooperative; have lesser self control, as well as poor communication with their parents. At this age the children probably have acquired friends who practice antisocial behavior. During adolescence, the antisocial group gets more significantly different from the social group.The differences between the groups were centered on aspects of temperamence such as negativity, low persistence, volatility, involvement in risky activ ities, and acting out. Acting out is a manifestation of all the other aspects of the individual psyche at this time.A study on the prevalence of HIV and AIDS among Australian youths illuminates the study of acting out. Heckerman in the report of the study states that there has been an increase in infection rates of youths with the deadly HIV through engaging in promiscuous behaviors. The rate of levels of adolescents who are infected with the HIV has increased in the past ten years, in spite of the education on the disease being taught in the schools and family courses.With the teens receiving this information it becomes a matter of concern that the rate of infection continue to rise.  Ã‚   However, studies show that knowledge and behavioral changes are not directly correlated.   It has been established that despite the youths having adequate knowledge on HIV, the knowledge does not influence a change of risky sexual behavior.It is seen here that the youths who act out by resort ing to risky social behavior have influence that is manifested in the subconscious. (Heckerman, 2002)  In an essay on group analysis Rosenthal relates the issue of the persistent influence of subconscious on the actions of the individual on an aspect of psychoanalytic study called resistance. Resistance is understood to be an inadequate, wrongly adopted, and an indirect manner of self revelation.Using the media of resistance the psychoanalytic patient tips that he/she cannot engage in verbal communication with emotional significance. (Rosenthal, 1979).Analytic treatment exacts great demands for efforts on the part of the patient as it does on the physician. They are both demanded to overcome their inner resistances. By overcoming the resistances the patients’ mental, life is changed permanently.The patient is hence lifted into a higher level of development and remains above possibilities of regression. It takes effort to overcome the resistances as the analytic treatment is achieved. (Freud, 1916)In the essay above it has been seen that the phenomenon of acting out has got many sides to itself. A clear understanding of the concepts of transference, resistance, psychotherapy, leads one to a better understanding of the concept of acting out and helps in discerning the processes involved in the minds of those who act out and hence help in administering group therapy.References Blatner, A. (1996). Acting-in: Practical Applications of Psycho-dramatic Methods.Springer Publishing Company.Freud, Sigmund (1922) Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego. New York: Liveright Publishing.

The Evolution of Human Resource Management and the Contemporary Essay

The Evolution of Human Resource Management and the Contemporary Approach to Human Capital Management - Essay Example It is, therefore, a measure of an employee’s economic value based on the employee’s skill set. The concept of human capital appreciates the fact that labor is not equal, and human capital can be improved through investment in training and development. The quality and level of education, experience and skills of an employee have economic value to employers and the whole economy (Skelton and Anderson 2008). Human resource management (HRM) is the process of hiring and developing employees in order to make them more valuable to the organization. Formerly known as personnel management, HRM evolves into a broader profession engaging more actively in employee management to include tasks such as, conducting job analysis, recruiting the right people, orientation and training, dispute resolution and communicating with employees at all levels. HR professionals must possess extensive knowledge of the industry and demonstrate leadership qualities and effective negotiation skills (Sk elton and Anderson 2008). Overview of human resource management The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), in 2005, found that 54.8% of HR professionals worldwide encountered bureaucratic obstacles and marginalization in their careers, in the organizations they worked with (Lundy and Cowling 1996). In light with the terms used to define HR professionals today, for example, ‘strategic partner’, HR has adopted a more strategic role in management unlike the previous functional role. For example, in 2005, Mercer, on his global study on HR found that half of the companies were restructuring to give HR a more strategic role. HR managers have shifted from the more traditional approach of role reporting that was mainly transaction based where they had to report to an administrative manager. They are now currently members of the senior management. Unlike other professions like insurance and banking that have a more identifiable consistencies and an almost linear evolution path, HR’s role within an organization can almost be described as scatter gram characterized by a series of disjointed activities(Lundy and Cowling 1996). Borrowing from the first principles of evolution, HR has gone through an inter-generational process of variation, selection and retention of the best practices. Variation implies acquisition of new kinds of skills sets, motivations and expectations, and triggered by various internal and external environmental changes among HR professionals. These forces selectively eliminate certain variations and promote other variations to be favoured by the selection process. While variation is personal, selection impacts the structure of workforce of an organization. Studies have documented that, organizations deliberately preserve, duplicate or reproduce the selected variations as has been confirmed by the spreading of strategic HR practices through geographical regions and organizations (Lundy and Cowling 1996). Where technological i nnovations such as software applications have made functional tasks for HR professionals obsolete, HR professionals have had enough time to articulate on strategic goals instead of routine administrative tasks. For example, payroll software automated previously labour intensive tasks for HR professionals, leaving them with ample time for higher strategic thinking required by the knowledge economy. More sophisticated technologies like the 360-degrees performance appraisal programme  emphasizes strategic management skills, and the accompanying software requires HR professionals to upgrade their skill set to levels required in using and developing these technologies. Virtual offices have eliminated the ability to monitor employees manually, necessitating use

Lululemon exploration of England Internal Analysis Case Study

Lululemon exploration of England Internal Analysis - Case Study Example VRIO Analysis VRIO framework is a tool for analyzing a business’s internal strength to cater a particular market. When a firm uses VRIO framework for its internal analysis, it evaluates all the resources and capabilities of a business, ignoring the strategic position of the business. The term VRIO is an acronym for: 1. V: Question of firm’s value 2. R: Question of firm’s rarity 3. I: Question of firm’s Imitability 4. O: Question of firm’s organization (Kazmi, 2012). VRIO Analysis of Lululemon Athletica Question of Lululemon’s Value Lululemon is multinational sports apparel brands incorporated in Canada, Australia and United States of America. The strength that the company has gained by operating in these three countries has added to the experience and skills required to compete at international level with sports specialty brands. Moreover, the work force that the company possesses also provides an opportunity to Lululemon to prosper in England’s premium sports market. The financial strength of the company at the moment also adds to the value of its capability to compete with other premium brands in England. Keeping in view the trends in the English premium sports apparel market, a number of opportunities are present to be exploited by Lululemon such as technological advancements, cultural fusion, strong economic outlook and opportunities for international marketing through international events in the country (Lululemon Athletica, 2012). ... Moreover, Lululemon also provides its customers on-sight physical exercise facility, running clubs and yoga sessions to familiarize the customers with the athletic environment and why it is necessary for them to have yoga and athletic sportswear of Lululemon. Moreover, Lululemon also creates rarity in the sense, that it offers its products in its own stores, thus establishing a vertical retail strategy that allows the company to have more control over its operations than others  (Lululemon Athletica, 2012). Question of Imitability of Lululemon’s Products and Strategies Lululemon is a premium brand offered at premium prices which makes it near to impossible for the competitors to imitate. Lululemon believes on community involvement in its business and thus allows others to imitate its products or technology used to manufacture products. This business practice is in alignment with Lululemon’s â€Å"doing-the-right-thing† initiative. The aim was to support comm unity members to take active part in achieving excellence in healthy habits. But the competitors find it difficult to imitate Lululemon’s products or strategies because it is very costly and requires great set of skills to produce a Lululemon’s product (Lululemon Athletica, 2012). Question of Lululemon’s Organization The way Lululemon has structured its organizational hierarchy facilitates smooth functioning of the business. The head-quarter is stationed in Canada where the product designing and concept manipulation is carried out. Moreover, the headquarters also handles the financial controlling function of the business. Whereas the business in Australia,

The New Deal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The New Deal - Essay Example 24). This period was also the start of complex social programs and signaled the wider acceptance of trade unions in the United States. The New Deal policy was triggered by the initial crash for the US stock market, which occurred on October 24, 1929 followed by October 29 "Black Tuesday" in which the stock market fell even more than it had the week before. These events catapulted into a worldwide economic depression (Chandler 1970). This economic depression was manifested in the US through a 4 percent to 25 percent increase in unemployment incidence, alongside reduction of manufacturing output by approximately a third. Due to deflation of currency values, prices fell, making the repayment of debts much harder. The drop in values of the mining, lumber, and agriculture industries caused these items to drop as well. The impact of the depression was however not as severe in white collar and service sectors. "Throughout the nation men and women, forgotten in the political philosophy of the Government, look to us here for guidance and for more equitable opportunity to share in the distribution of national wealth I pledge myself to a new deal for the American people. This is more than a political campaign. It is a call to arms." Roosevelt formed the "Brain Trust," a group of academic advisers whose formation was aimed at assisting in his recovery efforts. Extensive government intervention in the economy was sought instead of allowing laissez faire to run its course (Chandler 1970). Some vocal conservative opposition attacks were faced by the New Deal, such as the American Liberty League led by democrats, particularly the 1924 and 1928 presidential candidates John W. Davis and Al Smith. There was also a large group of New Deal opponents called "Old Right," led by politicians, intellectuals, writers, and newspaper editors (Chandler 1970). This first New Deal of 1933 had goals of short-term recovery programs based on the assumption that the federal government headed by Roosevelt can solve the financial problems. Some of the policies promoted and implemented by the Roosevelt government are banking reform laws, emergency relief programs, agricultural programs, and work relief programs (Chandler 1970). Many organized liberal groups gained much of what they demanded, except the Socialist Party, which was practically destroyed. The First New Deal was described as a mixture of self-contradiction, experiment, and pragmatism (Chandler 1970). Eventually, the economy recovered form the low point of 1932, sustaining the improving until 1937 when the Recession of 1937 regained the 1934 levels of unemployment. Economists and historians disputed the concept of the New Deal being responsible for the economic recovery (Chandler 1970). The New Deal was critiqued by several historians and Barton Bernstein spoke of the so-called 'conservative achievements' of liberal reform due to its inadequacies. Howard Zinn also gave considerable emphasis to flaws, limits, and conservative stances but failed, among others, in providing theoretical framework for understanding the New Deal (Foner 1997, p. 143).

Nike advertisement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nike advertisement - Essay Example The advert persuades the viewers to buy the Mercurial vapors and its target is an audience of soccer players.   The music that is set to a slow beat and the calm blue background of the advert gives a viewer a peaceful state when watching the advert. The cleats are outstanding in the entire advert since they are bright orange in color. The outstanding color of the cleats is meant to excite the viewer. People will want to buy the cleats so that they can impress other with a powerful shot. The producer of the advert highly uses ethos successfully through use of the best player to show his weapon of choice, the Nike boots. Ethos means being able to convince through the character of the author. It is obvious that people believe those they respect more than anybody else. Use of somebody who is likeable and worth a lot of respect is a positive move for any advertisement. Christian Ronaldo is a product of effectiveness of the cleats. A viewer who sees his success in the field and links it to the boots will definitely purchase a pair.   Individuals will want to purchase the cleats to emulate his skill.   The unrealistic expectation makes individuals think that if they purchase cleats they can be able to play the same way as Christian Ronaldo plays. The use of the fastest car to compare with the best player makes the viewer get interested in finding out more about the advertisement.The author also makes an appeal to pathos in the advertisement. Pathos involves persuading the reader by appealing to their emotions.

Marks & Spencer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marks & Spencer - Essay Example Long after its competitors had started sourcing cheaper goods, M&S adhered to its ‘buy British’ policy (Mellahi, Jackson and Sparks, 2002). They believed that this was what its customers preferred. They also did not believe in any form of marketing. They only engaged in announcing new stores opening and never promoted the brand or its products. When a product range was not successful they merely sold it a discount. They did not accept credit cards for long time and launched its own in-house store card. They even did not venture into out-of-town retailing. Even when stuck with crisis, the management did not scan the environment and respond effectively to the environment. All their actions and decisions demonstrate that they wanted to remain isolated from the rest of the world, from the retail trends and from consumer expectations. M&S has also been criticized and faces legal issues for its attitude and behaviour towards its workers. The stores have a drab ambience and the ir product range has not been able to keep up with the trends. The retailer has not been able to keep to with the trends and hence competitors have very easily taken over this retailer (Ruddick, 2012). They have been stocking items that have been popular in the past without evaluating the current customer preferences. They have not been able to find the right formula that would appeal to its core customers as well as to the wider demographic in the UK. In addition, the retailer is experiencing stock management mistakes as a result of which the best items remain out of stock. All these have resulted in loss of market share in women’s wear. Its expenditure on marketing has also reduced. Another issue at M&S appears to be unclear organizational capability. A lot of new recruits have been taken in who have yet to familiarize themselves with what the M&S customers want. In addition, M&S has poor online and multichannel capability and a complex and inflexible supply chain (Ruddick, 2012). These factors suggest that M&S had become complacent and believed that customer loyalty that it enjoyed in the past would be sufficient to see them through tough times. However, it has been a lesson for other retailers as well, that with times retail trend has to change. The external environment has to be considered in all decisions to not merely survive but also to gain competitive advantage. Besides, the management must have the capability to evaluate situations and take corrective actions. What use does this organisation make of technology? Where do you think there may be a chance to improve in this area? M&S is making investments in technology to enhance its customer service delivery. For instance, it is investing ?100 million in in-store technology such as iPads for customer assistants and ?150 million on a new website (Ruddick, 2012), and ?2.4 billion on online offering (Ruddick, 2012a). The intention behind equipping the customer assistance with tablets is to improve its customer service, better integrate its customer service and also enable the customers to have access to a wider range of products (Baker, 2012). This would enable them to help customers buy products online that may not be available in-store. In addition, their free apps for iPads allows customers to shop for everything for home (M&S, 2013). M&S is also upgrading its RFID platform to include home good such as bedding, accessories and kitchenware (Violino, 2013). They will

Comparing and Contrasting Diverse Roles Research Paper

Comparing and Contrasting Diverse Roles - Research Paper Example These common roles are as follows; Role as a Leader A project manager has to lead, manage and administer the resources of a project (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2003). These resources are both tangible and intangible. For instance, tangible resources are finances and materials of a project. Intangible resources are people’s skills. The nature and diversity of these resources makes the role of a project manager very demanding. A project manager needs to lead the team. Projects are not completed without a competent team. In order to get the best out of the people working on a project, they need to be lead and often they need to be lead from the front. That is why the project manager needs to be equipped with the right leadership skills. The role of a leader often requires developing, modifying and implementing project plans. Along with these qualities, a leader also has to bring in the necessary interpersonal skill set to effectively lead the team towards the goals. The re is hardly any contrast in the roles of a project manager and the role of a leader. Every step of the management requires appropriate leadership skills. ... That is why continuous improvement and learning is mandatory for a super job at project managing. Whatever skill and education the project manager has, the manager needs to pass it on to the project team members. The manager needs to show team members how to do certain things. That is where a project manager needs to be a mentor for team members. Mentoring for the project manager involves teaching team members right on the job. This type of mentoring can be related to on the job training. Here comes the contrast; the job of a project manager is to manage the project and not teach the team members new skills. If the project manager is busy teaching the team members about their job skills, project managing can suffer. This is a tough thing for the project manager to balance both these aspects. Role as a Manager This is the prime role of a project manager, to manage. There is no contrast between this role and the main task of a project manager. Team building for a project is also the jo b of a project manager and especially when there are different types of teams. These various types of teams depends on the task at hand as well as the resources available (WHO, 2007). Team building also requires managing the individuals that make up the team. The manager needs to know which individuals are best with their specific skill sets and how to best utilize them. As stated earlier, there is no contrast between the work of a project manager and the role of a manager. These tasks go hand in hand, reinforcing each other. The managerial roles require managing all variables of a project; time, cost, resources. Facilitator roles Sometimes a big project requires more than one project manager for its successful completion. In such scenarios, a project manager needs to play the role of

Causal Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Causal Argument - Essay Example In the course of the ruling, the regulation was improved to permit States to opt-out of growing admission to Medicaid (Troy 30-32). The law necessitated all American citizens to have a health insurance plan by 2014 with an option of paying a month fee for every month short of minimum necessary coverage. The health plan was shared responsibility, which was unofficial to individual’s mandate. Supreme Court administrated it to be a tax plan but rather not a mandate by ruling June 28, 2012 (Troy 30-33). The healthcare law does not alter the approach to which insurance is obtained, since people can still purchase private insurance, acquire employer-established insurance, and acquire healthcare insurance plan via government programs like Medicaid or Medicare. However, the Obama Care only adds new ways of purchasing the insurance cover and plans. According to the law, insurance can only be purchased through state health insurance marketplaces where the insured obtain cost assistance and acquire apples-to-apples evaluations of plans (Hollander 1). According to the law, each insurance cover categories have their open enrollment times, consequently making certain categories of insurance plan to be purchased only during specific period of the year (Hollander 1). The Health Care Act is a problem to some quotas of the Americans who view it as expensive while others view is at cheaper. It necessitates all American citizens to buy a private health care insurance plan, get immunity or remit a tax fine on their end year taxes. According to the law, citizens who are unable to afford health insurance cost either qualify for Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP or acquire support in the formula of tax credits or support with the up-front costs via their State’s Health Insurance Exchange Marketplace (Wear 17-20). Those who cannot afford even after assistance especially when the insurance cost is more than 8 percent of their families

Children families and communities Familial Isolation Essay

Children families and communities Familial Isolation - Essay Example This paper probes deeper into these forms, and describes two unique challenges to each form. When a parent or a child has a disability, the challenges are many. Suppose that the parent is disabled. The biggest challenge is to find a job and raise his family. Although, there are many laws that support disabled persons in workplaces, still the disabled ones do not find enough motivation to come out of their houses and face the discrimination everywhere they go, to get a job. Disabled persons are thought of as less capable and less efficient, and thus, they find it difficult to find the right kind of job that can help him raise their children. Now, let’s suppose that a child is disabled. He suffers discrimination in his school if he is only physically disabled. If he is mentally disabled, then there are special schools for him, but for physically disabled ones, it becomes a social problem to study in a normal school. No one does friendship with him, and he is left isolated in cla ss and parties. Thus, psychological problems arise. These challenges lead to isolation. People belonging to culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds also suffer from isolation. One challenge is the racial discrimination that they have to suffer at workplaces. No matter how much modern the society has become, yet it has not been able to come out of the typical mindset that does not accept people who belong to different backgrounds. However, there are many special laws at most of the companies and workplaces that protect people from diverse backgrounds. However, society starts attaching stigma to people from other backgrounds, in that they gain positions in the workplaces on the basis of advantages given to them, and not on the basis of their skill, talent, and qualification. This stigmatization is very harmful for them, and tends to create an atmosphere of hatred between different races and cultures. One other challenge is for such people to adjust in the new society, which is different from theirs in cultural and linguistic sense. They have to make a lot of efforts to get them recognized. And if they fail in doing so, they fall into isolation. People who live in rural and remote areas often get deprived of some of the very basic facilities of life. Although they may get purer food and air, they lag behind when it comes to facilities related to education, health care, and technology. Let’s discuss two challenges here. One challenge is about health care. People living in rural and remote areas have to travel long distances to meet a good physician, and often go through prolonged diseases and sicknesses when they do not get immediate health care. Second challenge is the digital divide. It is the gap between the consumers who have an access to computers and internet and those who do not use computers and internet, due to reasons like not having access to computers at all, or lack of â€Å"internet connectedness† (Loges, 2001). Thus, remote a rea people get isolated from the rest of the modern world (Fegan & Bowes, 2009, pp.129-147). Children belonging to one or both incarcerated parents also suffer from social isolation. It is commonly known that it is not only the parent who suffers from incarceration, but the children also go through dangerous consequences because they lose regular contact with the parent, and thus, due to lack of parental supervision, they also get indulged in dangerous activities. â€Å"

Situation Essay Example for Free

Situation Essay Situation A: An employee took time off due to his wife giving birth prematurely. His requested time off was approved by his original manager as the employee qualified for FMLA since he has been with the company for two years and was for the care of his spouse. Under (1)†FMLA rules certain employees can be provided up to 12 weeks unpaid, job-protected leave per year. The employee must work for the company at least 12 months, have at least 1250 hours during the 12 months and the where the employee work, the company must employ at least 50 employees within 75 miles†. (1) â€Å"Eligible reasons for leave to be granted to an employee are: * birth and care of the newborn child of an employee; * placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care; * to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.† The employee requested to return to work after 11 weeks, his new manager approved his return along with his pay prior to his leave from the company. The employee’s request for payment of his salary while he was on leave for 11 weeks was not approved. The company would not be in violation of FMLA rules if the new manager decides not to pay the employee. (1)FMLA states that leave is to be unpaid and therefore the company has the right not to pay. The company complied with all the FMLA eligibility rules when they granted leave and reinstated the employee to his original position and pay rate at the end of his 11 week leave to care for his wife and new born children. If the company provides sick or vacation time an employee can take this during their time off. It’s an unfortunate situation for the employee and the company. The returning employee’s original manager left the company during the employee’s leave and approved his being paid during his leave I feel the following actions should take place. First, attempts to contact the previous manager to confirm the employee’s statement and upon confirmation payment should be granted. Second, the company should show a gesture of good faith and up hold the original manager’s agreement. Third, an amendment to company policy should be put in place to cover future events. Written and signed by both management and employee to the exact terms agreed upon prior to leave under FMLA are to be taken. This is for the protection of the company and their employees. Situation B: A company conducts its annual review in which the results reveal one of its senior employee’s (68yr old) is doing exemplary work and another younger employee (32yr old) is doing average work. The promotion was given to the younger (32yr old) employee over the senior (68yr old) employee due to his age. Even though the fact that the senior employee’s work was above par in comparison to the younger employee. The company is in direct violation of the ADEA of 1967 which states (2)â€Å"certain applicant and employees who are 40 years of age and older are protected from discrimination on the basis of age in hiring, promotion, discharge, compensation, or terms, conditions or privileges of employment.† In this case the 68 year old employee could sue the company based on Age Discrimination and win. Situation C: A potential applicant who is wheelchair bound due to paralysis of his lower extremities applied for an open position with company x. The applicant would need to have access to all seven floors in order to do their job. The company would need to provide â€Å"reasonable accommodations†. Company X denied the potential applicant because of â€Å"undue hardship† that would be brought on the company for retro fitting the elevator keypads in two of the four elevators to accommodate the potential applicant needs to gain access to all the floors. After reviewing the American Disabilities Act of 1990 and the needs of the potential applicant to determine whether retro fitting the existing elevator keypads would create an undue hardship to Company X or not I found the following (34) †Reasonable accommodation is any change or adjustment to the work environment that would allow the disabled worker to perform the essential functions of the job or to allow the disabled worker to enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment equal to employees without disabilities. These additional accessibility alterations are only required to the extent that the added accessibility costs do not exceed 20% of the cost of the original alteration. However, the facility is obligated up to the 20% limit. The path of travel requirement covers elevators, ramps, doorways, pathways, drinking fountains, phones, work space etc.† Company X should provide backup documentation that shows retro fitting the elevators would exceed 20% therefore creating the â€Å"undue hardship†. The only alternative suggestion would be not to retro fit the elevators. Two of the four are not in need of retro fitting so if the potential applicant could safely gain access to all seven floors and still be in compliance with â€Å"ADA† then Company X would be and only then be in violation of â€Å"ADA† when they denied the applicant employment.

Different Perspectives for Risk Management

Different Perspectives for Risk Management 1 Purpose Risk this is defined as the combination of the probability of an event and its consequences. In all types of undertaking, there is the potential for events and consequences that constitute opportunities for benefit (upside) or threats to success (downside). Risk Management is increasingly recognised as being concerned with both positive and negative aspects of risk. Therefore this policy considers risk from both perspectives. Risk management is a central part of the B W Plant Hire and Sales Ltd strategic management. It is the process whereby we methodically address the risks attaching to their activities with the goal of achieving sustained benefit within each activity and across the portfolio of all activities. The focus of good risk management is the identification and treatment of these risks. Its objective is to add maximum sustainable value to all the activities of the organisation. It marshals the understanding of the potential upside and downside of all those factors which can affect the organisation. It increases the probability of success, and reduces both the probability of failure and the uncertainty of achieving our overall objectives. 2 Process The risks facing an organisation and its operations can result from factors both external and internal to the organisation. Risk identification is the process whereby B W Plant Hire and Sales Ltd sets out to identify its exposure to uncertainty. Risk identification is approached in a methodical way as part of the annual strategic review process to ensure that all significant activities within the organisation have been identified and all the risks flowing from these activities also defined. All associated volatility related to these activities is identified and categorised. Business activities and decisions are classified as: Strategic These concern the long-term strategic objectives of the organisation. They can be affected by such areas as capital availability, sovereign and political risks, legal and regulatory changes, reputation and changes in the physical environment. Operational These concern the day-today issues that the organisation is confronted with as it strives to deliver its strategic objectives. Financial These concern the effective management and control of the finances of the organisation and the effects of external factors such as availability of credit, foreign exchange rates, interest rate movement and other market exposures. Knowledge Based These concern the effective management and control of the knowledge resources, the production, protection and communication thereof. External factors might include the unauthorised use or abuse of intellectual property, area power failures, and competitive technology. Internal factors might be system malfunction or loss of key staff. Compliance These concern such issues as health safety, environmental, trade descriptions, consumer protection, data protection, employment practices and regulatory issues. As part of the annual strategic review each identified risk is described in a structured format is necessary to ensure a comprehensive risk identification, description and assessment process. Risk estimation is assessed as high, medium or low using the guidelines shown in the tables below. Risk identification Categorisation 1. Name of Risk 2. Impact of Risk Qualitative description of the events, their size, type number and dependencies 3. Quantification of Risk Probability and Significance 4. Potential Action for Improvement Recommendations to reduce risk Risk Consequences Threats and Opportunities High: Financial impact on the organisation is likely to exceed  £250,000 Significant impact on the organisations strategy or operational activities Significant stakeholder concern Medium Financial impact on the organisation likely to be between  £150,000 and  £350,000 Moderate impact on the organisations strategy or operational activities Moderate stakeholder concern Low Financial impact on the organisation likely to be less that  £150,000 Low impact on the organisations strategy or operational activities Low stakeholder concern

What Is Security Dilemma Politics Essay

What Is Security Dilemma Politics Essay There are a number of security dilemmas currently working in Asia. This security conflict is driven by the competitions between pairs of countries different in their capabilities. Here, Pakistan views India as its primary threat, which in turn views China as its principal security concern. China on the other hand regards the United States as a challenger to its dominance in Asia and the United States is trying its best to maintain its hegemony and the consequent status quo. The unequal relationships in Asia have the ability to thwart global arms control and non-proliferation efforts.  [1]  They also have the deadly potential to fuel a dramatic expansion of ballistic missile and nuclear proliferation throughout the region.  [2]  Scholars gathered at a Russian think tank known as Institute of World Economy and International Relations (Imemo), which advises Kremlin, talked about the threat of nuclear war in South Asia being greater than anywhere else in the world today.  [3]   What is Security? National security has figured prominently in academic and political discussions of foreign policy and international politics since the end of World War II. Richard Ullman defines threat to national security as an action or sequence of events that threatens drastically so as to degrade the quality of life for inhabitants of a state or threatens significantly to narrow the range of policy choices of a state. The term security in International Relations has conventionally been defined to mean protection of a state or nation to threats emanating from within as well as outside its boundaries. According to Walter Lippmann, a nation is secure to the extent to which it is not in danger of having to sacrifice core values, if it wishes to avoid war, and is able, if challenged, to maintain them by such victory in such a war.  [4]  The security of a nation rises and falls with its ability to deter such attacks on its sovereignty and territory. The Western nations and the Euro-centric view of International Relations has largely identified this position with the Realist school of thought that focuses mainly on acquiring more power in the anarchic system. Scholars from the Realist school of thought have always argued that states are self-interested, power-seeking rational actors, who seek to maximize their security and chances of survival. In their view even if there is cooperation between states it is only to maximize their own security and not for any idealistic reasons. The modern nation-state is the highest form of political order we have so far been able to develop and sustain. It evolved into its present form through the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, needed to secure itself from external threats and keep its territory intact. The history is testimony to the fact that the states in the international system are unable to coexist with each other in harmony and have made each other insecure by their mere existence. Their actions in pursuit of their national security have often resulted in frequent wars when combined with that of others. Thus the concept of security as developed in the early years of security studies post Second World War took State as a unit of analysis. What is Security Dilemma? The states in the international system through their actions try to enhance their security as much as possible. There interactions are primarily responses to what is known as Security Dilemma in the literature on International Relations. It is also known as the Spiral Model. John Herz was the first to coin the term security dilemma in his 1951 book Political Realism and Political Idealism. According to him the states are driven to acquire more and more power in order to escape the impact of the power of others. This, in turn, renders the others more insecure and compels them to prepare for the worst.  [5]  In contrast to other classical realists of the time who focused on human nature as the main difficulty, he based his concept on the anarchic structure of the international system. The security dilemma is the core assumption of Defensive Realism, which believes that due to the anarchic structure of the international system, states focus mainly on their survival through any means making them obsessed with security.  [6]  In International Relations, Defensive Realism is a variant of Structural Realism with famous international relations scholar Kenneth Waltz propagating this notion. Waltz argues that the security dilemma is escapable because the weaker states will try to balance against their rivals and bandwagon with the stronger state in order to gain security in event on an attack by the enemy state. In contrast to this Offensive Realism, another variant of Structural Realism believes that states want to accumulate more power rather than just secure themselves. It points out that if states are able to gain an advantage or an edge, they will readily do so. John Mearsheimer, the strongest proponent of Offensive Realism argues that no state can be sure of other states intentions, which can change over a course of time and use its offensive capabilities.  [7]  He is in agreement with Hans Morgenthau, one of the earliest proponents of Realism in Intern ational Politics, that there is not limit of states desire for power. For Mearsheimer the security dilemma is inescapable, as the anarchic nature of the international system will force states to maximize power and enhance their security because they cannot trust each other. Neorealists and Constructivist schools of thought have also used security dilemma as a concept. Neoliberal scholars argue that one of the functions of international institutions is to alleviate security dilemma.  [8]  Whereas Constructivists assert that alleviating the security dilemma is one of the channels through which reshaping identity can remake anarchy.  [9]   Robert Jervis explains this concept as the notion that increasing a states security causes other states to increase their own security, which in turn decreases the security of the first.  [10]  The system thus coerces the states into taking certain losses to cooperate in order to bring stability and relative security. Yet the inherent desire remains to dominate the political arena through cheating, bargaining and collaborating to hinder cooperation. A security dilemma arises out of the anarchic nature of the International System. Each state has to take responsibility for its own security in the system of self-help for its own survival. Without any government at the international level, the states are left to fend for themselves. This leads to states taking every possible step to expand their capabilities in every sphere, be it economy or military, to defend itself when the time comes. The states in order to secure themselves forget about the security apprehension of the neighbori ng states and compel them to take counter-measures to enhance their security. They begin to prepare for the worst, and this common search for security leaves them more insecure then they were before. A case in example talked about in our class on National Security would be India acquiring nuclear capabilities, which put pressure on Pakistan to get nuclear weapons. The process, which started in 1960s, and 70s has left India more insecure now then ever before as Pakistan has refused to agree with a no first-use policy on nuclear weapons like India. It purportedly has more nuclear warheads than India according to the estimates of many reputed think tanks internationally. Jervis identifies a number of the factors associated with security dilemma that impede states ability to work cooperatively towards a mutually desired goal of general security. He mentions intentions, capabilities, creation of buffer states, indications of aggressive intents and incorrect perception of weapons acquired for defensive purposes. The Security Dilemma in Sino-Indian Relations: The scholars of International Relations agree that there would be a geo-political shift from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. And it can be forcefully argued that China and India will dominate the events of the region as rising powers in the international system. Considering the past shared by these two countries after coming to their own, the chances of a classic case of great power competition are numerous. It can be better understood by studying the first Sino-Indian border conflict and the series of skirmishes between them in 1962. The war was a result of tensions that arose during the 1959 Tibetan uprising and the subsequent asylum given to the Dalai Lama after the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) took control of the territory. India on its part can also be blamed for adopting a Forward Policy intended to demonstrate its control of the disputed areas. Fifty years have now been passed since the Sino-Indian conflict and the perceptions in both the countries about each other still remain highly suspicious. There has been constant tussle over various issues between these two countries ranging from Chinas security ties with countries in the South Asian-Indian Ocean region to Indias growing interest in the South China Sea and areas China considers as its sphere of influence. India with its Look East policy has been seeking for deeper engagements with the countries earlier known as Indochina. China on the other hand has long supported Pakistan, Indias archrival, with its nuclear program and infrastructure development. These two countries have left no stone unturned to rattle each other over their actions, which are skeptically viewed and enlarged by hostile media on both sides. It has become one of the most significant factors for the deep-rooted suspicion between the two Asian giants. In this classic Great Power rivalry, China is trying hard to win by keeping New Delhi occupied within the South Asian region. China considers itself as a global power while wants to keep India as only a regional power limited to South Asia. Indias recent ascent in the international scenario with its billion-plus population and growing economy has raised eyebrows in China. The strategy China has applied is to keep aiding Pakistan in its relations with India, which will keep it occupied in the South Asian region and China can expand in the Indo-Pacific till then. While China has slowly inched towards equidistance between India and Pakistan, it continues to have a pronounced tilt towards Pakistan, which casts an inevitable shadow over the Sino- Indian relationship. Chinas other major patron-client relationship in the region is with Myanmar. This is less threatening from Indias standpoint, since Chinas interest in the relationship is not India- centric, and India for its part is consciou sly seeking to upgrade its own ties with Myanmar with some limited success. The notion of security dilemma throws substantial light on the complex relationship between China and India since the past six decades. Conclusion: As the two powers become more economically interlinked war becomes a secondary or a last resort option for them. The decision-makers in both New Delhi and Beijing are conscious of this fact. A key question that remains is whether India and China will remain satisfied with relatively small strategic forces or whether they will seek to develop large, operationally deployed forces.  [11]  India and China are expected to further spread their Spheres of Influence in the Indo-Pacific region with the US willing to support New Delhi as part of its own forward policy in the region. India has to tackle one of the major problems faced in democratic countries that being more reactive than pro-active hampers the policymaking.  [12]  The reason behind this is that the political class in India is not much familiar to international relations and foreign policy receives very little emphasis in the course of day-to-day politics. Though Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh is not a classic profess ional politician, and could even be considered more of a statesman, the tendency to look inward has prevented a more active engagement with the outside world.

Tamales: History, Regional Differences, and Family Cultural Interpreta

Tamales: History, Regional Differences, and Family Cultural Interpretations Introduction: Tradition has been said to mirror a way of life. Observation has concluded that participants in tradition â€Å"actively construct as well as reflect culture and community† (Sacks 275). For most people in the 21st century, tradition only reveals itself during special times or certain seasons. For others it is simply a way of life. The foodways of Mexicans and Native Americans are of particular interest in this study because of the food that grew from necessity and is maintained as sacred or reserved for only special occasions. The tamale is one such food. Significantly changed and altered throughout history it has remained a food of commonality and prestige at the same time. The tamale represents a nation that thrived as a people and has continued to live on through the traditions created hundreds of years ago by women who strive to better their community, their men, and the general way of life and welfare of their people. Native American people are the backdrop of southwestern history and as such we often look to them for answers regarding the past. The ‘past’ provides acts as vault filled with a wealth of information concerning a great number of cultural artifacts. My personal history with tamales is filled with thoughts and memories of family, fun, love, and laughter. I began making tamales with my mother, grandmother, and aunts at a very early age. In the beginning, I was not allowed to participate too deeply. As I grew older and began to appreciate the delicate balance of spreading, filling, wrapping, and steaming, my hands and my soul became sincerely imbedded in a tradition so deep it almost ove... ...s attachment to each other is created through the events that occur in the kitchen. Works Cited Bensinger, Ken. â€Å"Hot Tamales vs. â€Å"Happy Meals.† Art News: Art in America. 101:10 (2002): 56. Girardin, Carmen. Personal Interview. 11 July, 2007. Gutierrez, Nieta. Personal Interview. 11 July, 2007. Lasater, Nicole. Personal Interview. 11 July, 2007. Martinez, Melanie. â€Å"The Molino.† Fourth Genre: Explorations in Non-Fiction. 7.1 (2005): 1-8. Sacks, Maurie. â€Å"Computing Community at Purim.† The Journal of American Folklore. 102.405 (1989): 275-291. Sanchez, MaryEllen. Personal Interview. 11 July, 2007. Soto, Gary. Too Many Tamales. New York: Putnam and Grosset, 1996. Tapp, Alice Guadalupe. Tamales 101: A Beginners Guide to Making Traditional Tamales. California, Ten Speed, 2002.

Roman Holiday :: essays research papers

Review: Roman Holiday Roman Holiday is a famous and important film for many reasons, probably most for introducing the world to the incomparable Audrey, here in her first major starring role, and one which won her an Academy Award. With lots chemistry, inspired direction by William Wyler, and impressive locale work, shot completely on location in Rome, this ranks as one of the best romantic comedies ever made. It's a modern-day twist on a fairy tale, where the princess wishes to be a normal young girl, rather than the other way around. Hepburn plays Princess Ann, much beloved royalty whose every move is followed by the country, and every day is completed scheduled with monotonous formalities and appearances, which have begun to grow tedious for a young woman looking to have some excitement in her life. She wants to have some fun and spontaneity in her life, so one night while she is visiting Rome, Ann makes her escape from her handlers and heads to the streets of the city, where a handsome new reporter, Joe Bradley (Peck) stumbles upon her. There appears to be no place for her to go, so Joe takes her to his apartment for the evening, but the next day he discovers he may be onto the scoop of a lifetime when he realizes that the woman in his bed is none other than the most beloved figures in the world. His plan is to entertain her while she is in town, without letting her know he is really j ust trying to get the inside info on the woman for his article, and she also hides her identity in hopes of being seen as the average girl in the free world. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this rather old fashioned romance is how funny it actually is, while still maintaining a sense of subtlety throughout. This is not a story driven plot, but rather, a collection of charming and amusing moments that, when added up for the duration, becomes something quite substantial. The character development involved is flawless, as we grow to like, and in some senses love, the main players, thanks in large part to the terrific Academy Award winning screenplay by Dalton Trumbo here credited as Ian McLellan Hunter due to a blacklisting that forced him to write under a pseudonym. Even with the quality writing, none of this could have worked if overplayed by the director or if stars were cast who weren't as likeable, and on all fronts,

Learn Anything

AN ISO 9001 : 2008 CERTIFIED INTERNATIONAL B-SCHOOL MARKS: 80 Information Technology N. B. : 1)Attempt any sixteen questions questions carries equal marks. 1. 2. 3. What are the characteristics of a technologically enabled organization? How does an Organization acquire & disseminal knowledge? Why do you suppose inquiry – only applications were developed instead of fully on lines system? 4. 5. What kind of technology is least flexible? Most flexible? How does strategic planning differ between a firm that offers services & one that manufacturers a product?Is there a difference in the impact of technology on strategy in any two types of firms? 6. What kind of business activities do you think are most amenable to common systems in different countries? 7. What kind of programs do you think are likely to make the most use of floating – point instructions? 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Distinguish between computer hardware & software which most concerns a manager? What kind of softwar e does a server for a local area network need to have? What is OLAP? How does it contribute to the organization? Similar article: Text Mining for BusinessesWhy are standards so important in communications? What industries are most likely able to take advantage EDI? Are there applications where it does not matter if multiple databases are simultaneously updated? 14. Most organizations today have computers and software, all of which are supposed to work on a network, from different Vendors? What are the potential problems with using products from many different sources? .. 2.. 15. What are the differences in design for multi-user system versus a personal system on a pc? )All 16. Does a system have to use the most modern technology to be successful? Why or why not? Are there disadvantages to utilizing the most up-to-date technology? 17. 18. 19. Why should one insist on a demonstration of a package? What is a spaghetti organization? How can you transform a huge firm like General Motors with the help of information technology? 20. How more user development eventually eliminates the need for professi onal systems analysis and programmers? 21. 22. 3. 24. How can a company use multimedia today? How does one go about identifying the expert to be used in developing an expert system? Describe how a virus actually works? What kind of files does it want to infect? What kind of changes does information technology either create or facilitate within and between organizations? What other changes are associate with IT? 25. What are the drawbacks of work place monitoring? Why management might wants to monitor worker productivity?

P&G Gillette Merger

P&G-Gillette introduction On January twenty-eighth two hundred5 P&G agreed to buy Gillette for $57bn (? 30). Gillette was the number 1 in s withstand recoverories and proctor jeopardize was number 1 in consumer products, a marriage of the best in their respective(pre titulary) industries. The jointure of the two companies created the worlds largest consumer products conglomerate. Gillette was a loss leader in its kinsper news of razors and batteries, merging with P&G provided it access to P&Gs applied science and merchandiseing skills.P&G toted Gillette razors , salutary Guard deodorant and Duracell batteries to its more(prenominal) than ccc consumer brands, including pearl Soap, pass and Shoulders shampoo, Pringles, Crest tooth ulte and good- forget paper towels. society Background P&G P&G a fortune 500 gild headquartered at down Cincinnati, Ohio. P&G is manufacturer of wide range of consumer products ranging from Ivory Soap, Head and Shoulders shampoo, Pringles, Crest toothpaste and Bounty paper towels. P&G reported r even offue of $82. 6 jillion in 201.P&G was started in 1837 when William monitoring device, a nominatedlemaker, and James seek, a soapmaker, met in Cincinnati to become melody partners and Proctor and Gamble was born. In 18581859, sales r from each oneed $1million. By this point, approximately 80 employees worked for Procter & Gamble. In 1880, P&G discovered and market placeed an low-bud abbreviate soap that floats on water cal guide Ivory soap. William Arnett Procter, William Procters grandson, started a profit sharing political program with the companys workforce in 1887. This program eliminated the chances of workers going to strike.Company opened many facilities to cover up the exp adeptntially increasing demand. In 1920s and 1930s when radio because popular, PG sponsored a number of orients and soon the radio shows were cognize as soap operas. PG expanded into new countries in both(prenominal) beas manufactu ring and product sales and with the eruditeness of doubting Thomas Hedley co. in 1930, PG became an external corporation. Large number of products and brand label were introduced over time, and PG bifurcate out into new areas. Tide, lavation detergent, and Prell shampoo was introduced by the company in 1946 and 1947 respectively.First toothpaste Crest containing fluoride was sold by PG in 1955. In 1957 company branched out once a reach with the purchase of Charmin Paper Mills and began manufacturing jeopardizeside paper and other paper products. erst again foc exploitation on laundry, Procter Gamble began making Downy fabric softener in 1960 and Bounce fabric softener sheets in 1972. preceding to 1960 Johnson and Johnson were manufacturing expendable diaper called Chrux besides PG came out with one of the close revolutionary products on the market called Pampers, get-go test-marketed in 1961.Babies alship canal wore c visual modalityh diapers, which were drafty and la bour intensive to wash. Pampers provided a convenient alternative, albeit at the environmental woo of more waste requiring landfilling. To diversify its product melody and to increase profits PG acquired a number of companies. Some of the acquisitions include Folgers Coffee, Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals (the makers of Pepto-Bismol), Richardson-Vicks, Noxell (Noxzema), Shultons Old Spice, Max Factor, and the Iams Company.In 1994, P&G was in buy the farm headlines, the wariness was protruded in an unusual direct of testifying in front of court in engaging with interest rate derivatives which they were not some(prenominal) capable to understand and incurred coarse losses from that leveraged position and later on they sued the Bankers trust for the fraud. In 1996, P&G was again in headlines as nutriment and Drug Administration ratified a new Product developed by company called Olestra.As the brand was called Olean, it was a lower-calorie substitute for fat employ in cooking potato chips and other snacks but during its development stage it was associated with anal news leak and gastrointestinal laboriousies in humans. On 28th January 2005 Gillette was acquired by P&G, forming the largest consumer goods company and placing Unilever into minute of arc place. This acquisition helped P&G to add new products into its product line that include brands much(prenominal) as Gillette razors, Duracell, Braun, and Oral-B.The European amount and the Federal Trade Commission approved the acquisition, with conditions to a spinoff of certain overlapping brands. P&G agreed to shit its twist Brush battery-operated electric toothbrush crease to Church & Dwight. P&G excessively divested Rembrandt a Gillettes oral-care toothpaste line. Official merger took place on October 1, 2005. The deodorant brands good Guard, soft Dri, and Dry Idea and Liquid Paper, and Gillettes stationery division, Paper Mate was sold to control potbellyoration and Newell Rubbermaid res pectively.In 2008, P&G branched into the record business with its sponsorship of note Records, as an endorsement for TAG clay Spray. Gillette Gillette, originally founded as American galosh Razor Company, is a world leader in men grooming products as well as of women. It was founded by fairy Gillette who in 1895 came up with the idea of disposable razor later being cross by dulled old razors that indispensable professional honing. He envisioned an punk razor stigma combination where leaf weather vane can be clamped on the razor and once getting dulled can be replaced.After six eld of innovation and engineering finally in 1901 after joining hands with a MIT machinist, William Nickerson, American synthetic rubber Razor Corp was born. In 1903 company was renamed as Gillette. Company paid the premiere cash dividend in 1906. Before First World struggle Gillette expanded abroad opening in London, first sales office was opened, manufacturing plants in capital of France, Mon treal, Berlin, and Leicester, England, and offices in France and Hamburg, Germany. By 1923, Income from foreign routine accounted for 30% of the total income.In 1910, possessor and President King Gillette decide to sell a major portion of his threaten to investor John Joyce. Joyce was make the vice-president of the company. After his devastation in 1916 his friend, Edward Aldred, bought out the shares left to Joyce and took incriminate of the company. Gilletts patent on sanctuary razor expired in 1921 and company was ready for new change. Gillette introduced the new improve razor at the old price, and used the old style razor, renamed the Silver gremlin razor at $1, to enter the low-cost end of the market.Gillette transformed into the razor stigma model by giving forth razor handles as premiums with other products, growth customers for the more profitable blades. Abroad amplification as well continued. In 1922 Gillette became royal purveyor to the prince of Wales and in 1924 to King Gustav V of Sweden. Gillette came into top headlines when its Paris office gave Charles Lindbergh a Gillette Gold traveler after he completed the first transatlantic f unaffixed. Company named Auto sharpen Safety Razor, owned by hydrogen J.Gaisman, filed suit against Gillette for patent infringement after Gillette produced a new blade using a continuous-strip process similar to one originally demonstrated to Gillette by Gaisman. concourse with Auto Strop solved the chore for Gillette but it gave birth to another business. Gaisman chequered the companys financial records and found out that Gillette had over-reported its winnings by $3 million for the past five. melodic phrase price of Gillette fell from a high of $125 early in 1929 to $18 by end of decade. This led to the reorganization of Gillette.King Gillette resigned as nominal president and Gaisman became the new chairman of Gillette and Gerard B. Lambert, son of the founder of the Lambert Pharmacal Company and a former manager there, came out of privacy to become president of Gillette. Gillette blatantly went to market and admitted the poor quality of its old blade and came up with a blade called aristocratic blade make by continuous-strip process. Gillette entered into sports advertising and this lead to sharp increase in the sales. In 1942 sports events held by Gillette were called Gillette Cavalcade of Sports.In 1962 Gillette face up tuff competition from the English Wilkinson leaf blade Company as it started exporting the unmarred steel blades to United States. Gillette also confront challenges from local player in blameless steel kinsperson and was left easy in the race. Gillette was left behind and latter(prenominal) it jumped into and developed a new blade but at that time it had woolly-headed its market share by 10%. By 1971 Gillette had four domestic divisions the Safety Razor Division the Toiletries Division, which featured Right Guard deodorant and antiperspirant t he Personal allot Division and the Paper Mate division.In mid 1970s Gillette divested its business by selling off unprofitable business much(prenominal) as Buxton in 1977, grateful Wagon in 1978, and Hyponex and the Autopoint mechanical pencil business in 1979 and pumping money into the internality business. In 1986, Gillette was being pursued by Ronald Perelman, who had previously taken over Revlon. He was about to make a auditor offer for Gillette, Gillette responded by paying Revlon $558million in return for Revlon not making a tender offer. This exposed the Gillette vulnerability and it resulted in Gillette going with standstill agreement with 10 different companies.Gillette had responded to various takeover threats by cutting cost and thinning the workforce. Gillette also divested its weak operations and because of it stock showed a jump by 24%. By 2004 Gillette had annual sales of $10. 5 billion and net income of $1. 7 billion. The Acquisition On January 28th 2005 PG inf orm the acquisition of Gillette. As per the withdraw, 0. 975 shares of PG common stock were exchanged for each share of Gillette. It accounted for 18% premium to Gillette shareholders ground on the closing share prices on January 27, 2005.However, the approval by the shareholders of both Gillette and PG was required. The merger was pass judgment to get regulatory clearance by 2005. PG planned to buy back $18-22 billion of its common stock in around 18 months immediately after the merger. The structure of deal came out to be 60% stock and 40% cash, although on paper it was a pure stock-swap. The unnecessary 18% premium paid by PG for Gillettes stock looked standardised that it make 18% more difficult for the deal to pay dividends to stock holders. The problem was in buying back shares as P&G would fuck off to scoop funds to finance this transaction.In light of this move, both the companies came under the scanner of assurance agency for a possible downgrade. S&P considered al l the rating for P&G under negative comprehensive watch gripd on the likelihood that the deal would cause P&G to increase its leverage. As of September 30, 2004, P&G had debts of $21. 4 billion and Gillette of $3. 1 billion. Synergies Gillette maintains 64 manufacturing facilities in 27 countries, and its products are sold in more than 200 countries and territories, with more than 60 percent of sales occurring outside the United States.For P&G the acquisition of Gillette was an opportunity for P&G to add a masculine place to overwhelmingly female-biased portfolio. This seems to be a merger of exactly strategically fit companies who full complement each other. It was combination of two best-in-class companies creating a punishinger brand portfolio, opportunities for even more innovation, rapid sales growth, and cost savings. The importance of economies of shield and focus as described by analyst, P&G had attempted to gain both with this acquisition.There was change in marketing sense as Gillette market was mostly towards men so P&G women dominated product category have showed steep learning flexure in understanding the men marketing. It was push to its product category and therefore enhancing the top line. Both the companies have presence in different part of globe made the deal a geographical fit. Gillette has strong presence in countries such as Brazil and in India, where P&G has been lagging behind Unilever. P&G has excellent penetration and distribution in China, the Philippines and fast-growing Eastern European markets such as Russia and Poland.Diversification of Product Portfolio As there was little overlapping in Gillette and P&G business this helped P&G to broaden its product base and offer more products to men in its women dominated product category. Story flat After five years of the deal, things harbourt gone the way as expected. The boost to the top line that was expected by P&G with acquisition of Gillette has been in doldrums. P&G has a ddled the Gillette top management talent as most of senior managers (with the notable ejection of current P&G crime Chairman Ed Shirley) have left.P&Gs stock has lagged behind key competitors, including Colgate-Palmolive Co. and Unilever, beat P&G 4 to 1 and 3 to 1, respectively, in the stock market. The break has played against P&G right in sales in Gillette products have become a reason of take for P&G. P&G executives and Gillette officials show an optimistic view on the deal they feel still a lot more is still to come. Gillette has helped P&G to transform in different ways that arent always obvious.PG has made aggressive moves in key markets such as Brazil and India a much stronger operation throughout Europe and an even stronger showing on U. S. retail shelves a ever growing investment which will increase the companies efficiency and help it to feature the best with innovated products. The deal has indeed accustomed both the companies significant advantages. Economies of scale have been brought in along with some cost cutting giving PG increase in revenue and income. but only time will manifest if this union of seemingly very harmonious partners is truly a match made in heaven.Exhibits PG commensurateness sheet Balance Sheet 29-Jun-11 29-Jun-10 29-Jun-09 29-Jun-06 Assets up-to-date Assets Cash And Cash Equivalents 2,768,000 2,879,000 4,781,000 6,693,000 Short endpoint Investments lolly Receivables 7,415,000 6,325,000 7,045,000 Inventory 7,379,000 6,384,000 6,880,000 new(prenominal) flowing Assets 4,408,000 3,194,000 3,199,000 full(a) accepted Assets 21,970,000 18,782,000 21,905,000 vast frontier Investments Property Plant and Equipment 21,293,000 19,244,000 19,462,000 Goodwill 57,562,000 54,012,000 56,512,000 intangible asset Assets 32,620,000 31,636,000 32,606,000 Accumulated Amortization another(prenominal) Assets 4,909,000 4,498,000 4,348,000 Deferred hanker Term Asset Charges a gree Assets 138,354,000 128,172,000 134,833,000 Liabilities Current Liabilities Accounts Payable 17,312,000 15,810,000 14,581,000 Short/Current Long Term Debt 9,981,000 8,472,000 16,320,000 Other Current Liabilities 7,768,000 Total Current Liabilities 27,293,000 24,282,000 30,901,000 Long Term Debt 22,033,000 21,360,000 20,652,000 Other Liabilities 9,957,000 10,189,000 9,146,000 Deferred Long Term Liability Charges 11,070,000 10,902,000 10,752,000 minority Interest 361,000 324,000 283,000 Negative Goodwill Total Liabilities 70,714,000 67,057,000 71,734,000 burgeon forthholders Equity Misc simple eyes Options Warrants Redeemable Preferred Stock Preferred Stock 1,234,000 1,277,000 1,324,000 familiar Stock 4,008,000 4,008,000 4,007,000 Retained Earnings 70,682,000 64,614,000 57,309,000 Treasury Stock -6. E+07 -6. 1E+07 -5. 6E+07 Capital Surplus 62,405,000 61,697,000 61,118,000 Other shareowner Equity -34110 00 -9172000 -4698000 Total Stockholder Equity 68,001,000 61,439,000 63,382,000 scratch Tangible Assets -2. 2E+07 -2. 4E+07 -2. 6E+07 P&G Income statement FINANCIAL heavyset (UNAUDITED) Amounts 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002Net Sales $68,222 $56,741 $51,407 $43,377 $40,238 Operating Income 13,249 10,469 9,382 7,312 6,073 Net Earnings 8,684 6,923 6,156 4,788 3,910 Net Earnings rim 12. 70% 12. 20% 12. 00% 11. 00% 9. 70% radical Net Earnings Per Share Common Share $ 2. 79 2. 7 2. 34 1. 8 1. 46 Diluted Net Earnings Per Common Share 2. 64 2. 53 2. 2 1. 7 1. 39 Dividends Per Common Share 1. 15 1. 03 0. 93 0. 82 0. 76