Best Buys Problems Essay Example for Free

Best Buys Problems Essay 1. After Anderson took over Best Buy in 2002, he pursued four pivotal strategic initiatives, what prompted him to do so – his rationale? After Brad Anderson became the CEO of Best Buy in 2002 his team of executives came up with and emphasized four main central strategic initiatives, which are customer-centricity, promoting an efficient enterprise, win with providing the best service, and win in entertainment. As we all know, customer-centricity being by far the most important initiative. One major reason that prompted Brad Anderson and Best Buy to come up with these strategic initiatives was the main threat of imitation by competitors for example the emergence of Wal-Mart, Target as mass merchandisers/wholesalers and other forms of retail such as Amazon (online retailers). In the past, most of Best Buy’s competition focused on customers whose main concern is pricing, without providing anything extra such as advice, support and services. However as the competition began to emulate or imitate Best Buy’s strategy/business model by delving into the higher-end consumer domain (electronics) which is of course Best Buy’s bread n’ butter, Brad Anderson and his team of executives had to come up with a new way to do business by focusing on customer-centricity instead of just focusing on the product (or the selling of it) itself. For example Wal-Mart is poaching or headhunting talented Best Buy salespeople or their rising stars by offering them better benefits which will in turn cause a high turnover rate of Best Buy staff and hinder their sales force and development program. Another reason, which is also vital and in turn prompted change in Best Buy’s strategic initiative is the key concept that the environment or the world we live in as well as the people/customer will continually change. One who understands this concept will ultimately grasp the fact that people’s needs are constantly evolving and changing over time. For example as mentioned briefly above whereas in the past clients tended to be more function and price-conscious, in the modern world of today customers will tend to value service and support and put more of an emphasis on those elements rather than just the pricing itself so instead of trying to just sell the product/service, a company must in essence place more emphasis on the customers themselves, thus creating a customer-centric worldview by centering on individual needs instead of the â€Å"one style fits all† approach and by redefining its value proposition in a coherent way which aligns with the central strategic initiative of customer-centricity. 2. What are the key elements of Anderson’s most important strategic initiative – customer centricity? One of Best Buy’s core goals is to create a customer-centric culture by developing a better understanding of customer’s needs or requirements and by providing them with attention, care, excellent service and knowledge. Therefore one crucial element in Anderson’s customer centricity strategic initiative is the introduction of customer segmentation. He firmly believed that Best Buy would do well if it could concentrate on the most profitable segments and deter the unprofitable segments altogether. Because of this Anderson aimed to build customer loyalty with the profitable segments and in doing so, the company’s existing assets can then be leveraged. Therefore 5 different customer segments were introduced and implemented; Barry, Buzz, Ray, Jill and BB4B (for businesses) each led by a segment leader whose primary purpose was to deeply understand his/her segment’s buying behavior, attitudes and tendencies, armed with insight into consumer needs. By focu sing on customer segmentation, Best Buy can come up with or improve its system and products catered to the specific needs of each group thereby also enhancing differentiation to meet long-term trends or needs. Another key element in Best Buy’s customer centricity model is the concept of Best Practice Sharing and instead of just focusing on the selling of the product, staff (sales) must also focus on offering customers solutions. For example instead of just offering to sell a single product, the informed staff can offer to sell the â€Å"whole deal† such as video conferencing, digital signage, and technology lifecycle management packaged altogether for a business client. Because of this I believe that HR has a very important role to play in providing development/training programs for the employee as well as identifying and recruiting â€Å"star† employees, providing them with the benefits so that their services can be retained on a long-term basis. A central element in Best Buy’s customer centricity initiative is a change in its labor force or model. Because of this new specialized positions were added into the Best Buy labor force. So instead of solely having skilled salespeople, Best Buy also employs Geek Squad agents (technology experts valuable to small businesses and well equipped to deal with the BB4B Best Buy for Business segment), home-theater/technological product installers, and even personal shopping assistants. This focuses on extensive training regarding the different customer segments, addresses the need to recognize the different necessities of many types of customers and also finally to identify customers most likely to buy which product from a particular segment/domain (scope). In addition to the change in labor force or model, leveraging prior acquisitions is also an important element in Best Buy’s customer centric ideology. By leveraging the two, Best Buy can pool its resources and put its custo mers first and in turn offer them more options as well as solutions. Customer relationships can also be leveraged to create customer loyalty fostering long-term relationships with the client. For the sake of brevity I would like to briefly mention the last important element in Best Buy’s customer centric ideology/strategy, which is the empowering element. This calls for empowering sales staff to make wholesome, informed merchandizing decisions. With a proper training and development programs, employees can use their knowledge about customer behavior, form hypotheses and test it out in a real world setting to see what works. After they can discuss about the results and if something yields favorable results (promoting and meeting a variety of needs with more choices for customers), new ideas can be implemented to promote and attain the perfect customer experience and customer satisfaction. By empowering its employees new and worthy ideas can be attained. The ever-comprehensive Best-Buy reporting system and its â€Å"chalk-talks† are also vital in obtaining important information (customer centric vs. non-centric stores) and trends as well as teaching its employ ees good business practices. 3. How would you recommend Brad Anderson for further actions? I believe that Best Buy’s problem lies in its function of a flawed business model, which in turn led to a function of poor execution. The poor model being where the merchant organization, segment/domain leaders, and GMs were forced to coexist and work wholly together as a business group. Before the customer centricity initiative kicked in, the merchant organization was in charge of everything such as buying, pricing, marketing/merchandizing, etc. The new model however forced merchants to work together with segment leaders. This in turn forced the merchants to switch out of their comfort zone and take a more holistic view of the business, focusing more on customer needs. The company’s growth path now expected merchants to put the customer first and foremost and grow the business by offering more than just the product itself, it must also identify customer trends. While the merchant organization was used to controlling everything, now they have to listen to and work with the segment leaders who have all the insight regarding customers, where they tended to focus on the opportunity solely from the consumer’s point of view. Ron Boire (VP GM) himself believed that their loss in the third-quarter results was because there was no camaraderie between the three business units (GMs, Merchants, and Segment leaders). Coexistence between the business units is difficult, therefore contributing to a flawed model. For positive further action, one thing Anderson could do is eliminate the risk of fragmentation altogether. Fragmentation can lead to a â€Å"focus on everything† strategy, which in turn can harm the business by trying to do too much, and wasting away valuable resources. It should concentrate and have at all times 3-5, but never more than 5 customer segments, which will create confusion and loss of focus. Best Buy should ultimately focus its assets on its â€Å"angel† group or most profitable customer niche. For example it can separate its most successful segment that being BB4B (Best Buy for Business) and establish an individual unit. This is because that segment in itself can be a separate yet focused unit because it will inevitably also encompass various segments in the business as well, cross-cutting. Another element that Best Buy can focus on is (I know that this has been said and done over and over again) having a proper staff development program in place, which of course, focuses on customer centricity. I’m sure this element is and has been addressed before however I would like to emphasize the importance of having a proper system to measure the results of the program itself. Training can be done repeated again however what is most important is that there is a system that directly measures the results of effects of staff development initiative. Another way to go would be to cut costs and heavily promote online sales. Best Buy has been slow in capturing the online market share. It also has to improve its image as it suffers from price comparison issues. Best Buy should ultimately focus on these factors, which it is of course currently doing in its â€Å"Renew Blue† strategy: * Reinvigorate the customer experience. Best Buys plans include offering customers unique benefits and exclusive membership programs, and continuing to develop a leading edge, multi-channel shopping experience through a highly relevant and effective system. * Attract and grow transformational leaders who will inevitably energize employees to deliver extraordinary results.

Canadas Victory in the Battle of Vimy Ridge

Canadas Victory in the Battle of Vimy Ridge Canada entered World War One as another country considered to be part of the British colony, and left it with a refined sense of nationalism that would finally lead to the end of Britains authority over Canada. The Canadian victory in Vimy ridge brought Canada a sense of pride. Womens active role in Canada during World War One changed the views of many Canadians in a positive way. Canadas achievements during the Great World War made Canadians have more love and loyalty to their country. Men and women had battled relentlessly during World War One and earned great respect from their country, which caused the increase of Canadian nationalism. Canadas involvement and victory in the battle of Vimy Ridge changed the views of many Canadians and it brought them a greater sense of nationalism. Historians have said Canadian nationalism was born atop the Vimy Ridge in the northern France on April 9, 1917, when the 100,000- strong Canadian corps claimed a strategic prize from the Germans near Arras, France that other allies had failed to capture. [1]After Canada conquered Vimy ridge, Canada was the first allied force that achieved a victory against the Germans. Canadian troops from then on gained the reputation of being tough, courageous, and successful fighters. Their outstanding achievement in the battle of Vimy ridge is what brought them a sense of pride. The feeling of empowerment and respect from other nations is what enhanced Canadian nationalism during and after the Great World War. Canadas achievements in the battle of Vimy Ridge brought a great sense of accomplishment to many Canadians. The victory at Vimy, won by troops from every part of the country, helped unite many Canadians in pride at the courage of their citizen-soldiers, and established a feeling of real nationhood.[2]During the battle of Vimy Ridge, it was the first time all Canadians fought together in a combined force. This encouraged troops to come together as one nation and work as a team to defeat the Germans at Vimy Ridge and is what helped unite many Canadians in a sense of greatness and pride. This is what made Canada considered an independent nation and that is what contributed to the increase of Canadian nationalism. The outlook of many Canadians changed as the success and victory of the battle of Vimy Ridge had brought them a better sense of nationalism. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that if Vimy Ridge had been captured by a British or French formation instead of the Canadian Corps, this action would not enjoy its current celebrity, Sheffield writes.Vimy Ridge resonates largely because of its role in the growth of Canadian nationalism. [3]Canadians after the success of Vimy Ridge believed that they could stand on their own two feet and fight for them selves without the help of Britain or other allied nations. This proved Canada was a strong country and an independent one too. This in turn is what made Canada have a greater sense of devotion to its country. The role of women in Canada during World War One changed the perspective of many Canadians and increased their sense of nationalism. Women were an essential component of the Canadian war effort and their efforts on the home front, in factories as well as on the battlefront were important to a successful outcome.[4]During World War One woman were called on by necessity to do work and take on roles that were outside their traditional expectations. They became an important part of Canadian society, and became more valued by the people of Canada. This wasnt considered the norm back in the day for women to be doing things like that. By Canada encouraging women to be involved in helping out in the war and at the home front, more Canadians have a greater sense of nationalism because they feel like their treating women with more respect. Canadian women performed no less than men did during the Great War. Many Canadian women worked in factories. Their contribution to the war showed that women had great courage and could do the same things the men could do. [5] Women moved into the labor force to do the jobs of men so that they can earn a living, help out the country and the men fighting over seas. This increased nationalism in Canada because Women had gained more rights and had a more active role in the society, which brought Canada closer to its national identity. Womens significant contribution to the Canadian war effort showed Canada had different beliefs from other nations. The Great War dramatically changed the lives of women in Canada. Womens active roles during world war one brought a better sense of pride to the country, which set Canada aside from other nations. [6] The Canadian women that help out during the war years changed the way Canadians felt about its country. Women were treated with a little more respect than before and had the opportunity to be apart of the work force which was different from what the world was used to. The womens active roles during The Great World War changed the views of many Canadians in a positive aspect which set aside Canada from the rest of the world. Canadas achievements on the battleground demonstrably promoted Canadian nationalism. One of the battles in which Canada fought courageously and determinedly was the battle of Ypres. Commander of the Second British Army, General Smith Dorrien said No words Could Be kinder or full of praise. The whole army realized that it was only the gallant actions of the Canadians that saved Ypres: otherwise one the greatest disasters in history of the British Army might have occurred.[7] Canadas involvement in the battle of Ypres changed the way many Canadians felt about their country and brought them a better sense of nationalism. When the Canadian army won the battle of Ypres using unreliable artillery (Ross riffles) its showed that Canadians could make due with what they have and win a battle no matter what the circumstances are. Canadas effort in the battle of Ypres changed the way Canadians felt about its country in a positive way. The accomplishments on the battle field increased Canadian nationalism; one of the battles was the battle of Somme which got Canada a new reputation of being known as storm troopers. War correspondent, Phillip Gibbs said The Canadians have gained great glory by their attack. Though swept by machine guns, and meeting stubborn defence, they carried a stronghold and captured hundreds of prisoners. The full story of the Canadian victory will thrill the great Dominion like a heroic song. They were careless of death, so they might win[8] During the battle of the Somme Canadian soldiers got the glorious reputation of being called storm troopers because of their restlessness on the battlefields. Although they were not victorious in defeating the Germans it showed that Canada had some clever tactic such as over the top, (which was when armed forces climbed over the trenches and advanced over the enemy) to attempt to defeat the Germans. The effort of the Canadian soldiers during the battle of the Somme showed Canadas capabilities and potentials in war which enhanced Canadian pride and devotion. The Most bloodiest battle in which Canadians fought in was the battle of Passchendaele. It was one of the most historical and successful battles of Word War One for Canadians although they were not successful in the battle. General Haig said proudly The Canadian have performed superbly, maintaining their spirit and pursuing their objectives in the face of overwhelming odds. They have defined the Passchendaele mud. [9] As the Passchendaele mud was a hard obstacle, the Canadians refused to back down and with spirit they charged forward concurring their goals as well as facing the great unlikely hood of survival. This showed the Canada had mental stability and no matter what the conditions were on the battlefield, they were always determined to win and this is what lead to Canadian nationalism because Canadians to be part of a country that is known to be great and outstanding fighter. During the First World War both men and women had battled courageously, weather it being on the battlefields or on the home front, thus increased Canadian nationalism. Canadas victory in the battle of Vimy ridge increased the positive views of many Canadians. Canadian regarded the active role of women in a positive manner which reflected the increase of nationalism during World War One. Canadas great accomplishments during the Great World War increased Canadas love and patriotism to its country. World War One, as many other events has made a great impact on the increase of Canadian. Birth of nationalism. CTV new report [Electronic Bulletin board]. April 2007- [cited 11 October 2009]. Available form [emailprotected] http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070402/vimy_90years_070402/ The capture of Vimy Ridge. Veterans Affair Canada [electronic bulletin board]. September 1998- [cited October 1 2009]. Available form [emailprotected] http://www.vacacc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=history/firstwar/vimy/vimy5 Vimy Ridge Status in Canadian History Canada.com [electronic bulletin board]. 2001-[cited October 7 2009]. Available form [emailprotected] http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html? id=ccaca4a5-12a7-4b8c-b6a1-9c6469411fd1k=20506 Pat Station, Canadian Women and World War One (Toronto: Green Dragon Press, 2006), 15. Pat Station, Canadian Women and World War One (Toronto: Green Dragon Press, 2006), 31 A.G. Smith and Robert Livesey, Discovering Canada: The Great war(Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry and Whiteside,2006),36 G.W. Larkin and J.P. Matersky, Canada in the Twentieth Century World War 1(Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry Whiteside, 1987),18 G.W. Larkin and J.P. Matersky, Canada in the Twentieth Century World War 1(Markham, Ontario: Fitzhenry Whiteside, 1987),23 Kathryn M. Bindon, More Than Patriotism( Toronto: Thomas Nelson Sons Limited, 1979), 121

The Ethnic Malay Malaysian Nationalism History Essay

The Ethnic Malay Malaysian Nationalism History Essay This phenomena is an example of the social transformation happening right now in Malaysia due to the unequal treatment among the ethnic groups. Malaysia is a multi-cultural nation. The Malays, Chinese and Indians build up the population. However, since the independence of Malaysia, racist policies have been marginalizing the minorities. In this essay, I am going to talk about racist Malay Malaysian Nationalism by tracing the history of formation and development of this country. Multi-cultural Malaysia Malaysia, formerly known as Malaya, located on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo in the Southeast Asia. It has been a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country since its independence in 1957 from the British Occupation. It has a population of 28.8 million consists of the three major ethnic groups: the Malays (61.4%), Chinese (23.7%), Indians (7.1%). (Mose 2010: 285-297). The immigration of the Indians into the Malaya Peninsula is encouraged by the British colonial government in the 19th century. It reached its peak during the rapid expansion of the rubber plantation in 1910s. The Chinese started flushing in since the 19th century to escape from the unstable society in China and seek for better economic opportunities. They made up the main labor force of the tin mining industry until the early 20th century. Whereas, the Malays have started to move into the Malaya Peninsula earlier than during the 14th century from the islands which are known as Indonesian territories today. However, the Malays consider themselves as Bumiputra (sons of the soil) of Malay Peninsula and categorize themselves as the indigenous population. (Saw 2007). The ethnic tensions have been the biggest internal problem of the nation. Several elements have led to the emergence and affirmation of the ethnic Malay Malaysian Nationalism. The Ethnic Malay Malaysian Nationalism How do Malaysians define themselves in terms of nationality and culture? Is that possible to emerge a Malaysian Nationalism purely clean of the racism? In the book Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Anderson Benedict (2006) defines nation as an imagined political community. Communities are imagined. It is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion. Hence, communities are to be distinguished, not by their falsity/genuineness, but by the style in which they are imagined. It is imagined as a community, because, regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship. Ultimately it is this fraternity that makes it possible, over the past two centuries, for so many millions of people, not so much to kill, as willingly to die for such limited imaginings. That seems to be a flawless condition that will lead to the stability and peacefulness of a country. The Malaysian Nationalism should be distinguished, not by the skin colour, but the vision to the prosperity of the country shared by the members. However, the civilization of this region since its occupation by colonial power has had a great impact on the way they imagine of the community. Ethnic groups have emerged diversified nationalism as a result of the marginalization by the former colonial governments. Before British colonial occupation was established in the late nineteenth century on the Malayan Peninsula, Malays originated from Indonesia had controlled the underpopulated areas and defined territorial units which resided by Sultan (the rulers). During the early 1800s, the British colonial government opened the doors to the Chinese immigrants when the growing tin mining industry was greatly in need of labor. For a more handy decentralized administration, the British colonial government collaborated with the Malay rulers in each region. The regions were governed under the Malay rulers with the advice by the British agents in return of a certain legal protection. This protection was to ensure the superiority of Malay traditional culture over the increasing population of other ethnic groups as well as the survival of their agricultural economy under the rapid developing modern export economy in the non-Malay and European-populated urban areas. (Mauzy 2006) The British intervention has been intrusive to the development of the ethnic relations. The status and privileges of Malay has been affirmed, thus a new nationalism has been arisen among the Malay community. According to Roffs classic analysis, organised Islamic fervour during the early 1900s, a secular,but still traditional resistance waged by privileged aristocrats beginning in the late 1920s, and a surge in Malay radicalism during the 1930s. (Roff, 1974) Japanese occupation has made exacerbated the existing ethnic tension by the extremely brutal treatment to the Chinese. Before Japanese landed on the Malay Peninsula, Malaysian Chinese has been resented by the renowned Nanking Massacre which killed approximately 250,000 to 300,000 Chinese in 1937 in China. (Rummel, 2002) During the invasion of Malay Peninsula, Japanese treated Malaysian Chinese exceptionally harshly to undermine the funding support to the resistance in China. Being in a tough situation, the Chinese had had the most members in the resistance groups. In contrast, Japanese occupation encouraged the Malay nationalism by reaffirming their identity of Bumiputra, the superiority of Malay of then region. (bin Zakaria 1989) Malays were also promoted in the bureaucracy and new paramilitary formation. (Case 2000) With the defeat of Japan and the return of the British colonial government, Chinese had acquired a new stature as guerrilla heroes. Accordingly, it could be expected that the Malays, the bumiputra, would demand for an affirmation of its dominance on the region. The racism attached to the Malay Nationalism was clearer at this point. Racism, which is directed against a population regarded as a minority, is defined as internal racism. According to Balibar (1988), it is useful to characterize certain racist posture as auto-referential (those in which the bearers of the prejudice, exercising physical or symbolic violence, designate themselves as representatives of a superior race). Nationalism and racism are conceptually separated to each other. However, there are sound evidences showing that these two ideologies are highly related. Strong elements of racism can be pointed out in, at least, some forms of nationalism. According to Etienne Balibar (1991), racism is always implied in the nationalist movements. When people in a nation share the same language, skin color, the sense of nationalism is often overlapped with racism. During the early independence, Malays was discontented with the uneven distribution of income among the ethnic groups as a result of the division of occupations. (the domination of Malays in agriculture, whereas the Chinese in commerce activities) Chinese accumulated considerable wealth due to the rapid expansion of the commerce activities. The income gap between the Chinese and the Malays was significant. In 1970, the Chinese has a mean income of RM467.50 while Malay has a mean income of only RM313.20. (Ikemoto 1985: 347-367) In 1969, Chinese dominated political party made a significant gain in opposition to the Malay controlled party in the general election.   On May 13, right after the result of the election was released, when members of the winning party marched through some largely Malay areas, the riot broke out. The Malays and the Chinese killed each other. May 13 incident was the most dismaying racial riot happened in the history of Malaysia. It has become the turning point of the racial relation where the implementation of the racist policies started. (Gray 2007) Calling for addressing the root of the conflict, the New Economic Policy started in the 1971 under Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak, who is from UMNO, the main Malay political party. In fact, the policies and regulations of NEP were, in some senses, reaffirming the Malay superiority over other races. It has affected not only Malaysian economy but also education and the social structure. (Koon 1997: 262-292) NEP is indeed the product of the new Malay Malaysian Nationalism. The ambitious but controversial New Economic Policy (NEP) was launched in 1971 with two main objectives: to eradicate the poverty and to correct the economic imbalances among the ethnic groups. This set of policies has completely traumatized the Chinese and Indian communities. Since its implementation, criticism was overthrown. It has been accused of affirming the Malay Supremacy by reducing the status of the non-Malay citizens. The NEP ended in 1991 but most of the tangible economic privileges it reserved for the Malays are still ongoing until now. The education policy in the New Economic Policy has had the greatest impact on the social structure of the country. One phase to social and economic transformation of the Malays is only through education, not equity participation. You take care of education and they will have enough to participate in the capital market, former Finance Minister of Malaysia, Tun Daim Zainuddin justified the priority granted for the Malays in his speech on the Issues Facing the Malays. (Caballero-Anthony 2006) The policy was aimed at creating more opportunities for higher education through admission policy for the Malays and indigenous residents. However, while they are guaranteed high-quality education the educational opportunity for non-Malay citizens are brutally and radically reduced. For the past 30 years, Malaysia has been the only Asian country that officially discriminates against a certain group of citizens in matters of education. In 1962, the enrolment to the University of Malaya by ethnicity was   60% Chinese, 20% Malay and 20% Indians and Others. The ethnic quota system of 55:45 in favor of the Malays and indigenous residents was established as part of NEP in 1971. In the same year, the participation rate of Malay students was already equal to that of Chinese students at about 44%. (Mukherjee 2000) In fact, most of the other public university admitted more Malay students than the specified quota of 55%. The criteria for the entrance of local public university is also the main obstacle to the non-Malay students. Matriculation program and Malaysian High Certificate of Education (STPM) are the two ways of entering the public university after the high school education. Whereas, matriculation program reserves around 90% of the places for the Malays and indigenous residents. (Lee 2005) In addition, by examining the grading system, it is relatively an easier way for student to be admitted to the local public uni versity. As a result, Malay students are advantaged and non-Malay students are discouraged. Many non-malay students instead choose to study abroad. This has led to a significant outflow of human capital, especially elites, because students often settle down for the rest of their life after their studies. Another racist part of the New Economic Policy is the housing quota system. To encourage more Malays and indigenous residents to own property, housing policy requires the Malaysian housing developers to set aside at least 30% of their development housing for Malays as well as provide a discount of 5-15%. After 30 years of the implementation of the policy, lots reserved are often released to the open market upon the approval by the State government. (Real Estate and Housing Developers Association Malaysia 2012) It has resulted in increasing of property ownership by the Malays but also the economic inefficiency. New Economic Policy favors Malays economic opportunities by the quota system of ownership. What has had the greatest impact on the Chinese business community is the target of NEP of increasing Malays share of economic ownership from 2.4% (in 1969) to 30% to achieve a 30:40:30 welfare ratio of Bumiputra, other Malaysian, and foreign ownership within a 20-year time frame. (Leong 1992) Such an intensive redistribution of wealth has been hastened by the legislature restriction. In contrast, no official assistance was offered to non-Bumiputra to achieve the goal of acquiring 40% of the national wealth. It has hugely reduced the incentive for the Chinese in their business activities. Conclusion Yet, most of the criticisms are based on the issue that the non-Malays under the poverty line are not benefitted by the NEP called for eradicating poverty. Robert Kuok Hock Nien, Malaysian Chinese, once the richest person in the South East Asia, started focusing his investment overseas by reducing its portion in Malaysia after a series of new business restrictions favoring the Malays been implemented. ** There are Chinese under poverty line but the government did not address them. *** People are qualified for the benefit according to their race, instead of their economic position. Conclusion.

joseph conrad :: essays research papers

Joseph Conrad was born in Berdichev, in the Ukraine, in a region that had once been a part of Poland but was then under Russian rule. His father Apollo Korzeniowski was an aristocrat without lands, a poet and translator of English and French literature. The family estates had been sequestrated in 1839 following an anti-Russian rebellion. As a boy the young Joseph read Polish and French versions of English novels with his father. When Apollo Korzeniowski became embroiled in political activities, he was sent to exile with his family to Volgoda, northern Russia, in 1861. After being wounded in a duel or of a self-inflicted gunshot in the chest, Conrad continued a career at the seas for 16 years in the British merchant navy. He had been deeply in debt, but his uncle discharged his debts. This was a turning point in his life. Conrad rose through the ranks from common seaman to first mate, and by 1886 he obtained his master mariner's certificate, commanding his own ship, Otago. In the same year he was given British citizenship and he changed officially his name to Joseph Conrad. Witnessing the forces of the sea, Conrad developed a deterministic view of the world, which he expressed in a letter in 1897: "What makes mankind tragic is not that they are the victims of nature, it is that they are conscious of it. To be part of the animal kingdom under the conditions of this earth is very well - but soon, as you know of your slavery, the pain, the anger, and the strife. The tragedy begins." Conrad sailed to many parts of the world, including Australia, various ports of the Indian Ocean, Borneo, the Malay states, South America, and the South Pacific Island. In 1890 he sailed in Africa up the Congo River. The journey provided much material for his novel Heart of Darkness. However, the fabled East Indies particularly attracted Conrad and it became the setting of many of his stories. By 1894 Conrad's sea life was over. During the long journeys he had started to write and Conrad decided to devote himself entirely to literature. At the age of 36 Conrad settled down in England. In his famous preface to THE NIGGER OF THE 'NARCISSUS' (1897) Conrad crystallized his often quoted goal as a writer: "My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you fell - it is, above all, to make you see.

Global Monetary Depression Essay -- World History, Chinese Economy

Whether or not one believes that the 17th century global monetary depression actually occurred or if there even was a â€Å"general crisis† to begin with, it has been widely apparent that from 1601 to 1680, a transformation in economic history and a decline in transnational finance was underway. We cannot mistaken—though richly diverse the economy—a specific geographical region as if it fiscally rose or declined in isolation. Comparative studies are crucial; however, â€Å"it is yet another argument against the narrow parochialism which still afflicts the teaching of history in too many universities† (Aston 3). Those of us who have suffered while studying the Western past must not plummet into the similarly devastating Asian strain; therefore, while juxtaposing the two influential economies of the 17th century, Europe (Spain) and Asia (China), it is crucial to bear in mind the transnational fluctuations in domestic and oversea trade with regards to the glo bal consequences: monetary inflation. Unlike their European counterpart, Chinese feudalism consisted of peasants, especially in the late Ming and early Qing, that were not directly tied to landlords—rather, their atypical Chinese socioeconomic feudalism was more of a â€Å"commercialized peasant economy† where market imports were driven by the demands of the general public (Kishimoto-Nakayama 228). On the surface, an unfathomable torrent of New World silver deposits controlled by Spain alleviated much of the amounting debt and dissolved the liquidity crisis in Europe; however, it also unleashed a devastating increase of bullion in China’s over-heated economy which demoted global price levels on silver—leading to the deleterious monetary inflation (Glahn 429). Since the source of profit from... ...y-rocketed levels of international trade, government spending, and population—the main reason for China’s financial inflation was due to global climatic changes that diminished agricultural yields, caused outbreaks of epidemic and ultimately depreciated the purchasing value of money by increasing market prices of staple goods. In this same context, despite the fact that one nation’s economy was in decline, it did not Moreover, the instance of China’s financial crisis during the 17th century demonstrates the ultimate full scale of changes in a global economy and with respects to environmental factors. The significant economic downturns during the period brought to light the constantly shifting organizations of the first markets during the modern era and the indigenous demands for natural resources which determined the direction of a country’s economic stability.

Job roles within Asda Essay

The area manager Philip Davies has a clear but hard Job which he gets well rewarded for, Philip Davies has to make major and long term decisions which could be vital to Asda, obviously he has to actually run he business day in day out and he has to attend regularly board of directors meetings plus he has to do basic and boring paperwork for most of each day. Philip Davies needed good qualifications to become the Area manager of Asda and his qualifications are: * A masters degree in Business * A degree in management * 3 A-levels * 7 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E Without these sort of qualifications Philip Davies could never have become the Area manager of Asda. Store manager The store manager Gary Hall has a slightly similar job to the Area manager except he does not communicate to the board of directors and the store manager has to work more with the employees inside of the store and he has to check that everything is going well throughout the store. The store manager is responsible for the performance measures in his store: sales, stock loss, labour cost, customer service and Licence to Trade (Health & Safety and Food Quality). The Store Manager is also responsible for managing and developing their team of Duty Managers. Gary Hall also needs good qualifications to be the store manager and they are: * Business Degree * Management degree * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E These qualifications are a lot like the Area managers (Philip Davies) qualifications, probably because the jobs are similar. Managers Each manager has their own department to look after and they are: * Finance department * Customer services department * Market research department * Duty department * I.T administration department * Human Resources department The responsibilities of a manager are: * Decision making * Problem solving * Planning, setting targets (long-term objectives) * Ensuring that targets are achieved * The organisation of the working environment With a good manager all of these responsibilities can be completed. Finance manger The finance manger Sue Williams is responsible for many things the most important one being the finance department in which Sue Williams has many responsibilities like: * Accounting * Budgets * Salaries Sue Williams is also responsible for looking after her employees in the finance department. Sue Williams takes her orders from Gary Hall the store manager and then she uses her finance team to conduct those activities. Like Philip Davies and Gary Hall, Sue Williams also needed good qualifications: * Degree in management * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E Read more:  Job Roles at Sainsburys Supermarkets Customer services manager The customer services manager Ben Adams in his job role will have to make sure that every customer goes home happy. Ben Adams does not actually talk to any customers because his job is to tell his customer services team how to make there customers happy. Not only does Ben Adams have to make all the customers happy but he also has to try and make a sale and that is why Ben Adams also has to try and get his team to make a sale. Like all of the other managers Ben Adams takes his orders from Gary Hall and he has to do his best to complete the jobs that Gary Hall assigns for him. To get the job as customer services manager Ben Adams needed these qualifications: * Degree in management * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E As a benefit of being the Customer services manager Ben Adams gets discounts when he shops at Asda. Market research manager The Market research manager Ian Roberts is responsible for everything that goes on in the Market research department one half of the department has to design a product based on the customers’ preferences and the other half of the department has to try and sell the product that has been designed. The qualifications that Ian Roberts needed were: * Degree in management * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E As a benefit of being Market Research manager Ian Roberts also gets a discount on his products whenever he shops at Asda. Duty Manager The Duty manager James Davis Is responsible for a variety of things but he is mainly in charge of the stock and the warehouse. James Davis is also responsible for all trade operations and James Davis has to make sure that all of the employees in the Duty department all work well together and all work to their full potential and of course he also has to make sure that all of his employees are happy in their working environment. As well as trade operations James Davis also has to improve sales and profitability and at times he and his team may deputise for the store manager Gary hall. To become the Duty manager, James Davis needed these qualifications: * Degree in management * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E And of course like all the other department managers James Davis as a benefit receives discounts on his items whenever he shops at Asda. I.T. and Administration manager The I.T. and Administration manager Sue Williams has many responsibilities like being in charge of everyone in the I.T. and Admin’ departments (plus the finance department) so she has many activities which mostly consist of filling out forms and reports also Sue Williams has to ensure that all of the employees in her departments work effectively and of course she has to set everyone their tasks each weak and each month the store manager will tell Sue Williams what she will have to do by the end of the month. To be the I.T. and Administration manager Sue Williams needed these qualifications: * Degree in management * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E As the manager of the I.T and Administration and Finance departments Sue Williams has to work 60 hours per week plus a lot of overtime. Because Sue Williams is the manager of two departments she gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½42,000 per year and more if the store manager thinks she deserves it. Sue Williams also gets discounts on whatever she buys at Asda. Human resources manager The Human resources manager Stuart Thatcher is responsible for a lot of things like: * Recruitment * Training * Dismissal * Promotion * Health and Safety It is Stuart Thatcher’s job to make sure that all of these jobs get done well and to make sure that they do get done well Stuart Thatcher has to set out appropriate tasks for his team and he has to plan everything that his team will have to do for Asda, e.g. if the store needed 5 more employees for staking shelves or whatever it would be Stuart Thatcher’s job to make sure that the right people were appointed for the store, or another example could be that if the store needed two people to be laid off then it would be Stuart Thatcher’s job to dismiss the two employees. To become the Human resources manager Stuart Thatcher needed these qualifications: * Degree in management * 3 A-levels * 6 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E As a benefit of being the Human resources manager Stuart Thatcher gets a discount on anything he buys at Asda. Stuart Thatcher has to work 48 hours a week, plus he may sometimes be asked to work overtime. As the manager of the Human resources department Stuart Thatcher gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½25,000 per year and more if the store manager thinks he deserves it. Supervisors They are responsible to the junior or middle management, and responsible for the team members. Their main role is to: a) Supervise the teamwork. b) Make sure that daily targets are met and problems are solved. Account supervisor Every single month he and his team will have to check through all accounts, check the cash flow forecast, and Asses the accounts every year and make sure that they are correct, accounts are very important because if they are wrong Asda could lose a lot of money because if they do not keep track of their debtors then they will forget about how much they owe Asda, and they will lose a lot of money. To become the accounts supervisor he needed these qualifications: * 4 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E * 2 A-levels * 1 A-level must have been in business As a benefit of being the Account supervisor he gets a discount on anything he buys at Asda. The Accounts supervisor has to work 44 hours per week and he gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16,000 per year. Marketing supervisor It is his job to be constantly be updating Asda’s products, he and his team at the start will find out what the department managers want and what the customers (or consumers) want. So first they will go to the department managers and ask them what they would like in the store and then they have to go out on the streets and ask the customers a series of questions about what kind of product they would like, and also the market research team will have to assess the competitors products e.g. Tesco’s new products and Safeway’s new products and once they have assessed the competitors products they will try to better them based on the department managers specifications and the customers (or consumers) specifications. To become the marketing supervisor he needed these qualifications: * 4 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E * 2 A-levels * Some Market research experience As a benefit of being the Marketing supervisor she gets a discount on anything she buys at Asda. The Marketing supervisor has to work 44 hours per week and he gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16,000 per year. Recruitment supervisor The jobs of her and her team are to put in adverts (containing all of the specifications about the job) in the local newspapers and the job centre, etc and then application forms would be given to the candidates and then some of the candidates would be given an interview based on how good there application form and C.V.’s were. Then once everyone has been given an interview some people will be turned away leaving 10 people left which will be given a second interview and after that interview one of them will be given the job. She can only set out to employ somebody once she has been told to by Stuart Thatcher the Human resources manager. To become the recruitment supervisor she needed these qualifications: * 4 A*-C grades at G.C.S.E * 2 A-levels * Some experience in Human resources As a benefit of being the Recruitment supervisor she gets a discount on anything she buys at Asda. The Recruitment supervisor has to work 44 hours per week and she gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½16,000 per year. Assistants or support staff These are people who support the internal working of the organisation and who perform support tasks for managers. The main duties of the support staff are: * To carry out the duties as specified on the job description and as required by the manager or supervisor. * To obey reasonable instructions * To co-operate with other team members. One example of an assistant is the Warehouse Assistant and his job is very clear, his job is to retrieve the stock from the suppliers and then take the stock to the warehouse and put it in order for it to go up on the shelves which the warehouse assistant and his team members will do. The Warehouse Assistant has to work. The warehouse Assistant has to work 54 hours per week like most assistants and he gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½7 per hour and he often has to work overtime for which he gets paid à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½4 more per hour like most assistants.

The Historical Biography of Martin Luther

It is obviously important to note that society has evolved and that the issues of the sixteenth century although dictated by time are not all that different than what our schools face today. There may not have been a separation of church and state but there was a need for educational reformation. â€Å"It is sometimes forgotten that the Reformation was as much concerned with school as it was with church and home. Appreciating the role of education in directing church and society back to the source of the Christian faith, the reformers were committed to the schooling of the young. (Faber, 1998) There is no doubt that Martin Luther appreciated the structured approach of schools since one of his first official acts as a reformer was an attempt to convert existing monasteries schools. â€Å"For Luther, of course, education was grounded in the study of Scripture, a study that was to take place both within homes and schools. Committed by the First Amendment to separation of church and state and to freedom of religious expression, pluralistic America of the twenty- first century is very different from Luther†s Germany of the sixteenth century. (Harran, 2004) Many of the underlying foundation of the modern public schools systems around the world owe a great deal to the sixteenth century Reformation and Martin Luther. â€Å"In home, school, church, and community, fostering that awareness and understanding is the purpose of education and the responsibility of educators. No challenge is more urgent than empowering young people courageously to step into the stream of human events, refusing to stand upon the shore as bystanders. (Harran, 2004) Who better to use as a scholar for this particular work. I believe that Martin Luther would agree with the notion that our graduates should not only have a desire for collaboration, but should also strive to develop the bonds within a school†s collaborative learning environment. Luther lived in a time where only the wealthy or well connected received an education. This class isolationism went against the philosophies of today where diversity and interdependent social cultures strive to exist. In opposition to those who saw education as the privilege of only a few, Luther argued vociferously for compulsory education for all, recognizing the value of each individual before God. In an age in which only a few could afford to attend school and women received little if any education, Luther eloquently argued for expanding educational opportunities. † (Harran, 2004) Luther believed that a universal educational opportunity offered more to society and that mass education would be more advantageous because of the fact that it offered more collaborative opportunities. In the words of Martin Luther, â€Å"My dear sirs, if we have to spend such large sums every year on guns, roads, bridges, dams and countless similar items to insure the temporal peace and prosperity of a city, why should not much more be devoted to the poor neglected youth? † (Harran, 2004) Luther believed that society would benefit if more individuals were given the opportunity to improve themselves and he also seemed to understand that this process should include more collaborative educational methods. I also agree with the idea of collaborative educational methods and goals. I also believe that as teachers, we should promote the idea of students working together so they can learn from one another and at the same time extend their willingness and ability to interact and learning outside of the classroom. Today†s kids need PDA†s and other technology just to keep up with their own and friend†s busy schedules. Between commuting, extra curricular activities and homework, students may find that it is hard to coordinate with their peers. That is why we as teachers must create scenarios that promote togetherness through properly applying classroom settings, the use of technology and sound planning to eliminate the barriers of collaboration. It is a teachers responsibility to create an atmosphere that provides a comfortable setting for contribution by all, enable collaboration without regard to time or place and to help students learn from each other no matter what their diverse backgrounds might be. Luther was an advocate of a well conceived educational process. Writing in times far different than ours, Luther underscored the importance of a curriculum that truly engages young people and that inspires them to a genuine love of learning in all its many forms. † (Harran, 2004) This atmosphere can only occur if the teachers and administrative entities support critical self-reflection by the teachers. Teachers can only provide curriculums that engage if they themselves are up to date in their personal reflections and educations. I also agree with the fact that self awareness, professional development and personal achievement by teachers are areas that are critical to the success of the entire educational process. Professional development for example can be considered important in the realm of critical self-reflection because it is a vital piece of the teaching puzzle. Teachers who evaluate their needs and performance can use professional development opportunities to stay current with the new or available practices in teaching, learning and presentation. Consider that a large number of math teachers simply place far too much influence and credence on outdated text books and techniques. â€Å"Even while educators work to reduce the dominance of text-based learning in mathematics classrooms, publishers and teachers need to explore new modes of publication that will enable good innovative ideas to enter expeditiously into typical classroom practice. † (National Research Council 1989, p. 67) Self reflection will provide opportunities to change. Martin Luther and his reformers were the most social conscious individuals of their time. The reformations that he promoted were basically social justice reformations. Luther believed that the existing class system was not fair and that all classes should receive the opportunity for an education. â€Å"Not only would the state benefit from a reformed education, but also – and especially – the church. † (Faber, 1998) In the sixteenth century, those who could not read or write were forced to learn their religious scriptures form the religiously factions thus putting the poor and uneducated at a distinct disadvantage. Luther promoted that all individuals be educated and therefore eliminate those social injustices. Similar to the unfair class separation of Luther†s times, I believe we must address the social injustices of our times. â€Å"Schools in the United States face a multiplicity of challenges, from gaining adequate funds to hiring well-qualified and dedicated teachers to meeting the ever-increasing obligations of state-mandated testing to determining policy about such complex issues as bi-lingual education. † (Harran, 2004) We today face the distinction of having schools in poor urban areas that have no books, are literally unsafe, have no clean running water and certainly few to no good teachers while less than a mile down there could be an affluent school with a plethora of extras and well manicured lawns. Social justice always boils down to the haves and the have not†s. Consider the differentiation with the technology have line today. Schools that can afford new technology have it in abundance and every child has access to the internet and other educational tools. But, in our urban communities there are whole high schools that may only have five or six computers and those are for administrative applications. Today we are more adept at working with the special needs of race, ethnicity, class, cultural and linguistic diversity, religion, gender, sexuality and special needs. In Martin Luther†s sixteenth century, diversity was focused more on the differences between rich and poor and religious preference was a one way street. So when he wrote or worked to reform the system, he was trying to incorporate those who were considered to be the minorities of their time. Yet, whether the differences were color or religion is not relevant. The key is that there was a need for reform with the existing process just like we have a need for change in our modern day educational process. â€Å"The need for educational reform was urgent at the beginning of the sixteenth century. At that time there existed no school system as such, and teaching was often limited to the children of wealthy merchants and city rulers. In many places the Roman Catholic church supervised the training of the youth in monasteries, cloisters, and other church-run institutions. But these were falling into disrepute and disrepair, as the populace reacted against the corruption and abuses among the clergy. † (Faber, 1998) Today, research covering the effects of diversity in the classroom show how and why effective teaching can be linked to the ability of instructors to incorporate diversity into their classrooms. These studies repeatedly show that there is a direct correlation between a child†s attitude towards his or her race and ethnic grouping and other cultural groups from as early as the preschool years. In other words, young children develop their stereotypes in the classroom or in the home environment at very early ages. Teachers can therefore help reduce or hopefully even eliminate negative stereotypes by being diversity conscious themselves. Through the use of culturally sensitive class initiatives for example, teachers have an opportunity to establish more positive examples for their students. â€Å"Researchers agree that new models of professional development are needed, and that such models must include a focus on the development of local cultures of interest if they are to be sustainable. (Swan, Vargas, & Holmes, 2004) In conclusion, this paper was on Martin Luther and also my interpretations of his views on the treatise of scholarship and education. From Luther†s point of view, this report attempted to propose possible reforms in the area of curriculum. The report was formatted in the form of an action plan that articulated my personal philosophies of teaching and identified with Martin Luther as my selected scholar. Issues addressed were the educational and conceptual frameworks of collaboration, social justice, diversity and critical self-reflection. Obviously Martin Luther appreciated the structured approach of schools since one of his first official acts as a reformer was to convert existing monasteries into schools. This may even be the underlying foundation of all modern public schools systems around the world. Who could be a better scholar for this particular project. â€Å"There is no denying the huge gap between the sixteenth century and the twenty- first. Luther†s Germany was overwhelmingly Christian; he could look to the state to further the agenda of Christian education, although he insisted that the responsibility for education was not solely, or even primarily, the responsibility of government. We live in a very different world from that of Luther. The United States is rich in cultural and religious diversity, and, from an early age, children experience that diversity and multiplicity of religious traditions and values in school and community. † (Harran, 2004)