A Different Kind of Leadership

When The Economist magazine recently asked 180 leaders what the major influence on future organizations would be, two-thirds of them said it would be teams and groups. Clearly, the John Wayne model of leadership won't work. What is needed today is a different kind of leadership. People who think they can do it by themselves are somewhat deluded. Despite these kinds of statements the cult figure of the Chief Executive Officer still exists. They are enshrined, and probably celebrated too much. This is partly an American phenomenon. However throughout Europe there are beginning to be reactions against these icons for companies and these are ominous signs for the future of figureheads. Groups, teams, communities, partnerships, stakeholders, colleagues, collaborators signal the end of the â€Å"Great Man,† the death of the John Wayne myth. As the business world becomes more complex and interdependent, executives cannot afford to lead in isolation. Instead, they must tap into the collective knowledge and expertise of their colleagues by creating real teamwork at top levels of the organization. They need to build truly effective leadership teams. Successful management in today's society are forever trying to seek out the most competent individuals to employ in specific roles within a business environment. The criteria on which an individual is selected are widely recognised as the common attributes of a leader. These qualities would include; intelligence, forcefulness, sensitivity, patience, decisiveness, the person would be reflective and dynamic, a good communicator as well as being a good listener. The list of desirable traits continues to describe the perfect leader-manager who would be effective and most probably flawless. In reality this person could not exist, simply because many of the characteristics seem to conflict with one another. It is unlikely that someone could be both forceful and particularly sensitive. The inability of a single individual to possess all the skills that are sought after, presents the opportunity for the development of a team that certainly could. Teams also have the advantage that if a single member of a team is unavailable, then the productivity of the team may not be impacted significantly, whereas if a single person had full responsibility for a task and then was taken ill for example, any progress due to be made on the task would be halted. Another problem with focussing on training individuals to a high level and therefore becoming somewhat reliant on that person is that, if that person decided to leave to take a position with a competitor or to take early retirement to spend time with their spouse then the business is left trying to adjust for the loss. By focussing on teams the business is somewhat less exposed to these potential problems. However the development of teams to provide protection against competitors ‘poaching' personnel, has become less effective, especially in the service industries. An example of this kind of activity occurring was seen in November 1999 when a team of Merrill Lynch & Co. telecom analysts defected to Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB). This forced Merrill to reshuffle its depleted research effort just as the firm's telecom bankers were positioning to land the mandate on what could be the biggest initial public offering in history. The highly regarded telecom analysts Dan Reingold and Mark Kastan left Merrill for CSFB on 22nd November, taking with them a group of five other analysts – almost Merrill's entire U. S. telecom research team. With such an emphasis on the formulation of effective self-managed teams, the question of whether leadership is actually required arises. It has been suggested that to organize genius and to have a great group, the fine art of herding cats must learnt. This analogy is used to demonstrate the difficult skill of persuading members within a team to carry out tasks they may not particularly want to, and feel good about doing it. This ‘soft skill† is very important if a group is to have a member in a leading capacity. Some leaders have managed to succeed without having great people skills. Examples include Steve Jobs at Macintosh Computers, Walt Disney, Kelly Johnson at Lockheed's Skunk Works, and John Andrew Rice at Black Mountain College. In fact they have been described as having herded their cats with whips; and yet still produced phenomenal results. Leaders typically provide direction and meaning that resonate in the heart, soul and mind. But many leaders of great groups are abrasive, if not downright arrogant. Another analogy used to describe these people is that they are all alchemists. They are creating something out of nothing. They are creating something magical. They are creating an object of enchantment. An explanation given for why these team leaders were obnoxious at times was that when believing that they were involved in a group that would change the world, they could be afforded the opportunity of being a â€Å"son-of-a-bitch† for a time. If a group can be created that thinks they can â€Å"make a dent in the universe,† as Steve Jobs told the team that created the Macintosh computer, one's personal foibles, losing one's temper, one's style become less important. If the team feels transported, and part of the excitement, the thrill and the electrifying feeling of doing something that nobody has ever done before, arrogance on behalf of the leader can be excused. Undoubtedly this aggressive style of team leadership producing outstanding results is the exception to most group situations. The charismatic nature of the people involved probably had more to do with the eventual result rather than the manner in which they lead. Charisma is intangible, difficult to assess, and cannot be taught, yet can override all learnt skills of good team leading. However there have been studies that suggest that the personality of the leader may adversely affect the team†s performance. Mary Fontaine, head of the Hay/McBer's competency practice, a U. S. management consulting group, carried out a study that found that team leaders with a variety of managerial styles-authoritative, affiliative, democratic and coaching can be successful as long as they encourage dialogues. However team leaders with a coercive managerial style were found to be far less successful at promoting dialogues. In contrast to the success of the individuals and their organisations mentioned earlier it was found that it wasn't the best and the brightest who excelled. â€Å"Sucking the oxygen out of the room with excessive charisma or with an intimidating intellect and self-confidence was often detrimental to team efforts,† Fontaine says. â€Å"The truly outstanding leaders frequently were those whose contributions were less visible, who worked behind the scenes to create structures and arrange for organizational supports that made it easier for their teams to excel. There seems to be a threshold level of team skills required to be a competent leader, and above this level charisma can either make an average leader-manager into someone special or more likely hinder the groups performance. The ideal that leaders are not born, but make themselves supports this theory. A person may develop to be charismatic, however in order to grow as a leader they must learn the necessary people or ‘soft† skills. These are the hardest skills to learn. They are the things that will make the biggest difference in organizations. Bob Haas, CEO of Levi Strauss, has said the hard skills are not getting the pants out the door. The hard skills are creating the work force that will be motivated to be productive. So, the soft skills are the hardest skills. It seems that there is still a place for leaders within teams, but not in the traditional sense. Leaders are purveyors of hope who suspend disbelief in their groups. They represent the group†s needs and aspirations. They don't know that a task cannot be achieved. Most individuals are hungry spirits, and any leader who can dangle a dream before them usually gets their attention and the collective talents within a team make that dream a reality. Today the one thing that the majority of professional people want is to be inspired. For many years the qualities of individuals have been studied, and the successful characteristics copied. However the successful features of a management team are less well understood. A team has proved more difficult to study than a single person. However there has been recognition of some of the main elements of what makes one team more successful than another. A number of studies have been carried out to try to depict the foundations of teamwork and the complimentary relationships between members. The format of the team and the relationships within seem indicative to whether the team is successful. It is not necessarily the ability of individuals within the team. Given a free choice of members and the need to form a high-powered management team to solve complex problems, it would seem sensible to select members who have sharp analytical minds. This would suggest creating a team composed entirely of intellectually clever people. These types of people would be equipped for coping with major projects and big decisions. Creating a ‘Think-Tank' would initially appear to be the best solution for high profile managerial teams. However, studies carried out by Belbin concluded that the grouping of highly intellectual and similarly analytically minded people within a team in general does not produce the expected high performance. Belbin championed the result as â€Å"Apollo Syndrome†, named after the team consisting of the intellectually clever people that carried out the executive management exercises he designed. The analysis of these highly intellectual ‘Apollo' teams illustrated some of the flaws within the group interaction. A large proportion of each individual's time was engaged in trying to persuade the other members of the team to adopt their own particular, well stated, point of view. No one seemed to convert another or be converted themselves. This was largely due to the ability to spot weak points in each other's argument. There was, not surprisingly, no coherence in the decisions that the team reached – or was forced to reach. Subsequent to the eventual failure of the team, finishing last in the exercise, the aftermath was marked by mutual recrimination. If having a team consisting of homogeneous people with respect to members' demographics, cognitions and high intellect does not create a successful group, then the obvious alternative would be to create groups of heterogeneous individuals. Scholars have carried out studies to investigate the various types of diversity within a group. Diversity differentiates individuals by the degree to which they are directly related to the task at hand. Job relatedness is one form of diversity and is an important property because it determines whether a particular type of diversity constitutes an increase in a group's total pool of task-related skills, information, and perspectives. The magnitude of this pool, in turn, represents a potential for more comprehensive or creative decision making. This concept has been studied by Milliken and Martins. The idea of having a diverse team to provide a wide spectrum of views has been used as a starting point to formulate teams. However, teams do not just happen when people get together. At the start, a team is just a collection of individuals. And, like most collections, it is only as strong as its weakest member. The optimum number of individuals within a team is a major issue for discussion when creating a team. This figure would to some extent depend on the amount of work that needs to be performed. In general the larger the group, the greater the unseen pressures that make for conformity. These pressures may impinge upon an individual to the extent that in mass meetings, congregations and assemblies they feel anonymous. Behaviour within the group is further complicated by group structure. The stronger the structure, the less tolerance there is for dissenters or for any form of deviant expression. Where groups are unstructured, for example large numbers of people meeting for a purpose but without any imposed constraints, studies have shown that rather than the individual recovering a sense of mature individuality, they are likely to revel in the anonymity which size offers. Investigations have discovered that large gatherings of people has the effect of either their constituents becoming excessively passive or, if full self-expression is permitted, inclined to irresponsible behaviour, aggressive verbal declarations, or even acts of destruction. In a team building situation this type of behaviour would clearly not promote the synergy and effectiveness that is sought after.

Princely Jets (Pvt.) Ltd. the Air Ambulance Written Analysis of a Case

Princely Jets (Pvt. ) Ltd. – The Air Ambulance| Written Analysis of a Case| Mariam Soomro, Sharmain Malik, Syed Zainul Islam & Farooq Tirmizi| Introduction This paper will be referring to the case study â€Å"Princely Jets (Pvt. ) Ltd. – The Air Ambulance†. It will discuss at length the issues brought out in the case which concern the new Air Ambulance service that Akbar Group of Companies is planning to launch. This paper asserts that Akbar Group should go ahead with the launch of the new service at the proposed price US$ 750 monthly membership and an hourly rate of usage of US$2500. The paper will attempt to justify the pricing strategy and discuss the mix of promotion tools that they should make use of. Overview The Akbar Group has a diverse group of companies with their operations being divided into two major categories: the aviation division and the commercial division. They started operations in Pakistan in 2005 with Princely Jets (Pvt. ) Limited with their first private charter jet services. They offered private jet services on an adhoc as well as on a scheduled flight basis with an objective of making the private jet charter experience simple, comfortable, enjoyable and unique. They launched in Karachi and later on expanded their services to Islamabad in 2006. By 2008 they had a fleet of 6 aircrafts. They had an average growth rate of 15% and a return on investment of 3%. Their aviation division also included being the General Sales Agents for twelve international airlines; they were representatives of Amadeus; and they offered travel agency services under the name Princely Travels and Citilink. Their commercial division included allied businesses such as the distribution of Nike and United Parcel Services (UPS). They also had exclusive distribution of travel insurance for the American Insurance Group. Akbar Group also introduced many global businesses in Pakistan such as McDonalds, The Princeton Review and LMVH Watches and Jewelry. Market Situation and Competitive Scenario Pakistan suffers from a host of problems such as political and social unrest. The rate of political protests, traffic accidents, criminal assaults and terrorist attacks has increased significantly. There is a constant need for transportation of victims for emergency needs. There have been many instances where the patient never makes it to the medical facility in time because of traffic jams. There are a sufficient number of medical rescue teams that provide ambulance services such as Askari Aviation, Edhi Foundation and Chhipa Ambulances, but none that provided specialized air ambulance services. The Akbar Group identified this gap in the market and decided to offer an Air Ambulance service to cater to this unmet need. It was easy for them to cater to this need as it would be a natural extension of their aviation services that they provided through Princely Jets. They had an existing clientele from their Princely Jet services who they could target for the same specialized air ambulance services. Segmentation and Target Market The Akbar Group chose to segment the market using two techniques: Psychographic and Demographic. Psychographic: They wanted to target affluent customers who would be â€Å"willing to provide insurance for this value added medical facility not only for their personal use but also for the use of company employees†. Demographic: The target market identified for the air ambulance service included corporate entities such as multinational and large national companies, banks, embassies, governmental agencies and some high net worth individuals. Marketing Mix Product/ Service The Akbar Group proposed the following with their Air Ambulance Services: * Transportation of physicians and specialists to remote areas * Inter-hospital transfer of patients requiring specialist’s treatment and immediate attention * Quick transportation of blood and human vital organs * Medical and other assistance to companies and organizations in remote areas of the country. They wished to start off their operations with a pilot project in Karachi and later on proceed to other parts of the country. In the Karachi region they planned to provide their services within a radius of 125 nautical miles (225 land miles). The justification behind this radius was that they wanted to transport the patient to the nearest medical facility within a maximum of 90 minutes. They planned to offer air ambulance services with two fully equipment helicopters with multiple seating and at least two patient beds. They would have on board a fully trained paramedic team including a doctor, state-of-the-art medical equipment, life saving and emergency medicines, oxygen and blood transfusion capabilities. The air ambulance aimed to offer a smooth transition of the patient from the helicopter to the emergency room. Financially Viability As seen from the expected revenue above, after the first year this project will generate a profit stream which will make this a viable project. The Air Ambulance project is suitable for a country like Pakistan where one sees in Exhibit 9A and Exhibit 9B that there is a high requirement for such services. To support this one should also look at Exhibit 12 to see the number of people that are in need of such services and have no other alternative. Pricing The two pronged strategy that is being offered by Mr. Ghouse is feasible since targeted market segment pays little importance to prices. They consider the value of the services. Therefore, as they are willing to pay these prices for business purposes; then they will be more than willing to pay for medical services. The prices suggested will be divided into 3 categories for three different customer divisions as the following: Corporate customer- These are the companies mentioned in Exhibit 3. They will be offered a yearly package that will contain 37 hours that they can use at any hour. It can be used by any member of the corporation with the approval of HR. * Private Customer- These will be those individuals who are operating private companies that have steady cash flow. They will be familiar with Princely Jets (PVT) LTD. services; hence it will be relatively easy to convince them to utilize The Air Ambulance services for themselves. * Hospitals- A yearly contract will be signed with hospitals as mentioned in Exhibit 11B; this will provide an additional service which can be provided by leading medical institutions, which will have customers who are willing to avail on a one off basis. The cost that is charged by the hospital will be left to its discretion. Pricing Method The pricing strategy will differ from segment to segment. The private customer will be charged a slightly higher price as he will be less likely to require services on a regular basis. Whereas corporate customers and hospitals will be charged a slightly lower price since they will be purchasing bulk services and are more likely to want greater flight hours. Therefore, higher revenue can be generated from these institutes through variable costs. The above methodology is simply a proposal. However, this project is definitely viable. If we consider the pricing that Princely Jets is exploring; the following comes to mind: Premium Pricing Princely Jets is going to be fulfilling the needs of a niche market. As stated earlier, pricing is not an influencing factor in the decision to purchase. For these high profile consumers, the ambience, the service environment and the quality will be perceived as of worth. It is about how vital the customer is made to feel during the entire journey. It is the flexibility offered, the uniqueness in treatment and of course, the fact that each flight is personalized for the client. They will be willing to pay for a superior air solution over others which are designed to give greater benefits. It is these intangibles that justify the premium pricing strategy. Also as it is the pioneer in its category, it can enjoy the benefit of being a price setter in the industry. Specialized Service Air ambulance services have high operational costs. The specialized nature of these air rescue services limits the ability to compete on the basis of cost. Therefore, marketing is directed towards high net individuals, corporations and governmental agencies that prefer other factors. Customized Air Solution Princely Jets is going to fabricate each flight with accordance to the needs of the client. From the point of destination to the point of food being catered; every small aspect will be planned in order to serve the punter in question. Heritage Akbar Group of Companies is bringing this premium service in and has over 100 years of experience in the aviation industry. This facet can be utilized to position Princely Jets air ambulance services in the consumer’s mind and be used to build brand equity. Placement Princely Jets launched from Karachi in 2005 and had expanded to Islamabad by 2006. It designed a 4000 square yard hangar with a high tech maintenance workshop for supportive services. Also to add benefits and value to their service, Princely Jets had its own airport lounge in Karachi. It was dedicated to Princely Jets customers. Promotion Viral Marketing This strategy played well for the luxurious travel Princely Jets offered. It appeared to be promising for air ambulance services as well. Within the narrowed boundaries of this niche market, if the trend of air ambulance services spreads like wildfire, targeted customers will be drawn into its usage. Word of mouth Word of mouth communication remains to be the most effective and popular marketing tool. As it is recommended from person to person, a level of trust is involved. That by itself will build to service credibility and reliance. Relationship marketing Given the infrequent nature of this service, Princely Jets will have to be persistent in building and sustain its clientele. It should focus on the longevity of end user relationships and continue to remain in touch with them. They will likely own personal, intricate consumer information such as birthdays, anniversaries etc and can perform diminutive gestures such as sending a birthday card across to remind the consumer that Princely Jets remembers them and is thinking of them. That will add to value in terms of positioning in the customer’s mind. Direct Marketing This may prove to be a successful strategy for the air ambulance sector. Sending brochures, flyers, personalized posters to the consumers would build a personal connection. An even better alternative is to send customized letters to them on a monthly or biweekly basis to build brand recall and to make Princely Jets the preferred carrier. Another way to differentiate itself is to offer to show the helicopter to exclusive clientele. These strategies are recommended to Mr. Ghouse as they will prove to be the most effectual and valuable. However, an aggressive online marketing campaign to compliment the above tactics will be better. Mr. Ghouse should draw up an integrated marketing communication plan that has the consistent message of safety, security and comfort and is conveyed accurately.

Cantonese opera Essay Example for Free

Cantonese opera Essay Most foreign people know what Bejing opera is, but Chinese national Opera has a long history and 275 species of Chinese operas have been saved, there are a wide range of operas were not extended yet, Cantonese opera is very popular in the south of China, many Chinese people prefer Cantonese opera to Beijing Opera. The biggest difference between Beijing Opera and Cantonese Opera is language, the Beijing Opera use Mandarin, the Cantonese Opera use Cantonese. Cantonese opera is local opera in Han Dynasty is formerly known as drama or Guangdong opera from the Southern Opera. Cantonese opera began to appear in Guangdong, Guangxi from AD 1522 to 1566 (Ming Dynasty Jiajing) included singing, read, hit musicians ,soundtrack, stage costumes, The abstract body performing arts. Each Cantonese opera role has its own unique costumes dress. The initial performance’ language is Zhongyuan phonological, also called matshed Mandarin. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the intellectuals changed the opera language to Guangzhou language in order to facilitate their revolution, also aimed to make Cantonese understand easier. Cantonese opera ranked into national intangible cultural heritage on May 20, 2006. The UNESCO add Cantonese opera in the human intangible cultural heritage list on September 30, 2009. Cantonese opera originated in the Chinese folk songs which called Qi folk songs, the earliest folk songs can be traced back to the â€Å"Book of Songs† from pre-Qin Dynasty, but this is the common origin of all Chinese opera, such as Beijing opera, Cantonese opera, class opera, Shanghai opera, Shaoxing opera, and Huangmei opera. The stage art style is impressionistic. The scenery is simple, the play provides situational by virtual performance program, or write captions on board like â€Å"riverside†, â€Å"alpine† instead of stage background. Performances who in the city called â€Å"GD-HK† learned drama, opera and movies to improved their performance and made theme reflect contemporary life. Later, people Change falsetto into true voice in Cantonese opera. The men sing like relatively stable, low; women sing like very delicate and mellow. As some Cantonese opera are very favorite in new media, these famous Cantonese opera has recomposed in movies, TV series, dramas, and music. For example, â€Å"Princess Chang Ping† Purple Hairpin â€Å"† Peony Pavilion â€Å",† Gemini worship the Moon, â€Å"† The Reincarnation of Hongmei mind â€Å"† Butterfly and Red Pear â€Å"Hanada Baxi Xiangluo Otsuka â€Å"Red Cherry broken heart† â€Å"A Dry White Begonia Red,† â€Å"A Dream of Red Mansions† the Sanxiao marriage â€Å"† White Rabbit â€Å"Guizhi complain† Dou E Yuan â€Å"(also known as† June Feishuang â€Å"or† June Snow â€Å"), also included the first national intangible cultural heritage â€Å"Butterfly Lovers†. Cantonese opera. (2017, Jan 10).

Cerebravascular Disorder of Stroke Research Paper

Cerebravascular Disorder of Stroke - Research Paper Example As the report stresses  Stroke is defined as per the World Health Organization to be a clinical syndrome consisting of â€Å"rapidly developing clinical signs of focal (at times global) disturbance of cerebral function, lasting for more than 24 hours leading to death with no apparent cause other than that of vascular origin†. There are two primary forms of stroke which are ischemic and hemorrhagic.  In an ischemic stroke the blood vessel gets blocked generally by a blood clot that results in a region of the brain to be deprived in oxygen and cause it to stop functioning. Ischemic strokes have resulted for 80% of all the known cases of strokes. A hemorrhagic stroke takes place if a blood vessel which carries oxygen and other nutrients to the brain bursts causing blood to spill into the brain. A transient ischaemic attack (TIA) is a form of stroke attack which symptoms and signs get resolve within 24 hours.This discussion highlights that  Stroke attack leads to mainly limi tations in the functionalities of its victim. These can be in the form of motor skills, cognitive deformities, sensory skills as well as emotional issues. Motor skill can include the inability of the stroke victim to move from one place to another.  The memory and sensory levels of the victim are also impaired. These victims need continuous support and care from the people. The stroke victims face problems with their physical and cognitive and sensory skills.

An exploratory, descriptive study to assess the effectiveness of Error Dissertation

An exploratory, descriptive study to assess the effectiveness of Error reporting on Nursing Errors in Operating Rooms - Dissertation Example The following are a few of these considerations: 1. Nurses’ scope of practice, and adverse outcome of patients There has been considerable attention devoted to nurses’ errors in the operating room; the significance of reporting mechanisms has been underscored as an important instrument in developing error prevention measures in operating room procedures, and health care in general. Espin (2007) examined the implications of such errors as encountered in individual practice. Empirical studies have established that nurses’ preferences in reporting errors were generally confined to the perceived scope of their practice; where reports went beyond these boundaries, the reports were rationalized in the context of the patient’s unfavourable outcome. Through survey and qualitative analysis, it was determined that nurses’ perceived scope of practice was a major factor in their reporting preferences, and the seriousness of the outcome to the patient was only s econdary. The findings support the observation that nurses tend to be selective in their reporting; these have negative implications, according to Espin, as many errors will likely remain unreported where they do no fall within the nurses’ scope of practice, or where the negative repercussion to the patient is not perceived as compelling. 2. Nature of the error reduced by error reporting Partly due to the normal course of modernization in health care and partly due to the need to meet global standards, similar efforts to improve nurses’ error reporting have been pursued in different countries. In Korea, a study sought to develop and evaluate an error reporting promoting program (ERPP) with the aim of reducing the incidence rate of nursing errors in operating rooms (Kim, et al., 2007). This quasi-experimental study registered a drop in incidence rates from 28.4% to 15.7% for the experimental group upon whom ERPP was administered, representing a significant decrease in t he areas of â€Å"compliance of aseptic technique†, â€Å"management of document†, and â€Å"environmental management,† but has little effect in â€Å"habit-related†, â€Å"knowledge-based† and â€Å"multidimensional† nursing activities. The ERPP was thus adjudged effective in reducing incidences of certain types of nursing errors in the operating room. 3. Organizational and management factors A serious inquiry into aspects of errors committed by health professionals must necessarily seek the underlying human factors that give rise to errors, and that compromise the reporting thereof. It is premised on the principle that humans are so intrinsically predisposed to error that it is inherently biologic (D’Addessi, Bonglovanni, Volpe, Pinto and Bassi, 2009). However, surgery stands apart in that surgical error is commonly presumed to be caused by the lack of skill or ability, and the result of negligent actions. After all, in many instanc es, technical operative errors, whether committed by nurses or other OR personnel present, tend to cause surgical morbidity and affect adversely the patient’s outcome (Cuschieri, 2005). Additionally, however, the operating theatre is comprised of a unique and complex set of team dynamics –

TD 1 MGT - 491 Strategic Importance of Human Resource Management Essay

TD 1 MGT - 491 Strategic Importance of Human Resource Management - Essay Example employees are made an elemental part in the operations, which is done to cultivate a working environment that promotes productivity, which is the ultimate goal. In comparison to the findings, the elemental role of strategic approach in organizations as per the module is coming up with the most practical designs that help the companies to meet their employees’ needs and at the same time promote the achievement of their business goals. Ideally, most organizations operate by following outlined strategies and to achieve them strategic human resource concepts must be integrated and balanced effectively in order to avoid conflicts and achieve the projected results. In addition, it requires advanced thinking and planning as well as the development of human capital, which is the case in many organizations (Deb, 2006). As a case example, human capital development has been made a key component to employees’ motivation and retention in SpartanNash in Michigan. Apart from being facilitators in human resource functions, the employees are strategic contributors to the company’s great success. This has been achieved by increasing and developing the value of human capital in the employees and preventing downsizing, which in turn has enabled the company to accrue distinct competitive advantages over other companies (Belasco & Horowitz,

Animated Sitcom Visual Arts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Animated Sitcom Visual Arts - Essay Example It goes without saying that many a times, hiding behind the perceived intentions of creating fun, the animated sitcoms do comment on the politically sensitive issues like race, gender and age in a very thought provoking and unsettling manner. The animated sitcoms do mostly afford to challenge or disturb the social status quos, because the society mostly perceives them as being something created to be inherently funny and ridiculous. No wonder, if something is being perceived as being quintessentially funny and ridiculous, the nonconventional social comments and observations made by such a genre are more than often forgiven, because of being taken as something light and imaginary. It goes without saying that the animated sitcoms realized the complete extent of poetic license they carry over a period of time, through much trial and experimentation. If one analyzes the animated sitcoms in a historical context, one simply cannot fail observing the fact that the families found in the anim ated sitcoms have gradually graduated from being normal, to funny, to being outright subversive. The animation aspect of these sitcoms allows the artists to portray even the most socially horrifying and sensitive aspects of life in a way that appears and sounds less offensive to the viewers. Certainly, the controversy that the animated sitcoms are able to dilute and mitigate in their peculiar format is something that perhaps even the most popular of live action shows cannot get away with. However, the more serious connoisseurs of animated sitcoms do know that the comedy inherent in the animated sitcoms is definitely not mindless and flimsy. Actually it is in a way the projection of a visual social commentary which does have the capacity to give way to meaningful discussions and analysis. In fact it would be very relevant to say that in the contemporary societies there exists a space for creativity, which the society cannot allow being traversed by live action and other formats of en tertainment, unless they carry around them a reputation for being abjectly comical and humorous. It is this creative space in the contemporary society which the animated sitcoms manage to wriggle through without any risk or danger, because they qualify the requisite of being perceived as being funny and comical. It is for this very reason that the animated sitcoms are allowed to challenge the most sacrosanct of social, political and economic ideologies and views. The viewers do not even expect or even allow the live action sitcoms to do so, because they believe that the events taking place in these sitcoms are accurate depictions of the real life situations. However, when it comes to animated sitcoms, anything is possible. No wonder, most of the writers associated with animated sitcoms are well aware of this immense potential of cartoon characters. That is why they choose animation to get their ideas across. 2) It goes without saying that the concept of cartoon president is indeed b rilliant and very pragmatic to a great extent. Considering the current cultural and political state, the landscape is replete with many socio-political holy cows and taboos. The entire idea of political leadership

Article Analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis - Article Example The fish in the middle has the notion that there is some justice in the world because it can feed on the smallest fish, or it can be fed on by the biggest fish (Peterson 73). When it is threatened by the biggest fish, it can release its anger on the smallest fish. This is a way of seeking justice through revenge. The smallest fish represents the poor and the less fortunate members of the society. Its life is threatened by both the other two fishes. It can be killed by the two bigger fishes, and no justice is done (Peterson 73). The three cartoons can be used in a classroom to help students realize that opinions on injustice and justice are related to an individual’s social class (Peterson 73). In a typical society, a given social class usually benefit from injustice done to others. For instance, the middle fish represent the oppressed middle class who are fighting injustice. Teachers can give their students a picture of the cartoon, and ask them to write down what they see. Se condly, teachers can organize their students into groups and ask them to debate on which fish is the most powerful and why? In Hunger Myths, the other presents four key myths that are blamed for global food insecurity and hunger. The author argues that hunger is not a myth, but the myths are the key barriers to ending hunger. 700 million of the world’s total population lack adequate food supply, while 12 million children die of hunger every year (Food First 241). The problem of food insecurity can only be solved, if people choose to do away with the current myths that they hold. The notion that there is no enough food to go around is a wrong belief, which should not be internalized by anybody. The truth is that there is enough food to provide everybody with 3,500 calories every day. This does not even include foods like root-crops, beans and vegetables. The problem is that a bigger potion of the world’s population is too poor to buy food (Food First 241). In addition, most hungry nations are net exporters of food and other agricultural products. Famine and other natural disasters cannot be blamed for food scarcity. The problem is that most arable lands are held by powerful few, thus depriving the majority of land. Human policies and institutions determine who eats and who starves during food crisis periods (Food First 241). The rapid population growth, which is a major concern in many countries, cannot explain food insecurity. Rapid population growth is caused by inequalities of denying people, especially women, of economic security and opportunity (Food First 241). This phenomenon is common in societies where health care, education, old age, and land ownership are beyond the reach of most people. The Green Revolution and technological advancements such as GM foods have led to increased production of food. This, however, cannot end hunger unless unequal distributions of powers that determine people to feed and not to feed during food crisis are c hanged (Food First 241). In a classroom setting, teachers can help to address food scarcity and insecurity issue by urging the students to unclear the myths described above from their mind. They need to know that food insecurity is caused by unequal distribution of economic powers, which determine the people to buy food during food crisis periods. In Ten Chair of Inequality Polly, Kellogg represents a simulation activity, which can be used

European Business Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

European Business Environment - Essay Example The UK became a member of the EC (now the EU) in 1973.) (McKean, 2005). The European Union (EU) refers to the 25 nations that have joined together to form an economic community (EC), with some monetary, political, and social aspirations. (Law, 2006). The European Union was created in 1993 from the EC, which itself emerged from the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Atomic Energy Community, and the European Economic Community (EEC). (Law, 2006). The 12 nations of the EC (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the UK) were joined by Austria, Sweden, and Finland in 1995 and by (Greek) Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia in May 2004. The Executive Body of the European Union is the European Commission, which was formed in 1967 with the Council of the European Communities. (Law, 2006). EU policy emerges from a dialogue between the Commission, which initiates and implements the policy, and the Council, which takes the major policy decisions. The European Parliament, formed in 1957, exercises democratic control over policy, and the European Court of Justice imposes the rule of law on the EU, as set out in its various treaties. Although a draft EU Constitution, proposing the creation of an EU president and foreign minister, was published in 2004, its future is now uncertain following rejection by the electorates of France and the Netherlands. (Law, 2006). The United Kingdom became a member of the EU on 1st January 1973. (http://www.eurofaq.freeuk.com/#130). According to section 2 of the enabling legislation, the European Communities Act, 1972, established the principle of the European Law would always prevail over British Law in the event of a clash, thereby overthrowing the supremacy of the British Parliament. (http://www.eurofaq.freeuk.com/#130). The issue as to whether The UK continues to be nothing but a hindrance to the process of European Integration, to the disadvantage of business throughout Europe is a controversial one. On the one hand it might be argued that the UK's continuous refusal to join the EMU's single currency the euro makes it difficult for the EU as a whole to eliminate foreign exchange risk in European firms given that the pound continues to fluctuate against the euro and other European currencies such as the Swedish Krona, the Norwegian Krona and the Danish Krona. On the other hand one can also argue that the UK's economy is significantly ahead of many economies in the euro zone, and therefore becoming a member of the EMU can have devastating effects on the UK's economy. In the final analysis, this paper will argue against the above claim that the UK is a hindrance to the progress of European Integration and to the disadvantages of business throughout Europe. The following points can be advanced to refut e these claims. The European Union established a single market, which refers to the concept of a single integrated market that underlies trading in the European Union, as codified in the Single European Act (1986), which was introduced in 1987 with a target date of 31 December 1992 for completion. (Law, 2006). According to Law (2006), The Single Market came into force on 1 January 1993 with between 90% and 95% of the necessary legislation enacted by all member countries. In practice, however, some of its terms

Homework 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Homework 2 - Essay Example It can as well be noticed in the records that Saudi Arabia had the highest percentage of contribution while Comoros had the lowest percentage of contribution to the sum total of the Gross Domestic Product of the 22 Arab League members (Vijay 2012). The GDP was as well compared with that of the various countries. The first country that was compared with that of the 22 Arab League members was United Kingdom. From the records, it was clearly seen that in the year 2012, the GDP of the country was 2440 billion US dollars. This was slightly higher than that of the 22 countries in question. It was later followed by Germany that had a GDP of 3600.8 billion US dollars in the same financial year, 2012 (Vijay 2012). The GDP of France and U.S were the highest compared to all the computed GDP of the other countries. In the year 2012, the GDP of France was found to be 2.613 trillion US dollars. This was many times the GDP of the 22 Arab countries in hand. The leading country in terms of the GDP was US that had a GDP amounting to 15.68 trillion US dollars (Vijay

Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution Essay Example for Free

Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution Essay In the 1850s, Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution. His theory proposed that species evolved gradually through subtle changes from one generation to the next by means of natural selection. By natural selection, the most desirable hereditary traits become more common from one generation to the next while the less desirable, weaker traits die out. This gives rise to an organism that is more capable—fitted to—of surviving in the surrounding environment. At the time Darwin formulated his idea beginning with his trip on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s, some scientists resorted to the idea that God had preordained life by natural laws rather than by miraculous feats. While logical and correct, the idea still refers to a divine power, indicating a religious bent, so perhaps it was obvious that the ideas addressed could lead to religious controversy. As is common in science, Darwin’s concept arose from ideas garnered from a number of scientists of his time. Some researchers of the time believed that natural laws were responsible for life. While Darwin’s ideas did not account for the processes believed to account for life at the time, there was a theory at the time thought to account for life. Most thought that species were transmuted from one species into another. The problem with transmutation, an idea that is similar to evolution in some respects, is that a species may change through transmutation, but it will still be the same species. A dog may change into a different type of dog, but it will still be a dog; likewise, for a cat or any other species. Evolution dictates that the entire animal kingdom can grow through stages from one species into another over time. Birds came from reptiles, mammals came from birds and humans came from non-humans. (Lewontin, 1981) The data is unequivocal. During his voyage on HMS Beagle, Darwin found fossil remains of gigantic mammals that were recently extinct with no indication that their extinction had been caused by climate changes or catastrophic events. Although he believed that the remains he found were related to species in Africa or Europe, examination of the remains Darwin found showed that they were only related to other species found only in the Americas. Creationists insist that life came about from God in six days. While most evolutionists attack creationism on the grounds of scientific facts, there is another line of evidence virtually unnoticed by those who support evolution theory. Historians and archeologists have learned that the biblical story of creation came from the myths of another culture. Stories presented in the Bible evolved slowly over time, long before religions existed, and incorporated tales from many cultures. The story of the Garden of Eden, the serpent and the Tree of Life, for example, are said to have been depicted on an Akkadian Cylinder Seal nearly 2500 years before Christ. The serpent itself was viewed as a deity. Notice: No one familiar with the mythologies of the primitive, ancient, and Oriental worlds can turn to the Bible without recognizing counterparts on every page, transformed, however, to render an argument contrary to the older faiths. In Eves scene at the tree, for example, nothing is said to indicate that the serpent who appeared and spoke to her was a deity in his own right, who had been revered in the Levant for at least seven thousand years before the composition of the Book of Genesis. There is in the Louvre a carved green steatite vase, inscribed c. 025 BC by King Gudaea of Lagash, dedicated to a late Sumerian manifestation of this consort of the goddess, under his title Ningizzida, Lord of the Tree of Truth. p. 9. The Serpents Bride. Joseph Campbell. Occidental Mythology, The Masks of God. Arkana. New York. Viking Penguin Books. 1964, 1991 reprint The information in the Old Testament dates from about 1450 BC until 200 BC. This means that, contrary to the strongly held beliefs of most Christians, the creation story of Genesis is actually derived from the myths of ancient Sumerians. Therefore, the story is a myth. This means that those who against Darwin’s ideas on religious grounds based on their beliefs in the accuracy of the story in Genesis have unknowingly chosen to accept myth over facts. While they believe the myth to be factual, archeological evidence demonstrates otherwise. The scientific evidence leans heavily in support of Darwin’s ideas. While we may not fully understand some aspects behind the mechanism of evolution, we are continuously learning more about those mechanisms. (Dobzhansky, 1973) Dobzhansky states: Let me try to make crystal clear what is established beyond reasonable doubt, and what needs further study, about evolution. Evolution as a process that has always gone on in the history of the earth can be doubted only by those who are ignorant of the evidence or are resistant to evidence, owing to emotional blocks or to plain bigotry. By contrast, the mechanisms that bring evolution about certainly need study and clarification. There are no alternatives to evolution as history that can withstand critical examination. Yet we are constantly learning new and important facts about evolutionary mechanisms. Theodosius Dobzhansky, â€Å"Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in Light of Evolution†, American Biology Teacher vol. 35 (March 1973) reprinted in Evolution versus Creationism, J. Peter Zetterberg ed. , ORYX Press, Phoenix AZ 1983. Darwin (1859) believed that whales evolved from bears based on a scenario where selective pressures might cause this evolution, but he was criticized for this idea and removed the suggestion. Gould, 1995) Today, there is much more fossil evidence for the evolution of many species thus supporting the idea of evolution as a general biological principle, including the evolution of whales from lower animals. Evidence in support of evolution exists at many levels. There is paleontological evidence based on fossils, morphological evidence that relate the body morphology of higher animals to lower animals, evidence from molecular biology and from embryology. Added to this, the chronological picture that results is consistent with other lines of evidence. For example, the evidence for the evolution of whales from lower animals is convincing. Whales have been closely studied with respect to evolution. If evolution is valid, transitional stages from one level of evolution to another should exist. Although the fossil remains of whales spotty for a long time, recent fossil discoveries have more than adequately lent support to the concept of evolution for whales. Researchers state that independent lines of evidence from different disciplines confirm the pattern of evolution in whales. John Ray recognized that whales were mammals rather than fish in 1693 based on their similarity to terrestrial mammals. (Barnes, 1984) In 1883, Flower (see Barnes, 1984) found that whales had vestigial characteristics in common with terrestrial mammals just as humans have vestigial tails, the coccyx. Findings similar to these led to the concept of ‘ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. ’ This concept is briefly explained in further detail below. Flower (1883) recognized that the whales have persistent rudimentary and vestigial features characteristic of terrestrial mammals, thus confirming that the direction of descent was from terrestrial to marine species. On the basis of morphology, Flower also linked whales with the ungulates; he seems to have been the first person to do so. Today, we know that whales have vestigial features in common with lower animals. For example, they have vestigial olfactory nerve, protruding hind limbs, pelvic fins and diaphragms. Like humans, during embryological development, whales develop features similar to lower animals and abandon them as development progresses. During their development, there is also evidence that whales have terrestrial ancestors. Some whales even develop hair while in the womb although they do not retain it. In 1985, Goodman et al. demonstrated that whales are more closely related to ungulates than to other animals. (Goodman, 1985; Miyamoto and Goodman, 1986) Some studies have identified genes, enzymes and other proteins that connect whales to extinct animals. (Irwin et al. 991; Irwin and Arnason, 1994; Milinkovitch, 1992; Graur and Higgins, 1994; Gatesy et al, 1996; Shimamura et al. , 1997) We have already noted above that the creation story in the Bible was taken from the text of an ancient culture that predates the Hebrew account. Rather than to openly acknowledge that the Bible’s story of creation is a mythical legend that explains evolution and the appearance of life on ea rth, some religious groups resort to far-fetched, fictitious, generally ridiculous concepts such as ‘creationism’, ‘creation science’ and ‘intelligent design’ to dismiss or explain away the science and replace it with fantasy. Embryology and developmental biology have a concept, ‘ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny’, that simplifies and briefly but succinctly expresses the concepts presented in the first chapter of Genesis. This is like explaining a complicated scientific concept, take conception and birth for example, to a little child by using a fairy tale rather than detailed research information. The fairy tale is not accurate, but the general information it communicates is true. With this single phrase, the first chapter of Genesis is summarized and explained. The phrase means that the embryological processes of development, ontogeny, depict and encapsulate the evolutionary history of the species, phylogeny. For example, during development of the human embryo, the fetus briefly has gills and a tail like its phylogenetic ancestors. In other words, during development, the developing embryo goes through some of the same stages that humans went through as the species developed from lower animals to humans. The concept makes perfect sense and explains many aspects of human development. Obviously, we cannot provide a comprehensive review of the evidence support evolution in a few pages, and we certainly cannot provide realistic evidence against it in light of all that exists to support it. While the evidence in support of the evolution of whales is plentiful, much evidence exists for evolution in general, including in humans. As has been reported here, the evidence is not just from scientific research, but also from archeology and history. That evidence shows, among other things, that the biblical story of creation in Genesis predates the Bible by hundreds of years. Despite all the evidence in support of evolution and against the idea of the biblical creation as being anything more than a myth, we can be certain that the argument in support of the biblical creation as being the real story and representing the real facts will not go away. Humans being what we are, we will always be faced with living with the Genesis myth as if it were fact, and coping with those who insist that the earth all the universe was created in six literal days. That concept certainly will never go away no matter what facts exist to disprove it.

Jollibee Case Study Essay Example for Free

Jollibee Case Study Essay 1. Introduction Anil K. Gupta and Vijay Govindarajan argue in their article, â€Å"Knowledge flows and the structure of control within multinational corporations†, that mainly all previous research on strategic control within multinational companies (MNCs) has paid attention to why these choose to go abroad. They instead argue that for successful offshore business, one must understand how communication flows within the different sub-units of the organization. As Jollibee Foods Corporation considers whether they should establish a fourth store in Hong Kong, it faces several challenges. One of the main challenges regards knowledge transfer between its Filipino facilities and the newly established ones abroad. It is therefore relevant to look at the following research question: What consequences does the current â€Å"strategic control over its subsidiaries† have on the knowledge transfer between the Jollibee headquarters on the Philippines and the offshore Jollibee Food plants in Hong Kong? In answering the research question, we will start by explaining the framework of Gupta Govindarajan’s (1991) on different kinds of subsidiaries, with attention paid to knowledge transfer and their related control instruments. Further we will examine what kind of challenges Jollibee Foods Corporation is facing with its expansion to Hong Kong. Finally, the above analysis will provide us with information about the existing opportunities on the Chinese market and will enable us to suggest a reconstruction of the offshore business in Hong Kong to make it more successful. Jollibee meets several tasks in their offshoring project, but due to space limitation there will in this paper only be focus on two selected challenges, the challenges of adjusting to Chinese taste and their management structure. 2. Jollibee Foods Construction and its strategic control over its subsidiary in Hong-Kong Gupta and Govindarajan (1991) proposed that there exists a certain association between different types of subsidiary units and the strategic corporate control of that subsidiary. They defined four ideal types as; Implementor, Global innovator, Integrated Player and Local Innovator, based on the amount of knowledge that flows and the direction of this knowledge, between the subsidiary and the rest of the MNC. Upon Tingzon ´s arrival the main strategy of the offshore business has been â€Å"flag planting†. Flag planting aims at establishing a presence in each market before competitors, and so, emphasizing at implementing customer expectation, influencing taste and building brand (case p. 11). The initial plan in Hong Kong has been to become one of the major players in the market fast. The previous international strategy meant that the subsidiaries in Hong Kong functioned as implementors. An implementor is characterized by a high degree of knowledge inflow from the headquarters but with a low degree of knowledge outflow; hence mainly applying the strategy used in the parent company without any local adaption (Gupta and Govindarajan 1991). Functioning as an implementor has meant that the established Hong Kong stores have not been engaged in any knowledge creation, but simply followed instructions from the Filipino headquarters. Furthermore one can argue that Jollibee’s approach to Hong Kong has been to primarily implement the already existing practices from the Philippines. For example, the menu offered in Hong Kong is almost the same as the Filipino one, knowledge of what to sell has simply been brought in from headquarter (case page. 12) Further evidence arguing for that the Hong Kong subsidiary has been operating like an implementor can be seen in the management transfer of the CEO’s brother-in-law, from the parent company to the Hong Kong subsidiary (case page 12). In addition, the store-level managers were all Filipino while little crew were Chinese and staffing problems consequently grew. To solve the problem the Manila based Franchise Service Manager worked continuously with Hong Kong for more than six months, without success. In 1997 a dispute over discipline between the four Chinese Managers, and the five Filipino Managers, resulted in the Chinese Managers leaving Jollibee with only Filipino crew left (page 12). This points towards the subsidiaries in Hong Kong adapting the characteristic of an implementor, e.g. pure inflow of knowledge from the parent company and little outflow of knowledge from the Hong Kong subsidiary. Furthermore is the overall â€Å"flag planting† strategy of Jollibee very i ndicative of the skewed power balance between Jollibee and its subsidiaries. 3. Organizational Challenges Jollibee experienced the internal challenges of organizational culture clash between its implemented Filipino workers and the Chinese staff. Furthermore the implementation of the international menu was not as successful as expected (case p. 13). The strategy of focusing on Filipino expatriates in new markets, might has helped Jollibee’s entry to the Hong-Kong market, since they already had a distinguished costumer group of Filipinos. But as Tingzon asks in the case â€Å"might we risk boxing ourselves into a Filipino niche that prevents us from growing enough to support operations in each country?† (case p. 11). We found that the expatriate-led strategy have prevented further expansion of the company on the Hong Kong market. This is due to the local knowledge that resides in Chinese workers and managers are not exploited when only employing Filipino managers. As stated above, in the early entry into the Hong Kong market, Jollibee did also employ Chinese managers but due to their sole implementation of inflows from headquarters, clashes arose between the Chinese and the Filipino managers. Furthermore one major challenge to successfully establish a fourth store and gain more market share is to adapt the prevailing menu to the Chinese taste. The main challenge for Jollibee now is how to realize, and best use, the knowledge that resides in Chinese workers. 4. Altering the Strategy for the Hong Kong Subsidiary From the above section we can conclude that there exists several challenges of how the subsidiary in Hong Kong has previously been structured, for example has one of the sub-franchisees tried to suggest changes to the menu. To be able to attract more local costumers he proposed low fat chicken and Chinese tea, as he sensed a demand for these products among the Chinese people (case p. 12). He has tried to implement these changes for several of months but has not yet received a go-ahead from the headquarters. This indicates that Jollibee mainly sees its subsidiaries as implementors, without any outflow of local knowledge to the other subsidiaries. But for Jollibee to succeed in opening a fourth store and increase its market share on the Hong Kong market, reconstruction and adaption to the local market is crucial. The top management saw a high profit potential in Hong Kong, and therefore urged Tingzon to open the fourth store. But as the profit potential is high, the competition in Hong Kong for similar food companies, such as McDonalds, is also very intense. Jollibee Food Construction does not have the competitive advantage of a first mover and is not alone on the market. For example has their main competitor, McDonald’s, both stronger brand recognition in the Hong Kong market and they are stronger financially. Hence Jollibee has to take on a different subsidiary strategy than the â€Å"implementor†, in order to success (Hymer p. 61). With this in mind the strategy of the Hong Kong sub-division can become a successful sub-division if it adapts the characteristics of a local innovator instead of trying to be an implementor, with both low inflow and outflow of knowledge. One main challenge for Jollibee is to attract more local employees and as Gupta and Govindarajan’s proposition 3 states; under norms and administrative rationality will the composition of the top-management for the specific subsidiary consist of mainly locals if the division acts as a local innovator (Gupta and Govindarajan 1991). As an implementor has the possibility for autonomous initiative been low while it as a local innovator exists space to adapt to the local environment, e.g. for Jollibee to take on a more Chinese menu. 5. Conclusion In conclusion, as Jollibee decide whether or not to establish one more store in Hong Kong, they have to look over their strategic control over its subsidiaries. As examined above, the company has mainly viewed their subsidiaries as implementors. We found this international strategy insufficient, and that it hindered them to fully exploit the market potential in Hong Kong. The prevailing challenges for Jollibee now is how to realize and best use the knowledge that resides in Chinese workers. Due to limitations of the paper, it is only a fraction of possible explanations that have been highlighted and these revolve primarily around the importance of increasing the local engagement in the Hong Kong subsidiary, and increase the local innovation towards more local taste. Hence we argue for Jollibee’s subsidiaries in Hong Kong to adapt towards a local innovator role. 6. Bibliography Case: Bartlett, C. A. (2001). Jollibee Foods Corporation (A): International Expansion. Harvard Business School Gupta, A.K.,Govindarajan, V. (1991). Knowledge flows and the structure of control within multinational corporations. Academy of Management, Review 16(4) 768-792 Gupta, A.K., Govindarajan, V. (2000). Knowledge flows within multinational corporations. Strategic Management Journal 21, pp. 473-496. letto-Gilles, G. (2005). â€Å"Hymer ´s seminal work†, in Part III Modern Theories in Transnational Corporations and International Production. Academic Books, Copenhagen Business School. Published by Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc. Schlegelmilch, B., Ambos, B., Chini, T. (2003/4). Are you ready to learn from your offshore affiliates? European Business Forum, 16

Social Constructs of Gender and Sexuality

Social Constructs of Gender and Sexuality Sexism- Prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex. Many people are still faced with the absence of equality solely because they are a woman. Sexism is used as a way to keep women submissive in our patriarchal driven society. The three methods that are used to ensure the predominance of submissive attitudes in women are homophobia, violence, and economics. These acts further emphasize the importance of feminism in The United States. Sexism is enforced through traditional gender roles, or how people are perceived through the eyes of society. For example, Linda is a woman, so therefore she must dress appropriately and stay home and care for her children. People oftentimes forget that we are not born with gender as a genetic trait; it is in how one chooses to present themselves. Gender is so much the routine ground for everyday activities that for many people, questioning its taken-for-granted assumptions and presuppositions is like thinking about whether the sun will come up (Lorber 13). West and Zimmermans concept of doing gender suggests that women and men are to continuously act out membership in their appropriate gender category. They are expected to submit to traditional gender roles and to do gender in ways that are constructed by society as natural (Murphy 210). Gender is oftentimes misinterpreted by the members of society. It is skewed in a way that is to mean gender is strictly related to sex. Both women and men are expected to act according to traditional norms, and when they deviate from those norms, they are subject to scrutiny by other members of society (Lorber and Farrell 210). The vast majority women would more than likely rather avoid the negative judgment by society and remain within the realms of normative behavior. Gender is considered to be a socially constructed status in The United States. Society tends to overlook the concept of gender because it is so ascribed into our daily lives that it takes a severe disruption to notice. Judith Lorber says, Gender signs and signals are so ubiquitous that we usually fail to note them- unless they are missing or ambiguous (112). Gender is looked upon as an issue of black and white, man and woman, provider and supporter. It is related to our roles of normality in our society. Gender tends to be stratified in that men are the privileged and women the unprivileged. To be a man is to have a crown, and to be a woman is to make it. We are conditioned at an early age that girls and boys are to look and act differently. Fathers teach their sons sports and how to be tough, and mothers teach their daughters how to bake and act like a lady. According to societys standards of what is right and what is wrong, many individuals whom fall under the stereotype of how lesbians/gays appear as are scrutinized on a daily basis. An individual is subject to assessment by others on how well and appropriately one displays his or her gender category (Lorber and Farrell 210). When picturing a heterosexual woman, what do you see? Maybe it is a slender woman, who appears fragile or weak, dresses in a feminine manner, and is maybe not as intellectual as most men? When picturing a homosexual woman, what do you see? It could be a woman with short, spiked hair that chooses to dress in clothes that are traditionally made for men; and is larger than most straight women? In reality, all women, regardless of their sexual orientation are the same; in that, the most feminine women could prefer women and the most masculine women could prefer men. It is sad to say that women keep their sexual identity to themselves and feel forced to present them ho wever they feel society wants them to appear. From day one, males are conditioned to be masculine and it is the source of oppression not only for women, but to some men as well. Men are each others biggest opponents; looking down upon one another for encompassing any aspect of femininity, stemming into homophobia. Therefore, homosexual men are frowned upon in much of the same context as lesbians. Heterosexism prevails once again in labeling these males as sissies and wimps because they do not necessarily embody the same traditional male mentality as many heterosexual males do. Men view this as a threat because they assume that gay men are working against everything straight men have worked for, in terms of dominance and respect, in societal institutions. If any facet of weakness, or femininity, is observed they are automatically insulted and ranked lower on societys stratification status. Sociology Professor, Michael Kimmel explains how oppression starts here: men against men, weaker men against stronger women, and eventually wo men against women (184). Our system of patriarchy strives on power. Homophobia is used as a means to reinforce patriarchy. The word homophobia was unknown to me until the late 1970s, and when I first heard it, I was struck by how difficult it is to say, what an ugly word it is, equally as ugly as its meaning. Like racism and anti-Semitism, it is a word that calls up images of loss of freedom, verbal and physical violence, death (Pharr 1). Homophobia, as defined by Suzanne Pharr, is the irrational fear and hatred of those who love and sexually desire those of the same sex (1). Homosexual women all over the country have struggled with gaining respect and equality from many men, and in some cases, women. Megan Murphy from the University of Albany conducted a survey on heterosexual females attitudes toward openly lesbian students on the same college campus (212). Her findings dictate that the majority of the subjects would exclude said lesbians because they do not want other people to get the wrong idea in regards to their own sexual preference (215). Other findings show that some of the students surveyed would only tolerate their existence, but not support it (216). Sorority and Fraternity parties on college campus are examples of gendered erotic markets, places where women and men are required to act in sexually traditional manner. These markets discriminate against homosexual women because they are expected to act in the same way as the other women present, but obviously will not due to their sexual preference. Women have been conditioned to be homophobic towards other women from the norms set forth by society. The term lesbian oftentimes frightens heterosexual women away from being associated with feminism and womens liberation. Being a lesbian and being a man-hater are used interchangeably to describe the women whom participate in feminist activism. Both are used to identify the womens movement and continue to give feminists everywhere a bad reputation. Sexism prevails in this aspect on the basis that many women who believe in equal rights and reform are forced by societys view of traditional gender roles and male dominance to stray away from the subject. Thus, they conform to said gender roles and live life by other women whom succumb to societal pressures. A graduate student from Northern Illinois University, Wayne Wilkinson, conducted a survey of 269 self-proclaimed heterosexual females ranging from 18-20 years of age at a University in the Midwestern United States. Waynes hypothesis was that heterosexual womens attitudes against lesbians facilitate the patriarchal system dominated by males. Further investigation leads him to confirm that of those surveyed, the conservatives tend believe in traditional gender roles in order to define what is considered natural for females and males alike (141). Those whom identify themselves as conservative generally believe in tradition and womens role within the household, whereas those who identify themselves as liberal tend to welcome change more easily. The central focus of the rightwing attack against womens liberation is that womens equality, womens self-determination, womens control of our own bodies and lives will damage what they see as the crucial societal institution, the nuclear family (P harr 17). Nuclear family- a social unit composed of a father, mother, and their children. Fearing anyone whom identifies with a sexual orientation other than heterosexuality, is a way to keep women in line under male power. Lesbians are then considered double victims, of both sexism and homophobia. This is due to misogyny and the patriarchal system induced by men and some heterosexual women who encourage it. Homophobia tends to mirror heterosexism. They work together to enforce the notion that everyone must be straight. Those who are not straight must face the consequences by said individuals. Heterosexism- the belief that since person A is heterosexual, person B must be too. The display of anti-gay attitudes in societal institutions is almost synonymous with homophobia in that they both enforce assumptions that the world and all of its components must remain in a heterosexual state; in that, anything outside of the traditional nuclear family is looked down upon. The nuclear family remains a dominant example of societys heterosexism and patriarchal structure; it signifies traditional gender roles. Any woman seen to be stepping outside of that role, whether it be providing for herself, not having children, demanding equal pay, and obtaining assertion in any situation that attempts to skew them away from what they believe in, risks being called a lesbian. In the past, people did not know how to handle the fact that people can love others of the same sex. Suzanne Pharr explains how there have been two main theories created in attempt to make sense of their way of life. My exploration of the sickness theory led me to understand that homosexuality is simply a matter of sexual identity, which along with heterosexual identity, is formed in ways that no one conclusively understands (Pharr 2). Since many heterosexual individuals cannot relate to homosexual men and women on the basis of love and romantic relationships, it is viewed as taboo. The American Psychological Association has said that it is no more abnormal to be homosexual than it is to be left handed (Pharr 2). [Being homosexual] is simply that a certain percentage of the population is (Pharr 2). Many heterosexual people, men and women, do not realize that it is not a matter of sickness or health. What is unhealthy is homophobia- that societal disease that places such negative mess ages, condemnation, arid violence on gay men and lesbians that we have to struggle throughout our lives for self-esteem (Pharr 2). It is simply a way they choose to live their lives, and it is unfortunate that just because it is not exactly as those whom are heterosexual, they have to be labeled with such negative connotations. Dawn Szymanski hypothesized that internalized heterosexism would negatively correlate to feminist attitudes. The research and study of over 200 self-proclaimed lesbians and/or bisexual women shows that the more heterosexist attitudes a woman holds, the less likely she is to positively relate to feminism (156). The consequences of heterosexism have been shown to cause stress, depression, and other psychological related disorders in women. Szymanski states, Internalized heterosexism is related to a variety of psychological difficulties, such as depression, a lack of social support and low self-esteem in lesbians and bisexual women (146). Homosexual men and women experience heterosexism differently; this could be due to the presence of sexism and traditional gender role socialization. The second theory often times used to explain homosexuality is The Sin Theory. This is often used by religious people backing up their beliefs through Biblical texts. It is interesting that said individuals refer to The Bible on this matter because it is impossible to prove the validity of the texts. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the fact is that the word homosexual does not occur anywhere in the Bible. No extant text, no manuscript, neither Hebrew nor Greek, Syriac, nor Aramaic, contains the word. The terms homosexual and heterosexual were not developed in any language until the 1890s, when for the first time the awareness developed that there are people with a lifelong, constitutional orientation toward their own sex. Therefore the use of the word homosexuality by certain English Bible translators is an example of the extreme bias that endangers the human and civil rights of homosexual persons (Mollenkott 383-4 Pharr 3). If their higher being(s) are described as respectful, all-welcoming, and fo rgiving, how is it that these homosexual individuals are not treated as justly as everyone else? The marriage laws in The United States stands as an example of how heterosexism rules much of society. Many people use the Bible to state their beliefs in what marriage truly means, and feel it is meant to be a union between a man and woman. It has been argued that because two people of the same sex cannot physically reproduce a child, it is unnatural. Gay marriage has been illegal in The U.S. for a long time; it was not until recently that a few states legalized the matter. The first six states to legalize gay and lesbian marriage were Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Iowa, Connecticut, New York, as well as The District of Columbia. It was not until the 2012 re-election of President Barack Obama that three more states were added to the list: Maine, Maryland, and Washington. Traditional gender roles and religious bias prevail once again, excluding certain individuals from enjoying the freedom that they deserve. The second component of sexism is violence. Violence is used as a means to keep women submissive and obedient. Men use violence when they feel threatened by a womans actions whenever she stands up for herself or attempts to move onward with her life. Violence is used against women in both physical and emotional means. Work in the womens anti-violence movement during almost two decades has provided significant evidence that each of these acts, including rape and incest, is an attempt to seek power over and control of another person (Pharr 13). Women who have suffered through any violence from a male have been belittled to be viewed as something of ownership, or an object. Resorting to name-calling and pulling on emotions can be the biggest obstacle a woman will go through, even more so than physical violence. Men who refer to women in such a way is attempting to prove that she needs him in her life, or that she will be useless without him. When a male abuser calls a woman a lesbian, he is not so much labeling her a woman who loves women as he is warning her that by resisting him, she is choosing to be outside societys protection from male institutions and therefore from wide-ranging, unspecified, ever-present violence (Pharr 15). Maybe what the abuser in this type of situation is most afraid of is losing his control over her, what he feels he has a natural right to do as a man in todays society. As Suzanne Pharr put it, the concern is not affectional/sexual identity: the concern is disloyalty and the threat is violence (15). Many feminists agree that economics is the main effect of sexism. Pharr exerts the theory by stating, Men profit not only from womens unpaid work in the home but from our underpaid work within a horizontal female segregation such as clerical works or upwardly mobile tokenism in the workplace where a few affirmative action promotions are expected to take care of all womens economic equality needs (10). Alongside of affirmative action is the glass ceiling. The glass ceiling is a way for supervisors to lure women in to their company, stating that there are many ways for advancement and pay raises, but never allow them to enjoy those benefits. The glass ceiling allows the woman-worker to see the proposed benefits, but prevents them from actually obtaining them while their male counterparts reap the rewards. Women are then forced to be dependent on men for economic security, maintaining male domination and put limitations on the options women have for being self-sufficient and determined to advance in society. Social institutions are at the core of oppression and inequality. Oppression can be accomplished through racism, sexism, classism, ageism, and even how one identifies their sexuality. Women are denied positions of power because it is considered stepping out of the gender role mentality and men, who are usually in charge of said institutions, are petrified of it. For years women have been ranked in society based on their race, class, and age. Caucasian women go through a form of oppression, but it is different from those whom are African American and vice versa; this does not mean equality cannot be the same for all. It was not until the end of the second wave of feminism that women of all races and religions were brought in to the picture. It is unfortunate that women of every sexual orientation are still not respected by all women. We are in the midst of the third wave of feminism; it is our goal to turn this mentality of inequality for lesbians and bisexual women around. Homophobia is used time and time again as a weapon of sexism on the basis of economics, violence, and patriarchy. Our socially stratified society continuously enables men to claim opportunities of importance and women what is left. Any woman who turns away from the traditional gender roles created by men and upheld by society as a whole, is looked down upon and faces the risk of being abused physically and/or mentally. Heterosexual women can identify with lesbians on a personal level, but some choose not to openly do so because of the patriarchal society we live in. These acts only emphasize a mans need to be the sole provider and leave women succumbing to the pressures these males harbor them with. Feminism is an important concept that all women in this country should endure. It gives heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual women alike a sense of community and strength that they cannot find out in the world we are faced with. Liberal feminism allows individuals to open their eyes wide enough to see past the oppression and discrimination the erotic markets create for them. If one cannot physically overthrow the system, one must learn to work within it. Just because a woman speaks her mind does not mean that she is a radical feminist. Just because a woman stands for what she believes in does not mean she hates men. Just because a woman is successful and independent does not mean she is a threat to society. Feminism is oftentimes overlooked by many women and the mockery of many men; it is seen as abrasive and nonsensical. Homosexuality is not a mental disorder nor does it need the approval of any biblical reference. What is considered right in the eyes of society cannot be justified on the basis of opinion; what are justifiable are facts. It is a fact that women are capable of doing things on their own. It is a fact that women can obtain a higher degree of education than men. It is a fact that women can be happy regardless of their sexual orientation. Some men feel threatened any time a woman is assertive and independent. It hampers the testosterone driven society and its norms. It gives some women a reason to move forward and others a reason to move back. Sexism is used to keep women apart, keep their voices lowered and their opinions dismissed. Until women of all races, sexual preferences, classes, and religions can work together to cut the root of sexism, it will continue to grow.

Prostitution: The Uncontrollable Vice Essay -- essays research papers

â€Å"There are women who search for love, and there are those that search for money.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today, the term woman simply denotes one’s sex. It does not define her character, morals and values, or even her profession. However, this was not always the case. At the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century, during the Progressive Era, there was a drive for reform. Various social problems became targets for investigation and intervention: child labour, juvenile delinquency, corruption in city government and police departments, and prostitution. These things were newly discovered social problems; the only differences during this period were the new assumptions, strategies, and expectations of a broad organization of activists. Progressive reform actively decided to take more of a role in regulating the social welfare of its citizens, and those private and public spheres of activity could not be disentangled. Prostitution was an issue that underscored the relationship between home life and street life, wages of ‘sin†™ and low wages of women workers, double sexual standards and transmission of venereal disease. The late nineteenth century response to prostitution revealed the competing ideologies within Progressive reform activity over social justice and social control. â€Å"Most attempts to ‘deal with’ prostitution have consisted almost exclusively of more or less vigorous attempts to suppress it altogether – by forcing the closing of brothels, and by increased police activities against individual prostitutes and against those individual places, such as taverns, where prostitutes frequently solicit.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This paper seeks to prove that the reformers were unable to stamp out prostitution during the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century for a variety of factors. First, I will look at why women in the late nineteenth, and early twentieth century became prostitutes. The gender differences between sex roles will be analyzed in relation to prostitution. Finally, the various failed attempts to abolish prostitution will be discussed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Legally [prostitution] is often defined as the hiring out of the body for sexual intercourse.† Some say that the exchange of money does not need to take place. Albert Ellis, one well-known sexol... ...e of the prostitutes as working women, featured films, books, and television and radio talk shows seem to seek to demystify prostitution, to strip away the glamour and sensationalism. These images represent a conscious attempt to reject the portrayal o prostitutes as outcast women, deviant actors, and criminal types prevalent in the popular literature and scientific journals of the last century and a half. These images of prostitution reveal a retreat from an era of social justice campaigns that sought through economic and social programs to remove the sources of prostitution. Bibliography Benjamin, Harry. Prostitution and Morality. (New York), The Julian Press, Inc., 1964.) Bullough, Vern L. The History of Prostitution. (New Hyde Park, New York, University Books Inc., 1964) Report of the Special committee on Pornography and Prostitution. Pornography and Prostitution in Canada. (Ottawa, Canada, Minister of Supply and Services Canada, 1985.) Sion, Abraham A. Prostitution and the Law. (London, England, Western Printing Services Ltd., 1997.) Strange, Carolyn. Toronto’s Girl Problem: The Perils and Pleasures of the City, 1880-1930. (Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1995.)

James Joyce Essay -- essays research papers fc

In selecting James Joyce's Ulysses as the best novel of the twentieth century, Time magazine affirmed Joyce's lasting legacy in the realm of English literature. James Joyce (1882-1941), the twentieth century Irish novelist, short story writer and poet is a major literary figure of the twentieth-century. Regarded as "the most international of writers in English ¡K[with] a global reputation (Attridge, pix), Joyce's stature in literature stems from his experimentation with English prose. Influenced by European writers and an encyclopedic knowledge of European literatures, Joyce's distinctive writing style includes epiphanies, the stream-of-consciousness technique and conciseness. Born in Rathgar, near Dubtin, in 1882, he lived his adult life in Europe and died in Zurich, Switzerland in 1941. The eldest of then children, Joyce attended a Jesuit boarding school Clongowes Wood from 18888-1891 and Belvedere College, another Jesuit school from 1893-1898. In 1902, Joyce graduated from University College and went to live in exile in Europe unable to tolerate the narrow-mindedness of his native country. Ironically, Ireland and Irish people become the subject of his short stories and novels. The two central preoccupations of his work are a sense of betrayal. Ireland, dominated both political and economically by Britain and religiously by the Catholic Church caused Joyce to regard them as "the two imperialisms" (Attridge P. 34). Roman Catholicism is an integral aspect of the novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. In 1917, the English novelist H.G. Wells in a review of the novel in the New Republic wrote, "by far the most living and convincing pic ture that exists of an Irish Catholic upbringing." Joyce's focus on betrayal was a consequence of the downfall in 1889of the Irish leader Charles Stuart Parnell when he was attacked by the Irish Catholic Church when named a correspondent in a divorce case. This treachery left an indelible mark on Joyce's mind. 	Joyce literary talent emerged at Belvedere as he began to read the work of European writers and in particular the Norwegian dramatist, Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906). At the age of eighteen, Joyce wrote an essay entitled "Ibsen's New Drama" which was published in the Fortnightly Review. When Ibsen sent him a note of thanks, "the awestruck Joyce resolved to learn Norwegion... ... days the about life span of his characters-as Joyce world do in 'The Dead' in Ulysses, and perhaps in Finnegan's Wake." (Atteridge p.65) There was an increasing concentration on form and language in Joyce's five novels. In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce in a few lines, describes Stephan, Dedalues's mood and characters. Works Cited 1. Arnold, Armin. James Joyce. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1969. 2. Attridge, Derek. The Cambridge Companion to James Joyce. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990. 3. Benstock, Bernard. "Joyce, James." Twentieth Century Authors. New York: HW Wilson Company, 1942. 4. Cahalan, James M. A Critical History. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1988. 5. "Joyce, James Augustine Aloysins." Microsoft Corpuration. Encarta. CD-Rom. Encarta. 1993-1996. 6. Kalasky, Drew. Short Story Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1995. 7. Kenner, Hugh, Fritz Senn, E.L. Esptein, Robert Boyle, SJ. A Starchamber Quiry: a James Joyce Centennial Volume, 1882-1982. New York: Methuen & Co. Ltd, 1982. 8. Rice, Thomas Jackson. James Joyce: Life, Work, and Criticism. Frederiction: York Press LTD., 1985.

kamikaze :: essays research papers

During the era of the weak emperor Taisho (1912-26), the political power shifted from the oligarchic clique (genro) to the parliament and the democratic parties. In the First World War, Japan joined the Allied powers, but played only a minor role in fighting German colonial forces in East Asia. At the following Paris Peace Conference of 1919, Japan's proposal of amending a "racial equality clause" to the covenant of the League of Nations was rejected by the United States, Britain and Australia. Arrogance and racial discrimination towards the Japanese had plagued Japanese-Western relations since the forced opening of the country in the 1800s, and were again a major factor for the deterioration of relations in the decades preceeding World War 2. In 1924, for example, the US Congress passed the Exclusion Act that prohibited further immigration from Japan. After WW1, Japan's economical situation worsened. The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and the world wide depression of 1929 intensified the crisis. During the 1930s, the military established almost complete control over the government. Many political enemies were assassinated, and communists persecuted. Indoctrination and censorship in education and media were further intensified. Navy and army officers soon occupied most of the important offices, including the one of the prime minister. Already earlier, Japan followed the example of Western nations and forced China into unequal economical and political treaties. Furthermore, Japan's influence over Manchuria had been steadily growing since the end of the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05. When the Chinese Nationalists began to seriously challenge Japan's position in Manchuria in 1931, the Kwantung Army (Japanese armed forces in Manchuria) occupied Manchuria. In the following year, "Manchukuo" was declared an independent state, controlled by the Kwantung Army through a puppet government. In the same year, the Japanese air force bombarded Shanghai in order to protect Japanese residents from anti Japanese movements. In 1933, Japan withdrew from the League of Nations since she was heavily criticized for her actions in China. In July 1937, the second Sino-Japanese War broke out. A small incident was soon made into a full scale war by the Kwantung army which acted rather independently from a more moderate government. The Japanese forces succeeded in occupying almost the whole coast of China and committed severe war atrocities on the Chinese population, especially during the fall of the capital Nanking. However, the Chinese government never surrendered completely, and the war continued on a lower scale until 1945.

Murder in missouri: celia’s story

Slavery in America is one of the most intriguing yet controversial episodes in modern history.   Essentially an economic system, its tentacles reached north, south, east, and west.  The culture of slavery, particularly as it developed in the south, was a complex web of social and labor arrangements ranging from gang to task labor, skilled and unskilled workers, field and domestic servants.   Perpetual servitude found legitimacy in the construction of local and state laws designed to undermine the ability of black men, women, and their children to negotiate the conditions of labor and leisure.Although ubiquitous, the character of slavery was unique to each region and the extent of its acceptance determined by local politics and profitability.In the north, where the soil was unsuitable for an agricultural based economy, the factory system developed allowing for the rapid conversion of southern grown raw materials to finished goods.   In the south the plantation system emerged d ue, in large part, to the richness of the soil, numerous waterways, and the widespread of slave laborers both domestic and imported.In the west, where virgin land was most plentiful during the early nineteenth-century, young men like Robert Newsom left the depleted regions of Virginia, oftentimes with their families and slaves, to seek fortune and a better life.It was this â€Å"promise and its fulfillment,† argues Melton A. McLaurin in his true story, Celia, A Slave, that inspired people like Newsom to emigrate to Missouri. [1]   Ã‚  A decisive region in pro and anti-slavery debates, the Missouri Compromise of 1821 insured that there would be slavery in the old Louisiana Territory.   By 1850 Newsom was well respected and considered â€Å"comfortably well off.† [2]In antebellum Missouri, plantations were more the exception than the rule as the economic profitability determined the number of slaves owned by a small farmer.   Still slaves were considered property a nd enslaved women were always subject to the sexual advances of the master.These coerced and morally questionable encounters oftentimes produced children who were the object of the mistress’s hate and a reminder of her husband’s promiscuity.   Ã‚  Enslaved women in Callaway County, Missouri, much like those in other slaveholding regions, were without legal or community protection and, all too often, their suppressed anger erupted in violence and, in some cases, the brutal murder of their master and sexual abuser.[3]Consider the case of Celia, a slave.   Celia was purchased by Robert Newsom when she just fourteen years old.     Convinced that she should be his continuous sex partner and not simply a cook, he raped her on the return trip to Callaway County.   After repeated unwelcome sexual encounters, she bore two children and, at some point, Newsom provided her with a â€Å"luxurious† cabin adjacent to his home near a â€Å"beat down path.†[4]  As it turns out, Celia fell in love with George, a slave owned by Newsom who was aware of his [Newsom’s] sexual assaults.     George gave Celia an ultimatum demanding that if she did not â€Å"force Newsom to stop having sexual relations with her† their relationship would be over. [5]   Celia confronted Newsom who ignored her warnings.   She even turned to his daughters for help.   It was then that Celia decided she would â€Å"resort to a physical attack to repel his advances.†[6]When Newsom arrived on the night of June 23, 1855 as promised, Celia hit him with a stick.   When he reached for her again, Celia â€Å"raised the club with both hands and once again brought it crashing down on Newsom’s skull.†[7]   Celia disposed of the body by burning it in the fireplace.   On the following morning she asked Newsom’s grandson, Coffee Waynescott, to â€Å"clean out her fireplace† and â€Å"carry the ashes out† in a container and, after which, he â€Å"spilled the remains in the grass.† [8][1] Melton A, McLaurin, Celia, A Slave: A True Story of Violence and Retribution in Antebellum Missouri (Athens: University of Georgia Press), 3; 4-8, (hereinafter cited as Celia, A Slave).[2] Under the terms of the Compromise, Missouri was to be admitted to the Union as a slave state; Ibid, 8. [3] McLaurin, Celia A Slave, 14-16; 95-101.