Thursday, January 23, 2020
cold sassy tree :: essays research papers
Rising Action: 1. Grandpa finds a wife who will live with him for his final days. Mary Lou seems to not like Mrs. Love Simpson living with her father but keeps quite about her disliking. 2. After the wedding, Mrs. Love Simpson has an unexpected visitor carrying an expensive saddle covered in gold and silver pieces. He finds Mrs. Love Simpson and with out saying a word, proceeds to kiss her in a passionate way. A grandpa walk in the door to find them standing in the room with lips interlocked, but doesnââ¬â¢t seem to get mad. He introduces himself like he would any other person. Later they find out he was one of Mrs. Love Simpsonââ¬â¢s old boyfriends. 3. When the newly weds come home from a short trip from Atlanta, they are seen riding in a brand new Cadillac. They are now the proud new owners of the first car in Cold Sassy. Then soon decide to turn part of the store into a car dealership to sell more cars to the wealthy people of the town. 4. William is now closer to Grandpa then ever before, but he canââ¬â¢t help but seem like Grandpa is doing something wrong by marrying Mrs. Love Simpson. Along with the rest of the family and town. Climax: 5. It seems that the family has more problems then the rest of the town can ever imagine. Thorton is soon found dead in his own kitchen. William finds a suicide letter to Mary Lou in the bedroom next to the bed. He reads the letter and sees that Thorton did indeed commit suicide, but for reasons that he guesses he cant even find the words for it itââ¬â¢s so awful. The family is devastated but goes on with life. Falling Action: 6. Mrs. Love Simpson canââ¬â¢t help but feel to blame for this unfortunate turn of events and asks Grandpa for a divorce so she can leave and get away from the watchful eye of the town.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Democracy in Nigeria Essay
By May 2009, Nigeriaââ¬â¢s nascent democracy should have been a decade. Thus, the thrust of this paper is an in depth analysis of the possibility of sustaining democratic values beyond any sudden reversal. The. paper however, takes a cursory look at the daunting challenges ahead and infers that unless the government increases social expenditure and truncate the current brazen corruption, the hope of democratic consolidation may eventually be a mirage. Key words: democracy, nascent, corruption, state law and order As rightly collated by Decalo1, the events in Africa took scholars by surprise, since most doubted Africa could move towards democracy. Even in the mid-1980ââ¬â¢s, one argued that by reason of their poverty or the violence of their politics, African states were unlikely to move in a democratic direction. Another adding that ââ¬Å"to have expected democracy to flourish would have been historical blindnessâ⬠3, since ââ¬Ëoutside the core (industrialized states) democracy is a rarity, support for Tillyââ¬â¢s thesis ââ¬Ëwhy Europe will not occur again ââ¬â with a few exceptions, the limits of democratic development in the world may well have been reached4. However, despite the doubts and skepticisms openly expressed by scholars, Nigeria, like several other African countries, became democratic. On May 29, 1999 Nigeria became a ââ¬Ëdemocraticââ¬â¢ state. Prior to 1999 political transition, Nigeria was under firm military autocracy and absolutism for close to 29 years (since 1966), when the military made their first incursion into Nigeriaââ¬â¢s government and politics, following the collapse of the first republic5. It is vital to note that authoritarian governments were interrupted only by a brief period of civilian rule in the Second Republic (1979-1983)6. Thus, Nigeriaââ¬â¢s march to constitutional democracy was a chequered one marked by anti-colonial struggles, crises, coups, counter-coups, and a thirty-month agonizing civil war between 1967 and 1970. So far, Nigeria has passed through several phases in her democratization bid viz: (a) era of colonial autocracy and absolutism, that is, period of formal colonialism till October 1st 1960, when the country gained ââ¬Ëflagââ¬â¢ independence; (b) emergence of constitutional democracy ââ¬â (1960-1966), (c) the return of military autocracy and absolutism ââ¬â (1966-1979); (d) restoration of constitutional democracy ââ¬â (1979-1983); and (e) the second coming of military autocracy and absolutism ââ¬â (1983-1989) . 7 Since 1989, that Nwabueze made that observation, the polity has added more phases to her democratization bid. With the inglorious ââ¬Ëstepping asideââ¬â¢ of General Ibrahim Babangidaââ¬â¢s administration in 1993, an Interim National Government (ING) was put in place, headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan, handpicked by an unelected military President (General Babangida), thereby making the ING suffer a serious legitimacy crisis ab initio6. The interim contraption collapsed after eighty-two days, following the declaration that it was illegal by a Lagos High Court in a suit instituted by the assumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election ââ¬â Chief M.à K. 0. Abiola. Cashing-in on the court verdict, General Sani Abacha staged a coup dââ¬â¢etat, dissolved all the extant democratic structures retained by the ING, and once again, returned the country to a fiilJ blown military dictatorship. It was in this state of confusion that Gen. Abacha died in June 8,ââ¬â¢ 1998 in a mysterious circumstance. Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, who took over after the demise of Gen. Abacha, who h ad a transition programme reputed to be the shortest in the annals of military-midwife political transitions in Nigeria. Eventually, barring all odds, Gen. Abubakar handed over the reins of government to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (a retired general) in 1999. With the inauguration of Chief Obasanjoââ¬â¢s civilian administration in 1999, hopes were high once again that democracy would be sustained and consolidated. But alas, the military background of Chief Obasanjo became a serious liability on the system when the supposedly democratic government became a replica of dictatorship in its entire facet. By 2003, after the expiration of his first term, his administration conducted a general election, and handed over to itself. This election was generally perceived to have been massively rigged. 9 In 2007, at the expiration of his administrationââ¬â¢s constitutionally mandated second term, another general election was conducted to usher in another civil government. This election was remarkable in a number of ways. First, it was after eight tumultuous years of democracy ââ¬â the longest period since independence from the United Kingdom in I960. 0 Secondly, for the first time in the history of the country, there was a civilian-civilian transfer of power. It would have been even more remarkable if there had been a transfer of power from the ruling party to the opposition. â⬠Meanwhile, the thrust of this paper is an indepth analysis of the major challenges facing the nascent democracy in Nigeria to prevent it from the threats of authoritarian repression or what David Beetham calls ââ¬Å"reverse wavesâ⬠. 2 It is to these anti-democratic forces that could lead to democratic reverse which had taken place in Mauritania recently via a military coup dââ¬â¢etat that we now turn to. (A) As I have argued elsewhere13, quantitative cross-national research on the economic determinants of democracy and democratization generally consistently reveals that a countryââ¬â¢s level of economic development is associated positively and strongly with the extent to which the political systems manifest properties of democracy. There is, therefore, a two-way causal relationship between the economy and sustainable democracy; the state of the economy is the determinant of enduring democracy, but democracy is a key pre-requisite for sustainable economic transformation. The message is: ââ¬Ëoroad-based economic prosperity sustains democracy, whereas widespread poverty and ignorance undermine it. To mimic President Clinton of U. S. when he was running for office in 1992, ââ¬Ëit is the economy, full stop! ââ¬â¢14 No doubt. Nigeria is potentially Africaââ¬â¢s largest economy. Every year, the country produces over 200,000 graduates of tertiary institutions (including 65 universities), has the 6th largest gas reserves in the world, eighth largest oil producer (with abundant, but largely untapped natural resources ââ¬â gold, limestone, among others), and with 60 percent of its arable land lying fallqw. In the words of Soludo (2005), Nigeria has also millions of its citizens in Diaspora (with estimated 100,000 Nigerian medical doctors and scientists abroad). Unfortunately, was not lucky in the first 40 years of its independence with sustained good political governance. In his perceptive public lecture, Charles Soludo, Nigeriaââ¬â¢s Central Bank Governor,16 noted further that democracy has not been endured in Nigeria simply because the economic numbers did not add up; whereas, democracy and indeed any form of government must deliver tangible economic benefits to the generality of the citizenry to be credible and sustainable. In a seminal article on ââ¬ËWhat Makes Democracy Endureââ¬â¢, Prezeworski found the empirical evidence that: Once a country has a democratic regime; its level of economic development has a very strong effect on the probability that democracy will survive â⬠¦ emocracy can be expected to last an average of about 8. 5 years in a country with per capita income under $2,000; 33 years between $2,000-$4,000 and 100 years between $4,000-$6,000 â⬠¦ Above $6,000 democracies are to live forever. No democratic system has fallen in a country where per capita income exceeds $6,033. 17 Be that as it may, most African states have few economic potentials of any significance (many literally nothing) that could attract foreign risk capital, which is why entrepreneurs did not flock into them in the past, irrespective of ideology or level of democracy! And to rely on local capital to fuel development is to foredoom many to perpetual marginality. 18 Taking a cue from the same line of argument, Akintunde19, while rationalizing the reasons for the demise of democracy in the first republic, postulated that a democracy which is not founded upon a secure economic base is not likely to succeed because it lacks an essential condition of efficiency. It is unable to fulfill the expectations of its citizens; in the common parlance, it cannot deliver goods. So significant is the economic base that many people have surmised that even communist countries, as they become wealthier, will come to resemble western democracy more and more20. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, as in most of the developing countries, due largely to the poor economic base, the middle class is a very small minority of the population. Western democracy is, therefore, not securely founded because it lacks one of the essential ingredients of success ââ¬â an influential middle class. This fact, which is sometimes a surprise to African leaders21, was well known to Aristotle more than two thousand years ago. According to Aristotle, ââ¬Ëwhen democracies have no middle class and the poor are greatly superior in number, trouble ensues and they are speedily ruinedââ¬â¢. The nexus between democracy and the strength of the economy reveals that those who are not rich usually confined to mere voting, political career thus become the privilege of those who are wealthy enough to afford the leisure to devote to politics in most western countries, until the advent of Trade Union M.à Ps. 23Thus, while blaming the politicians, it is worth repeating that, by embarking on western democracy on an inadequate economic base, the Fourth Republic was set on a death course, it was bound to be corrupt. 24 The same scenario is playing itself out in Nigeria presently. No doubt, it is a daunting task in the face of the aforementioned historical evidence to sustain democracy in an economy like Nigeria, where per capita income has been below the $1,000 mark. That, according to Prezeworsk25, poses a serious threat. Considering the nexus between democracy and the economy vis-a-vis the expectation of an average African, Claude Ake (of blessed memory) averred that: The ordinary people of Africa are supporting democracy as a second independence. This time they want independence not from the colonial masters, but from indigenous leaders. They want independence from leaders whose misrule has intensified their poverty and exploitation to the point of being life threatening. And they are convinced that they cannot now get material improvement without securing political empowerment and being better placed to bring public policy closer to social needs. [Nonetheless] democracy is being interpreted and supported in ways that defeat those aspirations and manifest no sensitivity to the social conditions of the ordinary people of Africa. Generally, the political elites who support democratization are those with no access to power and they invariably have no feeling for democratic values. They support democratization largely as a strategy of powerâ⬠¦Ã The people can (only) choose between oppressors and by the appearance of choice legitimize what is really their disempowerment. 26 In line with the above postulations, Jerry Gana (a one-time Information Minister) admitted, too, that: You know the mentality of our people. If democracy does not produce clean water, if democracy does not produce good roads, transform agriculture, cultivate industrial development, sanitise society, give us power supply, democracy will lose credibility and they may say, na democracy we go chop? 7 The caveat is that where democratic processes do not yield economic returns, a regression to dictatorship cannot be ruled out. This point is clearly stated by Larry Diamond thus: â⬠¦ Many new democracies in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa will probably breakdown in the medium to long run unless they can reduce their often appalling levels of poverty, inequality, and social injustice, and through market oriented reforms lay the basis for sustainable growth. When this is juxtaposed with the admittance by the Central Bank in its 2008 firsââ¬â¢; quarter report released to the public29, the economy is in perpetual crisis. The Apex Bank attributed the high rate of inflation in the country to the erratic power supply. According to the report, the inflation rate on a year to year basis was 7. 8 percent, compared to 6. 6 percent and 5. 2 percent recorded in the preceding quarter and the corresponding period of 2007. The report noted further that inflation rate on a 12-month roving average basis for the first quarter was 5. 8 percent compared with 5. percent recorded in the preceding quarter. Indeed, nothing can be more soothing to the nationââ¬â¢s debilitating power crisis, largely fingered for stunting the economy, rendering it comatose and occasioning a declining industrial sector, whose capacity utilization nosedived to a paltry 20 percent by the end of 2006. Epileptic power supply, a very prohibitive business climate and in consistency in government policies, have combined to smother the countryââ¬â¢s industrial sector leading to the closure of multinationals, like Michelin, Panalpina, and other notable firms. The shrinking of the textile sector from 170 in the 60s, 70s, and 80s to 10 in the 90s, also evinces the acute nature of the problem. The recent disclosure by the House of Representatives Committee on Power, which probed the power sector that the country now generates less than a pitiable 1,000 megawatts, makes mockery of the countryââ¬â¢s vision of becoming one of the 20 largest and most resilient economies by 2020, compared to South Africa, a country of 42 million people, which generates over 42,000 megawatts. Much of Nigeriaââ¬â¢s investment in the power sector has been enmeshed in corruption and enthralled in the lust of the political elite for primitive accumulation. 31 The concomitant effect of poor economy is lingering with the poverty problem. Nigeriaââ¬â¢s poverty conundrum has assumed a frightening dimension. In the words of Dr. Magnus Kpakol, Senior Special Assistant to the President and National Coordinator of National Poverty Eradication Program, in a public lecture entitled ââ¬Å"Poverty Solution: The Role of Government in Poverty Eradicationâ⬠declared that: The number of poor Nigerians could be, put at an estimated figure of 70 million â⬠¦ n 1980, the figure was 28. 1 million. 1985, 46. 3 million; 1992, 42. 7 million; 1996, 65. 6 million and 1999,70. 0 million, 2004,54. 4 million. 32 He gave the statistical breakdown along the six regional levels to be ââ¬Å"North-East, 72. 2 percent; South-East, 26. 7 percent; South-South 31. 5 percent; South-West 43. 1 perc ent; North-Central 67. 0 percent; and North-West, 71. 2 percentâ⬠. 33 Undoubtedly, something must be wrong somewhere, for a critical official poverty statistics, which revealed that over half of Nigeriaââ¬â¢s 150 million population are poor, is unexplainable going by the abundant human and material resources in the country. The economy was so gloomy that 2007/2008 United Nations Development Programmeââ¬â¢s (UNDPââ¬â¢s) Human Development Index (HDI) ratings placed Nigeria at 158th position out of 177 countries. 34 No doubt, democracy is endangered in Nigeria more than ever before. Poverty, want, and squalor are anti-democratic forces in the polity. The only exception is Indian democracy, which has long baffled theorists of democracy. Democratic theory holds that poverty, widespread illiteracy, and a deeply hierarchical social structure are inhospitable conditions for the functioning of democracy. But the historical novelty of Indian democracy was noted by Barrington Moore: Economically (India) remains in the pre-industrial age â⬠¦ But as a political specie, it does belong to the modern world. At the time of Nehruââ¬â¢s death in 1964, political democracy had existed for seventeen years. If imperfect, the democracy was no more sham â⬠¦ Political democracy may seem strange both in an Asian setting and one without an industrial revolution. 36 To avert recapitulation, my earlier work glaringly with empirical data proved the pathetic downslide of Nigeriaââ¬â¢s economy over the years with the attendant threat to democratic sustenance. 7 Bruce Baker too in his perceptive piece emphasized much the strength of the economy and sustainable democracy. As a corollary to the aforementioned weak economy, the state, in terms of being weak or strong, matters to the study of threats to democracy both from within and without, as well as one of the common modes of failure of democracy and democratization. 39 Perhaps, the greatest manifestation of a weak state vis-avis sustainable democracy is that it cannot successfully administer a true and fair credible election which is the kernel of democracy. No doubt, one of the. fundamental problems that post-colonial African states are facing is that of how to sustain and consolidate democracy through credible elections. 40 In the whole continent of Africa, few states could lay claim to having genuinely conducted free and fair elections as universally perceived. Hence, election administration that will attain governmental legitimacy after polls has always been a serious concern to electoral scholars. 41 The reason for this is not far-fetched. It is well known that most new states in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are too weak for the assignment. This is why state capacity is one of the major prerequisites for democratic nurturing, sustenance, and consolidation. In the extant literature on democratization and state capacity generally, five elements are crucial to the strength of the state vis: (a) monopoly of the coercive power of society, that is, control of instrument of coercion; (b) the right to improve tax and collect revenue; (c) the power of legal enactment, that is, power to make laws; (d) sovereignty over territory and society; and (e) control of the institutions of the state or state apparatus, i. . bureaucracy. 42 These five elements taken together constitutes the basis of state power and they endow the state with the status of statehood. However, it needs be emphasized that nation states which qualify for the status of statehood may differ in their degree of stateness; some are strong states, and others are weak. No doubt, Nigeria falls into the category of weak or soft states. Like others in her category, Nigeria runs a system, one in which formal rules (laws, officially stated administrative rules and practices, etc. are applied copiously and in a lax manner rather than rigorously and consistently. It is one in which private advantage can be gained and private bargains struck concerning the enforcement or non-enforcement of the rules as when a businessman bribes a tax official. Besides money, another inducement is kinship sentiment while another is the favour of superiors. The consequential effect is that in several cases, individuals may be too powerful than the state in which the rule of law is abused with impunity. Cases of such were too numerous to be mentioned during the last Nigeriaââ¬â¢s general elections in April 2007. 43 In a nutshell, the stronger the state in all ramifications, the better for deepening of democratic values in Nigeria. This can be achieved via the entrenchment of state institutions cum congruent political behaviour by the political elite. Perhaps the most crucial of all imperatives for the consolidation of Nigeriaââ¬â¢s nascent democracy is the restructuring of the lopsided and structurally imbalance federal arrangement. As rightly noted by Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary General of the Commonwealth: At the heart of the several conflicts plaguing the Nigerian state today is the consequence of the failure of the practice of true federalism. The power shift debate that characterized the politics of transition from military to civil rule and which has persisted several months after, rose largely out of the frustration of large segments of the population with the structure of the political system that has shut significant sections out of the corridors of power for most of the post-independence period. 4 With Nigeria being one of the most complex societies in Africa, federalism was adopted to integrate the plural and divided societies. This is in line with the perception of early generation of students of inter-group relations or plural societies, which considered federalism an effective way of achieving and preserving both integration and stability in deeply divided societies. Whenever events seemed to demand that a compromise is affected between the necessity for unity and cooperation on a wide territorial basis, ââ¬Å"the temptation is to proffer catch all management formula, such as federalism .. >>45 This tendency to see federalism as a magic wand that can channel irreconcilable inter-ethnic hostility into conciliation and federal cooperation was subscribed to by Carnell, thus: ââ¬Å"in tropical area characterized by extreme cultural and ethnic diversity â⬠¦ federalism comes as something of a political panaceaâ⬠. 4 In a nutshell, federalism is considered the most appropriate framework for governing multi-ethnic societies. However, recent events in Nigeria clearly demonstrate that the polity is far from being a federation, or alternatively as has been suggested, that Nigeria is not a true or real federation. 47 Since 1954, when the foundation of classical federation for Nigeria was laid,48 the system is still far from being problem-free. The story is that of both ââ¬Ëpolitical and governmental instabilityââ¬â¢. 49 Worst still, Nigeriaââ¬â¢s ethnic make-up remains what Furnival calls ââ¬Å"in the strictest sense a medley (of people) for they mix but do not combineâ⬠.
Monday, January 6, 2020
Money does not Bring Happiness - 938 Words
Do you know someone rich and famous? Is he confident, popular, and joyful all of the timeââ¬âthe epitome of mainstream success? Or, on the other hand, is he stressed, having second thoughts about his life choices, and unsure about the meaning of his life? I am willing to be that it is the second one. Mainstream marketing and media have effectively brainwashed our society into accepting a false, even potentially dangerous definition of success. Marketers want us to believe that having lots of money, living in a big house, and owning all of the latest cars, fashions, and technology is the key to happiness, and hence, success. This overstated, falsely advertised myth is hardly ever the case in real life. True success requires respect, appreciation, integrity, and patienceââ¬âall of which are traits that by human nature are genuinely difficult to attainââ¬âespecially in the face of modern marketers who relentlessly deceive us, control our thoughts, and usurp our independence in order to increase their bottom line. Marketers want us to believe that living a selfish life, involving nothing but the pursuit of money and fame will bring success and happiness. Sadly, this is not true. Money is comparable to the often-mentioned new toyââ¬âfun while it is brand new and fresh, but terribly boring and unexciting after a few hours of play. Though money can buy conveniences and comforts, one needs much more than superficial luxuries to live a successful, well-balanced life. Money does make lifeShow MoreRelatedDoes Money Bring Happiness?1338 Words à |à 6 PagesDoes Money Bring Happiness? This often quoted phrase is so overused and jaded that even though we know that it is true, we tend to ignore it. We want to believe that there is an easy way out of being unhappy and believe me overcoming your emotions and teaching yourself to be happy can be more difficult that earning some bucks! All of us have at some point in time or another seen extremely rich, wealthy and famous people unhappier than what we would expect them to be, given the amount of materialRead MoreDoes Money Bring You Happiness?967 Words à |à 4 Pages Does Money Bring You Happiness? How would be your life if you were a millionaire? I am completely sure; you would live in a deluxe villa in the center of the city. You wonââ¬â¢t only be disquieted for your safety needs; but also, be able to meet your luxury needs. You would spend your holidays in best places in the world. If you have lots of money, you would provide the best facilities for your family and try to make a pleasant life for them. Money can solve almost all of our problems and help us forRead MoreEssay on Can Money Buy Happiness?1721 Words à |à 7 PagesJanuaryà 24,à 2015à Doesà Moneyà Reallyà Bringà Happiness?à à Johnà Lockeà onceà statedà thatà allà menà haveà theà rightà toà life,à liberty,à andà property.à Theà authorà ofà theà Declarationà ofà Independence,à Benjaminà Franklin,à changedà thisà statementà toà theà rightà toà life,à liberty,à andà theà pursuità ofà happiness.à Peopleà haveà theà constitutionalà rightà toà beà joyfulà andà thereforeà striveà forà it,à butà whatà isà ità thatà reallyà bringsà peopleà glee?à Manyà peopleà believeà thatà theà answerà toà thisà questionà isà simplyà money.à Theyà thinkà thatà theà moreà moneyà theyà Read MoreMoney and Happiness1743 Words à |à 7 PagesCan Money Buy Happiness In todays materialistic world, the phrase that ââ¬Ëmoney cant buy happiness is tending to be proved hence otherwise. Social research and surveys have shown results based on an individuals income, health and the political scenario which is dominant in his or her region. It is quite obvious that the gap between the privileged and the not so is growing into a great divide giving rise to different class and status, thus defining ones social circle. It should therefore be understoodRead MoreMoney Can Buy Happiness1523 Words à |à 7 PagesHappiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joyâ⬠. Notice that happiness is within the range of contentment to intense joy. Every single thing in the world which brings contentment or joy costs money and therefore, it is money which brings happiness. Nothing can be yours without money being spent either by the person experiencing this happiness, or by others spending money so that they can be happy. For example, even peopleRead MoreHappiness Essay745 Words à |à 3 PagesHappiness is something that is wanted by almost everyone;people that are rich, and plebeians and some like to assert that they are happy. Everyone has a different way of experiencing happiness or getting happiness. While they try to get happiness even if it will be an ample amount of happiness, they try to avoid being aghast. Some people like clothing or electronics while some like relaxing at vacations where they can be around facetious people and enjoy themselves. Each individual person experiencesRead MoreMoney Can Buy You Happiness936 Words à |à 4 PagesMany people say that money cant buy you happiness, well I donââ¬â¢t find that to be true. Having a large amount of money has become a dream in many peoples lives. Although money can buy you thing you wa nt to make you happy, happiness is only bought by the people you surround your self with. Many people are convinced that money can buy a person happiness, however most happiness comes from families and friends. Money can buy you happiness because, money can buy you security, stress free, healthcare, andRead MoreCan Money Buy Happiness?1324 Words à |à 6 PagesCan money buy happiness? Itââ¬â¢s a philosophical question that has been discussed for centuries and there is no simple answer. For example, Graham Hill in ââ¬Å"Living with Less. A Lot Lessâ⬠gives his input on this highly debated topic through a multitude of short anecdotes. She asked herself not if ââ¬Å"Money can buy happiness,â⬠but if money could ââ¬Å"help buy happinessâ⬠(Rubin 293). She also brings up the idea of modest splurging and spending out as methods of using money to help one buy happiness. Rubin describesRead More`` Once Upon A Time, Is An Idealized Start Of A Truly Happy Ending1519 Wor ds à |à 7 Pagesimage of what happiness truly is, but thatââ¬â¢s not reality. Happiness can be expressed in many different ways. Itââ¬â¢s anything that will bring positivity and light into to a personââ¬â¢s life, and puts a smile on their face. In the dictionary, happiness is defined as an indication of or is characterized by pleasure, contentment, or joy. Happiness can be expressed in various ways, two being self-discipline and physical activity, but people must remember that money does not buy this happiness. For one, self-disciplineRead MoreRelationship Between Wealth And Happiness1328 Words à |à 6 PagesDoes wealth equal happiness? According to the novel Great Expectation by Charles Dickens, the correlation between wealth and happiness is debatable, depending on the person and their lifestyle. For example, Herbet viewed money as a blessing but not something that necessarily brings him happiness; however, for Pip he can never have enough money and it is his idea of happiness. Herbert was born wealthy so in his state of mind it is casual to have exceptional amount of money. When Pip transform to a
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Kate Chopin And Many Details In The Story of An hour - Free Essay Example
Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 614 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category Literature Essay Tags: The Story Of An Hour Essay Did you like this example? Imagine hearing your husband has died but all you felt was joy and freedom. Marriage is when two people are equal, and they share everything. Mrs. Mallard was in a marriage where she felt stuck and she didnt have any freedom like most women in the 19th century. There are many factors that suggest Mrs. Mallard was in an unhappy marriage. Three significant symbols in The story of an hour are Mrs. Mallards bedroom armchair, the open window, and the heart problem. After hearing the news of her husbandrs death, Mrs. Mallard rushes to her room to be alone, where she sat in her armchair. The armchair symbolizes the news of the death of Mr. Mallard started sinking in. In the story, the armchair was described as a comfortable and roomy symbolize a feeling of warmth and freedom in her life. An armchair is a place where she felt like herself, a comfort zone. The Author describes the armchair as an escape from her marriage. In the chair, Mrs. Mallard felt something came over her, but she didnt know what it was. Donââ¬â¢t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Kate Chopin And Many Details In The Story of An hour" essay for you Create order The Author uses descriptive language to portray Mrs. Mallardrs true feelings. Sitting in the armchair gazing out the open window symbolizes the freedom presented to her. The open window shows a life that she wanted but now have an opportunity to live it. The springtime describes outside the window show a new beginning for Mrs. Mallard as a single woman free to do anything she pleases. An example of this is she smells the fresh scent of the rain coming from the outside, she sees trees moving in the wind. The Author use these descriptive words to show the freedom Mrs. Mallard feels. Mrs. Mallard whispered free, free, free this show she was imprisoned in her marriage and faces a difficult life with her husband and waited for a chance to be free. You could tell with her husband she was restrained and that he has control over her. The Author uses Mrs. Mallards heart trouble to show the weakness of the marriage between Mr. Mallard and Mrs. Mallard. In most marriage, the heart would be a symbol of love but in this story, the heart shows the lack of freedom in the marriage. Mrs. Mallard felt trapped, I said this because after the news of her husbandrs death she felt joy after grieving for a short moment. Another symbolism that was presented was that Mrs. Mallard dies of joy or a hearted disease. When Mrs. Mallard collapse the doctor said she died of joy due to seeing her husband alive, while many would believe that she dies due to a broken heart. She was broken heart because after seeing her husband the joy that she felt was taken away from her. The sense of freedom she felt was taken from her. Mrs. Mallard dies of shock that was brought on by the realization that her newly found freedom she felt was once again out of her reach. Finally, Kate Chopin uses many details to display how Mrs. Mallard felt in her marriage. From tell readers about Mrs. Mallard heart trouble to the open window. There were many symbolisms in the story that represent the weakness in the marriage and the freedom she felt. Kate Chopin used the heart condition to show weakness in the marriage and to show what society thought of women back in the 19th century. The doctor proved that in society the woman would be happy that her husband is alive instead of dying of shock due to her freedom being taken away. The open window represents the new freedom she found and the new beginning for her.
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Home Depots Social Responsibility Approach - 1611 Words
Home Depot is the worlds largest home improvement retailer operating in 45 states, Canada, Chili and Puerto Rico. Home Depot stores aim to serve both do-it-yourselfers and professional contractors with home improvement superstores carrying between 40,000 and 50,000 different products. Home Depot has also been listed as one of Fortunes most admired specialty retailers for the past six years. In order for companies to succeed in the competitive current marketplace they must consider not only the bottom line and their investors but also their impacts on the community, their employees, and their customers. Home Depot was founded on the idea that treating employees well is an important responsibility. Home Depot believes employees that areâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Disaster Relief and Preparedness When disaster strikes, The Home Depot is among the first organizations on the scene to ensure its customers have the supplies, resources and support they need to rebuild their homes and communities. Last years destruction in the Gulf reinforced the importance of disaster preparedness. The Home Depots dedication to providing customers with the tools they need to minimize the loss of personal items during such devastating events remains a staple in the companys long-standing tradition of safety and preparedness. The Home Depot takes an integrated approach to its disaster relief efforts through ongoing support of local and national non-profit partners and the mobilization of the Team Depot associate volunteers. In 2005, The Home Depot partnered with organizations such as The Home Depot Foundation, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Hands On Network, United Way and other community leaders to donate more than $11 million to the long-term recovery and rebuilding of the Gulf region. Through its associate led and managed volunteer force, Team Depot, the company invested $1.7 million in volunteer activation and management in the Gulf. As an example, in Pass Christian, Miss., The Home Depot engaged more than 500 volunteers to build the communitys first permanent structure completed afterShow MoreRelatedA SWOT Analysis for Home Depot1061 Words à |à 4 Pages The Home Depot is in the home improvement business and their goal is to provide the highest level of service, the broadest selection of products and most competitive prices. They are a value driven company that abide by their 8 core values which will be discussed later in the essay. Home Depot is the worldââ¬â¢s largest home improvement retailer operating in 45 states. Home Depot stores aim to serve do-it-yourself, do-it-for you and professional contractors with home improvement superstores carryingRead MoreHome Depot Case Study7713 Words à |à 31 PagesCSR Case Study: The Home Depot Giving back to communities Prepared for: Interdepartmental Working Group on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Corporate Social Responsibility: Lessons Learned Final Home Depot Case Study 1 Corporate Overview Home Depot was founded in 1978, and has grown to become the worldââ¬â¢s largest home improvement retailer and the second largest retail chain in the USA with total sales of $53.6 billion in 2001. The company employs a workforce of more than 250Read MoreHome Depot : The Largest Home Improvement Retailer1780 Words à |à 8 PagesHome Depot is the largest home-improvement retailer in the world, employing more than 300,000 people in more than 2,257 stores in the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, China, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and Canada. Despite being challenged several times by difficult times and economic downturns, Home Depot has managed to continue being the number one home-improvement retailer. Furthermore, Home Depot has omitted itself to being more than just a home-improvement retailer contributing to their successRead MoreHome Depot Business Proposal2903 Words à |à 12 PagesHome Depot Business Proposal Easter B. Fulton ECO 561 June 22, 2015 J. Carl Bowman Home Depot Service The Home Depot was founded in 1978 in Atlanta, Georgia as the first home retail store by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank (Home Depot, 2014). To give an extent of mixes to customers the Home Depot affiliation made key item examination. This helped clients who request to complete structure extends on different business ranges the affiliations innovative stock revolved around internal and outsideRead MoreA Centralized Structure Transforms. Home Depot1050 Words à |à 5 PagesIn 1979 Bernie Marcus and Arthur Black opened their first Home Depot store in Atlanta, GA. The mission of Home Depot was to create a superstore for home improvement that would offer customers a variety of products at a low price that other hardware stores would not be able to match. Managers were able to order and stock products that meet the needs of their local and regional customers. Jones (as cited by Pearson, 2013) states ââ¬Å"when the authority to make important decisions about organizationalRead MoreMar keting Strategy1138 Words à |à 5 Pages2 State Farm Insurance http://www.statefarm.com 1. What elements of branding are visible on State Farmââ¬â¢s website? 2. How is State Farmââ¬â¢s positioning relative to competing firms evident on its website? Chapter 8 Ethics and Social Responsibility in Marketing Strategy Exercise 8.1 Lockheed Martin http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/who-we-are/ethics.html 1. Read about ethics at Lockheed Martin. How has the firm successfully integrated marketing ethics throughout its corporateRead MoreEnvironmental and Industrial Analysis of Home Depot6707 Words à |à 27 PagesBUSINESS MODEL ANALYSIS 7 Step 1: Value Proposition: (Advantage: Home Depot) 7 Step 2: Target Segment: (Advantage: Loweââ¬â¢s) 8 Step 3: Determine Competitors 9 Step 4: Evaluation of Value Chain and Cost Model: (Advantage: Loweââ¬â¢s) 9 Step 5: Evaluate the Value Network: (Advantage: None) 11 Step 6: Determine the Revenue Model of the firm: (Advantage: Home Depot) 12 Step 7: Critical Success Factors: (Table 3) (Advantage: Home Depot) 12 Business Model Analysis Grid 13 III. STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPRead Morecase study: the Home Depot19454 Words à |à 78 PagesCase Study: The Home Depot Preface This Essentials of Strategic Management assignment has been made by three persons which have been working together and individually to finish the assignment properly and in time. Secondly, we would like to thank the company whose websites we were able to visit and use, to get additional information that we could use for leading the assignment of Home Depot to a successful ending. We can say, that it was a pleasure to work on this assignment and would, in theRead MoreS16019 Words à |à 25 Pagesstation for some time now. I do not think Apple even needs iTunes radio because those who follow Apple use iTunes and would rather use their iPods to listen to iTunes than Internet radio. Chapter 2 Understanding Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Questions for Review: 2-1. What factors determine an individualââ¬â¢s ethics? For you, which factor has been the most significant? The factors that determine an individualââ¬â¢s ethics are legal interpretations, organizational factors, and individualRead MoreStrategic Management and Lowe25663 Words à |à 103 PagesAnalysis.............................................................................................................. 2 Loweââ¬Å¸s SWOT Matrix ................................................................................................................. 2 Home Depotââ¬Å¸s SWOT Matrix ..................................................................................................... 3 Aceââ¬Å¸s Hardware SWOT Matrix.................................................................................................
Friday, December 13, 2019
Functional Area Interrelationships â⬠Short Essay Free Essays
In Dalton, Team C will analyze the type of organizational structure employed by the Beadsman Island Resort and explain the steps of the collaboration process among functional areas. Team C will also Identify the use of lateral and vertical collaboration, the key stakeholders, their roles needed to achieve the organizational goals, and recommend the collaborative interactions among key stakeholders to facilitate the success of Beadsman Island Resort. Analysis of Mission, Vision, Values and Goals Beadsman Island Resort indicates on the mission statement that â⬠is dedicated to managing leisure and convention focused resorts that provide a unique and quality experience to guests and visitorsâ⬠[ (campus. We will write a custom essay sample on Functional Area Interrelationships ââ¬â Short Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Phoenix. Du) J. Beadsman Island Resort has a very straightforward and simple mission statement that acknowledges its strengths, provides direction, and motivate the employees to work hard to help the company reach its goals. The vision statement of Beadsman Island Resort provides a clear idea of the companyââ¬â¢s future. The resort is already a premiere vacation and relaxation destination and has the vision of providing guests an all-inclusive experience without leaving the island. With this vision in mind, the resort has ambitious plans to expand its facilities by more than 1,600 to include the Botanical Gardens, Spa, Convention Center, and the private villas [ (campus. Phoenix. Du)]. The vision statement provide a clear view of the companyââ¬â¢s future, inspiring employees to work extra hard knowing that they are an important part of the companyââ¬â¢s success. The Beadsmanââ¬â¢s Island Resort values include to ââ¬Å"empower Its staff to offer unsurpassed quality of customer service, through individual acts of random kindness and specialty servicesâ⬠[ (campus. Phoenix. Du) The values of Beadsman Island Resort set the ethical tone and define the companyââ¬â¢s philosophy, and principles. Relax the guests. Team C intends to identify the functional areas of Beadsman Island Resort and identify the reason for the organization existence through an analysis of the companyââ¬â¢s mission, vision, values, and goals. In addition, Team C will analyze the also identify the use of lateral and vertical collaboration, the key stakeholders, their experience to guests and visitorsâ⬠[ (campus. Phoenix. Du) Beadsman Island Gardens, Spa, Convention Center, and the private villas [ (campus. Phoenix. Du) companyââ¬â¢s success. The Beadsmanââ¬â¢s Island Resort values include to ââ¬Å"empower its Beadsman Island Resort set the ethical tone and define the companyââ¬â¢s philosophy, How to cite Functional Area Interrelationships ââ¬â Short Essay, Essays
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Customer Retention In Tesco Commerce Essay Example For Students
Customer Retention In Tesco Commerce Essay In today s outrageously competitory universe of selling, the most of import danger that the retail merchant organisations brush, is the scarceness of buyer / purchaser / client. Every organisation in this competitory universe in uneasily pulling policies to pull a larger figure of clients to its market through assorted selling schemes. Alongside pulling the newer clients to the market through agencies of advertizement, or publicities, the houses are more than interested in retaining their existent clients with them. Here emerges the construct of client keeping . Customer keeping refers to retaining an person s, any house s or any retail merchant s client. Retaining one s clients is fundamentally derived from the thought of maintaining the clients integral with the organisation. If the organisation fails in maintaining the clients active with it, it is expected to lose the client base, and therefore lead to shrivel net income borders for the organisation. However, it is advisable to heighten the client base by agencies of pulling newer clients to the organisation through agencies of proper advertizement, publicities, strategies and price reductions etc. The comparative survey of client keeping and pulling new clients can heighten the vision about the utility of these techniques. The research in the recent yesteryear has shown that pulling new clients appears to be five times more expensive as compared to the keeping of the bing clients of the organisation. This fact solicits for the necessity of analyzing the client keeping and pull new polic y options for the organisation in order to maximise its net incomes with the aid of sweetening and keeping of its client base. An organisation is said to hold retaining its client if the client under survey remains integral with it. In other words, the trueness of the client leads towards the client keeping for an organisation. There are assorted determiners of the client keeping. For case, if a client under surveillance returns to the organisation within a specified period of clip, it may be regarded as the keeping of that specified client. In some text, client keeping is besides viewed as the figure of times a specific client visits the organisation within an already specified period of clip. It is non necessary that a client sing the organisation 2nd clip within the specified period would add to the sale volume of the organisation. The client may see for procuring the after-sales services for the merchandise purchased by him on any of his old trips to the organisation. However, it bears the chance for the house to be deriving positive consequences from the 2nd trip of the client, as it is an chance for th e house to set up a positive impact on the client by leting him the services that he requires on precedence footing and with diligence. Though it would be the organisation in the beginning to confer free of cost services or cheaper services to the client, but it would finally give positive consequences for the organisation. As a positive relation with the client would heighten the chance of the client to return to the house for his hereafter purchases or mention the organisation in his societal circle with the mention of the quality merchandises, and the quality after gross revenues service that the house provides to its clients. Hence it is apparent that in any instance, the client returns to the house, the chance of the house increasing its client base and its gross revenues volume rises. It is with the aid of this client keeping that the houses can derive entree to the variegated societal constructions through the agencies of referral system. Therefore, we may state that client keeping can non merely work as a processor for heightening the client base, but it can besides be used as a placeholder to advertisement for the advertizement. Retaining a client through the agencies of quality service and quality merchandises would finally take towards a positive impact in the gross revenues and client volume of the organisation. Therefore the basic purpose behind the survey of client keeping is non merely to spread out the net income borders of the organisation, but besides the decrease in costs through agencies of decreased advertizement outgos and lessening in the cost of pulling newer clients. This survey focuses on the client keeping of the TESCO plc ( Public Limited Company ) . TESCO plc is one of the universe s prima organisation in the field of planetary food market selling, along with general selling. Scattered in a mix of 14 states, TESCO has an established concatenation for retail merchant merchandises. This survey lays its accent on associating the construct of client keeping with the TESCO plc in order to take the organisation to a swelled client base and increased gross revenues volume for the organisation. In instance client keeping is established successfully in the organisation, it is expected to assist increase the net incomes of the organisation manifold. Because it is a submitted phenomenon that, If you want your clients to make something for you, you have to make something for them . Outline1 1.4 Overall research purposes:2 1.5 Specific research aims:3 1.6 Significance of the Research:4 1.7 Research premises or Research Hypothesis:5 1.8 Summary Of Research Design And Methodology:6 1.9 Relevant Literature/secondary beginning:7 1.10 Anticipated research jobs:8 1.11 Research clip program: 1.4 Overall research purposes: The overall aims of the research are to set up a policy for the retail merchant organisations through which these could be able to heighten the overall public presentation of the house. The policy would include declarations for the attitude accommodation of the employees towards the clients of the organisation. It would educate the coveted dimensions of attitudes to be adopted by the field staff in order to retain a client for future correspondence with the organisation. Furthermore, the pecuniary benefits are among the most acute attacks that a private or a semi-government organisation refers to through the agencies of enhanced gross revenues volumes of the organisation. However, for public organisations, the thought of client keeping does non hold much feasibleness every bit far as pecuniary attack is concerned, as these organisations focus on societal benefits for the common public, instead than the pecuniary benefits for the organisation. The Greenwich Association For Retarded Citizens (g EssayIt is proposed to utilize a coded near bounded interview performa for questioning the mark clients. It would assist in roll uping primary informations over the reactions of the clients. The interview Performa will be designed to pull out information from the client sing the attractive force / publicity offered to him / her by the organisation on excess purchasal footing. This information collected through direct observation and personal interview methodological analysis would so be de coded and analyzed and the consequences would so be interpreted as per the definitions of the variables. This would give consequences about the research conducted and the research worker / perceiver would be in a place to province the policy recommendations. These policy recommendations would include the concluding clause of the procedure of client keeping i.e. repetition. It will pour visible radiation on assorted facets of the actions taken by organisation in the first measure and will assist in planing the policy options for execution in future, i.e. whether these actions taken by the organisation would give any positive consequences for client keeping or non, and whether these actions should be repeated or non. 1.9 Relevant Literature/secondary beginning: Customer keeping is relied upon two determiners ; client value and after-sales service. It depends on the organisation how does is provide these two elements to psychologically coerce the client to see the organisation once more for his following purchasal. The client value refers to the thought of valuing the client through the agencies of extra-purchasal services, i.e. the services non straight associated with the purchase that the client is doing. For case, maintaining the promises made to the client upon his purchasal would take to a sense of satisfaction in the client which would finally heighten the chance of the client to return to the shop for his hereafter buying. Similarly, the attitude of the staff towards the clients and their willingness to assist along with their behavior to do the client feel of import. Equally far as the other determiner of client keeping, the after-sales service, is concerned, Konosuke Matsushita, the laminitis of Panasonic, is of the position that: After gross revenues service is more of import than the aid before gross revenues ; it is through such service that one gets a lasting client . Hence, the more the focal point on after gross revenues service, the more the client keeping is expected to lay eyes on, and the more expected grosss the corporation would bring forth. The relevant literature available for farther analyzing on the issue concerned consists of: Barlow et al ; Emotional Value: Creating Strong Bonds with Your Customers ; Berreneet-Koehler Publisher Inc, 2000. Churchill, Craig F ; Banking on Customer Loyalty ; Journal of Microfinance ; Vol-2 ; No.2. Doyle, Meter ; Value Based Marketing ; Wiley, 2000 England. Kotler, Phillip ; Marketing Management ; Ninth edition ; Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1997. Porter, Michael E ; Competitive Strategy ; The Free Press, 1998, NY. Wilson, Kim ; Exodus: Why the Customer Leaves ; Microbanking bulletin, April 2001. 1.10 Anticipated research jobs: The research involves analyzing the consumer / client behavior over a well big period of clip, say three months or so. Because, client keeping has been defined as the back-to-back trips of the client over a specified period of clip, therefore, it has to be observed that how many trips does a client pays to the organisation over a specified period of clip. This requires pull offing a research squad for a long period. Furthermore the research is chiefly associated with observations made towards the behavior of the clients, the attitude of the staff of the organisation, the demographic impact of the incoming consumers etc. , hence, it will ab initio be hard to hedge from the perceiver biasness. However, observer biasness could be taken attention of through the agencies of proviso of proper guideline defined for the perceiver / research worker. The implicit in research job is related to a existent market environment. Therefore simulation is non a likely solution for the research and it has to be conducted in a existent environment. Hence, the first and foremost job lies in seeking permission for surveillance by the governments of TESCO plc. Furthermore, there is a strong cooperation needed amongst the surveyor / research worker and the field staff and disposal subdivision of the corporation, without which conductivity of research would simply by likely. Most of import of all, the designation of the clients, sing the organisation, is a hard procedure. It may so go on that a client visits the organisation in a different get-up, or he / she visits the organisation after a long period of clip and the perceiver is unable to acknowledge the client. This would make biasness in the estimations about the client keeping, as there will be losing values in the sample collected against the variable of returning clients. Upon individual to individual interviewing, the clients may waver to reply to certain inquiries, which may take towards desertion in random sampling. However this job could be tackled through the agencies of non-response methodological analysis and these samples could merely be deleted from the survey on the footing of non-responsiveness of the respondents. 1.11 Research clip program: The proposed clip frame for the research is about four months. The division consists of 15 yearss of pre observation readying for the research worker / perceiver. Three months are designated for the observation intents. Fifteen more yearss are proposed for the station observation digest of informations and analysis intents.
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