Money Can Buy Happiness

Can money buy you happiness? It is a classical debate, sparked by the left-wing communists and religious leaders who suggest that a person can live a full life without the pursuit of money, and instead one must look to a more spiritual existence above the material desires. It is perhaps conceivable in a century gone by where people grew all their food and believed in witches, that a human could forge a fulfilling existence without the need of money to satisfy our desires. However in today’s society money can not only buy happiness, but is a major factor for happiness.Findings by the Institute of Economic Affairs show that happiness levels correlate with the amount of wealth a person accumulates. And, in contrast to popular belief, it does not level off when the assets reach a certain threshold. Money enables us to buy goods and services that we want. When we satisfy these wants we feel fulfilled, happy and pleased because we as humans love getting what we want. Money can give us experiences and opportunities that we would otherwise never be able to have. It can open doors to elite schooling, worldwide trips and making a difference in the world via charity.Money allows us to live a carefree, happy life because we don’t have financial strain. Money makes the world go round because it buys happiness, that’s why we spend hours a day slaving away to earn it. It is the key that unlocks the door to happiness. Humans have material needs and money provides the ability to satisfy these tangible needs and wants. Satisfying the want for a new dress or the need for medicine brings on the psychological state of happiness because we have satisfied those desires.The dress you bought from that exclusive store helps you to be confident and happy and the medicine helps cure a loved one. Have you ever felt left out because you see something you want, but can’t afford it? Perhaps all of your friends have the latest iPhone and you’re stuck with you r parents old embarrassing Nokia brick from 2001 because you can’t afford an iPhone. Money can buy that iPhone and can help you feel included consequently bringing on joy and happiness. Ever gone without the basic necessities, electricity, clothing or water? Money buys them too.It helps improve your standard of living. From luxury items to everyday basics money permits us to experience happiness through consumerism and the act of satisfying our needs and wants. It is the experiences and opportunities that come with money that make you happy. Money pays for the trip that lets you experience a new culture, a new cuisine or helps establish lifelong friendships. It is sometimes the memories in life that you find more happiness in than material goods. The happy memories that money buys. Perhaps you find happiness in charity work.Why devote a few hours of your time when you can enrich someone with the power of money? They then have the opportunity to rebuild their lives from the mo ney you give them and increase their living standards and happiness. Making a donation to charity not only helps others, it can make the giver mentally tougher, physically stronger and more popular, researchers from Harvard University have found out. Elite schooling and university offer endless opportunities for an individual to become an educated, well rounded and valued member of the community.It opens doors to exclusive jobs and bigger bank accounts. Success brings satisfaction and contributes to your overall happiness as life’s doors are always open to you. You are not closed off from potential opportunities that may arise. As we all know elite schooling and university doesn’t come for free, money pays for the education and opportunities that come with it. Without travel, charity and education life would be boring, bland and unfulfilling, money gives us those experiences and prospects that we all look forward to. Money offers a carefree lifestyle.With big banks acc ounts you don’t have to worry about paying rent, mortgages, school fees, health care and life’s other expenses. For someone who does not have a moderate amount of money these are stressful issues they have to deal every time they go to their letterbox. Stress can affect both your body and your mind, people can become exhausted, sick and unable to focus. It is the complete reverse of happiness. For someone who is better off financially bills occupy much less of their time and thus stress is eliminated from their lives.Home life can be miserable and tense when money is scarce. Couples bicker on average 2,455 times a year and of that number issues of money equate to 315 arguments. Money buys security and an un-troubled existence, money relieves financial stress and thus helps increase happiness. If someone was to offer you a million dollars, no strings attached, would you accept it? Chances are you would, and you would be happy about it because money can buy happiness. In life we have the option to live how we want, no one forces us to live a consumerist lifestyle.We choose to. You know there must be a connection to money and happiness. If there weren’t, no one would work for that lucrative promotion, perhaps no one work at all. Why would we spend all our lives pursuing it? For those living in third world countries that may be happy, it is unfortunately because it’s a case of they can’t miss what they’ve never had. Our society has made money a factor of happiness and I don’t hear anyone complaining. If money can’t buy you happiness then you are not spending it right.

In class essay about play Antigone Essay

Creon, the king of Thebes, is one of the major characters. The author utilized several characters/ foils in order to build up the king’s image, the pride, cruel, stubborn and superior ruler. Through those conflicts, arguments and persuations, the king’s figure was gradually set up and was foreshadowing the tragic ending of his own life. The conflict between Antigone and Creon in the play is very outstanding and intense. Creon commanded that Eteocles would be buried in formal way, meanwhile, Creon also made laws to prevent people from burying Polynices. Let his corpse rot and be eaten by animals. Antigone buried the body without any hesitation that she was violating the laws. Because Antigone believed there is nothing can be superior to the gods, the gods would agree with her action. She argued that Creon, a mere mortal, did not have the power to override the gods, which enraged Creon. The things Antigone believed utterly subverted Creon’s value. In contrast, Creon thought the king’s power overtopped any other thing, all the laws he made should be obeyed no matter they were right or wrong. He also believed once the king made the decision, there is no way that the king was about to make mistake. Nobody should doubt the power of the king. Compare to Antigone, Creon was too pride of being a king, he wallowed in dominant power, forgot and betrayed the traditions of gods. The closed bonding between Antigone and Polynices also urged Antigone to decide to bury his body. Antigone said, once father, mother and brothers passed away, there would never be another one. Antigone treated the dead fairly because she knew let the body of her family rot in the desolate place was cruel, just like killing the person twice. Creon never regard Polynices was his family but a bastard traitor. He did not want to forgive his sin even though he had already received deserved punishment. Creon ignored Antigone’s argument and sentenced her to death. Once again he thought he was doing the right thing, he did not consider about the impact that would fall on Antigone’s fiancà ©, his son Haemon. Creon was cold inside his stone-like heart, which is a great contrast to Antigone’s selfless and devoted characteristic. Heamon was judicious and sensibl, not like his father Creon. Knowing Antigone sentenced to death, Haemon tried to persuade his father in a rational and  peaceful way. He brought up the general opinion from the citizens that Antigone did not deserve death. He pointed out Creon’s mistake and he would admire his father more if he could fix the situation. But Creon did not take in Haemon’s advise. Creon analysed things with a fixed perpective that he was always right. He was pride and irrational. There is no need to consider advises from lower class people, in this case, his son and his citizens. It was conventional that father gave lessons to son. Though Haemon came to argue with a positive and irenic attitude, not to pick up a fight, Cremon distorted his meaning with the assumption he was on Antigone’s side and called his son the woman’s slave. Readers would conclude Cremon was bad at controling his sentiment and was very easy to get maddened. Tiresias, the prophet also came to persuaded Creon. Tiresias encountered strange phenomenon that indicated the gods was angry about the decision Creon had made. He told Creon to change his mind. Creon found his speech so harsh and dreadful. Once again he felt his power was being challenged by other ordinary people, he doubt Tiresias’s purpose and wondered if he came for his own profit. Creon showed no repects for the messenger of gods, Tiresias, same as the gods themselves. This instance lead to the climax of the play, the gods were enraged and Creon was punished for his mistakes. The above three charaters, as the major foils for Creon, their contrasting traits exposed Creon’s peremptory ruling and cruel father image. The intense conflicts also add more tension and help with the development of the plot.

Critical Management Theory(CMT) and its application as an analytical Coursework

Critical Management Theory(CMT) and its application as an analytical tool for resolving problems in a post-modern organisation - Coursework Example Today managements develop their common goal as per the present requirements of society, environment and community. The increasing concern for corporate social responsibility and community development is one of major evidences in this respect. The Critical Management Theory (CMT) is a reasonable and effective theoretical approach for managing the postmodern organisations. These theories include a wide range of views and ideas that criticize the traditional management theories. CMT attempts to explore, recognise and relate the similar attributes of management basics and critical theories. Critical managements studies deals with the different areas of management theories. More specifically, it is the academic field for critical management theories. Sudhanshu Katyal has explained that â€Å"Critical Management Studies (CMS) challenges and offers alternatives to received wisdom about ‘management’† and it â€Å"is differentiated from mainstream research by (i) its unor thodox treatment of established topics (e.g. motivation, strategy) and/or (ii) its attention to marginalised issues (e.g. post-colonialism, environmentalism)† (Katyal, 2009, p.7-8). This paper will attempt to present an explanation and discussion on CMT and its application in managing postmodern organisation. The discussions will try to focus on multiple perspectives of critical management theories. At first, the importance of critical management theories in postmodern organisations will be discussed. This section will clarify term ‘postmodern organisation’ by pointing out its major characteristics. The next section will present different approaches of CMT. This section will try to evaluate critical theories. The third section will aim to demonstrate the application of critical management theories in postmodern organisation. Finally, based on the overall analyses and discussions, the findings will be summarised in conclusion. Importance of Critical Management Theo ry in Postmodern Organisation CMT is an important area of organisation management. The society and human thought processes are not static and it tends to changes with time. Therefore, the organisational behaviour of mangers and organisation culture also vary as per time periods. Such changes lead to increase the requirement new theories and new management approaches. CMT is very useful in this respect. This paper is trying to focus in CMT and its application in postmodern organisation. However, before proceeding towards the main objective of this paper, it is necessary to understand the postmodern organisation and its various aspects. The postmodern organisation is an emerging concept which differs from the modern organisational ideas and views. The managerial behaviour of postmodern organisation is more flexible and more capable in countering the organisational affairs. However, the tasks in postmodern organisation have become more complex and difficult comparing to modern organisa tions. There are five major aspects in an organisation i.e. planning, organising, influencing, leading and controlling. These aspects in postmodern organisation are shelf-managed and self-controlled by the coordination of cross-functional

The Zombie Metaphor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Zombie Metaphor - Essay Example Parting from the dictionary definition of this controlled subject, we can start interpreting what has been the zombie impact on books, movies, television and general consciousness. As Carl Jung states "The projection of the shadow changes the world into a replica of one's unknown face" (17) The zombie may represent man's fears: left willingness, controlled by somebody else, or even the devil itself. Taking the image a bit further, zombies cannot speak or walk correctly for they have been deprived from those abilities. They make horrible sounds while trying to communicate with others, possibly crying for help, and cannot transport themselves freely and quickly. Making these creatures defenseless yet threatening enough to scare the audience. Maybe authors like George Romero intended to tap into these fears in movies like "The night of the living dead" (1968) which was considered to be the father of all zombie movies. In which we may subconsciously tap into our innate fears of having ou r abilities to scream from the top of our lungs if we fear, if we hurt, or simply say I Love you to our cherished ones robbed; or simply being unable to walk normally or move ourselves freely from one place to another without difficulties. Or Romero simply made a very scary movie that changed our thoughts forever with his portrayal of these so-called creatures of the night, without any subconscious meanings what so ever If we continue this thought then we should question: why zombies Why not vampires Perhaps because these are somewhat worshiped immortal and beautiful creatures that contraire to zombies, impose their will on others, although they must eat blood to survive, they draw their prey with their abilities and attack with style and grace. If we were to continue Jung's thoughts on projection, vampires would represent a possible goal for the social outcast. Or what about Aliens Creatures we have no knowledge of, invading our planet, our universe or our complete solar system for no reason. What could be the meaning or message of this type of movie Perhaps as complicated or simple as zombies, aliens may easily be defeated with the correct amount of weapons, manpower and courage. But as the meaning itself implies "alien" may not represent anything to the viewer convincible enough for them to want to be them, relate to them or even feel the need to worship them what so ever. Tackling other possible implied messages in zombies is the term consumerism: How can they impulse, insinuate, push, us to consume, buy or steal In some movies like Dawn of the Dead (1978) zombies take control of a shopping mall and the humans try with all their wit to take that control back. What can be implied with this Could we be terribly afraid to be replaced as shopping creatures by something not human or dead Or is it simply a territorial thing We need to have control of everything and everyplace. Perhaps it has nothing to do with a shopping mall literally; maybe the hidden consumerism is implied

Political Science Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Political Science - Assignment Example Judges in this case stay objective, and listen keenly to what lawyers are advocating in a skilled manner ignoring the original intention of the legislation. The above statement, its backed by several arguments as enhanced by the proponents of a â€Å"Living Constitution† against the Ãâ€"riginalists†. Those who believe in the Constitution’s adaptability, argue that judges cannot rely on historical analyses to provide critical answers to the modern situations. In this case, its means that judges in any given situation must seek to apply the values of the Constitution in respect to the modern developments and not based on the original intentions of the legislation. Judges must be able to come up with their own outcomes, which are guided by values of fairness in uplifting the will of the people. Since it’s hard to tell what the framers of the constitution intended to achieve or what the people at that time of framing understood, interpreting the constitution to fit the modern circumstances it’s in order for the

NSW Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Essay

NSW Personal Development, Health and Physical Education - Essay Example This program promotes the general well-being of the child as they will tend to live a balanced lifestyle, healthy sense of recreation and develop skills necessary for an active lifestyle (Anon., 2006). Sport also develops each student’s competence and confidence in a broad range of games, sports and physical activities. Students develop fundamental movement skills (FMS), progressing to more games and sports-specific skills in non-competitive and competitive environments that foster positive feelings of success and enjoyment. They will be able to understand dynamics, spatial awareness, relationships, timing and rhythm of movement (Anon., 2006). Kids who engage in sport have† greater anaerobic and aerobic ?tness than non-athlete in accord with their sport and its demands† (Armstrong & Welsman, 2005 pg. 545). Their sense of fair play is typically learned in sports. Values such as perseverance, observance of the rules and honesty can be learned in sports. II. Convincin g the child to participate in sport Normally, children are interested in sport. There are instances however that the child does not show interest in sport. It is however important for the child to be encouraged to participate in sport not only to promote an active lifestyle but also to develop the child’s social capabilities through sport. ... The concept of ‘serious leisure’ originates with Stebbins (1992 qtd in MacPhail & Kirk, 2006 pg. 58) and denotes a participant’s strong sense of social identity, level of investment and persistence in a particular activity, namely the commitment to long-term leisure forms† (Raisborough, 1999 qtd in MacPhail & Kirk, 2006 pg. 58 ). â€Å"The commonly cited definition of serious leisure is the ‘systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer activity that participants find so substantial and interesting that, in the typical case, they launch themselves on a career centered on acquiring and expressing its special skills, knowledge and experience† (Stebbins, 1992: p. 3 qtd in MacPhail, Ann; Kirk, David, 2006 pg. 64). In short, the child has to view the sport as leisure for him or her to engage voluntarily. To encourage a child in sport, it is important to know what interests him or her. Maybe the type of sport that was presented to the child was not particularly interesting to him or her which is why the child is not interested. One of the best ways of making a child interested is by arousing his or her curiosity. Once the child’s curiosity is aroused, it will naturally follow that the child will try the sport. Friends that a child trust also plays an important factor for a child to consider a particular sport (MacPhail, Ann; Kirk, David 2006). It may not be the sport itself that may interest the child at first but rather the companionship of his or her friends. But if the sport itself will prove to be fun for the kid, then the interest for the sport will naturally grow and the participation will just naturally follow. It is just important at this stage for the

Reviewing the Literature and Applying Theory Essay - 1

Reviewing the Literature and Applying Theory - Essay Example Ideally, high-quality research evidence helps clinicians to offer the most effective and efficient patient treatment. Indeed, critical appraisal aims at informing health policy and nursing practice by allowing researchers, health administrators, and medical practitioners to compare and assess the quality of the research evidence (Carter, 2010). Through critical appraisal, clinicians establish the most reliable high-quality research evidence for nursing practice. In performing critical appraisal of articles selected for my topic, I will rely on the recommended structured process of analyzing fundamental aspects of the published articles (Jones, Crookes, & Johnson, 2011). I will assess the articles with regard to the quality of evidence, appropriateness of research design, suitability of the research methodology, and usefulness of research evidence to the nursing practice. Assessing whether the articles address the research topic and whether they contain valid, relevant, and reliable evidence will also be paramount (Fineout-Overholt, Melnyk, Stillwell, & Williamson, 2010). I will also derive whether I can generalize the findings of the research article to my practice based on the homogeneity and stability of the contained research evidence. Moreover, I will assess the presence of potential conflicts of interest in my research articles. Fineout-Overholt E., Melnyk B.M., Stillwell S.B., & Williamson K. M. (2010). Evidence-based practice step by step: Critical appraisal of the evidence: part I. American Journal of Nursing, 110(7),

Rethinking Performance Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Rethinking Performance Management - Essay Example Behavioral pattern of the suppliers and the clients and concentration in the supply makes entrepreneurs more competitive in the global market. In the market where the customers are diverse, a different approach to the market may be of great benefit to entrepreneur in a new market (Keillor 2011). The trends of innovating products and services in a particular environment have been used by multinational companies in their new products. Taking for instance the travel business in the United States, the business involves serving both the natives and the international visitors. Globalization and liberalization of economies have allowed companies to invent new ideas suitable for the developing markets. Globalization has pressurized companies to continue innovating new ideas of conducting businesses. Though much innovation has been witnessed in the global market, entrepreneurs have found it harder to penetrate the market to ever changing business environment and competition (Griffin 2005). There is more opportunity for growth due to innovation and completion in the global market. Entrepreneurs in the global markets seem to prefer working centrally and doing business from a central position. However Companies benefit international market therefore centralization of business no longer applies in the global markets (Keillor 2011). ... This continuous process entails measurement, appraisal, monitoring, controlling, rewarding and feedback processes (Gary, 2011). Organisational goals are achieved through strategic plans, which are further executed and controlled through effective performance management systems that are applicable for managing performance of the employees, organisational systems and processes. in an ideal state, performance management system is highly beneficial for the company in terms of improving employee motivation and self-esteem; in gaining better understanding of the employees’ abilities and attitudes; achieving better job role and goal clarity; creating appropriate administrative actions; improving employees’ competencies on a continuous basis; better adherence to regulations; introducing better timely interventions to performance improvement; better execution of organisational changes; and in achieving better and predictable growth for the company (Aguinis, 2009). However, Crawf ord’s (2006) article critiques performance management system as a whole by highlighting that performance management related studies indicate otherwise and regard it as a flawed system because the findings from these studies show that despite managing performance, 96% organisations still experience poor performance; very few performance management systems have been proved to be effective; organisations continue to experience huge losses due to poor performance. Crawford (2006) highlighted three main reasons for the failure of performance management: firstly, the notion that performance can be managed is a myth; secondly, performance management has become more of a mechanically driven process without accounting for human factor involvement; thirdly, managers

Keynesian Theory of Inflation and Unemployment Essay

Keynesian Theory of Inflation and Unemployment - Essay Example Inflation, on the other hand, referrers increase in prices of products and services in any given economy, with a particular period duration. Essentially, when prices are high, amount of goods and services, which can be, bought using a particular amount of money becomes fewer (Burda & Wyplosz 1997). Disequilibrium positions of inflation Keynes disagrees with the economists of the classical argument. According to the argument by Keynes, market systems do not lead to automatic full-employment equilibrium (Warburton 1966). However, the economic systems could attain equilibrium at any range of unemployment. This implied that the interventionists’ policies would not apply. Keynesian argument can be represented in a circular flow of revenue (Warburton 1966). Extra aggregate demand within the economic system forces firms to absorb more employees. According to Keynes, markets are bound to exhibit disequilibrium of various forms (positions) of inflation, which have been pointed in the K eynesian theory of inflation. ... Similarly, aggregate supply can be indicated by Y = C + S because the market value of the total p[roduction of one year is called national income may be divided into consumption and saving. In this way, national income will be determined at the point where following conditions will be fulfilled; aggregate demand = aggregate supply; total expenditure = total income; C + I = C + S; I = S. This can be explained by the help of the following diagram: In the above diagram, along X-axis we have measured national income and employment level and along Y-axis consumption and investment. C curve is consumption curve which moves from left to right upwards. The assumption is that investment remains the same at all levels of income, so C + I curve will remain parallel to C.C + I curve indicates aggregate demand or the total expenditure at different levels of income. The income will be in equilibrium at the point where C intersects Y. in other words, aggregate demand is equal to aggregate supply or total expenditure is equal to total income when income is OM. From the point where Y and M intersect, to M, gives the effective demand since at this point, aggregate supply is equal to aggregate demand. If income is higher than OM, aggregate supply will be greater than aggregate demand and there will be overproduction. The profits of the producers will fall and they will produce less in the next year, so income will decrease. Similarly, if income is lower than OM, aggregate demand will be greater than aggregate supply and it will be profitable to produce more and more and as a result of this, income will increase. In this way, income will be determined at OM and this is the

Am I Blue by Alice Walker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Am I Blue by Alice Walker - Essay Example Simply put, it is impossible to disagree with the idea that we consider animals to be free and that we are kind to the animals around us. It is hypocritical for a society to suggest that animals are treated with kindness while we hold them prisoner in racks, force-feed them, use them as beasts of burden, take away whatever they can produce for us and then eat them since we are omnivores. Moreover, we do what we want to the animals and to the planet we live on simply because we have been given dominion. Undoubtedly, the article has powerful imagery and makes it quite clear than consuming meat only makes us a part of the system which is cruel to animals while keeping us in a bind of hypocrisy. So perhaps the better suggestion would be to stop the hypocrisy in society and be clear about how we feel about animals in general. The cute ones we will save and preserve e.g. the polar bear or the panda, the ugly ones can go extinct for all we care e.g. the Komodo dragon and the dodo, while the ones which provide us with food will undergo genetic treatment to give us as much as we want in terms of meat and dairy products. It seems that there is nothing wrong in being honest since we have used animals for centuries and even hunt them for our sport, race them for our gambling, sacrifice them for our religions and exterminate them when we need more land for our cities. So perhaps it is time for being honest since despite the articles written by those who support animal rights, it is not likely that McDonald’s is going to stop selling double quarter pounders any time soon. So the idea of being ‘kind’ and ‘humane’ is little more than a lie which we tell ourselves to keep us happy. It is said that once a person sees sausages being made, s/he would never eat them. Perhaps it is time we realize that the sausages we make and the various types

Native American Spirituality Essay Example for Free

Native American Spirituality Essay The purpose of this essay is to present the spiritual world of the Native Americans, which is one of the oldest forms of Spirituality that exists on earth. The main reason why I have chosen this topic is because I want to find out more information about their spiritual dimension and perhaps to understand better the main differences between our religion and theirs. In order to better observe this aspect, I will be analyzing the religious beliefs of three Native American tribes, such as: The Iroquois, the Apache and the Dakota tribes. To start with, I consider it relevant to mention that the Native American religions centers on a collection of beliefs, which vary from tribe to tribe. However, almost all tribes practice a modified monotheism , which is the belief in the Great Spirit. They also have an animistic belief in individual spirits residing in animals and forces of nature, but none of these is higher than the Great Spirit (Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). In other words, this means that Native American spirituality is nature-based, since it is so closely connected with the earth. As I have previously mentioned, many Native Americans believe in The Great Spirit, who is â€Å"the high deity amongst all of the spirits† (Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). Since ancient times, the Native Americans have believed in a Supreme Being whom they called father and they believe this entity is either a man or an animal, especially a wolf, which has human thoughts and is even able to talk (Panther-Yates, n.d). In order to control the forces of the spiritual world , the Native Americans used ceremonial practices, since these were considered to â€Å"renewed the bond between human beings and the spirit world† (Irwin, 2000). I will later on mention about these ceremonies and the person who is entitled to contact the spirits. In order to have a better understanding of their beliefs I have inserted here one fragment of the spiritual speech held by Charley Elkhair, one of the Native American indian: â€Å"We are thankful to the East because everyone feels good in the morning when they awake, and sees the bright light coming from the East; and when the Sun goes down in the West we feel good and glad we are well; then we are thankful to the West. And we are thankful to the North, because when the cold winds come we are glad to have lived to see the leaves fall again; and to the South, for when the south wind blows and everything is coming up in the spring, we are glad to live to see the grass growing and everything green again. We thank the Thunders, for they are the manitous that bring the rain, which the Creator has given them power to rule over. And we thank our mother, the Earth, whom we claim as mother because the Earth carries us and everything we need.† (Elkhair in M. R. Harrington, 1921). When researching for this essay I came across a very interesting comparison belonging to professor Harrington, who states that: â€Å" The juxtaposition of a personal creator God and anthropomorphic animals derived from mythology is no more inappropriate, however, than the behavior of Christians at Christmas time who set out a creche depicting the birth of Jesus next to a Christmas tree derived from an ancient pagan festival† ( Harrington, 1921). Another interesting element about at the Native American religions is the fact that they are basically free of any priesthood. However, there are still people who have a special connection to the spiritual world, called shamans: â€Å"Shamans are spiritually gifted people who through a variety of means have acquired the ability to help others through trance and dream journeying† (Irwin, 2000). Moreover, it is quite strange that the white anthropologists have often used the name medicine man (even though many were women) to indicate a mixture of shamanic and priestly capacities (Irwin, 2000). Shamanic trances can be induced through a variety of techniques, including chanting or drumming, fasting, and in some cases the use of psychotropic substances, the mildest of which might be tobacco ( McGaa, n.d). During these trance contacts, shamans may communicate with spirits of the dead or other spirits and learn what they need to know to help heal the body, mind, or soul of a patient, to locate game, or to predict the future ( McGaa, n.d). In the following lines, I will briefly present three Indian tribes in order to observe the differences and similarities between them as far as their spiritual world is concerned. The first tribe I will be analyzing is the Iroquois. This Native American tribe believes in twin forces known as Loskeha meaning good and Tawiscara meaning bad (Robinso n, 2002). The Native Americans believe Loskeha brought all the goodness in life, while Tawiscara spread sufferings and brought ill-luck (Robinson, 2002). The Iroquois also believed in the constant care of the Great Spirit, who †ruled and administered the world, and the affairs of the red race. (Robinson, 2002). What really fascinates me at this tribe is that it does not have a detailed conception of his creator because they believe that the Great Spirit was beyond their abilities to understand. However, they have some very detailed descriptions of this lower class of spirits that is believed to interact with the material world. The were known as Invisible Agents or Ho-no-che-no-keh. (Morgan in Robinson, 1954). These spirits possessed their power from the Great Spirit and were considered to be the manifestations of his unlimited power (Morgan in Robinson, 1954). Some of these spirits were given names and they were often identified with the object or force that they presided over (Morgan in Robinson, 1954). For example, He-no, one important spirit, was given the thunderbolt and controlled the weather. Morgan states that: â€Å"he had the form of man and wore the costume of a warrior† ((Morgan in Robinson, 1954). The Iroquois tribe believes not only in the kindness of the Great Spirit but also in the forces of evil. According to their belief, evil is represented by the brother of the Great Spirit, Ha-ne-go-ate-geh, or the Evil-minded (Robinson, 2002), who controls its own inferior spiritual beings. This tribe also believes that the Great Spirit does not have any type of positive authority over the forces of evil, except for â€Å"the power to overcome them when necessary†(Robinson, 2002). Therefore, the Iroquois can either choose to obey the Great Spirit or to the Evil-minded. It is important to note that the Iroquois developed the idea of an immortal soul, which will be judged by the Great Spirit the moment the body will die. This is why, they are afraid of being punished in the afterlife and therefore they worship him through many rituals and ceremonies (Robinson, 2002). These ritual ceremonies practiced by the Iroquois tribes occurred in certain seasonal periods throughout the year, but most commonly during important agricultural periods (Irwin, 2000). Even some of the Invisible Agents were honored at this ceremonies depending on what time of year the ceremony was taking place. The ceremonies were led by Keepers of the Faith, or Ho-nun-den-ont (Irwin, 2000), who were â€Å"a loosely organized council of qualified individuals who were assigned the task of maintaining the ritual practices of the Iroquois people†(Irwin, 2000). The second tribe I will briefly describe is The Apache tribe. Little is known about this nomadic group of Native Americans due to the fact that it lived an isolated existence in the harsh environment of the arid southwest. This tribe relied on scarce resources found in their desert environment for survival (Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). Due to the fact that survival was difficult under these conditions they were not so preoccupied of the spiritual world (Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). This is the reason why the belief system of the Apache tribes is less developed than the other tribe mentioned earlier. For instance, the Apache religion did not recognize a large pantheon of gods and goddesses. (Opler in Hirschfelder Molin, 1992) and focused on supernatural cultural figures that are responsible for the Apache way of life. What is interesting to notice at these entities is the fact that they interfered little in the daily activities of the people unless people called for their help. (Opler in Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). The Apache tribe has no religious ritual either since it is a non-agricultural society. Thus, they had no reason to celebrate seasonal periods and rarely celebrated any type of annual gathering. Instead, they focused all their time and energy on survival (Opler in Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). More importantly, however, was the fact that the Apache lacked an organized belief in an afterlife and instead they focused all attention towards survival in this world. This is why the most common form of ceremony for them were the curing rites, performed only by shamans (Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). Opler describes the Apache religion as a form of devotional shamanism. : It conceives of a universe permeated with supernatural power which must realize itself through man or not at all. (Opler in Hirschfelder Molin, 1992). The third tribe I will be analyzing is the Dakota tribe. According to Raymond J. DeMallie, the Dakota world was characterized by its oneness, its unity. (DeMallie, 1987:27). There was no separation of the natural world from the world of the supernatural: †This unity in nature was thought to be beyond the comprehension of mankind and could only be shared in through the practice of rituals† (DeMallie, 1987:27). The animating force that acted as the common denominator of the universe was known as Wakan Tanka (Densmore,1918:85).The physical world was composed of the manifestations of this animating force, which basically means that they believed that every object was spirit, or wakan. (Densmore, 1918:85). In other words, the Dakota tribe believed that nothing was real in the universe since everything in the material world had only the appearance of being real. Like the inferior spirits in the Iroquois belief system, Wakan Tanka employed the use of Wakan people (DeMallie 1987) to interact with the material world and control the lives of men. These characters were often the objects of worship and praise. According to DeMallie, Wakan Tanka was explained in relation to the Dakota by wicasa wakan, or holy men. (DeMallie 1987). These men attempted to create some type of order and understanding of this Great Incomprehensibility. (DeMallie 1987). White Buffalo Woman was one of the most important Wakan people to the Dakota. Their myth states that she gave the Dakota people the Calf Pipe (DeMallie, 1987) through which they could communicate with the invisible spirit world. According to DeMallie, Dakota rituals were based on mystical experiences instead of systematic worship. The most important aspect of ritual was the individual personal experience. The experience was usually related in the form of an interpretive dance inspired by a personal vision (DeMallie, 1987). There are several observations I need to make at the end of this research about the Native American spirituality. The first observation is that each of the tribes presented above are similar in the way in which they interact with the natural world. Therefore, the Native American spirituality can be characterized by this intimate relationship these people have with nature. They have a deep respect for Mother Earth and they praise her through these rituals that they so often perform. Secondly, I consider it important to mention the fact that there isn’t a clear distinction between the natural and the supernatural in any of the three tribes mentioned earlier. Also, their beliefs are rather a way of life and each tribe has his own system of beliefs. Based on the analysis of these Native American tribes the following conclusion can be formulated: these people have this deep religious feeling, even when systematic rituals are absent (which was the case of the Apache tribe). Kahlil Gibran once asked, Who can separate his faith from his actions, or his belief from his occupation?(Gibran in Robinson, 2002). It seems that Native Americans could not make this distinction either. I believe that is very difficult for other cultures, including our own, to have a full perception and understanding towards the Native American spirituality, since we were not educated into their belief system .Therefore, there are too many differences between the Christians beliefs and theirs, (I am not referring here to religion only, but also to their whole different culture and their unique way of life) which makes it almost impossible to fully understand their spiritual world. Bibliography Arlene B. Hirschfelder Paulette Molin, The Encyclopedia of Native American Religions: An Introduction, Facts on File, (1992). Charley Elkhair, quoted in M. R. Harrington, Religion and Ceremonies of the Lenape, Indian Notes and Monographs, Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, vol 19 (1921). Lee Irwin, Native American Spirituality: A critical reader, University of Nebraska Press, (2000). McGaa, Ed Eagle Man. Interview with Jean Holmes. LightNews.org: NativeAmerican Beliefs- Culture Near Extinction. http://www.lightnews.org/November%20Light%20News/Native_American_Beliefs.htm Native American Spirituality. Ed. Donna Ladkin. GreenSpirit. http://www.greenspirit.org.uk/resources/NatAmerSpirit.htm Native American Beliefs. http://4thmoon.com/styx/nativeam.htm Native American Religion. 1998. The Institute for Philosophy, Religion, and the Life Sciences, Inc. 24 Nov. 2002 http://www.stormwind.com/common/nareligion.html Panther-Yates, Donald. Remarks on Native American Tribal Religions. Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia. http://www.wintercount.org/remark.doc Religious Movements Homepage: Native American Spirituality.,University of Virginia, Nov. 2002 http://http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/naspirit.html Robinson, B.A.. Religious Tolerance.org: Native American Spirituality, Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, Nov. 2002 http://www.religioustolerance.org/nataspir.html

The Increase Of Private Labels Of Grocery Products

The Increase Of Private Labels Of Grocery Products How customers make product selection is a vital concern in marketing theory. A vast briefing and a growing stream of models have been developed seeking to throw light on this issue. Implicit in mainly of this work is that consumers are choosing among rival company brands. In todays FMCG markets private brand increasingly competes with manufacturer brands noticeable at very unusual price levels. The increase of private labels of grocery products is a sign of a major change in the product mix offered by seller. Store brand offer consumers with a competitive substitute to national brands. Private brands offer low prices due to their low manufacturing costs, low-cost packaging, nominal advertising and lower overhead costs. For retailers, store brand offer a chance to increase store traffic and build store loyalty. Though private brands are generally priced lower than manufacturer brands, the higher margin earned on these products allow retailers to increase into lower volume categories for which success depends on greater per unit contribution margins. More prominently, the accessibility of proprietary brands not sold elsewhere may support store loyalty and boost store traffic. Once inside the store, the consumer also become a prospect to which to sell the whole grocery basket due to cost of time involved in multi store shopping. Consumers frequently make judgments of product quality on the basis of substitute or indirect indicators. Surrogate measures are product connected sign that consumers think are linked with real objective measures of product quality. Surrogate sign are used in quality assessment because they can be interpreted, assess and review easily when considering a variety of brand alternatives. Therefore, it would seem helpful for store brand managers to understand which substitute variables are in use by households when inform store brand quality and how different groups of consumers diverge in their consumption of such indicators in brand choices. Retailer who sell both private brand and manufacturing brands, which is often accurate for frequently acquire consumer products, is confront with describe his private brand market. It is vital for him to know whether the sales of his private brands are reason for the impulse buying of consumers who switch to his store at the time of purchase or whether his brands customer are loyal to his brand and comprise a particular market segment. In fast moving consumer goods normally get pleasure from very slim profit margins in their product categories. It is therefore very important that the retailer be aware of the impact of the introduction of a store brand on customer demand for both the store brand and manufacturing brands. Retailer have turn out to be more powerful and global, they have gradually more focused on their own brands at the cost of manufacturer brands. Rather than just selling on price, retailers have changed private label into brands. Consequently, such a Johnson Johnson, Nestle, Procter Gamble and Unilever and all other locally and multinational manufacture now compete with their largest retail and wholeseller customers like Metro, Makro, Aghas and Naheed. The development in private labels has huge inference for executive on both sides. So far, brand manufacturers still stick to their outdated assumptions about private labels. Most vital, the lay out actionable approach for opposing against or work together with private label supplier. Private labels enable managers to steer beneficially in this radically altered landscape. Private label market share usually goes up when the economy is distress and downward in stronger economic periods. Manufactures of brand name products can have major influence on the importance of the challenge create by private label goods. It is not easy for managers to look at a competitive risk objectively and in long term situation when day to day performance is suffering. Lot of private label commodities are more complicated than their rivals similar products. Once chosen for less prosperous buyers, private labels have enjoyed growing attractiveness among all consumers. Private brands are, in reality, altering the branding, product development marketplace, and retailing which was already changing in reply to globalization, more rapidly development, and superior consumerism. Private Brands are growing into full fledged alternative, capable of competing productively with these national brands on quality as well as on price (Harding Quelch, 1996) and contributing significantly to profitability, Store discrimination and store loyalty (Lal Corstjens 2000). Sales Volume and market shares of store brands, as well as their appeal to consumers have gradually increasing. A lot of retailers come into view themselves increasingly as active marketers of their own store brands, rather than as iactive distributors ofnational brands. Private brands can help retailers to attract consumers traffic and build loyalty to the store by offering exclusive product lines and quality products. In addition, store brands can help project a lower price reflection for retailers, increase their bargaining influence over manufacturers and producers of major national brands and point to increased control over shelf space. Carrying store brands comes with sevral advantages, one of whic h is the comparatively high gross margin, which can be more than a manufacturers brands. The high margin results from the more proficient marketing effort, lessening of middleman, and economies of scale get hold of distribution. Furthermore, they present worth to customers by offering a mishmash of good quality and superior products and strenghten the retailers name both on the shelves and in customers homes (et al Richardson, 1996 and Fitzell 1992;). The idea of store brands is often used interchangeably with terms such as private label brands or own brands. (cf. DelVecchio, 2001; Dick et al., 1996;Hoch and Banerji, 1993; Raju et al., 2001; Sethuraman and Cole, 1999). The positioning of the brand is a gathering of many different variables, such as the image of the store, quality of the products, price of the products, variety of the products and drive of the retailer to invest in its promotion (Kapferer, 1994 and Davies, 1998;). In most of the cases the private brand is closely linked with the store itself, for example in the case of Makro, Metro, Naheed, Aghas and D-Mart where own brands are sold exclusively. In other cases, the store brand is one of lots of brands available in the store. This situation is distinctive for most retail stores. 2.1. Development of Intention How do retailer attributes influence consumer valuation of store brands? Even though retail stores are facing difficulties in discriminating themselves due to the lack of a apparent core product/service and the need to address the broadest possible range of consumers and purchase situation, (al et Dick 1995). For Suppose that the store image acts as an important sign of store brand quality. Store image is reflected in the stores physical environment (al et Richardson 1996b), Observation related to its commodities, and perceived service quality (Golden Zimmer 1988, Baker et al., 1994).Custmers use these indication to form an overall assessment that will influence their attitude toward the store as a whole, and potentially towards its store brands. This can give explanation why store brands do better than manufacturer branded products in some cases. Consumers buying decisions will thus be subjective by their experiences with the retail environment, the merchandise and the level of ser vice: (al et Semeijn J. / Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 11 (2004)) A well-recognized and established brand image is one of the most important assets a firm possesses. Brand managers and manufacturers are worried with managing brand equity and capitalizing on the value of a brand image (Aaker, 1991). A product or retail establishment has many relations which combine to form its total intuition. Only some would disagree that consumers form impressions of brands, and that these impressions afterward put forth a major influence on store choice decisions and shopping behaviors. Favorable images of brands surely influence patronage decisions and purchase behaviors, while unfavorable images unfavorably influence such decisions and behaviors. In other words, the images linked with the brands a store carries influence a stores image, which in turn, influences consumers decision-making process and behaviors. As a result, brand image and Store image are inextricably connected to one another. 2.2 Store image The concept of store image first came of interest when Martineau Pierre (1958) explain the qualities of the retail store. Since that declaration, it has usually been recognized that, over time, consumers form opinion and feelings associated with stores, and that these overall imitation strongly influence their shopping and patronage behaviors. Retail store image is an overall intuition of a store as perceived by consumers (Keaveney and Hunt, 1992). One of the normally conventional formal definitions of retail store image is an individuals cognitions and feeling that are contingent from perceptions or memory inputs that are emotionally involved to a particular store and which represent what that store mean to an individual (Jacoby and Mazursky, 1986 Baker et al., 1994; ). In addition to developing explanation of retail store image, researchers have also recognized multiple extent of the concept. Retail image is normally explain as a combination of a stores well-designed qualities and the psychological characteristic consumers link to these. Where as the exact dimensions have varied over the years, the well-known classification of image characteristic have consisted of some combination of functional and psychological characteristic. For example, some of the more common proportions identified by researchers have been linked with: trend, choice, and excellence of merchandise; customer services and sales personnel; and the physical conditions and ambiance of the store (Golden and Zimmer, 1988, Lindquist, 1974-1975; Martineau, 1958;). A strong brand image offers an organization quite a few important strategic advantages. A brand differentiate the goods and services of one seller from those of rival. A powerful brand identity creates a major competitive advantage; a well known brand encourage repeat purchases. Thus, a brand acts as a indicator to consumers concerning the source of the product and defend customers and manufacturers from me-too products that may come out identical. Brand image consists of consumer knowledge and thinking, stored in memory as associations, about brand attributes and the consequences of brand use (Olson and Peter, 1994). These relations are usually organized in some meaningful manner (Aaker, 1991). Brand images are important because they form worth for manufacturers in at least five means (Aaker, 1991). 1st, brand images help consumers retrieve and process information. 2nd, brand images give a basis for discrimination and positioning of a product. 3rd, brand images involve product attributes and customer benefits that give consumers a basis to purchase and use the brand. 4th, brand images create relations that make positive attitudes and approach that are transferred to the brands. 5th, brand images provide the source for product extensions, by creating a sense of fit among the brand and the new product or by giving consumers a basis to buy the new product. The value brand images create for manufacturers are also expected on to the image of retail stores that hold the brands. One way consumers explain retail stores is in terms of their assessments of the brands accepted. (JOURNAL OF PRODUCT BRAND MANAGEMENT, VOL. 6 NO. 6 1997) Store brands are usually owned, controlled, and sold exclusively by particular retailers. The products sold under these brand names are generally developed and packed by retailers rather than manufacturers and are marketed solely through their own stores. The entry of a store brand can aid retailers in a number of ways: First, store-brand entry can strengthen the bargaining position of retailers v/s national brand manufacturers. The retailers channel power is supposed to increase as a result of store-brand entry, which changes the nature of the manufacturer-retailer dealings. Store brands may permit the retailer to negotiate lower wholesale prices on national brands. In addition, retailers can strategically position store brands in the product space to strengthen their bargaining position when negotiating supply terms conditions with manufacturers of national brands. Store-brand entry may increase the importance of the entire category and increase category sales. In fact, store-brand entry may shake up a dormant category. The store brand itself may make profits because of its high unit margin and potentially high volume. Store brands make shopping easier for consumers, and they enhance the stores image and store loyalty by improving store differentiation v/s other retailers. The retailers marketing tactic for store brands should think about manufacturers interest in developing store brands and consumer interest in store brands. Regardless of the potential power of a store-branding marketing strategy, and although its great attractiveness in a variety of sectors, applying a store-brand strategy does not necessarily promise instantaneous success. To a certain extent than viewing development of a store brand as a dependable recipe for success, retailers need to study the brands positioning and financial characteristics in depth to choose how and whether to apply a store-brand strategy. Several characteristic should be measured: The strength of competitiveness in the division. Retailers that work in less competitive markets essentially hold large market shares. Because these retailers get pleasure from regular traffic by consumers, they can offer wide range in leading and non-leading national brands as well as store brands. As a result, it is more likely tha t consumers will believe the private brand to be a good buy. These brands thus help strengthen tie between consumers and the retail chain and increase loyalty to the chain. Economies of scale. Because large retailers can exploit their strength to reduce distribution costs, they can easily ask manufacturers to manufacture a store brand for them at lower cost. The savings achieved permit large retail chains to present quality brands at reasonable prices. The depth of the retailers product mix. Customers at retail chains with low positioning look forward to find a more limited range of brands, ranging from store brands to leading manufacturers brands. Because the majority of consumers in these chains tend to buy non-leading national brands, it is more expected that the store brands will sell and become a regular attribute in the shopping baskets of the chains customers in time. The retailers experience in diverse product categories. Consumers in specialty stores develop only a weak reliance on national brands because they seek exclusive brands rather than the standard brands offrerd in most stores. Against this conditions, the prospects grow for the specialty shop to build up a line of store brands. Price difference. Research demonstrate that when there is a large difference between product prices (national and private) in certain categories, the rivate brand has better prospects for success. As the gap grows smaller, the prospects of store brands similarly reduce . Promotion. Promotion activities by national brand manufacturers, such as concession on their own brands, direct to a loss of status and influence for store brands, mainly among price-sensitive consumers. When distributors strive to fight national brands through alike promotion activities, they may end up deteriorating the private brand and enhancing sales of national brands, as promotions can make consumers recognize the store brand as lower in quality than the national brand. (Ram Herstein and Eugene D. Jaffe are based at the Ruppin Academic Center, Emek Hefer, Israel.). 2.2.1 Price of Store Brand Price and extraordinary promotions have been used to attract customers to a retail store and create an increased level of store traffic (Berden and Lichtenstein, 1989 Krishnan, Monroe and Grewal, 1998). According to the trade publications, retailers use of price promotions to draw attention of customers and the want to maintain margins have always been at odds with each other. The disagreement has become more acute as price promotions have failed to build sales (Grocer Progressive, 1992). In addition, although price discounting can generate traffic in a retail store, such discounting can have negative effects on the brands quality and internal reference prices. Price discounting may even spoil a stores overall image. 2.2.2 Quality There was a distinctive gap in the level of quality between private label and national brand products. Now that gap has narrowed; private-label quality levels are much higher than ever before, and they are more consistent. The distributors that bond for private label manufacture have improved their procurement processes and are more cautious about monitoring quality. For a long time, the critical assumption that a product will best satisfy the customer as long as it has desired benefits was, unexpectedly, completely foreign to store-brand marketers in emerging developed markets. Consumers were hesitant to accept store brands because they did not offer functionality benefits that indicated quality, freshness, high performance, resilience and etc. Only recently have some managers in the best-performing store brand markets learned what the store brand actually means to the customer, and they have consequently improved its functionality and quality. (Launching store brands in emerging markets: resistance crumbles by: Jaffe D. Eugene and Herstein Ram) 2.2.6 Ambiance Is it not enough to offer a well familiar product range at a best price in the right place? A good layout is a matter of customer satisfaction. Of course, there are also viable factors that argue in favor of the significance of a good layout. A good layout provides you with the opportunity of influencing store turnover. The proper shelf layout, the display of the product range or a well-thought out spot for special offers all have a direct outcome on turnover. So a good layout may very well create a boom in a stores turnover. Each store has its own best explanation for logistics problems. This applies mainly to stores with a quick turnover of goods, stores that sell products that are not easy to market or products that take up a large amount of space. One of the major purposes of the layout is certainly to create smooth customer flow all the way through the store. To accomplish this, it is important to create the right balance between fast and smooth (consumer) flow on the one hand a nd provision of space on the other. Creating smooth (consumer) flow is essential in stores that have a high frequency of customer visits. Of course, a good layout has other purposes as well. In accordance with the belief that first impressions count, the layout can either catch the attention of customers or put them off. A layout can provide solutions or it can cause difficulties.

The Impact Of Organic Growth In Enterprise Marketing Essay

The Impact Of Organic Growth In Enterprise Marketing Essay Development of enterprises have a lot of ways to achieve. The basic two ways are internal growth and external growth. Internal growth is know as organic, generic, internal base, or even core growth. With organic growth, the entrepreneur brings new resources together in an innovative combination to create new value. (Nieman and Pretorius 2007, p. 110). So it means the company growing by a natural way like growth of revenue, market share, products, service and more the company own resources, without acquisition, merger or cooperation with another company. (Garbade 2009, p. 3). And internal growth is kind of widely used strategy in business. The internal expansion and growth strategies can take one or more of the following forms (Nieman, 2003). The below is the definition from a book named . The external growth strategies all stand outside the micro and market business environment of existing business. external growth strategies must position the firm in relation to its position in the industry value chain. (Nieman and Pretorius 2007, p. 111). In my understanding the external growth refers to use outside resources to achieve the development of business. In the simply way the external growth strategy is the company through acquiring, merging or cooperating with another company. (Schwenker and Spremann 2008, p. 226). So i will talk about why the organizational preferred use organic growth in their business in the next article. In fact organic growth is a necessary and a smart long-term strategy for any business. Because when the company just set up, the company do not even have the power to merger or acquisition any other companies. They must use themselves resources and energy to ensure the business growth. The reason why the business should choose organic growth during their development, because organic growth relatively other growth strategy, it has low risk to business. In other words the market is instability, but develop self resources it could not be wrong. Repeat my earlier write, the organic growth is through growth of the company own resources. I will going to detail about how to growth those own resources. (Hess 2007, p. 1). Through increasing market share If expand the market share is almost like increase the turnover, volume, income or profit, but have some different more like expand the brand and to gaining and maintaining customer and consumer confidence, because you must let more people know you, at the same time the sales volume is increase. In addition, it need to expand the products range, let your products suit for more people rather than limit in a part of people. (Nieman and Pretorius 2007, p. 110). Expansion into new markets It is a number of ways to expand the market. Like through expand geographic areas, industries, target markets, branding of a product or even exporting. At the same times in a highly competitive sector the requirement is to broaden the appeal. Can through the products, price or service. (Nieman and Pretorius 2007, p. 111). And i think it a kind like increasing market share, but they are have a little bit different. Case study I: Muji Life-style Store Muji is a Japanese company. At first, it just sell limited products, like soy sauce, coffee, washing powder and toothbrushes, comprised 40 items only. They are totally use organic growth to develop their company. Just like the ways i talk about above. First they was build a image for their brand, that is Minimalism to market. Then they started to develop their products and outlets. Muji has following 32 years since, its establishment made dramatic progress by increasing its product line, which originally consisted of only 40 items to more than 7,000. In other words, it means market share was increasing at that time, because they have a lot of types of products now, like stationery, health and beauty, food, clothing, kitchen/tableware, furniture and home appliances. Those stuffs is include a lot of industries and it is a huge market, can take care different groups of consumers. And they also open store overseas by themself. In 1991, they opened a first overseas store in London, then c ontinuing open about 17 stores in British. Followed by those in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Hong Kong, Tai Wan, South Korea, China and elsewhere, resulting in a total of around 51 stores in 13 countries. (Hiro 2007, p.p. 108-125). Muji overseas expansion 1991 2008 Source: Table by Chew Hui Min (2010) This table shows Muji status of expansion, as we can see stores opened increase every year. So it can prove Muji have success through by organic growth strategy. Developing new products Expand new products is one of the critical factor in the company. And creativity and innovation is a basic element in process of new product development. Product development covers a range of activities from minor modifications of existing products to the development of entirely new product concepts. (Nieman and Pretorius 2007, p. 111). The product development is a way to increase market share and customer groups. It kind like attempt to extend or prolong the product life-cycle. (Thompson 2001, p. 491). To my point of view the developing new products are very important to business, during a company growth, you can not sale one stuff forever, you must create in the volatile markets and to get more customers. Innovation Innovation is a change not a modification. It means a new product life-cycle, not only launch a product, it represent a company become different. In car industry, such as the Ford Escort or Ford Fiesta, every few years they have different new forms to appear, the changes for each new model were definitely different rather than essentially cosmetic. And each new model was very different from the existing model, simply the name was the same, so it called innovation. Similarly it is important to consider about the how to extending product life-cycle. For example: the Sony Walkman and similar personal cassette players have enjoyed their own successful life-cycle. At the same time they have extended the product life-cycle of cassette players in general. Innovation can be behind the invention of a new way of doing business. Maybe innovate can be risky in currently industry because it is a barrier against competition. The innovatory companies launch the new product ahead of their competitor to establish and consolidate a strong market position. Innovatory companies can stay ahead by introducing new products ahead by introducing new products ahead of their rivals and concentrating on production and marketing to establish and consolidate a strong market position. (Thompson 2001, p. 491). Constant innovation is likely to prove expensive and will require other products and strategies to be successful in order to provide the funding. (Thompson 2001, p. 492). Case study II: Lego Company Lego is a company to make plastic building bricks for children, was launched in 1949. And always proved popular in the industry renowned for changing tastes and preferences and for innovation. And the basic strategy they used is product development, and Lego create a lot of types on its basic product theme. By the mid-1990s some 300 different kits (at a wide range of prices) were available worldwide. There were 1,700 different parts including bricks, shapes and miniature people. And children could use those to make almost anything from cars to large, complex, working space stations with battery-operated space trains. And the colours of bricks can be selected to appeal to both boys and girls. They even launched more complex Lego Techinc sets to attract young teenage market. At the same times, it is times of a changing tastes and by the growing popularity of computer games. Lego was choose a new range extension, a new kit especially for girls in 1997. It was a dolls house series comple te with miniature dolls and furniture. One year later, Lego began to market construction kits with microchips and instructions on CD-ROMS. They introduced a new mind-storms range, to built around a brick powered by AA batteries, which could be incorporated into a variety of different models and also could then be instructed to move with the aid of an infra-red transmitter. More recently, lego has ventured into the computer games market with CD-based products, the users can build train sets, vehicles,etc., on screen. Some years ago, Lego was build theme park, featuring rides and displays built with Lego bricks in Denmark, followed by in San Diego, USA. In the late 1990s the UK park was attracting 1.5 million visitors every year. (Thompson 2001, p.p. 483-484). Its hard to believe a company just sell bricks when they start, now is a huge toy kingdom, and they even enter the tourist industry. Its just because they know how to use product development and innovation to grow their company. They create a variety of ways to expand their business. Therefore use product development and innovation strategy are good ways to develop company and growing company in all respects. After so many strategies, we should be talk about how the company know that those strategies is work in the business. We can through in several metrics, like financial, operational and behavioral. The company to understand which areas of their are not performing as efficiently as possible by those metrics, then they take action to shore up those numbers. And financial metrics is through understand your companys profit, revenue and cost. (Hess 2007, p. 97). For example: This is how Wal-Mart to measure. Sam Walton was a stickler for numbers, when he started Wal-Mart. He required managers to be in the field Monday through Thursday. Friday was retail merchandising review day, and Saturday morning was financial metric review day. In his autobiography, Walton wrote that he awakened very early every Saturday morning to go over numbers on every store so that he could discuss them at the Saturday morning manager meeting. Financial metrics helped him to manage the company by identifying opportunities for improvement. (Hess 2007, p. 98). Of course every company need to report financial results. In organic growth companies do much more than this. They measure every part of their value chain. The operational metrics include measure about human resources. A good company must engage their employees have high tenure. Because if you have high employment turnover, it is hard to build a be-better organizational culture. Because you need constant to training, communicate with them, to build loyalty. Opposite, they already have the loyalty and it is an engaged employees take responsibility for and ownership of their jobs. It means the company must have high employee satisfaction, high employee loyalty and productivity, and employee turnover substantially below industry averages. For example: Best Buy have more than 167 thousand employees and the employee turnover is 20 percent below the industry average. (Hess 2007, p. 117). So it not only prove a companys capability but also show how strong is the company. Actually organic growth is a slow strategy, and financed by asking shareholders to contribute more capital or by ploughing back profits into the business. The company must step by step to achieve growth. (The Times 100 Business Case Studies 2012). First of all you must have a detailed plans, like which way you want to expand, then give a plan in that direction. For example you want through development product to achieve growth, so you must know what kind of product you want to create. And set a goal for every quarter of year. Still need check yourself during the developing. Except growth by organic, the another to achieve growth is external growth. Compare with organic growth, the growth by internal is less risks than external. In fact, the organic growth have disadvantages, but the main disadvantage of such an approach is that it takes time and in the meantime rivals may be expanding and gaining competitive advantage. I have mentioned above the external growth is through acquiring, merging or cooperating with another company. It is a fast strategy but have a lot of risks, like growing too fast, losing existing customers and lack of control during expansion and numerous challenges in communication and cohesion. (Maughan 2012). In addition external growth is seek external finance or by merger and acquisition. These way tend to rely on bringing external finance into the business in order to fund expansion, and therefore can lead to a deteriorating gearing position. But organic growth can keep a healthy gearing position. Because it is not building up exter nal debts (requiring interest repayments) and it is better keep solvent growth. In addition ownership and control of the business is more likely to be retained by the existing shareholders. (The Times 100 Business Case Studies 2012). The another disadvantage of external growth is that where two companies come together, the cultures may be quite different and difficult to match up. In organic growth side no crashes in culture, because organic growth do not through external business to achieve success therefore there are no cultural crash. (BASE Blog 2012). Moreover may be have some disagreements between managers who are used to working with different practices and systems. (The Times 100 Business Case Studies 2012). We talk a lot of about organic growth strategy, now we going to a basic question, why the company preferred to choose organic growth as their strategy. In my view, first, it is a necessary process of business, if company without organic growth unless the owner is a very very rich man, then you can merger or acquisition other. Otherwise you need develop by yourself ability. Second, external growth is a high risk strategy relatively to organic growth, so why a company prefer high risk rather than lower risk? Last, as above said organic growth is very slow process strategy but it is a long-term strategy to growth companies. And when the company use this strategy to achieve success, it means this company have excellent capability in the industry. Generally in my opinion if i start a business will choose the organic growth. Because it is a basic strategy to a business, though it is a low strategy but it very safe to business. And it can show and prove the capability of business. We you achieve success by organic growth strategy the company will be independent. May be when the company on later stage have capability to use external growth to more improve the development but i still respect organic growth. It is a long-term way to keep business growth, and we can use a combination of internal and external growth, but can not abandon organic growth.

Eurasian Hedgehog :: essays research papers

CONTEXT AND CONTENT. Order Insectivora, family Erinacediae, genus Erinaceus, phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, subclass Theria, intraclass Eutheria. DIAGNOSIS. Erinaceus europaeus can be distinguished from other hedgehogs by spines and its size. The spines average about 1 inch in length (Grolier 1972). The quills are set in transverse bands, which vary in color. It has approximately 5000 spines (Feldhamer et al. 1999). Erinaceus europaeus is about 7 to 10 inches (17.5-25.4 cm). GENERAL CHARACTERS. E. europaeus males are 10  ¨Ãƒ ¹ inches long. The female averages  ¨Ãƒ º inches smaller. They average 10-12 inches including the tail. The length of the tail is 1 inch. The tail consists of 12 vertebrae (Beddard 1902). Also, the tail is thin, cylindrical, and naked or scantily haired. The weight of both males and females can get up to 2  ¨Ãƒ ¸ lbs. (Burton and Burton 1969) or 400-1100 grams (Grzimek 1968). HRL is 13.5-30 cm and TL is 1-5 cm (Grzimek 1968). The height of the shoulders is 5-6 inches.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The quills covering the back and the top of the head are  ¨Ãƒ º-1 inch in length. Each spine is set at an angle to the skin. They are set in transverse bands, which vary in color from base to tip depending on the various zones of the body. Some of the spines have a yellowish-gray color. The spines do not have grooves. The rest of the body is covered with coarse hair. This area is light brown (Grolier 1972).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All of the four feet have five clawed toes. There are 5 pads on the sole. E. europaeus walk on the sole of their feet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are 14 or 15 ribs in E. europaeus the also do not have a caecum. DISTRIBUTION. Erinaceus europaeus occurs throughout Europe and Northern Asia. In Asia, it goes as far north as the limits of the deciduous forests. They live in burrows, which are often dug in a bank or stump. FORM AND FUNCTION. On the back and top of the head, E. europaeus has sharp spines. On the bottom of the body, legs, and tail is a coarse fur coat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They have rounded bodies and are squat. The muzzle is sharp and comes to a point. The eyes are roundish and broader than they are long. The ears are small and round, which barely project beyond the hair and spines. Both the eyes and the ears are well developed. The sight seems to be poor, but smell and hearing are acute.

Free Essays - Nuts that are not Nuts in A Book of Showings :: Book of Showings Essays

Analysis of Nuts Which Are Not Nuts in A Book of Showings    Note: Because of the specific nature of the text, I thought it might be useful to attach the whole of it on the cover page for perusal at leisure if you so desire. Below is the text from the Norton Anthology of English Literature (p. 295), and under that the assumptions I make in reading the text. The former is directly from the book, and as it is all on one page, I will refrain from noting that page every time I reference the text. If you wish examples, everything is below and will be treated as my point of reference in all situations. The latter are important so that I don't have to cover them in the body of the essay, as they are generally logical assumptions gleaned from the reading which I don't have the space to spend time explaining. They may be referenced for the proof, however.       And in this he showed a little thing, the quantity of an hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand, as me seemed, and it was as round as a ball. I looked thereon with the eye of my understanding, and thought: What may this be? And it was answered generally thus: It is all that is made. I marvelled how it might last, for me thought it might suddenly have fallen to nought for littleness. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasteth and ever shall, for God loveth it; and so hath all thing being by the love of God.    In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the second that God loveth it, the third that God keepeth it. But what beheld I therein? Verily, the maker, the keeper, the lover. For till I am substantially united to him I may never have full rest ne very bliss; that is to say that I be so fastened to him that there be right nought that is made between my God and me.    This little thing that is made, me thought it might have fallen to nought for littleness. Of this needeth us to have knowledge, that us liketh nought all thing that is made, for to love and have God that is unmade. For this is the cause why we be not all in case of heart and of soul, for we seek here rest in this thing that is so little, where no rest is in, and we know not our God, that is almighty, all wise and all good, for he is very rest. Free Essays - Nuts that are not Nuts in A Book of Showings :: Book of Showings Essays Analysis of Nuts Which Are Not Nuts in A Book of Showings    Note: Because of the specific nature of the text, I thought it might be useful to attach the whole of it on the cover page for perusal at leisure if you so desire. Below is the text from the Norton Anthology of English Literature (p. 295), and under that the assumptions I make in reading the text. The former is directly from the book, and as it is all on one page, I will refrain from noting that page every time I reference the text. If you wish examples, everything is below and will be treated as my point of reference in all situations. The latter are important so that I don't have to cover them in the body of the essay, as they are generally logical assumptions gleaned from the reading which I don't have the space to spend time explaining. They may be referenced for the proof, however.       And in this he showed a little thing, the quantity of an hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand, as me seemed, and it was as round as a ball. I looked thereon with the eye of my understanding, and thought: What may this be? And it was answered generally thus: It is all that is made. I marvelled how it might last, for me thought it might suddenly have fallen to nought for littleness. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasteth and ever shall, for God loveth it; and so hath all thing being by the love of God.    In this little thing I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the second that God loveth it, the third that God keepeth it. But what beheld I therein? Verily, the maker, the keeper, the lover. For till I am substantially united to him I may never have full rest ne very bliss; that is to say that I be so fastened to him that there be right nought that is made between my God and me.    This little thing that is made, me thought it might have fallen to nought for littleness. Of this needeth us to have knowledge, that us liketh nought all thing that is made, for to love and have God that is unmade. For this is the cause why we be not all in case of heart and of soul, for we seek here rest in this thing that is so little, where no rest is in, and we know not our God, that is almighty, all wise and all good, for he is very rest.

Affirmative Action, A Social Issue Essay -- Inequality Equality Minori

Affirmative Action, A Social Issue The black rights and women’s rights movements of the 1960’s fought against injustice and discrimination that had been suffered by minorities for years (Hudson). In response, President Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925 in 1961, creating a Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity and mandating that projects financed by federal funding would â€Å"take affirmative action† to ensure that hiring and employment practices were free of racial bias (Hudson). Two more executive orders in 1965 and 1968 prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, and gender, giving the federal government the power to enforce this prohibition (Hudson). However, in current times, affirmative action programs have suffered setbacks. Affirmative action in education has been abolished in Texas by court order, and in California and Washington it has been terminated by public referendum (Bybee). Currently, the main question concerning affirmative action is whether or not it is the best way to combat inequality. Also: What groups should or should not have affirmative action? When will the problem be â€Å"solved† and affirmative action no longer necessary? While the United States is divided between 49% of citizens supporting affirmative action programs and 43% opposing them, many Americans have a difficult time even defining what affirmative action is (Gallup 2003). The term ‘affirmative action’ includes laws, policies, and programs designed to reduce or eliminate inequality (Hudson). Inequality is also a difficult term to define, but the fact that significantly fewer women and minorities enjoy high paying jobs, attend prestigious universities, and reside in wealthy neighborhoods m... ... of Michigan Sees 23% Decline in Minority Applicants.† Black Issues in Higher Education. Reston: 11 Mar 2004. Vol. 21, Iss. 2, p. 10. {scholarly primary, print via internet, reputable} Yetman, Norman. â€Å"Race and Ethnicity.† Sociology: Social Foundations of Public Issues. Mc-Graw Hill: 2003. {scholarly primary, print, reputable} Gallup Poll. N=1,385 adults nationwide (MoE  ± 3), including, with oversamples, 821 non-Hispanic whites (MoE  ± 4), 241 blacks (MoE  ± 7), and 266 Hispanics (MoE  ± 7). Interviewing was June 12-15, 2003, for non-Hispanic whites, and June 12-18, 2003, for blacks and Hispanics. Associated Press poll. Feb. 28-March 4, 2003. N=1,013 adults nationwide. MoE  ± 3. Fieldwork by ICR. NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). Jan. 19-21, 2003. N=500 adults nationwide. Affirmative Action, A Social Issue Essay -- Inequality Equality Minori Affirmative Action, A Social Issue The black rights and women’s rights movements of the 1960’s fought against injustice and discrimination that had been suffered by minorities for years (Hudson). In response, President Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925 in 1961, creating a Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity and mandating that projects financed by federal funding would â€Å"take affirmative action† to ensure that hiring and employment practices were free of racial bias (Hudson). Two more executive orders in 1965 and 1968 prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, and gender, giving the federal government the power to enforce this prohibition (Hudson). However, in current times, affirmative action programs have suffered setbacks. Affirmative action in education has been abolished in Texas by court order, and in California and Washington it has been terminated by public referendum (Bybee). Currently, the main question concerning affirmative action is whether or not it is the best way to combat inequality. Also: What groups should or should not have affirmative action? When will the problem be â€Å"solved† and affirmative action no longer necessary? While the United States is divided between 49% of citizens supporting affirmative action programs and 43% opposing them, many Americans have a difficult time even defining what affirmative action is (Gallup 2003). The term ‘affirmative action’ includes laws, policies, and programs designed to reduce or eliminate inequality (Hudson). Inequality is also a difficult term to define, but the fact that significantly fewer women and minorities enjoy high paying jobs, attend prestigious universities, and reside in wealthy neighborhoods m... ... of Michigan Sees 23% Decline in Minority Applicants.† Black Issues in Higher Education. Reston: 11 Mar 2004. Vol. 21, Iss. 2, p. 10. {scholarly primary, print via internet, reputable} Yetman, Norman. â€Å"Race and Ethnicity.† Sociology: Social Foundations of Public Issues. Mc-Graw Hill: 2003. {scholarly primary, print, reputable} Gallup Poll. N=1,385 adults nationwide (MoE  ± 3), including, with oversamples, 821 non-Hispanic whites (MoE  ± 4), 241 blacks (MoE  ± 7), and 266 Hispanics (MoE  ± 7). Interviewing was June 12-15, 2003, for non-Hispanic whites, and June 12-18, 2003, for blacks and Hispanics. Associated Press poll. Feb. 28-March 4, 2003. N=1,013 adults nationwide. MoE  ± 3. Fieldwork by ICR. NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). Jan. 19-21, 2003. N=500 adults nationwide.

A significant relationship exists between the age of the workforce and increased levels of job satisfaction

Studies of the correlation between the extrinsic and intrinsic aspects that provide for job satisfaction, has been widely analyzed and studied. This study proposes to analyze whether the age of the employee and length of employment has any relations with job satisfaction.Employees of an educational and research institution were surveyed to establish if the company commands high or low job satisfaction. Having participated in a similar survey a year ago, the new findings were used to compare with previous findings to see if job satisfaction has changed. A correlation and linear regression found that neither age nor sex could be used to accurately establish job satisfaction.Future analysis should have an emphasis on categories and age groups that score low on job satisfaction. This survey is important and can be employed by other businesses to test the level of job contentment. Employees who have a job satisfaction tend to be more dedicated to the organization, value their work and are more productive. Random sampling of various age groups was used in this study in order to come up with an accurate finding.The study encompassed the employees as well as the management. In the company’s workforce, 40% percent are male while 59% are female. Based on the findings of the survey there seemed to be a significant relationship between other demographics like sex, year employed, age as factors affecting job satisfaction. A lack of management to employee’s communication is also one of the factors that affect the employees’ satisfaction.IntroductionMelbourne institute is a large educational facility that also doubles as a research institute.   There are employees here who work full time while others are on short term contracts. Many studies have been conducted to establish the aspects that affect job satisfaction. Irregardless of age studies have shown that a large percentage of full term employed expressed a high level of contentment compared to the s hort or part time workers.Generally a multiple of reasons would motivate an employee to remain in a given company; this may include high pay, job security, benefits during work and retirement. An individual’s number of working years is sometimes proportional to their age. This is important as it is considered status by both the employees and the employer.There are a myriad of considerations that will make an employee decide to stay, extrinsic items are those that have been bestowed to the employee by the employer this may include, praise, bonuses etc. the opportunity of progress is also an important consideration, if an employee feels that they cannot advance despite their age they are bound to consider moving to another company. Job satisfaction is one of the most important attribute of the employment relationship.The implications of job satisfaction are extremely influential in that they can determine other factors like productivity, efficiency as well as turnover in an org anization. It is no longer acceptable for workers to work for minimum wage. Every employee wants to be employed on clear terms with a stable salary, but this alone is not pertinent enough to establish job satisfaction.The relationship between an employer and the employees should provide for means by which they can both achieve their objectives since if   employees are deemed to be satisfied in their capacities its is assumed that their output is greater and quality of work is high. This is first achieved by first appreciating that the benefits are mutual and that both the employer and the employee need each other.Coupling job satisfaction with the age of the employees as well as the length of time they have been employed gives another dimension of the relationship. This relationship not only entails how the employee is viewed by the employer but also by other future prospective employers. Senior employees who have been working for long and have a wide range of experience can be va luable to a company. Experience is also an aspect that is tied to age.If the employer is reward adequately for his service he may have little concern in looking for alternative employment. At the start of career, most employees are satisfied with a good starting salary but as years progress and to get job satisfaction, most of them turn their emphasis on job security. Job satisfaction is a combination of cognitive and effective contentment expressed by an individual.Effective contentment is one based on the entire emotional aspect of the individual. This study seeks to establish if there is a relationship between age and job satisfaction (Biderman, 1995).

Debate Essay

The thesis of our case is that birthright citizenship puts unfair burden on certain people in the world to take care of less fortunate. It is ironic that both the birthright citizenship and equal protection guarantees appear in the Fourteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. Arguably, birthright citizenship contradicts the notion of normative equality and arguably equal protection under the laws. Thus, birthright citizenship should be abolished. Our first contention is that birthright citizenship causes two primary problems. First, it strains welfare programs. Second, it permits a never-ending chain of citizenship eligibility. Jon Feere, who has a B. A. from the University of California, Davis, and a J. D. from American University, and is a Policy Analyst for the Center for Immigration Studies, wrote in an article entitled, â€Å"Birthright Citizenship in the United States: A Global Comparison† in August 20101: The two citizenship benefits that have drawn the most attention in the birthright citizenship debate are, first, food assistance and other welfare benefits to which a family of illegal aliens would not otherwise have access, and second, the ability of the child when he grows up to legalize his parents, and also to bring into the United States his foreign-born spouse and any foreign-born siblings. The sponsored spouse can, in turn, sponsor her own foreign-born parents and siblings, and the siblings can, in turn, sponsor their own foreign-born spouses, and so on, generating a irtually never-ending and always-expanding migration chain. 2nd contention†¦Birthright citizenship turns efforts to employ migrant workers into policies exploding the number of US citizens. Jon Feere, B. A. from the University of California, Davis; J. D. from American University, Policy Analyst for the Center for Immigration Studies, â€Å"Birthright Citizenship in the United States: A Global Comparison† August 2010, http://www. cis. org/birthright-citizenship The issue of birthright citizenship for the children of aliens who have not been admitted for permanent residence cannot be resolved in isolation from other immigration issues. For example, politicians on both sides of the aisle regularly call for an increase in temporary workers, but the economic and social impact of children born to these workers while they are in the United States is never part of the discussion. Under any large-scale guest worker program, it is likely that tens of thousands of children would be born on U. S. soil. If the guest worker does not depart when his work visa expires, he becomes an illegal alien and is subject to deportation. But immigration authorities cannot deport the guest worker’s citizen child along with the overstaying guest worker. The result is that the guest worker makes the case for indefinite stay based on the principle of â€Å"keeping families together† — an argument that is often successful at stopping an alien’s deportation. Because of birthright citizenship, what started as a policy to bring in laborers on a temporary basis can become yet another channel for permanent immigration? This is one of the reasons why some have said that â€Å"there is often nothing more permanent than a temporary worker. † Abolishing birthright citizenship would not require a constitutional amendment. Jon Feere, B. A. rom the University of California, Davis; J. D. from American University, Policy Analyst for the Center for Immigration Studies, â€Å"Birthright Citizenship in the United States: A Global Comparison† August 2010, http://www. cis. org/birthright-citizenship Extending 14th Amendment birthright citizenship to any class of persons is a momentous matter because it confers very valu able benefits and imposes very serious obligations on children who have no say in the matter and it also has long-lasting and important effects on the size and composition of the U. S. population. The executive branch’s current practice of extending birthright citizenship to nonresident aliens has never been authorized by any statute or any court decision. The legislative record left by drafters of the 14th Amendment shows that they were primarily concerned about conferring citizenship on freed slaves. While the Supreme Court has settled the matter as it applies to permanent resident aliens, it has yet to decide the matter as it applies to aliens whose presence in the United States is temporary or unlawful. As a result, Americans are justifiably upset with a policy that has become standard practice without their approval. Because the legislative history is not decisive and there is no Supreme Court precedent, serious legal scholars and eminent jurists have argued that Congress should uses its inherent authority to define the scope of birthright citizenship. Congress can use the hearing process to promote a calm, informed, and serious discussion on the wisdom and legality of granting automatic U. S. citizenship to the children of â€Å"birth tourists,† illegal aliens, and other categories of foreign visitors who are taking advantage of a clause in the 14th Amendment that was primarily aimed at helping an entirely different class of persons.