Perpetual Increase of Tuition Fee Essay

Introduction: Like any other individuals, we are pursuing our right in every ways, delivering our thoughts and standing for what is due. We live side by side of our political system; adhere to what is implemented, grasp what has been told and act supposedly. The people is the basic unit of the nation that should be valued, cared and needs be sustained to augment their knowledge and skills in order to have cooperation in uplifting the economy and the living situation of every individual. Education is essential, basic and a must to a person for education is the source of knowledge and can improve you eventually as you step up in every stage that is prepared for a long time. The knowledge that has been thought will be passed down up to the next generation. It truly depicts that education is very treasure for everyone. This is something that can inform you from the lowest up to the highest information that could help you achieve your ambition and goals even how hard it is. But how is education be attained and sustained if it costs too high that even a single bar of it can’t be grasp? How could we possibly digest education when it is deprived to us because of costly tuition fee rate? Is education nowadays a right or just a privilege? Discussion: Our country is indeed aiming for quality education. Every school promotes its unique and exquisite style of performance and in every State Universities and Colleges is having their center of Excellency. But on the other side of the story tuition fee is always increasing and again and again inflating. Majority of the settlers here in our country is having difficulty striving just to uplift the way of living they have. This could be the means of conflict between the students and the learning institutions. â€Å"Higher education for a better nation† but how our nation will be better if this education they offered can’t be afforded? Just in this time many of my fellow youth are studying not inside the learning institution but they are studying how they can supply their daily needs and studying what job they are in. Unemployment rate has never been going down it always strikes the sky above. Why not create or craft new and effective formula and try to break down the problems into pieces. We are facing financial crisis and here comes the inflated tuition fees what is the outcome of it? Probably crushed and ruined dreams of every youth will be as huge as a mountain. It is in this environment that the government intervention is needed. Our tuition fees are not Income Generation of our Alma matter, we are not investors here and we are not investing just to build glamorous buildings and infrastructure, because we just need a simple apparatus just to learn perfectly. Students are investing for their future and we are not business partners of every learning institution. We came to feed ourselves of information not to feed the institution. Students are being aggressive because of this scenario happening they form groups and parties leading to an action appealing this kind of imbalance movement tuition fee hike. Of course they are full of potentials some of them are really solid leaders and if this scenario will continue eventually they will be like handicap persons who cannot move because they were tangled down in the reason of they do not hold degrees. As what we are claiming and what has been told to us by our hero Dr. Rizal â€Å"Youth is hope of our nation† if youth are not properly equipped of information how can we stand for that claim? If we are not properly educated we will be wasted. Truly if this problem will arise gradually nothing would be left for our youth. Our future depends on what we are studying if this would be taken away from us because of the tuition fee hike our lives will be fruitless and our nation wouldn’t be productive enough. Education is a must for everyone in fact education is right but what we are facing today is now a privilege. Education is a long term solution to the problems that we face. So what effect does it have on students? The increase in tuition fee every year means additional loan and burden to parents and more money comes out from the pocket for tuition. So if a student budget a certain amount of money for his or her whole course of study, that student will have to add extra amount of money to the old budget in order to be able to pay all his or her tuition fees. Some students strive to work just to sustain its study, double their time and their effort just to have more savings and for other school projects and requirements. Instead of focusing their mind and ability performing student responsibilities it was divided into different activities in order to sustain the education they have. It can result to stop schooling for a while just to earn more money and save more and more to prepare for its education. It can also be the cause of delay for their future and just a waste of time if they will stop and again another fruitless for their lives again. Depression, frustration and disappointment will be felt by these students. The students also become desperate to debt just to continue and pursue their dreams. So much stress imparted to these students. These effects are really inevitable if this burden continue. Students are the source of man power if they are equipped with the best offensive knowledge and defensive techniques supporting our system providing strong foundation from what they have learned. Conclusion: High tuition fee can motivate students to strive more and learn how to value education more, because nothing more education is a right, the fact that we can’t deny. But as of now we are still a developing country. We should not quickly shift and leap forward for costly tuition fee. Many of our youth is dreaming of education especially tertiary level education. Government should take a look of it; it is also under its jurisdiction to embrace with attention. Give out hope to these youth to pursue the dreams they want. Recommendation: Since it’s somewhat impossible to stop the increase, the least we could do is to give more options to people who clearly have little capability to send themselves to a learning institution. We can still promote scholarship grant or any internship in universities just to ease up the tuition fee bills. But in this time we should make sure that those beneficiaries are much more deserving so that it will not be wasted. Government should donate some facilities or buildings just to lessen the tuition fee, like sponsoring from other groups or any party list groups. We should also consider the life style of the people or income they receive comparing to the tuition fee, if necessary to decrease the tuition in such way students can grab somehow. Reaching out to students what is due to them. We can help one another in formulating solutions to simplify things correctly. As what University of the Philippines created called STFAP or Socialized Tuition and Financial Assistance Program, we can adopt this idea and be regulated in every learning institution. I think it could be more practical in this way so that students may not carry heavy loads. For those who came from low income families they will be receiving monthly allowance and instead of working at night just to sustain education they have. Under the STFAP, you can get benefits with regard to tuition fee payments, laboratory fees and, in some cases, a monthly stipend from the university. The brackets with their corresponding benefits are as follows: * Bracket A (income of over PhP1,000,000 annually) students pay the full tuition fee at PhP1,500 per unit * Bracket B (income of PhP500,001 to PhP1,000,000 annually) students pay only the base tuition at PhP1,000 per unit * Bracket C (income of PhP250,001 to PhP500,000 annually) applicants pay 60% of the base tuition at PhP600 per unit * Bracket D (income of PhP135,001 to PhP250,000 annually) students pay 30% of the base tuition at PhP300 per unit * Bracket E1 (income of PhP80, 001 to PhP135, 000 annually) and Bracket E2 (income of PhP80, 000 or less annually) students do not have to pay tuition fees. Additionally, Bracket E2 students get a monthly allowance valued at PhP12, 000 every semester or about PhP2, 400 every month. Students categorized under Brackets A through D also have to pay full laboratory and miscellaneous fees amounting to about PhP2, 000 upon enrolment.

Sonnets from the Portuguese

The poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, â€Å"How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways† is a list of love. It is possible the most famous of her poems and is part of the collection from Sonnets from the Portuguese. These poems are all based from rhyming schemes from Portuguese poems (Holloway 2008). The poem itself is like a list, describing the extent of that love by comparing it to other emotions and settings. The use of sound is extremely important as the poem is not a rhyming poem but similar sounds are used.It is these sounds and words that create a mood, atmosphere or picture to display love as more than an abstract felling but into a vision. Words paint a picture of love. It manages to paint a picture of love and compare it to other feats of strength, such as â€Å"as men strive for right†. â€Å"Striving for right† is a very powerful concept as the struggle to do right is challenging and fraught with perils. Many times the person will not succeed in that â€Å"right† on the first try but will succeed with hard work and perseverance.This can be just like a form of love, a lasting love that grows with hard work. Other very strong images are used to portray love. Imagine all of your smiles and tears and condense all of the feelings that caused those smiles and tears from a lifetime into one felling, love. It is almost overwhelming to imagine. The sounds used in the poem also paint a picture as a lot of fricative consonants are utilized. Fricative consonant, f, v, the th in the, the th in length, s, z, the ch in check, the g in beige, and h are formed by having a slight air flow restriction in your throat.These consonants use air in the sound and are much softer sounding or muffled compared to other consonants like stop plosives or hard consonants (Wall, J. , et al. 1990). The key words in the text, love, thee, depth, breadth, height, soul, reach, sight, sun, candle-light, freely, strive, right, passion, faith, smiles, life, dea th all use fricative consonants. The use of similar vowels in these words, like light, height, sight, candle-light etc also help to produce a natural flow to the lines.It does not produce a rhythm such that is used with iambic pentameter but it does create a style unto itself. The sounds, such as fricative consonants as well as the repetitive vowel use produce a gentle sounds that are also mirrored in some of the presented text. Yes the poem itself portrays a very intense and consuming love, a love to last lifetimes, but the words and sounds also produce a gentle love, one that you can wrap around yourself almost like a favorite childhood blanket.The words, quiet, candle-light, Grace, and faith produce a softer picture, almost like looking at a photo that might be slightly out of focus. The form of this poem and rhyming used, which result sin the same vowel comb9inations is most likely due to Portuguese poems as it was found that most of the poems in Sonnets from the Portuguese were based off of Portuguese rhyming schemes (Holloway 2008). It would be most interesting to see which scheme this poem was based off of and how close the vowel sounds are related.It is quite clear that the author thought very closely about the language and words used in the poem. The use of words with softer sounds as well as repetitive vowels make the poem lovely to speak as well as painting a beautiful feeling of love, using sounds and descriptions of intense emotions. It is a beautiful intense poem. If it was written for a specific person than I hope that individual was able to appreciate this love as the poem very clearly explains the intensity of that love.This love can be romantic, for your family or friend. No matter what the love it is clear that it is very powerful as love always is. References: Holloway, J. B. , Aureo Annello association, The Elizabeth Barrett Browning Website, 1997-2008, http://www. florin. ms/ebbwebsite. html, accessed June 10, 2008 Wall, J. , Caldwell, R. , Gavilanes, T. , and Allen, S. , Diction for Singers, A Concise Reference for English, Italian, Latin, German, French and Spanish Pronunciation, PSt, 1990

Natural Law theory Essay

With reference to other aspects of human experience, explore the claim that Natural Law theory is irrelevant. Justify your answer. [15] Natural Law is becoming more irrelevant due to our secular culture. Natural Law depends on the belief that the world was designed by a creator, and that morality is absolute according to his standards. Aquinas assumes that all men must seek to worship God. What about an atheist? According to Thompson, if someone does not believe in God, then â€Å"the natural law theory loses its foundation.† Furthermore, in today’s society natural law has largely been replaced by utilitarianism, the belief that our moral choices are less absolute and should be based on creating the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people. It has even been referred to as, â€Å"the ethics of the planet.† It is far less restrictive and many argue it is a superior philosophy to natural law. According to Peter Mullen, Working with Morality, it may be necessary, for example, to torture an innocent person to save the lives of thousands. Peter Singer once wrote a piece condemning natural law in a magazine called Project Syndicate. He prefers practical ethics to theoretical ethics. He cites the case of a South American woman called Beatriz who was pregnant and suffers from lupus, this made the pregnancy difficult. Furthermore, the child had anencephaly. Singer was enraged that the natural law philosophy of Catholic El Salvador prevented her from getting an abortion. He wrote with regard to natural law, â€Å"The use of the term â€Å"being with a rational nature† is very broad, perhaps too broad.† Even the Pope has recently condoned the breaking of natural law in extreme circumstances. Pope Francis has indicated that women exposed to the Zika virus may be permitted to use contraception to avoid pregnancy, in a departure from Catholic teaching. His comments came as women in South America frantically try to terminate pregnancies for fear of giving birth to babies with microcephaly, which gives them unusually small heads. He said that unlike abortion, â€Å"avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil† and in certain circumstances it may be â€Å"the lesser evil†. This proves that natural law is becoming irrelevant even for the Catholic Church. Among more orthodox thinkers, objection to the natural law takes several forms. Many, Protestant evangelicals in particular, presume that natural-law thinking fails to take seriously the condition of human sin and places misguided trust in the powers of human reason debilitated by the Fall. Consequently, natural-law theory is thought to be insufficiently Christocentric and located outside the realm of grace, thereby engendering a version of works-righteousness. These critics remain sceptical out of a concern that natural law is autonomous and somehow external to the centre of theological ethics and God’s providential care of the world. On the other hand, many would argue that natural law is not irrelevant because it is instinctual within all humans. Some believe that God has implanted the natural law as a form of moral instinct. For example, the writer Johannes Teutonicus said that the natural law of men is based on an, â€Å"instinct proceeding from reason.† Therefore even if one is an atheist you cannot escape the urge to follow natural law based on your conscience. Finally, Natural Law continues to be central to Catholic teaching. Early teachers such as Aquinas supported it and so do modern day clergy. The RCC believes that everyone is subject to it from birth (natio), because it contains only those duties which are derivable from human nature itself, and because, absolutely speaking, its essentials can be grasped by the unaided light of human reason. Just recently in March 2015 Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco has invoked the natural law in stressing the moral unacceptability of gay sex and gay marriage.

Human Resource Devopment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Human Resource Devopment - Assignment Example The colleague prefers individualized learning experience where the learning facilitator assumes the role of evaluating the learning process. At the same time, the colleague prefers learning in small coordinated groups where every individual has role to play. Although the colleague prefers participative learning experience, the assertion the colleague make is that such experience should not be independent and structural framework should be established to guide the process. Moreover, the colleague prefers learning process that draws from theories and practical experiences. At the same time, experimental learning that is packaged by facts and real-time examples is what the colleague prefers. Learning that develops on established principles is what the colleague prefers. Lastly, the colleague prefers learning experience that is based on established and communicated discussion methods and one that encourages feedback and evaluations. Learning Curve Learning curve has been used to explain and describe the learning process among different individuals. It constitute graphical representation of how the rate of learning for an individual occur in any given activity or entity (Mangal, 1995). Learning process starts with acquisition of particular idea, which then increases before finally declining after repetitiveness (Mangal 1995). As the curve depicts, learning progress very slowly at first and then accelerates fast. In addition, the curve shows that learning does not progress at the same rate in most cases and this can be demonstrated by the curves and plateaus (Pandey 2006; Heywood 1989). Different tasks are learnt and success acquired... The paper tells that organizations have to initiate lifelong learning, training, and development of their members. Learning constitutes an aspect that growth-motivated organizations cannot ignore or underrate. It is an avenue where change processes in organizations are absorbed and implemented. Nevertheless, organizations have to realize that different individuals possess different learning styles, which constitute an aspect that should be factored when developing and implementing learning strategies. Therefore, the essence of this research paper will be to look at the concepts of learning, training, and development in an organization. Through the research paper, learning theories and learning styles have been identified and discussed hence adequate knowledge has been generated from this. In addition, the research has been able to outline processes for planning and designing training and development in an organization and how such plans can succeed. Moreover, evaluating of training events has been discussed and knowledge about the processes, methods, and procedures of carrying out evaluation has been established. Finally, government initiatives to improve and enhance HR development has been investigated and evaluated and the overall conclusion is that the government plays key role in enhancing HR development. On overall, it can be stated that the research paper has accomplished research objectives that were established earlier in the paper.

Term project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Term project - Essay Example In our classrooms, the power outlets available are few in number and their location on the room walls are not accessible from the seating positions of most of the 20 to 30 students in the class. To provide students with the possibility of extended use of smartphones or other computing devices in the classroom, we have examined several possible solutions to the problem of providing power outlets at each chair or desk. One convenient and practical solution is to provide external battery packs clipped to each chair / desk in the classroom to which the student can connect his or her smartphone or tablet for recharging. At the end of each day, the external battery packs can be plugged into a recharge cart for overnight charging. A report on the evaluation of this solution in comparison with various alternatives is attached. We request you to kindly grant permission for us to convert 30 chairs/ desks in one classroom with smartphone recharge outlets to test that the proposal is useful. Each external battery pack is estimated to cost under $ 100 and the recharge cart under $ 1,800. The total money to be spent is estimated at around $ 5,000, made up of $ 100 x 30 for the external battery packs, $ 1,800 for the recharge cart and $ 200 for miscellaneous small expenses. After the proposal has been tried out in one classroom, we can evaluate what improvements are needed and then extend to other classrooms. We expect to be able to complete the project for one classroom in 6 to 8 weeks. The smartphone has become one of the most frequently used personal electronic devices for internet access. A majority of high school students carry mobile computing devices to school and would like to use it in the classroom as an aid to their study process. Many educators also see a benefit in permitting the use of smartphones and tablets in the classroom. The major limitation of a smartphone is its limited battery capacity, which requires the

Entrepreneurship Virtual Simulation Experience Essay

Entrepreneurship Virtual Simulation Experience - Essay Example In addition, the plan includes the organizational and management structure, the sources of backup funds for the business in the case of bankruptcy, the business executive summary which shows the company’s missions and goals. The objectives of the enterprise include making profits while maintaining consumer ethics (Timm, Christensen & Blenker, 2014). The company description which provides what differentiates the business from others. Furthermore, the planning process includes marketing and sales strategies. It describes how the business plans to market itself plus its sales strategies. The core expectations include: Creating a Culture of Service to Colleagues and students, setting the standard for Trust, Honesty, and transparency. Developing staff and Nurturing Teamwork, Executing Strategies to Acquire Results, Decision Making and Accountability, Cultivating Scholarly and Cultural Assortment, Monetary Responsibility, Process Enhancement and Sustainability. Other expectations include Personal expectations are those expectations that the owner of the business expects from the enterprise. First and foremost, the business expects to make a profit from what it will sell to clients. Moreover, the trade plans to meet its current financial obligation in time (Timm, Christensen & Blenker, 2014). That is the business expects to be able to repay its loans and debts on time. The expectation that the company will grow over the following years is also significant. Besides the above expectations, the business anticipates that the foodstuffs and amenities that it will offer will gain popularity and obtain a wider market despite competition. Also, the owner of the company forestalls that everybody in the organization will be able to perform in a manner that will help the business grow and achieve its missions and objectives. Lastly, the business prospects that each employee will be fair-minded in providing quality work for a fair day’s wage. Customers

Amazon Incorporation analisys Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Amazon Incorporation analisys - Research Paper Example art from this, Amazon.com also presents millions of ethnic and unique as well as refurbished items of varied categories such as books, movies, music & games, electronics and computers; home & garden; toys; kids and baby; grocery; apparel; shoes and jewelry; health and beauty; sports and outdoor; and tools, auto and industrial and many others. This is one of the prime causes that lead to the development of Amazon.com and also improved its portfolio within the minds of the customers. Side by side, technological innovation also enhanced the growth of Amazon.com in the world among others. Other than this, due to wide range of products, international retail websites, worldwide network of fulfillment along with customer service centers enhanced its growth to a significant extent. This helped Amazon.com to become a Fortune 100 company. Due to which, the economic performance of the organization improved to a certain extent as compared as shown in the below graph: Economic performance of Amaz on.com Thus, due to its vision to expand in numerous countries with the help of internet enhanced the goal of becoming the number one organization in the entire world. 2. SWOT analysis Strength: Amazon is one of the most reputed and profitable organization. In 2005, it enhanced a significant growth due to its wide range of products at a competitive price. Although due to implementation of huge initial set up costs, Amazon suffered high level of loss. However, in order to increase its profit margin, it presented wide range of products at a competitive cost. This acted as a boon for the organization to increase its portfolio and popularity in the online sector. The high level of promotion also helped the customers of Amazon.com to increase its awareness about the products. Customer... Amazon is one of the most reputed and profitable organization. In 2005, it enhanced a significant growth due to its wide range of products at a competitive price. Although due to the implementation of huge initial set up costs, Amazon suffered the high level of loss. However, in order to increase its profit margin, it presented wide range of products at a competitive cost. This acted as a boon for the organization to increase its portfolio and popularity in the online sector. The high level of promotion also helped the customers of Amazon.com to increase its awareness about the products. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is also another renowned business strategy that improved its net sales and profit margin. Information Technology (IT) also supported Amazon.com to improve its economic performance and growth. Along with this, it also helped the customers to access the site from varied locations in order to attain the products. Amazon is also a global brand and also the original dotcoms due to the presence of the huge range of customer in the entire world. It became the first online retailer due to the presence of e-commerce techniques. This enhanced the performance and ROI of the organization in the world that proved extremely significant for it

Sustainability And Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sustainability And Business - Research Paper Example The article to be discussed is a 2010 study by B. E. Wright and S. K. Pandey entitled Transformational Leadership in the Public Sector: Does Structure Matter and has an â€Å"Organizational Communication† classification. Article Critique: Transformational Leadership in the Public Sector: Does Structure Matter? By Bradley E. Wright and Sanjay K Pandey Introduction The study by Wright and Pandey was intended to determine why there was a discrepancy between theoretical models on mainstream leadership which showed that transformational leaders are â€Å"expected to be both less common and less effective in public sector organizations† (p. 75) than in the private sector because of strong â€Å"bureaucratic control mechanisms† which apparently leave the public sector without a need for strong leadership. Wright and Pandey noted that this theory has not been supported by meta analyses which had found that â€Å"transformational leadership is as common and effective in public organizations† (2010, p. 75). The authors had considered a number of reasons why there would be a difference between theory and the empirical work on the topic. One of those reasons for example was that perhaps government organizations themselves were not as bureaucratic as theorists presumed although Wright and Pandey (2010) were not convinced on this idea. They decided to test the organizational and contextual influences on the emergence and effectiveness of transformational leadership. The study itself was to test how the culture of the public sector organizations might â€Å"hinder the emergence of transformational leadership† (Wright & Pandey, 2010, p.76). The background to the hypothesis The author’s provided an extensive literature review that covered concepts such as what transformational leadership was; the attributes transformational leaders would have and how the behavior of these leaders impacted employee performance and satisfaction, in govern ment agencies and non-profits. The second part of the review was written to support the author’s idea that there were not a lot of studies that considered organizational structure and its impact on leadership. This led them to test their hypothesis that: â€Å"The more hierarchical an organization's authority structure, the lower the reported practice of transformational leadership behaviors. [H.sub.2] The weaker the lateral/upward communication in an organization, the lower the reported practice of transformational leadership behaviors. [H.sub.3a,b] The greater organizational formalization (measured as [3a] procurement red tape and [3b] human resource red tape), the lower the reported practice of transformational leadership behaviors† [H.sub.4] The more an organization's structure impedes the establishment of extrinsic reward-performance contingencies (here measured as human resource red tape), the higher the reported practice of transformational leadership behaviors. [H.sub.5] The use of organizational performance measures will decrease the reported transformational leadership behaviors† (Wright & Pandey, 2010, p.79). The Method The data was collected as part of the Phase 4 of the national Administrative Studies Project (NASP-IV) and comprised of a survey given to senior managers who had local government jurisdictions with populations over 50,000. This included general managers, as well as functional managers in a variety of departments including Finance, Public Works and Economic Development. International City/County Management Association (ICMA) compiled a list according to study criteria set by the authors. Then because email addresses could not be supplied because of

MANAGING OPERATIONS AND INFORMATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

MANAGING OPERATIONS AND INFORMATION - Essay Example Afterward, this report has discussed the ways that Mark Lucas can adopt in order to satisfy his customers. This report has also discussed the options of data marts and data warehouse. Data warehouse is decision support system that organizations use to build effective decisions. This report has also suggested the supplier relationship management techniques that Mark Lucas can adopt to improve his business performance. This report has also suggested that the sharing of information among business customers, suppliers and working staff would benefit the organization. Introduction This report will present the answers of five different questions. The answers of these questions will be based on Zara case. First answer comprises the discussion on business areas which can help Mark Lucas reduce the business expenditures. The next answer outlines the steps that Mark Lucas should take to maintain the quality of services. After that this report will discuss the role of data warehouse in a busine ss. At the present, the majority of business use data warehouse for effective decision making. This report will also suggest the type of supplier relationship Mark Lucas should adopt in order to improve his business performance. Information is a very important asset of business. This report will discuss the sharing process of this information among different business operations. Discussion Question Number 1: The emergence of latest tools and technologies is modernizing the shape of the world in which we are living. At the present, latest information technology based systems are offering a lot of facilities and services for the business management. In this scenario, the establishment of new technology based systems has offered a lot of easiness and facilities to the businesses in the form of better customer support and supply chain management. Additionally, the modern information technology based systems are based on automated customer response systems that can deal with customersâ⠂¬â„¢ requests seven days a week and 24 hours a day. In short, modern technology has not only changed people’s view of the world but also opened new horizons for the business corporations (Turban et al., 2005) and (Ray, 2004). In scenario of Zara Corporation, Mark Lucas has decided to establish a new business arrangement that will be based on an online business store. This new business store will help the corporation carry out business operations effectively. However, the new online business store will be for Organic Food Company. In this way, customers will be able to interact with business directly using this web based arrangement. Additionally, this online business store will work as a customer relationship management system that will offer web based business management. In addition, this new web based business store will be helpful to Zara Corporation in reducing their business expenditure. For instance, Zara Corporation will be able to reduce cost associated with physica l business management. Additionally, they would have possible cost reduction due to lower human resource requirements and they would need to find out a special region for opening a business shop. In addition, Zara Corporation can also reduce expenditures by avoiding store management issues. In this scenario, they can make use of their web based business store for marketing purpose to reduce business expendit

Building and Sustaining School culture Research Paper

Building and Sustaining School culture - Research Paper Example Creating awareness of culture within school settings can trigger scholars and tutors to take on tasks that promote growth. A school is an organization that has its own principles, values, and norms. Culture is not a distinguishable aspect of a school setting. A school culture encloses teachers developing their attitudes and impacting their conclusions and deeds. Culture manipulates all facets of a school, as well as such aspects as teacher’s dressing, what the teachers talk about during their breaks, how the teachers decorate their classrooms and the teacher’s stress on definite facets of the program of study. This research paper will focus on the factors that can help in building and sustaining school culture within school settings and institutions and the key players.Sarason (1996) refers culture within a school setting as the set of beliefs and values coherent among the school leaders in steering the school and interpreted by the students into proper conducts and arm ored through the installation of discipline. School cultures are formed and transformed over time. Needless to say, there is a broad correspondence among authors and scholars on how school cultures reacts to and replicates community attributes held by the students. For this reason, school culture can be expressed as the air we breathe. It is hardly noticeable. Moreover, it also typifies the traits and values of its leaders (Sarason, 1996).Culture in school grows as â€Å"teachers associate with each other, students and the community†.... School culture is a dynamic aspect that is continuously â€Å"being constructed and shaped through dealings with other and replications on life and the world in general† (Sarason, 1996, p 27). Culture in school grows as â€Å"teachers associate with each other, students and the community† (Barth, 1990, p. 123).Sarason (1996) argues that it â€Å"becomes the guide for behavior shared among members of the school at large† (p. 32). Kruse and Louis (2008, p. 20) argue that schools â€Å"are shaped by cultural practices and values and reflect the norms of the society for which they have been developed†. Barth (1990) asserts that â€Å"rituals and procedures common to most schools play a vital role in defining school’s culture† (p.124). For instance, ringing bells and having students stand in lines. Sarason (1996, p. 138), asserts â€Å"it is challenging to determine the nature of a school’s culture because our own personal experiences and values put blinders on what we look at, choose to change, and evaluate; because our values and assumptions are usually implicit and second nature we proceed as if the way things are the way things should or could be†. Arguably, people scrutinize the customs, guidelines, curriculum, tasks, pedagogy and practices in institutions from side to side via the sieve of their personal experiences and values. Sarason (1996) points out that people must apprehend and analyze their own cultural impacts before examining a schools’. Before joining the school, teachers and other staff members are attached to other cultures. Their values, experiences, prior education and norms,affect their opinions on pedagogy, curriculum and reforms before stepping into classrooms. For this reason, any proposed cultural reform will be resisted. Effects of

Abercrombie and Fitch report Essay Example for Free

Abercrombie and Fitch report Essay Abercrombie Fitch was established in 1892, and originally was a retailer of outdoor and sporting goods. In 1976, it went bankrupted and was acquired by Limited Brands in 1988. Michael Jeffries was nominated to become CEO in 1992, and he dramatically improved the status of AF to be a global fashion retailer. Now the symbol of American style and beloved brand by many customers worldwide, Abercrombie and Fitch produces mainly apparel, fragrance and lifestyle goods targeting at consumers aged from 18 to 25. There are 4 sub-brands in AF which are Abercrombie and Fitch, Abercrombie Kids, Hollister and Gilly Hicks. Each sub-brand has its own characteristics and its positioning in the fashion market is slightly different. Abercrombie Fitch is rooted in East Coast traditions and Ivy League heritage, it is the essence of privilege and casual luxury (Abercrombie and Fitch Co. 2012, P. 3). Abercrombie Kids is for the kids who want to be like their older brothers or sisters and the core concept of it is casual and preppy looks. Hollister’s heritage stems from Southern California and was designed to represent cool beach style. Gilly Hicks is the newest and smallest brand in AF made only for the girls’ clothes or underwear. With the opening of a flagship store in Canada in 2005, AF started to enter the global market. Now it has 139 stores outside of the US, and it recently opened stores in Seoul, South Korea and in Shanghai, China to expand into the Asian market. We chose Abercrombie and Fitch since we would like to see how successful this multinational apparel company can be by insisting its All-American style in different cultures. We wanted to explore its unique retail strategy and brand positioning as this brand is sought after a lot of young adult. Several controversial issues of AF were the deciding factor in our choice of company. Work Oriented Culture Of all the methods which exist for explaining cultural differences, â€Å"the dimensional approach is more influential† (Peng Meyer, 2011). Geert  Hostede, a Dutch professor, established the overarching theory consisting of five cultural dimensions. The first is power distance which outlines the expectation and acceptance of the unequal distribution of power by the less powerful members of a country (Peng Meyer, 2011). Individualism vs. collectivism is the cultural dimension characterized by whether the  citizens view themselves as distinctly different or dependent upon group involvement. The third cultural dimension is masculinity vs. femininity which refers to the values, traditional male or female, which are held in the highest regard. Determining the extent to which an individual will embrace uncertain circumstances is the uncertainty avoidance dimension. Finally, long-term orientation deals with the emphasis the citizens place upon â€Å"perseverance and savings fo r future betterment† (Peng Meyer, 2011). The US is the home country of Abercrombie and Fitch. Power Distance Individuality Masculinity/Femininity Uncertainty Avoidance Long-term Orientation Scoring a 40 caused the US to be in the lower half of the countries for power distance. Hierarchy is â€Å"established for convenience† (Geert-hofstede.com, 2014) as superiors are easily accessible and communicate informally. Information is free flowing as managers take input form their subordinates. The US received the highest individuality score of 91. Citizens are considered â€Å"the best joiners in the world† (Geert-hofstede.com, 2014). It is not extreme for Americans to work with people with whom they are not familiar as deep friendships are not commonly formed. What an individual is capable of doing or has already done will determine their value of being  hired or promoted. Ranking 15th on the masculinity scale with a score of 62 indicates a masculine nation. US firms create a culture of â€Å"live to work† (Geert-hofstede.com, 2014) where higher status and financial rewards are key driving factors. Leaders which are forceful and decisive are highly valu ed. Employees who are less visible and indecisive are not able to attain success With a score of 46, the US is shown to have a below average uncertainty avoidance. Innovation is extremely valued as new ideas are quickly accepted. As compared to firms in higher uncertainty avoidance countries, US firms will quickly go after new, emerging, and risky opportunities. The US is seventh from the bottom of the list for long-term orientation with a score of 29. While future planning is involved in US firms’ decision making process, quarterly reports are incredibly significant and limit the time firms can look ahead. Employees’ savings rates in countries such as the US are much lower than those in long-term oriented nations. Home Region Oriented Firm Rugman and Verbeke in 2004 established a triad of economic power consisting of Asia, the EU, and North America. Analysis of 380 firms determined how many were home-region oriented, bi-regional, host-region oriented, or global (Rugman Verbeke, 2004). A home-region oriented firm has â€Å"at least 50% of their sales in their home region of the triad† (Rugman Verbeke, 2004). To be a bi-regional company, at least 20% of all sales must take place in two regions, but the company cannot have more than 50% in the region where the company is based. If a firm has more than 50% of its sales in a region different than its home region then the firm is considered host region oriented. In order to be global, a firm must have â€Å"at least 20% of their sales in all three regions of the triad, but less than 50% in any one region† (Rugman Verbeke, 2004). AF is considered a home region oriented company based upon the released date from 2013. Of the $4,116.9 million in sales, 64.59% or $2,659.09 million is generated in the home region, North America. $1,116.78 million or 27.13% of all their sales take place in the EU region. Asia is far behind as the remaining 8.28% of sales, 341.03 thousand dollars, is dispersed across the  rest of the world. No calculations were needed as the sales figures and percentages were given. (Csimarket.com, 2014). The industry for which AF operates can explain their sales distribution. As the company is in the fashion and retail industry, its’ sales are incredibly dependent upon the affinity of the customers for specific brands and styles. Since the company is based in North America, the firm is much more familiar with the prevalent style which would need to be present to increase sales. AF also established itself in their home country before expanding. These factors could explain the firm’s international orientation. Ownership Advantages First, one downstream ownership advantage of AF is the possession of a specific brand image which is not easily imitable. The firm operates under different brands Abercrombie Fitch, Abercrombie Kids, Hollister, and Gill Hicks for slightly different targets. Each sub-brand represents a different brand image but they eventually add up to one big image, â€Å"American Cool†. To the fashion retailers, the most important ownership advantage is their own irreplaceable brand image. In this context, AF has its distinct position in the fashion market and is using their brand image successfully to attract the customers (Abercrombie Fitch Co. 2012, P. 3). Second, the other ownership advantage of AF is its’ in-store experience. AF stimulates the customers’ senses of sight, sound, smell, and touch by utilizing handsome male models, music, fragrances, rich fabrics and interior design. Customers (mainly females) can get a chance to take a photo with the models, and this became a representative in-store experience of AF. In addition to this, AF uses certain perfume to attract customers and to make them remember AF for a longer time than just seeing, which is called â€Å"scent marketing†. Also, the stores always play the video of the American beach to emphasize its â€Å"cool† brand image. AF only sets up the flagship stores and controls them through the managers who are trained in the US and sent to the international flagship stores to monitor the whole operation. This system makes it possible to transfer this in-store experience to the newly established flagship stores very well. Therefore, all AF stores, even those  overseas, are committing the standardized in-store experience by offering customers the same experience (Abercrombie and Fitch Co. 2012, p. 4). Uppsala Model Network Internationalization Model Differences â€Å"The Uppsala model views that market knowledge is gained only by operating directly in a market; thus the model focuses on experimental knowledge† (Childs Jin 2013, p. 38). According to the Uppsala model, will increase their market commitment gradually based upon their experience in the market and based on the knowledge they gain in the market. On the other hand, according to the Network internationalization model, firms can start their internationalization before they enter the market by settling network relationship in advance. Therefore, firms do not have to follow the stages of the Uppsala model but â€Å"building a number of such relationships constitutes a large and important investment, and once established, and organiza tional or ownership advantage† (Vahlne Johanson 2013, p. 195). Uppsala Model Network Internationalization Model Similarities Both models consider the network as important knowledge that firms should gain. The network facilitates information and experience by building up the trust in a relationship and also by learning from other market players. Within the Uppsala model, the core concept of the gradual extension of a company’s internationalization into a market, which gains the company valuable experience, should be based on the interplay with customers, suppliers, and other competitors. As the company’s network broadens, it can get more knowledge and at the same time its degree of internationalization will become higher. In this context, we can find similarity between the two models. International Trajectory In 2005, AF first opened its’ flagship store in Canada. Starting from this, AF entered the European market with opening flagship stores in major cities of the European countries, such as London, Milan, Paris, and Amsterdam. On December 15, 2009, AF opened its first Asian flagship store in Tokyo as a starting point to enter the Asian market. Currently, AF owns 19 flagship stores in Canada, 110 in Europe, and 11 in Asia. Among those stores, 39 are sales subsidiaries. In Canada, the Netherlands, and Hong Kong, AF has wholly-owned subsidiaries because there are DCs in those countries, meaning that they are the most important countries in each continent (Abercrombie   Fitch Co. 2012, PP. 19, 101102). Firms who have a strong brand image and possess asset specificity (a unique product or a unique way of doing business) are more likely to internationalize quickly (Childs Jin, 2013). AF is a good example of this case, so it could skip the lower stages of the Uppsala model, such as s poradic exports or exports through sales agents, and could set up the subsidiaries directly overseas, which only takes 7-9  years. Consequently, now we can assume that the company is already in a quite higher stage of the Uppsala-based stages model with its sales subsidiaries and wholly-owned subsidiaries. Degree and Nature of International Sourcing Abercrombie and Fitch does not own factories producing the products and it has not sourced more than 10% of its merchandise from any single member of its approximately 155 vendors in 20 countries, including the United States, China, Vietnam and Guatemala (Abercrombie Fitch Co. 2012, p. 4). In particular, more than 90% of its suppliers are in Asia (Google.com, 2011). The company has established supplier product quality standards to ensure the high quality of fabrics and other materials used in the company’s products (Abercrombie Fitch Co. 2012, p. 5). Abercrombie and Fitch has two distribution centers (â€Å"DCs†) in New Albany, Ohio. The two DCs were initially responsible for the distribution of merchandise to the stores and direct-toconsumer customers, both regionally and internationally. Since 2009, AF has offshored its DCs by using a third-party DC (TNT Fashion) in Roosendaal, the Netherlands for the distribution of merchandise to stores and direct-to-consumer cust omers located in Europe and a third-party DC in Hong Kong since 2011 for the distribution of merchandise to stores located in Asia. Its two DCs in New Albany, Ohio currently only support its North American stores, and direct-to-consumer customers outside of Europe (Abercrombie Fitch Co. 2012, p. 5). The nature of offshoring the DCs is to broaden the direct-toconsumer business worldwide and facilitate the international expansion of Abercrombie and Fitch stores in Europe and Asia. Furthermore, Abercrombie and Fitch has a strong, cooperative and long-term relationship with its vendor factories. When the CEO Mike Jeffries was asked about the cost pressures from raw materials and labor costs, he emphasized  that a strong relationship with vendors has been key since they had assisted AF and been fair in terms of cotton prices and other increases. He also added that AF and vendors have been there for each other for the long term (Barrie, 2010). Strategic Advantages and Drawbacks of International Sourcing and Offshoring The first advantage of international sourcing is that AF can hedge against the supplier risks. Since AF has relationships with over 100 vendors in 20 countries, it can flexibly switch from one source to another when necessary. AF has the ability to increase its total supply capacity. Even if there are a sudden wave of demand for certain products, having a strong relationship with over 100 vendors will ensure AF a certain supply of products and therefore the supply chain will be more stable (Inboundlogistics.com, 2011). However, such global sourcing strategy also brings some disadvantages. The source of production activity is too dispersed; it is a challenge to find qualified executives who know the local business environment and understand the corporation’s inner workings especially in the Asia Pacific region (Inboundlogistics.com, 2011). We would advise Abercrombie and Fitch to send executives from the US to those countries and hire local managers simultaneously to ensure the production activity smooth. The primary advantage of offshoring is to reduce costs. Offshoring its distribution centers in Europe and Asia can save distribution and transportation costs of merchandise to stores in Europe and Asia. However, if the third-party distribution center in the Netherlands or Hong Kong shuts down suddenly, the distribution of merchandise in Europe and Asia will be totally disrupted. Therefore, AF should leverage the risk by running an additional distribution center in some low-cost countries, such as Vietnam. This move will also support AF’s future expansion. Opportunities and Threats in Vietnam Opportunities Labor cost in Vietnam are absolutely lower than that of China (JETRO, 2011) (NWPC, 2014). See Appendix 1 for figure 1. Government policy to attract FDI (Kim, Lee Cheong, 2011). See AppendixThreats 2.  TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Cost reduction, lead time reduction, and tax benefit. See Appendix 3 for table 1. Currently only 16% of AF clothes are produced in Vietnam (Google.com, 2011). See Appendix 4 for figure 2. Vietnam has a better status for lead times, infrastructure, and working circumstances than other developing countries (Kim, Lee Cheong, 2011). As AF doesn’t operate their own manufacturing facilities but uses vendors, it can be intense competition among the companies who want to attract vendors in Vietnam. Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka which have lower labor cost than Vietnam are trying to develop their infrastructure and manufacturing conditions to attract vendors. In the future, those undeveloped countries can be a threat to the Vietnam market. Minimum wage in Vietnam is increasing by 15% in 2013, and 17% in 2014 (Vettoretti Huyen, 2013). Suggestions for the Emerging Market We suggest establishing a distribution center (DC) in Vietnam as a strategy to create synergy with the new manufacturing facilities in Vietnam. Currently, many global fashion retailers are trying to generate vertical integration in the emerging markets because they can control the demand fluctuation easily and simplify procurement and administrative procedures eliminating the need to deal with a wide variety of suppliers and distributors. If TPP is concluded, the degree of tariffs will decrease, so it would be better to concentrate on upstream investment in Vietnam. Because emerging markets are not wellorganized and there is more lack of conditions than the developed market, owning a DC will be more stable and protective. Eventually, a DC in Vietnam will create good access to the Asian market. In  overseas developed markets, AF doesn’t own the distribution centers but uses third-party DCs in the Netherlands and Hong Kong. However in Vietnam, we assume that AF would set up a distribution center as a wholly-owned subsidiary. The third-party logistics in outsourcing the whole distribution to a specialized company would reduce the cost. Now AF has only third-party DCs in overseas and there is a threat to be shut down. In order to prevent this situation in advance, owning at least one wholly-owned DC is practical. Because a wholly-owned DC totally controlled by the company, the company can adjust to the demand fluctuation better than a third-party DC. Therefore wholly-owned DC will function as a safety net in a case there is an uncontrollable problem in a third-party DC. Strategic Objectives of Entering China With regard to market seeking, â€Å"China will represent the biggest market potential for our brands,† said Craig Brommers, senior vice president of marketing for AF (Fashionunited.com, 2014). Undoubtedly, China is a huge and growing market with a population of approximately 1.4 billion. Therefore, AF has been trying to locate its potential customers by opening the first flagship store in Shanghai and 8 Hollister stores in different cities since 2012. The company plans to open over 100 new stores under its Hollister and AFs label in China over the next ten years (Fashionunited.com, 2014). With regard to efficiency seeking, there are an abundant suppliers and a low-cost labor force. Specifically, over 60% of its vendors were located in China in 2011 (Google.com, 2011). Also, there has been a distribution center in Hong Kong since 2011. Therefore, AF can achieve lower transportation costs since the delivery is closer to its target markets. Past Foreign Entry Modes Abercrombie and Fitch started its international expansion in London by opening the first overseas flagship store in 2007, and it almost adopted a single foreign entry mode in the last 7 years. AF established a wholly-owned subsidiary when entering a new market, such as the Netherlands, UK, Hong  Kong, Singapore and Japan. However, AF opened its first Hollister store in Dubai in 2013 through a joint venture with Majid Al Futtaim Ventures and an AF flagship store is expected to open in Dubai in 2014 the same way (Majid Al Futtaim Ventures, 2014). For Abercrombie and Fitch, establishing wholly-owned subsidiaries is a better entry mode for international expansion. AF can enjoy full control of the international stores since it pursues an intensely American retail and marketing strategy (Marx, 2010). Therefore, establishing a wholly-owned subsidiary enables AF to integrate the operation of its subsidiaries tightly with itself and to control what the subsidiary should follow. In addition, it takes a lot of efforts to establish an effective relationship in a joint venture and the cultures of the companies may be incompatible. Financially, The parent company can consolidate the results of its wholly-owned subsidiaries into one financial statement (Basu, 2014).Considering that AF is opening more international stores worldwide, the financial reporting would be too complicated if it engages in joint ventures in many different countries. Multinational Strategy Home Replication Stage The multinational strategy of Abercrombie and Fitch closely resembles the home replication strategy. There are several evidences from practice. First of all, the local responsiveness of AF’s international stores is very low. The staff greets shoppers in English, rather than the local language of the foreign countries. This results in foreign customer alienation since some customers will be forced to surface their rusty English during the transaction (Marx, 2010). AF replicates its home country-based competencies such as brand positioning. Sex appeal is a big part of the brand’s charm in the United States; AF also puts this masculine ideal into practice of its international stores. Particularly, many of the male staff members are half-naked in the stores (Marx, 2010). Finally, the implementation of its marketing strategy and operation is easier. The store design and the interior are the same worldwide along with extremely dim lightings, a strong smell of cologne and perf ume and the staff singing or dancing with the  pounding American songs. ‘Real-life’ Social and Environmental Dilemmas A ‘real life’ social dilemma has adversely impacted AF in recent years surrounding its CEO. The official website of the company states the company strives to be â€Å"an inclusive environment that values the differences of its associates and customers† (Anfcareers.com, 2014). While this is the official statement, an interview with the CEO, Mike Jeffries, brought a contrasting view to light. Jeffries identified his target market by claiming, â€Å"a lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes]†¦Are we exclusionary? Absolutely† (Walker, 2014). AF has since released an apology, but boycotts, negative celebrity statements, and petitions were enacted. This issue is an ethical dilemma to the firm because of their strategic place in the clothing market. In order to stay popular, an essence of exclusivity has been built around the brand, since the more exclusive the brand appears, the more interest the brand receives. This has been AF’s approach, but this strategy is not inclusive. The firm had to determine whether to increase their size options or continue with the current productive model. The most important stakeholders for this dilemma are the CEO and those who hold a large portion of AF’s stock. If AF is not able to effectively remedy the situation then the company’s profits will continue to suffer. AF is a public company so their performance directly affects their stock. If the dilemma is not resolved quickly, it could trigger a chain reaction of a loss in profits which leads to lower stock causing several holders of the stock to drop it effectively dropping the value of the stock. The effects of this dilemma could have extremely long lasting repercussions. An environmental issue which has become a dilemma for AF is the implementation of harmful chemicals in their signature fragrances. Within the fragrance Fierce, â€Å"11 secret chemicals that are not listed on the label† (Henricks, Malkan, Shils, 2014) were found that heighten allergic reactions. This particular fragrance caused reactions from various activist groups such as Physicians for Social Responsibility, MomsRising, and others which total over 1.5 million people (Henricks, Malkan, Shils, 2014). Utilizing harmful chemicals is an ethical environmental dilemma for AF  because the current formula has generated incredible revenue. The official website of the company addresses large environmental impact areas such as limiting their carbon emissions, but nothing addresses something  which impacts the environmental on this particular scale. If AF is able to hide these chemicals and still gain their desired sales results then it has little motivation to stop acting in this manner. The most important stakeholders surrounding this dilemma are not only the executives and upper management of the company, but also the lowest store employees. A loss in serious sales will affect most employees in a company, but this situation would directly affect individual store employees.Customers may stay away from the stores in order to avoid the negative side effects resulting in a loss of profit and jobs for store employees. Developing a Globally Standardized Strategy Currently, Abercrombie and Fitch already has an established a globally standardized strategy to cope with the selected dilemmas. The strategy is laid out on a website by the company which was created specifically for displaying the considerate side of AF. Covering everything from the sustainability to collaborations to specific policies, AF clearly display their globally standardized strategy to â€Å"ensure that the highest values of human rights are being upheld at our headquarters, in our stores and within our supply chain† (anfcares.org, 2014). AF should have a globally standardized strategy. Even if ethical imperialism is not wise, the specific industry operations call for a globalized solution. Several ethical viewpoints are almost universal for garment manufacturing. Several unethical decisions such as environmental negligence and the use of harmful chemicals have resulted in scandals and dilemmas because of the accessibility of information. For example, the infamous in terview with the CEO was conducted years before it gained notoriety. By having a globally standardized strategy, AF could mitigate potential situations before they arise. The selected dilemmas have global relevance. Inclusion, the principle dealt with in the social dilemma, is incredibly important to a multitude of  cultures across the world. A store in the Netherlands which openly admitted to not wanting homosexual customers would experience a similar backlash. The environment issues also reaches across borders. Asthma, one of the problems which are heightened by the fragrances, is prevalent in â€Å"an estimated 300 million people† (Aaaai.org, 2014). Abercrombie and Fitchs’ Actions Compared to Unilever The actual solutions by AF are not similar to the solutions practiced by Unilever. Both AF and Unilever have explicit codes of conduct and plans to deal with ethical dilemmas which arise. Even though these plans exist, AF has demonstrated that its actions do not always align with their official stance. Unilever’s approach to social impact such as gender equality has been greatly documented, and one of their main goals by 2020 is to â€Å"help more than 1 billion people improve their health well-being† (Vis, 2014). The implementation of this policy is seen as Unilever has helped generate around â€Å"65,000 microentrepreneurs† (Vis, 2014). A stark contrast exists between Unilever’s actions and those of AF. Unlike Unilever, the ultimate actions of AF and their refusal to stock larger size clothing proves the company is dedicated to portraying a positive image without actually helping to make a positive change in society. AF’s actions toward their environmental impact align almost with their actions for social justice. Although its’ official stance is to reduce its environmental footprint, the company has taken no action in light of the protests by environmental groups driven â€Å"to get rid toxic chemicals from the environment† (Lutz, 2013) which are the result of their colognes. Unilever’s approach towards economic longevity has been greatly noted as â€Å"75% sites [send] zero waste to landfill† (Vis, 2014). Unilever’s approach is much more preferable to AF’s approach. From a social standpoint, Unilever’s actions have actively made a beneficial social change as Unilever continues to fulfill their promises. AF continues to ignore their customer’s plight even though the company claims to truly care. From a corporate standpoint, Unilever’s approach is better because many news outlets have cited the company as making a positive chan ge, while AF continues to have controversies resulting in a sales drop of 10%. Overall, Unilever has a much better strategy than AF. Appendix 1 Figure 1: Average Monthly Wage of Asian Countries (Nwpc.dole.gov.ph, 2014) Appendix 2 Improvement of the Vietnam Government Policy on FDI (Kim, Lee and Cheong, 2011) The Vietnam government policy for FDI was dramatically improved by registering into WTO (World Trade Organization) and preparing for PNTR (Permanent Normal Trade Relations). Besides, the government adopted global standards, abolished discrimination of foreigners, and opened the service part such as finance or communication. As a result, FDI into Vietnam broadened to various areas, for example, fabrics, mining, energy, finance, logistic and so on. Especially concluding PNTR between the US made it possible to participating into WTO and encouraged foreing investors to enter into the Vietnam market. Another important change in the policy is related to the modification of legal restrictions or rules. On 1st of July, 2006, the government changed the original law for FDI which had been adapted only to the local people into the newly modified law for FDI which is commonly adapted to the both parts of foreigners a nd local people. This was the effort of the government to create more competitive investment conditions which are changing subject of application, and abolishing double price and repatriation tax. Also the government has been modifying the original business law, investment law, land law, and corporate taxation. References 1) Aaaai.org 2014, Asthma Statistics | AAAAI. [online] Available at:http://www.aaaai.org/about-the aaaai/newsroom/asthma-statistics.aspx [Accessed 14 May. 2014]. 2) Abercrombie and Fitch 2012, Annual report 2012, Abercrombie and Fitch Co., New Albany, Ohio. 3) Anfcareers.com 2014, Abercrombie Fitch Careers. [online] Available at:http://www.anfcareers.com/page/Diversity [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. 4) Anfcares.org 2014, AF Cares Our Strategy. [online] Available at:http://www.anfcares.org/sustainability/environment/strategy.jsp [Accessed 16 May. 2014]. 5) Barrie, L. 2010, Abercrombie Fitch sees opportunities in higher costs. [online] Just-style.com. Available at: http://www.just-style.com/analysis/abercrombie-fitch-sees-opportunities-in-highercosts_id109585.aspx [Accessed 18 May. 2014]. 6) Basu, C. 2014, The Advantages Disadvantages of a Wholly Owned Subsidiary. [online] eHow. Available at: http://www.ehow.com/info_8627934_advantages-disadvantages-wholly-ownedsubsidiary.html [Accessed 18 May. 2014]. 7) Childs, M. and Jin, B 2014, Is Uppsala model valid to fashion retailers? An analysis from internationalisation patterns of fast fashion retailers. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 18(1), pp.36 51. 8) Csimarket.com 2014, Abercrombie Fitch Co. (ANF) Jan. 31, 2014 Sales per Country and Region, Annual Report CSIMarket. [online] Available at:http://csimarket.com/stocks/segments_geo.php?code=ANF [Accessed 18 May. 2014]. 9) Fashionunited.com 2014, Abercrombie Fitch aims to open 100 stores in China Report Executive. [online] Available at: http://www.fashionunited.com/executive/report/abercrombiefitch-aims-to-open-100-stores-in-china-20142304495372 [Accessed 18 May. 2014]. 10 10) Geert-hofstede.com 2014, United States Geert Hofstede. [online] Available at: http://geerthofstede.com/united-states.html [Accessed 18 May. 2014]. 11) Google.com 2011, Abercrombie Fitch Production and Expansion Google Maps. [online] Available at: https://www.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8t=mvpsrc=6oe=UTF8msa=0msid=2073664 88920603185286.0004b07bb7b95fb0f4d6cdg=feature [Accessed 18 May. 2014]. 12) Henricks, S., Malkan, S. and Shils, J 2014, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics : Abercrombie Fitch: Stop Spraying Toxic Fragrance!. [online] Safecosmetics.org. Available at: http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=739 [Accessed 14 May. 2014]. 13) Inboundlogistics.com 2011, Supply Chain Gain: Global Growth Inbound Logistics. [online] Available at: http://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/supply-chain-gain-global-growth/ [Accessed 18 May. 2014]. 14) Kim, T., Lee, J. and Cheong, J 2011, Firm Level Productivity and Survey Results for Korean Firms in Vietnam and Indonesia. KIEP Research Paper No. Policy Analysis-11-22, pp.16-180. 15) Lutz, A 2013, Reasons Why People Hate Abercrombie Fitch. [online] Business Insider. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/abercrombie-and-fitch-worst-controversies-20138?op=1 [Accessed 18 May. 2014]. 16) Majid Al Futtaim Fashion 2014, Hollister to make its Middle East debut in 2013. 17) Marx, W. 2010, In Tokyo, Abercrombie Misses Its Mark. [online] BoF The Business of Fashion. Available at: http://www.businessoffashion.com/2010/02/in-tokyo-abercrombie-misses-itsmark.html [Accessed 18 May. 2014]. 18) Nwpc.dole.gov.ph 2014, Official Website of National Wages and Productivity Commission. [online] Available at: http://www.nwpc.dole.gov.ph/pages/statistics/stat_comparative.html [Accessed 18 May. 2014]. 19) Overseas Research Department Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) 2011, The 21th Comparative Survey of Investment-Related Costs in 31 Major Cities and Regions in Asia and Oceania. p.68. 20) Peng, M. and Meyer, K 2011, International Business. 1st ed. London: Cengage Learning, pp.7276, 363, 458-459. 21) Rugman, A. and Verbeke, A 2004, A perspective on regional and global strategies of multinational enterprises. Journal of International Business Studies, 35(1), pp.318. 22) The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business 2013, Abercrombie Fitch Equity Research Report. pp.3 4. 23) Vahlne, J. and Johanson, J 2013, The Uppsala model on evolution of the multinational business enterprise – from internalization to coordination of networks. International Marketing Review, 30(3), pp.189 210. 24) Vettoretti, A. and Huyen, H 2013, Vietnam Set to Increase Minimum Wages from December 31, 2013. [online] Available at: http://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/vietnam-set-to-increaseminimum-wages-from-december-31-2013.html/ [Accessed 18 May. 2014]. 25) Vis, J 2014, Making Progress, Driving Change. 26) Walker, J 2014, Abercrombie Fitch: Sorry!. [online] The Huffington Post. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/23/abercrombie-and-fitch-apology_n_3323668.html [Accessed 18 May. 2014].

Byzantine vs. Roman Empire Essay Example for Free

Byzantine vs. Roman Empire Essay The Byzantine Empire actually ruled under the Roman Empire until Its demise In AD 476. Both of these empires were located near the Mediterranean Sea and both had a written set of laws. Emperor contanune the First converted to chrlstlanlty after ordering his soldiers to put a cross on their shields and then being victorious in battle. After his conversion, he united the military power of Rome with the young Roman Catholic Church. Because of this union he was able to conquer much of the known world at he time. In the Byzantine Empire, Christianity and the differing ideas about it caused great conflict. When the idea of religious icons came about, Emperor Leo Ill created Iconoclasm, which permitted the smashing of these religious icons. The events following the creation of Iconoclasm showed how distant the church was from the government. Eventually the quarrel led to the separation of the Catholic Church from the Eastern Christian Church, known as the Great Schism. This resulted in the Orthodox Church. Despite the differences in the effects that Christianity had on each Empire, it is clear that in both societies, religion was always in opposition with the government. There were many factors that led to the decline of both the Roman and the Byzantine Empires. In Rome, the empire simply became too large. They had to resort to using mercenaries to defend their excess land, but they often rebelled against the government. The separation of the empire into east and west also proved to be detrimental to the empire. The western side, the Romans, was defeated by Germanic barbarians who unseated their last emperor, a 14 year old boy, In AD 476. Although the Eastern Roman Empire, Byzantium, survived for another 1,000 years, Its Inevitable demise came about through the arrival of the Bubonic Plague, which was only the first crisis that moved the empire towards collapse. Byzantium was also constantly faced with military challenges from outside Invaders, and the Great Schism eliminated any possibility of outside help. The Byzantines used a multitude of tactics to try to keep enemies away, but the empire eventually fell to the Ottoman Turks In 1453. Both the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire held an alarming amount of xternal enemies, which undoubtedly was crucial In the demise of the empires; however It was mainly Internal conflicts that destroyed both empires. Justinian ended up winning back a large part of the territory Ancient Rome had ruled at i ts height, including Italy and parts ot Spain and Nort Roman and the Byzantine Empires differed in a multitude of ways despite their direct link to each other, they were also similar in their location, their religious opposition to the government, and their severe internal problems.

Social Enterprise Challenge Assessment

Social Enterprise Challenge Assessment I was one of several students who volunteered to grade a number of business plans that had made it to the third and final stage in the Teach a Man to Fish Social Enterprise Challenge (SEC). Stage three involved each school running of an enterprise for at least one term based on their original business idea, backed up by business and financial plan. Final reports were graded on the narrative final reports submitted and marked on Business Implementation, Challenges and Solutions, Outcomes, People, Planet, Profit, Development and Sustainability, Financial Reporting. In addition, we had discretion to award a maximum of 10 Bonus Points where schools had demonstrated a high level of student involvement or a high level on innovation. In total, there were 100 points to award to each school. Of the nine schools I was given, all were from India except for one New Zealand school. Enterprises included; tree hangers, plants and crafts, jewellery and food products. It was clear students and teachers had invested considerable time and effort in taking part in the challenge. The SEC allowed students develop practical business skills and helped schools generate extra income for their school, or a social cause of their choice. I chose this POD because I hope to lecture in business or accounting in the future and enterprise development is relevant in both disciplines. I was also intrigued to see what school children in different and often underdeveloped countries would chose to do when given the support and opportunity to develop an enterprise. Enterprise development particularly in the curriculum provides students with a great way to develop hard and soft skills like critical-thinking, communication and teamwork skills and could potentially help them invent their own career in the future. Support for entrepreneurship such as that given by the SEC is important, it has the potential to have a positive impact on the entrepreneurial dynamism of our economies. Not only does it create business start-ups and social enterprises like the micro enterprises in each school reaching the final but it also makes students more employable by developing hard and soft skills. Economic growth is at the heart of addressing societal issues like; unemployment, gender equality, poverty and other health related issues worldwide, and enterprise development (ED) is a key tool to enable growth. Enterprise development is defined as the act of investing time and capital in helping people establish, expand or improve businesses. Enterprise development helps people to earn a living; it helps them out of poverty; and it leads to long-term economic growth for themselves, their families and their communities (Miemiec, 2013). Entrepreneurship and innovation are considered to be crucial to sustainable economic development and competitive advantage (EC, 2012). The objective of ED is to help create a viable business that has the ability to grow, this leads to job creation and promotes economic growth. It is much easier to develop and grow a small business than it is to attract a large company to a community, therefore, small businesses often lead to economic growth within the communities they operate in. The significance of micro firms, defined as businesses with less than ten employees by European Union (EC, 2009) has been widely recognised. These firms from the backbone of many countries economies, as they represent the large majority of existing businesses (Heshmati, 2001). Micro businesses employ locals and this in turn causes cash to move through the communitys economy. Successful local businesses allow owners to remain in place and generate more opportunities for other entrepreneurs (Muske et al., 2007). Small enterprises make substantial contributions to employment, income and output within the world economy. Within OECD member countries over 95% of organisations are SMEs and micro-enterprises, they account for 55% of GDP. In developing countries, with the exception of agriculture over 90% of organisations are SMEs or micro-enterprises, making significant contributions to GDP (Edinburgh Group, 2013). Small enterprises tend to be labour intensive, this in turn leads to job creation, which can benefit developing economies and economies where unemployment levels are high. In addition, smaller enterprises tend to be in rural areas, thus providing much-needed local employment. SMEs are considered an engine for economic growth as well as for economic development especially in the developing countries (Subhan, Mehmood, and Sattar, 2013). As growth strengthens, smaller enterprises assume a key role in development and restructuring. They can satisfy the increasing local demand for services, which allows increasing specialisation, and furthermore support larger enterprises with services and inputs (Fjose et al. 2010). Smaller enterprises encourage healthy competition in competitive markets. They shall encourage competition in terms of price, product design and efficiency (Johnson and Soenen, 2003).Larger enterprises would have a monopoly in some areas but for their existence. Small and medium enterprises represent a factor of balance at the micro and macroeconomic level. Having as correspondent the middle class in the society, the small and medium enterprises counter-balance the monopoles and oligopolies, reducing the capacity of the big companies of controlling the market (Savlovsch and Robu, 2011). Every young person should have a practical entrepreneurial experience before leaving compulsory education (EU Commission). The modern global economic business environment requires flexible, adaptable and innovative graduates. Now more than ever there should be more emphasis placed on enterprise development and entrepreneurship in education at all levels. Enterprise education is defined as the process of equipping students (or graduates) with an enhanced capacity to generate ideas and the skills, in addition to enterprise capability supported by better financial capability and economic and business understanding (DCFS, 2010 and QAA, 2012). Entrepreneurship education equips students with the additional knowledge, attributes and capabilities required to apply these abilities in the context of setting up a new venture or business (QAA, 2012). Enterprise education and the skills gained through it can offer students further skills to deal with lifes challenges and uncertain future prospects. Skills like; problem solving, self-reliance, creativity and the ability to adapt to change. In addition, it open students minds to the idea of self-employment as a viable career option. Garavan et al. (1997) concluded that enterprise education in third level universities and colleges in Ireland encouraged graduates to look creatively at their future opportunities and resulted in higher levels of entrepreneurial activity. A business plan is a risk management instrument, through which both internal and external benefits can be derived (Barringer, 2009). Externally, it provides potential investors with an overview of the business opportunity and potential ways to exploit it. From the internal perspective, it provides the entrepreneur with a road map to follow. To quote Confucius A man who does not plan long ahead will find trouble at his door. By writing business plans entrepreneurs or potential entrepreneurs improve their chances of getting there. By participating in the SEC challenge I have improved my knowledge of business planning from a difference perspective, having previously compiled a business plan as a student during my undergraduate studies. Participating in the SEC challenge has raised my awareness of the benefits of enterprise education for both the student and society as a whole. Students develop hard and soft skills in addition to a better understanding and knowledge of business and working life. Society gains due to improved competitiveness of the businesses developed by entrepreneurs. Without exception, each final report I corrected showed that students had gained an understanding of the following; Generating new ideas Gathering and managing resources Taking advantage of local opportunities Identifying, assessing and managing risk Interpersonal communication and influencing skills Monitoring and evaluating personal performance Using initiative The benefits of enterprise education include; Improved education outcomes for students through experiential learning Increases co-operation between academic institutions, local business and the community Improved career and business awareness among students Highlights more careers pathways for students In the future I hope to put the knowledge learned from taking part in this POD to use in teaching. I feel programmes like the Teach a Man to Fish SEC and others like it provide students with a better understanding of business and entrepreneurship as they bring a taste of real life business into the classroom through experiential learning. Students get to experience the reality of entrepreneurship. It encompasses all aspects of starting a business from coming up with a viable business idea, developing a business plan, producing a product, carrying out the necessary market research, promoting the business and the financial aspects like bookkeeping and calculating ROI. As previously stated the objectives of enterprise education are: To give students practical real life experience of setting up and running their own business To encourage students to think about entrepreneurship and self-employment as a viable career choice To enhance the teaching of business and entrepreneurship in schools by combining classroom learning with real life experience. References Barringer, B.R. (2009), Preparing Effective Business Plans: An Entrepreneurial Approach, Pearson Education, London. Fjose, S., Grà ¼nfeld, L. A. and Green, C. (2010), SMEs and Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa Identifying SME Roles and Obstacles to SME Growth, MENON Business Economics publication no. 14/2010. Garavan, T., Fleming, P. and Ó Cinnà ©ide, B. (1997), Entrepreneurship and Business Startà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ups in Ireland, Oak Tree Press, Dublin.

Are You Experienced? :: essays research papers

The Jimi Hendrix Experience released its first album in early 1967. Popular music had been leaning towards psychedelics for a couple years already and Are You Experienced? came out at about the same time as the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Are You Experienced? far exceeded the Beatles' triumph in complexity, capturing the essence of the late 1960's culture. Naturally the newer band did not share the immediate success of the Beatles. But its staying power has been testified to by several generations. The British version of Are You Experienced? contained a few subtle differences. Most prominent were the absence of "Purple Haze" and the addition of Hendrix standard "Red House". "Purple Haze" caught fire in America after the Monterey Pop Festival and became Jimi's signature song. Although it was said to have endless verses, Jimi generally sang only the shortened version from the album (with a few ad lib changes). The single was sent to radio stations with a note: "This song was intentionally distorted. Do not adjust." Are You Experienced?, as with most of the Experience's music, sounds heavy no matter how many times you listen to it. In actuality, the stony "Purple Haze" is about as close as they ever come to hard rock. The next song, "Manic Depression" comes in strong with the opening chords and then reveals Mitch Mitchell's trademark rolling drums. It also contains another of Jimi's solos worth listening to by any new or Experienced fan. Chas Chandler chose the quietest song on the album to give the world its first taste of Jimi Hendrix's talents. Its first single, "Hey Joe", a song written by turn-of-the-century bluesman Billy Roberts debuted at number on the pop charts. No other song written or performed by Jimi Hendrix had as much success as this one. It topped out at number 2, behind the Beatles' "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds". When there are other people around, it makes you feel alive. But when you sit alone and listen to the music, every chord catches in your throat. "Love or Confusion" has happened upon me more than once when I was suddenly realizing the dispair of yet another relationship. If the answer to his question is not obvious during the song itself, Jimi answers it for you with his very last whisper. "Love or Confusion" is a wicked twister of emotion. It shakes you up and when you lose your sense of direction, it drops out from under you, leaving you to fall mercilessly to

Graduation Speech: The Future is Bright :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Our most distinguished guests, beloved parents, members of the faculty of County High School, fellow members of the graduating class, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Four years ago, a new high school was established in the County area. Its establishment created mixed feelings. and expectations from the community. Questions such as: What kind of a high school could this be? Would this be able to uphold academic excellence as well as social and cultural values which most parents would like their children to internalize and live with? Would this be able to provide for the well-balanced development of a child's intellectual and artistic faculties? Would this institution be able to turn out students who could be responsible leaders, and patriotic citizens of the United States of America; citizens who could uphold the ideology many Americans had fought and died for? My fellow members of the class of 2012, after four years of being nurtured under the wings of that institution which is no other than our beloved Alma Mater of County High School, it is with pride and privilege that I say "Yes," rather, we say "Yes" -- County High School has met the community's expectations on the quality of graduates it could yield. We, the members of the class of 2012, are the epitome of what County High School is as training grounds for young adults and future leaders of our community and of our country. Our achievements as students in the last four years all attest to this legitimate claim. Yes, we are the proud graduates of County High School and to all my fellow graduates, please accept my warmest greetings on this momentous day. Next week's commencement exercises will mark the realization of our high school dreams and achievements, the dawning of new challenges and opportunities to pursue college education, and setting the vision for our own professional development. Equally deserving, I would also like to congratulate and express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to our parents, teachers and administrators, with whom we proudly share our achievements and our joys. This diploma is our gift to you who have cooperatively worked together to see us through four years at Washington High School. To our parents, your immense love and support had provided us with strength and determination to go on when in our youth we did not know which road to take; we could not discern what was appropriate and not; in those critical moments of indecision, you were always there to offer the best for us; in our painful moments of loss as well as our hard fought victories you were there to encourage and protect us.

Days of delivery (narrative) Essay -- essays research papers

Pregnancy and childbirth are a part of nature. Delivering a child can be a beautiful experience. However, delivery can also be very painful and can last for days.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My mom drove me to what would become my last visit to the doctor’s office before giving birth to my daughter. Dr. Dermer observed me and then told me to be at the hospital around six thirty that evening. He advised me to eat a good dinner before departing for the hospital. Dr. Dermer had decided to induce my labor, due to the fact that I was two weeks past my due date.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I ate a good dinner and left to go to the hospital. I distinctly remember the feeling that I had in the pit of my stomach. I could not determine if the feeling was fear, anxiety, relief, or a combination of all of them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I arrived at the hospital the first thing that I had to do was register. Registration only took a few minutes because Dr. Dermer had already phoned the registration department and pre-registered me. I was now on my way to Labor and Delivery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As soon as I arrived in the labor and delivery department, I saw Brian, the father of my unborn child, and his best friend Chris. I was relieved to know that he had already arrived at the hospital. One of the nurses came over and escorted us to my room. She told me to undress and put my hospital gown on. After I put my gown on, I climbed into the bed. The nurse then proceeded to stick me with needles. She had to withdraw some blood and start my IVs. She explained that the medicine in my IV bag was going to very slowly induce my labor overnight. The nurse also explained to me that this process was to prepare my body for the following morning when my medication would be increased. A short while later, I fell asleep.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I was awakened the next morning by beeps from the IV machine. The beeps were caused from the nurse increasing the dosage of my medication. At this time, I had no idea of the day that I had ahead of me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Around eleven that morning, I began to feel light flutters deep inside my stomach. The flutters felt as if they were rising to the surface of my stomach. Once the flutters arrived at the surface, they then seemed to pull on the surface of my stomach. The pull was a very light pull and it ac... ...rmer stated at that time that if I had not dilated anymore by three that he would have to go ahead and perform a cesarean.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At five minutes until three the nurse checked me once again. I had still only dilated four centimeters. She paged Dr. Dermer and he told her to go ahead and prepare for the cesarean. Dr. Dermer came in at five minutes after three and checked me one last time. I had dilated nine centimeters. Dr. Dermer said â€Å"We won’t be doing a cesarean today, she is going to have this baby.† He told me to slide down to the bottom of the bed and put my feet in the stirrups. A minute later he said he could feel the baby’s head. Every one was telling me to push. I grasped the handles on the side of my bed tightly and I pushed with all of my might. My daughter was born at 3:36 p.m. Brian and I had already picked out her name. We named her Courtney Brooke.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nine years have passed since my unforgettable experience with childbirth. I love my daughter dearly and I will always cherish the memories of my three-day delivery process but believe me when I say that I will not experience the excruciating pain of childbirth again.

Quakers Case Essay

This research paper will argue that the evangelicals were embraced mostly by blacks not only because it’s the nearest imitation of their African nature rituals but because they have given support to the abolition of slavery in the United States. Quakers were known to be the most vocal concerning their opposition to slavery; there were also other denominations that did not favor slavery. George Fox, founder of the Quaker group â€Å"Society of Friends†, preached against slavery in the late 16oo’s, but never really took action against it. Even though Fox, a major Quaker leader, was opposed to slavery, other Quaker leaders owned slaves. This was because they interpreted the doctrines of their religion to exclude slaves. The institution of slavery became a divided issue among Quakers in the Society. Benjamin Lay, for example, was against slavery. Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians were very vocal concerning their dissatisfaction with slavery. (1) However, the main concern was that large amounts of the population were not being exposed to God. They had to resolve whether the larger concern was to end slavery and thus allow many â€Å"unchristian† people to go to hell after death, or to evangelize the slaves while letting the issue of slavery slide under the carpet. Subsequently, Methodists and Baptists also became the two denominations to achieve the earliest successes in proselytizing slaves (Lane 184). The first third of the nineteenth century was a significant time for antislavery. Haitian slaves had risen up and freed themselves from French rule in 1803. In England, decades of antislavery agitation led Parliament to abolish slavery in the British Empire by 1834 In the United States, sectional friction related to slavery began in earnest with the Missouri crisis of 1820. Nor were black voices silent. Free African American ministers sermonized against slavery’s cruelties. Periodic fears of slave violence came to a head in 1822 with the discovery of Denmark Vesey’s planned slave uprising (2). As the conflict over slavery heated up, and as news of the Vesey conspiracy broke in 1822, and word spread about the rebellion of Nat Turner in 1831, a great fear enveloped whites (5).   All these factors caused a few whites to begin to renew the spiritual struggle against slavery. The Reverend George Bourne, an Englishman who headed a Presbyterian congregation in Virginia, refused communion to slaveholders and excoriated slaveholding ministers. Way back 1784 Methodists were so bold as to say that they â€Å"promised to excommunicate all Methodists not freeing their slaves within two years† (5). Opposing racism is definitely amongst the strongest reasons for the abolition of slavery. This argument seems quite feasible, considering the fact that only Negroes were slaves. That is to say, skin color was the most deciding factor in whether somebody was a slave or a slaveholder (1). Catherine Meeks, professor of African American studies at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, says, â€Å"It was the white control of the worship [on slave-holding plantations], the inability to accept blacks as equals, and the negation of black personhood that led to the separation of the black church from the white church and to the emergence of a black religious community.† (4) Independent black churches—most of them Baptist or Methodist—†were not separating themselves from whites because they held a different doctrinal view of Christianity,† notes James H. Cone of Union Theological Seminary. â€Å"Without exception, blacks used the same articles of faith and polity for their churches as the white denominations from which they separated. Separation, for blacks, meant that, they were rejecting racism that was based on the assumption that God created blacks inferior to whites.† (5) Even though white Protestant denominations in the 1840s split over the issue of slavery, the congregations of northern Protestants remained just as closed to blacks who moved north. Given the increasing racial proscription in the mid-1800’s, (9) Many Black preachers developed a significant following across the South among both whites and blacks. John Jasper of Virginia was one such man. Slaves would defer funeral ceremonies for as long as necessary to bring him to the plantation for the service. And Jasper was equally popular among whites. During the Civil War, Jasper won a warm response from the Confederate wounded to whom he preached and offered solace (9). A long history of antislavery and political activity among Northern black Protestants had convinced them that they could play a major role in the adjustment of the four million freed slaves to American life. In a massive missionary effort, Northern black leaders such as Daniel A. Payne and Theophilus Gould Steward established missions to their Southern counterparts, resulting in the dynamic growth of independent black churches in the Southern states between 1865 and 1900 (10). Predominantly white denominations, such as the Presbyterian, Congregational, and Episcopal churches, also sponsored missions, opened schools for freed slaves, and aided the general welfare of Southern blacks, but the majority of African-Americans chose to join the independent black denominations founded in the Northern states during the antebellum era. Within a decade the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) churches claimed Southern membership in the hundreds of thousands, far outstripping that of any other organizations. They were quickly joined in 1870 by a new Southern-based denomination, the Colored (now â€Å"Christian†) Methodist Episcopal Church, founded by indigenous Southern black leaders (11). The relentless evangelist figures were catalysts of the constitutional abolision of the slaves. They fought for the freedom through the exposure to God’s theoretical equality. Emancipation from slavery in 1863 posed distinctive religious challenges for African Americans in the South. When the Civil War finally brought freedom to previously enslaved peoples, the task of organizing religious communities was only one element of the larger need to create new lives–to reunite families, to find jobs, and to figure out what it would mean to live in the United States as citizens rather than property. Melville J. Herskovits has advanced the thesis that the success of Baptists in attracting blacks was rooted in the appeal of immersion which suggests a connection in the slaves’ mind with the river spirits in West African religions. Others have attacked this position including, the black scholar E. Franklin Frazier who argues that enslavement largely destroyed the social basis of religion among blacks, and that the appeal of Baptists to blacks concerns the emotional content of their worship. Stanley Elkins (whose views were heavily influenced by what took place in the concentration camps of World War II Europe), has argued–like Frazier–that slavery was so demeaning that blacks (like the Jews in the camps) were eventually stripped of every shred of dignity and humanity, including their faith. John Blassingame, on the other hand, has provided a significant body of evidence that blacks hung on to their religion as a form of resistance (11). African-American religion dealt with life as blacks lived it. It was about pain and sorrow, sin and shortcoming, pardon and joy, praise and thanksgiving, grace and hope. This version of Evangelicalism provided a wonderful benefit; it was able to accomplish great things in their lives that were frequently shouted about. This transition coincided with the period of intense religious revivalism known as â€Å"awakenings.† In the Southern states beginning in the 1770s, increasing numbers of slaves converted to evangelical religions such as the Methodist and Baptist faiths. Many clergy within these denominations actively promoted the idea that all Christians were equal in the sight of God, a message that provided hope and sustenance to the slaves (12). Slave Spirituals became the creative group expression of these aspirations. The Ring Shout was the most distinctive expression of religious worship in the praise service, with African-derived dancing and body movement emphasized. The invisible religion of the slave quarters also included conjure, a system of spiritual influence that combined herbal medicine with magic and sometimes gave surprising authority to slave practitioners who believed they could affect whites as well as blacks (6). They also encouraged worship in ways that many Africans found to be similar, or at least adaptable, to African worship patterns, with enthusiastic singing, clapping, dancing, and even spirit-possession. It was here that the spirituals, with their double meanings of religious salvation and freedom from slavery, developed and flourished; and here, too, that black preachers, those who believed that God had called them to speak his Word, polished their â€Å"chanted sermons,† or rhythmic, intoned style of extemporaneous preaching. The closest replication of their religious belief was the evangelicals’ approach. African Americans, often termed as ‘blacks’, was so closely intertwined with their total life experience that the starting point in understanding the meaning of that religious life must be the total life experience. For them, before they were forced to become unwilling participants in one of the most oppressive systems of slavery that the world had witnessed, the ancestors of the African Americans in Africa were very much a religious people. In their native land the totality of their lives was informed by what in western Europe was defined as â€Å"religion,† but what, to them meant as a basic and integral part of life (Jones 1991).Thus, they brought that â€Å"religion† with them. Blacks responded to the evangelical message, though, for different reasons than those advanced by slave owner-sanctioned preachers. The potential for spiritual equality, and even the hope for earthly liberty, could be taken from evangelicalism, and that was a powerful appeal to slaves. (8) Evangelicalism’s informal, spirit-driven style of worship could evoke remembrances of the religious ecstasies of African dance religions, another reason to embrace the faith. Nowhere else in southern society did African Americans find the status that they could achieve as in churches. Some African Americans worshipped in separate black churches, but black Baptists and Methodists had shaped evolving Evangelicalism in general since the earliest revivals. Most slave worship was in biracial churches. Evangelicalism took root among African-Americans. Large numbers underwent conversion, baptism, instruction, worship, and lived the life of Christian even in face of oppression. Although, the development of their own religious institutions would await Emancipation and the war’s end, there were many thousands of Negro Baptists and Methodists by 1850. Emancipation brought many tangible rewards. Among the most obvious was a significant increase in personal freedom that came with no longer being someone else’s property: whatever hardships they faced, free blacks could not be forcibly sold away from their loved ones. But emancipation did not bring full equality, and many of the most striking gains of Reconstruction — including the substantial political power that African Americans were briefly able to exercise — were soon lost. In the decades after Reconstruction African Americans experienced continued poverty and exploitation and a rising tide of violence at the hands of whites determined to re-impose black subordination. They also experienced new forms of discrimination, spearheaded by a variety of state laws that instituted rigid racial segregation in virtually all areas of life and that (in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments) effectively disfranchised black voters. The struggle to overcome the bitter legacy of slavery would be long and arduous. Many abolitionists belonged to the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ). AMEZ became a platform for preaching against slavery. â€Å"The ministry was by far the most common occupation of the black leaders in the abolitionist movement† (Sorin 101). AMEZ enabled people like Denmark Vesey to plan revolts. Pennington traveled as far as Europe to preach against slavery. He wrote, â€Å"If the New Testament sanctions slavery, it authorizes the enslavement of whites as well as us† (Voices of Triumph 127). Ward was born into a slave family that escaped in 1820. He lived in upstate New York and was an agent for the American Anti-slavery Society. Ward actively protested the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. He was also an assistant to fugitive slaves (Voices of Triumph 145) (9). Over one hundred and thirty years after Nat Turner was hanged, black theology emerged as a formal discipline. Beginning with the â€Å"black power† movement in 1966, black clergy in many major denominations began to reassess the relationship of the Christian church to the black community. Black caucuses developed in the Catholic, Presbyterian, and Episcopal churches. The central thrust of these new groups was to redefine the meaning and role of the church and religion in the lives of black people. Out of this reexamination has come what some have called a ‘Black Theology’. (10) The secret meetings of â€Å"praise† of the former slaves was later institutionalized and these assemblies gave rise to independent churches. The first religious institution primarily controlled and administered by blacks was established at Silver Bluff, South Carolina in the 1770s.The Free African Society of Philadelphia, established in 1778 by two former slaves, Richard Allen and Absalom Jones was an example of one of the earliest formal organizational activity- more frequent among the free blacks in the urban North (Woodson 1922). Most of such groups were quasi-religious bodies and churches frequently came into existence from the membership of these societies. The Free African Society of Philadelphia, that newly created independent body, was the mother of two African Amertican churches- St. Thomas African Episcopal Church (later named the St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church) established in 1794, and the Bethel African Church (later becoming an independent organization known as the African Methodist Episcopal Church), which was the first black congregation in the Philadelphia Methodist Conference. In 1894 black Baptists formed the National Baptist Convention, an organization that is currently the largest black religious organization in the United States. There may be several reasons that evangelist were able to convert slaves, some would argue that this may be attributed to the verity that the slaves saw religion as the nearest observable fact to freedom. Still, it is quite notable that the evangelist were able to gather members not only because the African- Americans see their way of teaching as the nearest to their old rituals but also because of the evangelists’ unerring efforts to abolish slavery in the United States.