To The Salem-Keizer School District Officials Essay

To The Salem-Keizer School District Officials - Essay Example While it is true that clothing related to gang membership might some day involve innocent students in crossfire between the police and the gang members in the district, it is also worth noting that clothing is not a definitive answer to catching criminals. Moreover, there are students in your school district who cannot immediately afford to buy clothing that you do not forbid. Would you threaten them with suspension just because they do not have money to buy clothes that you deem proper Ms Pat Abeene, the district's Volunteer Coordinator, has stated that nonprofit groups might be able to help students with no money to replace banned clothes, and school counselors can direct students to those programs (Dress Code Leaves Some With Banned Brands). With all due respect, may I add that this offer is not even close to being useful, and if you do not provide the clothing yourself on an urgent basis, the parents of such students could sue the school district for suspending their children due to financial difficulties The prestigious Salem-Keizer School District has not given enough time to students' families to buy clothing that the district considers appropriate. ... And, what if twenty youngsters at the park are wearing sagging pants and only one out of them is a gang memberI am sure that you have discussed your dress code policy with the district police authorities. Would you also kindly send a letter to all parents in your school district informing them about the police officials' response Why do they think it is mandatory for students to stop wearing shirts with Old English writing, for example (Dress Code) And, kindly ask them what they would do to a child who wears the above mentioned example in dress at a local mall. What do they have to say about a student in your school district wearing a t-shirt with a picture of a U.S. army officer bravely holding a machine gun in his hand, and the title, 'Good luck America!' (Dress Code)I hope you can now see the ludicrousness of many features of the dress code policy. This essay is an address to the parents of students in the Salem-Keizer School District. It explains to the parents who cannot afford to buy new clothing for their children - replacing the banned items in the new dress code policy issued by the school district - the ways to take action in order to save their children from being removed from school. The essay advises these parents to first write the school district asking it to replace the old clothing items themselves. If the school district does not agree, parents are urged to take the matter to the district court. To The Parents Of Students In the Salem-Keizer School District The recently issued dress code policy in the Salem-Keizer School District has taken many of you by surprise. It is further evident from a news article on the subject that a lot of you cannot afford to replace the banned

Critical Discourse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Critical Discourse - Essay Example This paper approves that the power and dominance are associated with specific social domains such as politics, media, law, education and science that are allied with the studies of professional and institutional power. The background of the reproduction of power in various domains of social group is an important factor for the analysis in a corrective manner. This power has certain targets for such powers; these are usually catered to by public clients and other social groups that depend on the institutional and organizational power. The study has discussed various topics of critical discourse analysis and communication analysis in relation to the application of power and language. The theoretical framework has also been analyzed for the purpose of understanding the concepts of discourse and power with the understanding of domination groups and powerful groups within the analysis. The methodology, strengths and weaknesses of critical discourse analysis and communication analysis have been explained in the study so as to recognize the relevance of study. The basic structure of discourse and interface between the power and discourse has been performed at the same time. The relation of discourse and action in the context of social groups, and society at large, is the major subject study for the integration of various approaches of discourse. In this way the study will work to accomplish the objectives of the prior studies as well as to understand the multidisciplinary approach of critical discourse analysis and comm unication analysis in a better and more complete manner.... The terminology of conversation analysis itself indicates that the initial stage of conversation analysis consists of casual conversation and thereafter, the procedure of analysis begins. The methods of conversation analysis were subsequently adapted to embrace more task and institution centered interactions. Therefore, the term 'conversation analysis' has become important as a successful approach to conversation with the perspective of social interaction. Conversation Analysis Methodology of CA The conception of humanity, social sciences and interactions are important and therefore, the concept of critical discourse analysis and communication analysis has gained so much importance in recent years. Currently, the communication analysis is a proven method for sociology, anthropology, linguistics, speech communication and psychology (Emanuel, 2000). Communication analysis is not designed for the purpose of examining the production of interaction from a perspective that is external to t he social circle and understanding the communication in a better manner (Jefferson, 2007). But the actual purpose of communication analysis is to model the resources and methods from which the understanding of communication can be reproduced in a substantial manner (Lazar, 2005). Methodology of CA Application of CA and CDA In recent years, communication analysis and critical discourse analysis have expanded their application and scope. At the same time, their concepts and understandings have complemented various other theories, which have supported the application of critical discourse and communication analysis (Goffman, 2005). Many researchers have deployed communication analysis in different fields, such as feminist linguistics, Membership Categorization Analysis and

Parenting styles Essay Example for Free

Parenting styles Essay Child development has been a topic of interest of most developmental psychologists, especially in terms of the relationship between a parent and a child (Eisenberg et al. , 2009). There has been considerable effort in establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between a particular approach that a parent employs and the resulting behavior in a child. Unfortunately, the precise connection has been quite elusive, as there are yet a number of factors that could influence the impact of a parental action towards a child. There are also other external factors that may modify the impact of a specific parental action, thus generating a modified response in a child (Jackson et al. , 2008). Another complicating factor to consider in this type of analysis is the observation that children show varied responses to a specific parental approach despite the utmost similarity in the characteristics of the child’s immediate environment. There are also twin studies that depict variations in the personalities of children despite their growth and development in the same location. One widely recognized association between parenting styles and the impact on children is that established by Baumrind (1967). In her study involving approximately 100 children who were at their pre-school age, four dimensions were identified to be strongly associated with parenting. Among these were the type of strategy that was employed in instilling discipline in a child, the degree and method of providing care and warmth to a child, the mode of communicating to a child and the amount of maturity of a parent towards his child. These dimensions could thus characterize a specific parenting style, of which could be easily identifiable among parents. This essay will present the four parenting styles that were described by Baumrind (1967), as well as analyze the impact of each style on the general well being of the child. The four styles of parenting according to Baumrind (1967) The term parenting pertains to a complex action that is strongly associated with a particular behavior that influences a child’s growth and development. Parenting can thus become a positive or a negative factor on how a child with turn out. It should be understood that parenting is a complex behavior because it is often difficult to directly associate one behavior to a specific outcome in a child. For example, the physical infliction of punishment, such as spanking, does not automatically result in the creation of a juvenile delinquent. Moreover, reading a story to a child does not directly indicate that the child will turn out to be a well-disciplined young individual. The combination of all activities of a parent in relation to a child thus comprises the holistic concept of parenting. The main mechanism behind the adaptation of a parenting style by a parent is to control, as well as to teach their child to interact with other individuals. There are two general points that need to be understood with regards to the concept of parenting. Firstly, a parenting style may have variations that would create a unique and personal touch for each parent. In addition to the personal style of every parent, it is also common to observed parenting styles that have hints of cultural, religious and ethnic characteristics. For example, Asian parents are usually more protective of their children than parents from Western countries. It is therefore common to see families that are comprised of three generations living under one roof. A Catholic parent may also have slight differences in their parenting style, as this would include teachings of regularly going to church and in more conservative Catholics, recognizing days of fasting and abstinence. A parenting style may also be slightly modified based on the gender of the parent, wherein a male parent may perform such action using a masculine approach and a female parent would employ a feminine style. Another general point regarding the concept of parenting is that despite the variations in the approaches and styles that parents assume over their children, the main goal of parenting is still focused on the subject of control. Children, especially during their formative years, are highly malleable to external factors and thus every parent attempts to teach their children of the proper ways of going about regular activities in life. Since children are too young and immature to understand the principles and facts of life, parents thus take responsibility of teaching their children and in most instances neglect to explain every situation that comes by their children’s way. The simplest and effective method for a parent to prevent their children from experiencing any harm is to provide rules that would ultimately control their actions towards getting into trouble. Parenting is also related to two essential elements, namely responsiveness and capacity to demand. Parental responsiveness pertains to the degree to which a parent supports individuality and assertion on the part of the child. This element thus allows a child to perform actions that he wants to engage in, as long as these are still acceptable and proper. On the other hand, a parent’s capacity to demand pertains to the claim made on a child in order for this young individual to be integrated into the family. In addition, a parent’s level of demand is also associated with a parent being capable of confronting a child when he disobeys the established rules of the family. Authoritarian style of parenting. This parental approach is generally characterized by establishing rules in the household, of which the children are expected to follow. In any case that these rules are not followed, the parent then imposes a punishment on the child. One unique feature of this parenting style is that most parents do not provide any opportunity to explain to their children when a certain rule has been established in the home (Williams et al. , 2009). The child, on the other end, is thus unaware of the principle behind each rule, yet he would follow the rules in order to avoid getting any punishment from his parent. A strong correlation with the authoritarian style is the quality of having high standards, as well as great expectations on the part of the parent. It is quite unfortunate to see that despite the strict rules in the home, an authoritarian parent does not respond to the inquiries of the child. In addition, authoritarian parents are generally focused on the concepts of obedience within the family, as well as maintenance of the status of this social unit. Authoritative approach for parenting. In the authoritative style of parental behavior, the same rules are established in the household. This may be similar to what is observed in the authoritarian style of parenting, yet the authoritative approach also provides some unique features. Firstly, the authoritative style recognizes democracy in the family, wherein the children may express their concern and engage in discussions with their parents about a particular rule. On the part of the parent, there is also some extent of responsiveness towards the children, as the parent permits the opportunity for discussions and possibly, debate with their children. The authoritative approach to parenting also provides a nurturing environment to their children, including instances when the child has broken a rule that was established by the parent. More importantly, the authoritative parent also forgives a child when he is unable to fulfill the expectations that were described to him for delivery. Despite its similarity to the authoritarian approach to parenting wherein there are rules that have been established in the home, the authoritative style involves regular monitoring of the child, thus directing this young individual as he progresses through his childhood. In addition, the authoritative approach also employs clear and distinct rules that would result in an acceptable standard to both the parents and the children themselves. Permissive approach to parenting. Permissive parenting generally involves an indulgent approach to children, wherein only a few expectations are expected of the children. In addition, permissive parents seldom punish their children because there are no rules to follow at home. The parents also do not demand any signs of maturity, as well as self-control, from their children. In terms of comparing the predominant feature in permissive parenting, the parents are described to be more interactive and responsive, than the feature of being demanding of their children. Using this approach, the children thus sense a nurturing effect from their parents, as they are given the opportunity to communicate to their parents. It is also possible that children feel that their permissive parent is more of a friend than a strict parent. The uninvolved style of parenting. The uninvolved parent is often associated with having only a few expectations, as well as a low degree of responsiveness to their children. In this parenting approach, there is seldom any interaction between the parent and the children. However, it should be understood that despite the silence between the two parties, the basic needs of the child are still met, although the parent maintains a detached personality towards the child. There may also be cases wherein the uninvolved parent is unable to care for the child. The effect of various parenting styles on the child Every parenting style is destined to generate a specific impact on the recipient child. However, it should be understood that the total effect of a parenting style on a child could have inter-individual variations because the environment, genetics and other external factors will also contribute to the entire condition of the child. In general, the authoritarian approach to parenting generates children who are obedient. These children are commonly observed to be proficient in most of their activities. However it is also common to find that their children carry a low degree of self-esteem and often describe themselves to be unhappy. Children of authoritarian parents also find difficulty in interacting with other people (Williams et al. , 2009). Children of authoritative parents, on the other hand, are usually happy, as well as highly capable of producing their expected results. In addition, these children often result in successful lives during their adult year. Children of permissive parents are often unhappy, despite the freedom to perform any activity of their choosing. It has been reported that children of permissive parents are more likely to encounter problems due to illegal activities, as well as result in poor academic performance. The uninvolved approach in parenting generally results in the lowest quality of childhood, wherein children have been found to lose any sense of self-control. In addition, children of uninvolved parents often carry a low degree of self-esteem and are usually less competent that other children of the same age range (Eisenberg et al. , 2009). Variations in parenting styles are mainly due to the differences in the cultures and religious principles of parents. There are also other external factors that influence the predominance of a particular parenting style, such as the size and the socioeconomic status of the family (Jackson et al. , 2008). The educational level of the parents is also instrumental in the parenting style that would be adapted by a parent. Another factor to consider in parenting styles is that each parent may adapt a different approach and thus the child generally results in a specific personality that is the resultant effect of two different parenting styles. For example, the father could employ an authoritarian parenting style, while the mother engages in the permissive approach. The child thus adapts a personality and attitude that adjusts to the presence of both parenting styles. Conclusions There are four general parenting approaches that have been described by Baumrind (1967), resulting to distinct outcomes in a child. The authoritarian style is characterized by a strict set of rules, while the authoritative approach shows more lenience in house rules. Permissive parents often lacks monitoring and self-regulation of children, while the uninvolved parent is often distant to children. The variations in the growth and development of a child may be influenced by the parenting style that a parent employs and thus it is important to constantly monitor the progress of a child’s development in terms of the external influences that surround him. References Baumrind, D. (1967). Child-care practices anteceding three patterns of preschool behavior. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 75:43-88. Eisenberg, N. , Chang, L. , Ma, Y. Huang, X. (2009). Relations of parenting style to Chinese childrens effortful control, ego resilience, and maladjustment. Developmental Psychopathology, 21(2):455-477. Jackson, A. P. , Bentler, P. M. Franke, T. M. (2008). Low-wage maternal employment and parenting style. Social Work, 53(3):267-278. Williams, L. R. , Degnan, K. A. , Perez-Edgar, K. E. , Henderson, H. A. , Rubin, K. H. , Pine, D. S. , Steinberg, L. Fox, N. A. (2009). Impact of behavioral inhibition and parenting style on internalizing and externalizing problems from early childhood through adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 37(8):1063-1075.

The Role of the Entrepreneur in Economics

The Role of the Entrepreneur in Economics Introduction Whilst entrepreneurship has existed for centuries and has contributed greatly to the foundation of Anglo-American business development and growth, its serious academic study is of more recent origin. The major reason behind this aberration possibly lies within the tenets of traditional microeconomic theory, which connects success and failure to essentially material causes and leaves little space for an essentially subjective and unquantifiable phenomenon like entrepreneurship. International differences in living standards are, for example, attributed to â€Å"differences in national endowments of labour, capital and natural resources, which in turn stem from differences over time in rates of population growth, saving and natural resource depletion.† (Welsh, 2003, P3) In fact the field of entrepreneurial activity was likened, as recently as 1983, by a Harvard University professor to an â€Å"intellectual onion.† (Welsh, 2003, P3) â€Å"You peel it back layer by layer and when you get to the centre there is nothing there but you are crying† (Welsh, 2003, P3). Studies backed by empirical and statistical evidence however show the importance of entrepreneurial activity in creation of new jobs and of small and medium businesses. (Harper, 2003) Research also indicates the presence of a residual factor, which is extremely significant to the success of business enterprises, relates to the quality rather than the quantity of resources, as also with the differences in efficiency of resource utilisation. (Harper, 2003) Whilst such differences in quality and utilisation of resources are often associated with the quality of human capital that has been developed through education and training, recently developed entrepreneurial theory also associates human capital with the entrepreneurial abilities of the population. (Harper, 2003) The role of the entrepreneur is best gauged from a historical perspective, which in turn enables academic researchers and historians to realise that some people were right and others wrong at certain points of time. (Birley Macmillan, 1997) Such people saw opportunity where others did not; whilst being in a minority they proved the majority wrong, and by doing so, altered the course of history. Much of the earlier neglect of the role of entrepreneurs has vanished over the last few decades. Entrepreneurs like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, the founders of Google, and Richard Branson are much admired role models; individuals who have contributed immensely to modern day society. Silicon Valley is a globally admired phenomenon and entrepreneurial activity is happening faster, and with more capital behind it, than ever before. The success achieved by the entrepreneurial community has led to their activity attracting enormous capital, not just in the United States, where stories of garage start-ups that have gone on to become billion dollar businesses have become part of folk lore, but also in many other parts of the globe. The market for venture capital offerings and Initial Public Offers has reached unprecedented heights; successful entrepreneurs have also invested heavily in other new businesses, backing competent people and supporting interesting ideas. (Welsch, 2003) Much of the enthusiasm for supporting entrepreneurship, as well as its practice, has also arisen from the growth of some extremely successful entrepreneurs into larger than life international icons, known worldwide for their enormously successful businesses, their social, economic, and political power, and, sometimes, their exaggerated lifestyles. L N Mittal the British steel tycoon, who hired the Versailles to celebrate his daughters wedding, provides an example of a successful modern day entrepreneur, ideally suited for a critical assessment of entrepreneurial practice, within its organisational, social, and personal contexts. Commentary and Analysis Mittal, the man, his life, and his company Mittal’s life is a fascinating account of the progress of an entrepreneur who grew from very simple beginnings in a conservative, deeply religious, and orthodox business community family in Calcutta (now Kolkata) to the largest steel producer in the world and the richest person to reside in the United Kingdom. Born into a medium level business family, Mittal’s early childhood, whilst austere, was not deprived. His father, a first generation entrepreneur was the owner of a steel mill in the central Indian province of Uttar Pradesh. Mittal grew up in Kolkata; where he first attended a local language school, and then went on to take a bachelor’s degree in commerce, before joining his father’s business. (D’Costa, 1999) Most members of the Rajasthani business community to which he belonged still believe in children getting into business to get practical experience immediately after obtaining a basic education, and Mittal did not even think of studying fo r an MBA like many of his peers. (D’Costa, 1999) Working in the family business for more than a decade, Mittal learnt steelmaking in Indonesia where the company had purchased an old loss making steel plant. (Balakrishnan, 2003) Turning it around successfully, he focussed on buying other loss making steel plants and making them into viable units; he separated from his family in 1994 (Balakrishnan, 2003) and in an astonishing period of fifteen years built the largest steel company in the world. Mittal’s strategy for growth was at once extremely simple and yet tremendously demanding. Concentrating on locating old, decrepit, and loss making steel mills, Mittal would procure them at bargain basement prices, modernise them with great cost effectiveness, increase their productive capacity and quality, and make them into efficient and viable units. (D’Costa, 1999) Mittal or LNM, as he is called, started buying out old and rusty companies in the early 1990s.One of his earliest coups happened in 1992 when he was able to buy the 20 year old Sibalsa mill in Mexico for USD 220 million. (Balakrishnan, 2003) This purchase was followed by mills in Trinidad, Canada, East Europe, and Africa, acquisitions that stretched his business affairs from Mexico and Canada to Romania, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Algeria and Indonesia. (Balakrishnan, 2003) Apart from being known to be immensely effective in driving hard bargains, Mittal also developed a multidisciplinary team trained to make the most of dilapidated nationalised rustbuckets that had been put on the block. Many of his team members came from SAIL, the resource strapped and loss making Indian public sector steel making company whose managers had extensive experience in extracting the most from obsolete and ill maintained machinery at the least possible cost. Available for a fraction of the costs of western managers, these well knit teams of production experts would move in after the completion of an acquisition, put the plant into working order, increase its capacity significantly, train local managers, and move on to the next buy. (D’Costa, 1999) â€Å"At Ispat Sidex in the Czech Republic, production climbed from 3.04 million tonnes to 3.65 million tonnes, a year after it was acquired.† (Balakrishnan, 2003) Again at the giant Karmet Steel Works in Kazakhstan, which Mittal bought in 1995, production rose from 2.2 million tonnes in 1995 to more than 5 million tons in a few years. (Balakrishnan, 2003) Mittal’s biggest acquisition occurred in 2006 when he took over controlling interest of Luxembourg based Arcelor, then the world’s largest steel company, after a long drawn battle with the board of the target company. (Mittal Wins, 2006) Arcelor Mittal is now the largest steel company in the world. Producing 10 % of global steel output, the company operates in 60 countries, has more than 300,000 employees, and is ranked 39th on the Fortune 500 list. In 2007 it had assets of 133.6 billion US dollars, achieved sales of 105.2 billion US dollars, and achieved profits of 10.36 billion US dollars. That’s a long way to come in 15 years. Mittal’s current lifestyle belies his middle class origins. He has an eye for luxury, a fascination for opulence and revels in making extravagant lifestyle statements. His houses in London are among the most expensive in the world, the weddings of his children have been explosions of lavishness, and he is not known for charitable work. â€Å"Mittal outscored billionaires like Donald Trump of US, luxury titan Bernard Arnault of France and Andrei Melnichenko of Russia with a $60 million extravaganza in honour of his daughter Vanisha’s nuptials, Forbes magazine said in a report titled â€Å"Billionaire Weddings.† Mittal family had sent out 20-page invitations in silver boxes, while 1,000 guests were put up in a five-star Paris hotel for the five-day affair for marriage of Vanisha Mittal with Amit Bhatia in June 2004. A party was hosted at Versailles, while another event reportedly took place at a wooden castle temporarily erected in Parc de Saint-Cloud, Forbes said.† (Billionaire weddings, 2006) Proud to be Indian and still the holder of an Indian passport despite many years in London, Mittal’s charitable gestures extend to setting up a sports academy and foundation to prop up India’s pathetic sports effort and gifting successful Indian sportspersons with extravagant money prizes. Mittal’s business efforts have not been successful all the time. â€Å"There have been deals that have stayed out of reach along the way. A few years ago, the LNM Group was on the verge of clinching a deal to buy Sidor, a Venezuelan plant but found the prize snatched from it at the last moment. U.S. Steel which beat the LNM Group in the race for VSZ in Slovakia. It also beat Mittal to the draw for Sartid, a Serbian plant. His efforts to grab a share of the e-business pie also evaporated into cyberspace. He attempted to marry technology and steel by setting up an e-exchange where steel could be traded, but the effort was aborted. His venture capital fund which hoped to strike a gusher in the hi-tech sector also didnt score any big multi-bagger hits.†(Balakrishnan, 2003) Assessment in terms of Entrepreneurial Theory Various economists have attempted to explain the process of entrepreneurship in different ways. Attempting to fill in a vital gap in the market process, economists like Schumpeter, Mises, Hayek, Shackle, Lachmann and others have tried to clarify entrepreneurship as â€Å"the animating force of the market process, initiating each alteration of the existing pattern of values, plans, and expectations in the market, and carrying through the physical actions which bring about new values, plans, and expectations.† (Wood, 2005) Successful entrepreneurship is the core of market development; not only does it bring about changes of existing to future strategies, estimations, and opportunities, but also the sighting and construction of fresh future conditions that are better than choices on hand and the concrete modification of present plans to each other and to the future. In essence the entrepreneur is often regarded as a connector; the person who detects the opening of gain between two separate market members, initiates required actions for purchasing from the vendor and selling to the buyer, and captures entrepreneurial profit. There however also exist other entrepreneurial tasks, which necessarily begin with the route of watchfully perceiving the incidence of opportunity before others, followed by finer details. The definition of entrepreneurship laid down by Stevenson in 1983 as â€Å"the pursuit of opportunity beyond the resources you currently control† is much in favour at Harvard University and takes account of both the individual and the larger society of which s/he is a part. (Welsch, 2003) The individual identifies an opportunity that needs to be followed and then tries to obtain the required resources from the larger society for exploiting the opportunity. (Morris, 1998) Entrepreneurship theory has in recent years been significantly enriched by inputs from numerous researchers who have tried to analyse the phenomenon from the social, organisational and personal contexts. Welsch, (2003), states (from an investigation of histories and culture in forty countries) that (a) entrepreneurship flourishes in communities where resources are mobile (b) entrepreneurship is greater when successful members of a community reinvest excess capital in the projects of other community members, (c) entrepreneurship flourishes in communities in which the success of other community members are celebrated rather than derided and that (d) entrepreneurship is greater in communities that see change as positive rather than negative. Some of these conditions are particular to Mittal. He comes from a desert trader community, the members of which moved out to other regions a couple of hundred years ago in search of opportunities and prosperity. Over time the Marwari community, of which he is now a much celebrated member, developed very strong kinship, hereditary business expertise, internal processes of information exchange, strong informal networks through arranged marriages, and the ability to seek, spot, and exploit opportunities. Trust in such societies is created through intra-community linkages and the growth of diverse collaborative ventures where preferential treatment is usually provided to companies with same community ownership. Mittal himself married a wealthy moneylender’s daughter from the same community and his initial business efforts in Indonesia were supported by the family business and other members of the community.(Richter, 1999) Whilst he separated his business from that of his family n either he nor his family have ever expressed rancour or talked publicly about the reasons for separation except to state that he wished to follow the international route whereas the other family members wished to grow in India. .(Richter, 1999) He was the first to spot the potential available for commercial exploitation of old and loss making steel plants and could successfully put through a process of making them into productive and valuable assets. He has also had the confidence to constantly leverage his businesses taking on debt to fund the needs of acquisition and consolidation. (Harper, 2003) Much of Mittal’s entrepreneurial success in his chosen field is due to the organisation he moulded during the 1990s. Putting his trust in the people of his country rather than in creating an organisation with an international culture, Mittal stacked his team with production and finance people from India, the production people being drawn from India’s old and obsolete public sector steel plants where maintenance and operations on paper thin budgets called for gallons of ingenuity and expertise, (Balakrishnan, 2003) and the finance people invariably being sharp chartered accountants from his community who could be trusted to drive the hardest bargain and maintain total confidentiality. This team, which he personally supervises and motivates, is close knit and expert in working in alien environments and setting up new organisations. Whilst currently existing theories may be inadequate for comprehension of the vibrant interaction amongst entrepreneurship, the state, and external environmental factors, as well as the institution’s capability to assist entrepreneurship and ensuing efficacy, it does differentiate between innovative and entrepreneurial organisations, entrepreneurship involving individuals building new organisations rather than individuals who are involved with established corporations. (Koepp, 2002) Mittal’s empire has not been known for pathbreaking innovation of the type shown by Google or YouTube where entrepreneurship and innovation live closely in cosy comfort. It is known to stay with businesses in which its expertise has been built over years, and where success comes from production ingenuity and a vigilant eye on costs. Mittal’s preponderance to stay with people with whom he is culturally comfortable and whom he feels he can trust and control also denies him access to the much larger talent pool available to organisations who hire only the best regardless of their origin. It also possibly explains the reasons behind the failures of ventures that attempted to go beyond the pale of steel production, for example the lack of success in his attempts to set up an e-business, an e-steel trading exchange, and a venture capital fund. Entrepreneurship theory also essentially focuses on the entrepreneurial psyche, i.e. the fundamental mental and attitudinal differences that distinguish entrepreneurs from others. Peter Drucker and Frank Knight associated entrepreneurship with the willingness to take risks and spend time and capital in pursuit of ideas and convictions, especially in situations of true uncertainty about outcomes. (Welsch, 2003) Shackle, Lachmann, and other economists however theorise that the true entrepreneur does not bear risk. (Wood, 2003) Entrepreneurs are actually so sure of the trueness of their future forecasts that they believe that the future will roll out exactly as they anticipate; whilst knowing that they operate in situations of uncertainty they have the confidence in their ability to make correct forecasts. Although this phenomenon has been interpreted by Mises to mean that entrepreneurs are oblivious to all else but profits, a consensus is building on the theory that whilst entrepreneur s are aware of uncertainties, they shoulder risks aside in their pursuit of their convictions. Entrepreneurs are also associated with creativity, resourcefulness and strong self belief, desire for new ideas, openness to change, inherent competitiveness, motivation, energy, and openness to criticism. (Morris, 1998) Entrepreneurship is also associated with passion, commitment, and perseverance. Whilst it is improbable that all successful entrepreneurs are so gifted, many of them possess some of these qualities in abundance. Research studies however do not pay much attention to issues like factors like luck and fortune in successful entrepreneurship and the need for the entrepreneur to be in the right place at the right time. Nor do they associate it much with greed, ambition, the tendency to cut corners, and to work on the periphery of rules and procedures. Microsoft has been accused time and again of stifling competition and has been involved in anti-trust legislation. Many questions have been raised about Mittal’s donations to the labour party and the poor conditions of workers in his factories. Whilst much is made of the positive qualities of entrepreneurs it is but fair to recognise that ambition and greed contribute significantly to their mental makeup and strong institutions and regulatory procedures are needed for society to benefit from the dynamism and vitality they bring to business. Conclusion Mittal in his personal life is known to be a committed family man and has groomed his son to succeed him in future. Close associates say that he is hard working and driven by his bottom lines. Whilst detractors feel that he has been helped by the phenomenal increase in the demand for steel and that he was in the right place at the right time when large numbers of dilapidated steel plants were being put on the block, the enormous and sustained success of his enterprise proves that there is much to his success beyond simple luck. His organisation building capacity is said to be remarkable and he provides his engineers a stable and financially beneficial working environment. Entrepreneurship theory is also about vision; the capacity to forecast future happenings with great perspicacity. (George Zahra, 2002) This is where Mittal scores. More than anything else people associate him with extraordinary vision, the ability to see the need of the future and build his grand plan accordingly. (Balakrishnan, 2003) Whilst he has been distracted from time to time by plans for other businesses, his focus has been sharp on the need of the steel industry to consolidate and the inability of small and medium sized steel businesses to cope with the demands of the present and the future. Although the man is now regarded more as a business giant, concerned with the consolidation of his industry rather than with starting new business ventures, he stands as a classic case of a successful entrepreneur and of the tenets of entrepreneurship theory. Word Count: 3160 and References References Balakrishnan, P, (2003), L.N. Mittal, the king of steel, rediff.com, Retrieved April24, 2008 from www.rediff.com/money/2003/sep/27spec.htm Billionaire weddings: Mittal on top, (2006), The Financial Express, Retrieved August 24, 2008 from www.financialexpress.com/news/Billionaire-weddings-Mittals-on-top Bird, B., Brush, C. (2002), A Gendered Perspective on Organizational Creation, Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 26(3), 41+ Birley, S. Macmillan, I. C. (Eds.), (1997). Entrepreneurship in a Global Context, London: Routledge Does a Society Which Fears Failure Stifle the Entrepreneurial Spirit. (2005, June 29). The Birmingham Post (England), p. 17 Ford, N. (2008, March). Mittal Wrapping Up Africa? as the Pace of Asian Investment in African Raw Materials Begins to Pick Up, Indias Arcelor Mittal the Worlds Largest Steel Producer, Has Announced New Investment in West African Iron Ore Mining. What Are the Implications for Africa? Report by Neil Ford. African Business 54+ Gartner, W. B. (2001). Is There an Elephant in Entrepreneurship? Blind Assumptions in Theory Development, Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 25(4), 27+ George, G., Zahra, S. A, (2002), Culture and Its Consequences for Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 26(4), 5+ Harper, D. A. (2003), Foundations of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, New York: Routledge Henderson, S. (2008, March). Growing Up CEO: Parents Can Nurture a Childs Entrepreneurial Spirit, Ebony, 63, 170+ INSIDE THE WORLD OF THE MEN OF STEEL; Dynasty of Steel: The Billionaire Lakshmi Mittal with His Son Aditya at the Familys [Pounds Sterling]57 Million London Home Opposite Kensington Palace. Lakshmi Says of His Son I Am Following in His Footsteps. He Is the Future. (2007, September 11). The Evening Standard (London, England), p. 18 Jelinek, M., Litterer, J. A. (1995), Toward Entrepreneurial Organizations: Meeting Ambiguity with Engagement. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 19(3), 137+ Koepp, R. (2002). Clusters of Creativity: Enduring Lessons on Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Silicon Valley and Europes Silicon Fen. Chichester, England: Wiley Mittal Wins Battle for Arcelor to Create Worlds Biggest Steel Firm. (2006, June 29). Manila Bulletin, p. NA Morris, M. H. (1998). Entrepreneurial Intensity: Sustainable Advantages for Individuals, Organizations, and Societies. Westport, CT: Quorum Books Muhammad, T. K. (1997, January). From Buppie to Biz-Wiz: Forget Corporate America Generation X Is Choosing the Entrepreneurial Path to Success. Black Enterprise, 27, 44+ D’Costa, A, (1999), The Global Restructuring of the Steel Industry: Innovations, Institutions, and Industrial Change. London: Routledge Richter, F., (1999), Business Networks in Asia: Promises, Doubts, and Perspectives. Westport, CT: Quorum Books Schonberg, S. (2006, Spring). Europes New Protectionism: A Former Policy Insider Outlines the Disturbing Trend. The International Economy, 20, 46+ Taylor, R. R. (1988). Exceptional Entrepreneurial Women: Strategies for Success. New York: Praeger Theil, S. (2008, January/February), Europes Philosophy of Failure: In France and Germany, Students Are Being Forced to Undergo a Dangerous Indoctrination. Taught That Economic Principles Such as Capitalism, Free Markets, and Entrepreneurship Are Savage, Unhealthy, and Immoral, These Children Are Raised on a Diet of Prejudice and Bias. Rooting It out May Determine Whether Europes Economies Prosper or Continue to Be Left Behind. Foreign Policy 54+ Welsch, H. P, (2003). Entrepreneurship: The Way Ahead. New York: Routledge Wood, J.S, (2005), The development and present state of the theory of entrepreneurship in product and asset markets by Knight, Hayek, Schumpeter, Mises, Kirzner, Shackle and Lachmann, Austrian Scholars Conference 2005, Retrieved August 24, 2008 from mises.org/journals/scholar/wood.pdf

The Terror Management Theory Essay -- Psychology, Fear of Death

Many may agree with the old saying that â€Å"beauty is only skin deep,† but does beauty come in a particular shade of color? This question is very debatable for many, but the fact of the matter is that human beings are born in array of skin tones. These differences in skin tone are used to categorize people into different ethnic groups. Lopez proposes thatâ€Å"ethnic identity is a type of group identity that is related to a better outcome because it provides a sense of belonging or cultural embeddedness.†(p.102) Dr. Ronald Hall (2006) suggests that in America minorities or people of color are called black in relative terms to the majority who are of European descent i.e. white. Some studies have discovered that a more â€Å"ethnic appearance† is usually assessed by a darker skin color i.e, black and is associated with a worse outcome in life (Lopez, 2008) In contrast, beauty, wealth and overall appeal are associated with physiological proximity to the white p ower structure i.e., light skin. (Hall, 2006) It appears as though desirable skin complexions are culturally relative. The terror management theory is a motivational theory which speculates that human beings have an underlying fear of death. These feelings are managed within that person by developing or maintaining a two- part cultural anxiety buffer; an individual worldview and a sense of self value or self-esteem. (Pyszczynski,Greenberg, & Solomon, 1997) According to the theory, high self-esteem reflects the successful participation in and internalization of meaningful cultural worldview. (Schmeichel, Gailliot, Filardo, MrGregor, Gitter, &Baumeister 2009) Goldenberg and Shakelford (2005) suggested that â€Å"the need for self-esteem is often seen as the master motive that underlies much o... ...ive. Those who engage themselves in processes such as tanning or skin bleaching do so to help boost their self-esteem. From the perspective of the terror management theory, individuals are motivated to live up to cultural standards because doing so grants self-esteem. The boost in self-esteem acts as a buffer for potential anxiety relative to awareness of personal immortality. (Cox et al., 2009) TMT determines that people aim to live up to social standards in order deal with personal insecurities about dying. If a psychological structure provides protection from thoughts about death, then reminding people of death will increase the need for that structure. (Goldenberg, Pyzszcsynski, Greenberg,Solomon, Kluck, &Cornwall, 2001) Within terms of this study, it is speculated that as mortality salience increases, so does an individual’s need to alter his own skin color.

The Metamorphosis :: essays research papers

The Metamorphosis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aside from all of the physical changes that Gregor encountered, his personality also took some major turns. Before this unfortunate transformation occurred, Gregor did not have the best relations with his family. Even though he was pretty much generating all of their income, he didn't have much of a closeness with them, except for his sister. 'With his sister alone he remained intimate'; (796). Gregor did in fact care for his sister so much that he wanted to sent her to study at the Conservatorium, even though it would cost him greatly. But despite these good intentions, Gregor's mother and father frowned upon such ideas. Gregor also was not aware of his family's true financial status, which is iron since he was the one providing for them. His parents seemed to be keeping something from him. Gregor's separation from his family also had to do with his work. Since he had to travel a lot of the time, he just wasn't around that often to spend time with his parents and sister.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even after Gregor's metamorphosis, many of his attributes remained similar. He still cared most about his work; that was pretty much all he thought about even when he first turned into a bug. 'The next train went at seven o'clock; to catch that he would need to hurry like mad and his samples weren't even packed up, and he himself wasn't feeling particularly fresh and active';(786). He had made up his mind that he would have to catch the train - completely ignoring the fact that he was no longer a human. One other thing he maintained was his relationship with his sister which still stayed the strongest of his family. However, the main difference he encountered was the way his family started to treat him after the metamorphosis. Rather than him avoiding his family, through business or even by spending his time in solitude, his family started to avoid him. They could not even bear the site of him because of his hideous appearance.

Multicultural backgrounds Essay

Both of these poets John Agard and Sujata Bhatt write poems about their multicultural backgrounds. In John Agard’s poem â€Å"half-caste† he starts off with Standard English. But as he goes on through out the poem he uses Caribbean dialect. His poem is about his feelings towards being multicultural. He feels angry, sad and is questioning his audience. In Sujata Bhatt’s poem â€Å"search for my tongue† she has many feelings about her mother tongue and how she doesn’t want to lose her first language. She is feeling sad because she thinks she is loosing her mother tongue but it comes back in her dream and she feels happy again. John Agard was born in Guyana but moved to England in 1977 so he has lived in England for 30 years. John Agard finds the term â€Å"half-caste† insulting and wants people to know how he feels about being mixed raced. Sujata Bhatt is like John Agard because she was born in India but moved when she was young. Sujata Bhatt moved to the United States. This is where she learned her English. She married a person from Germany, where she later then moved to. She wrote this poem â€Å"search for my tongue† because she was afraid of loosing her mother tongue Gujarati. In â€Å"half-caste† John Agard demonstrates a lot of emotions. He is angry in his poem he says â€Å"ah rass† this is a term of discust. John Agard is being ironic when he says â€Å"I offer you half a hand† you would expect him to offer you a whole hand. How can you offer half a hand? John Agard is also trying to be humours, when he refers to things as half. Like the English weather â€Å"yu mean when light on shadow mix in de sky is a half-case weather† John Agard is trying to put across that the English sky is never one colour it’s a mixture of colours like blue, white, grey. This links in with his multicoloured background because they are different colours just like he is. Sujata Bhatt also uses a lot of emotions in her poem. Sujata Bhatt feels sad when she says â€Å"If you had two tongues in your mouth, and lost the first one, the mother tongue† she feels like she didn’t get to know her mother tongue and feels sad that she don’t know her first language. Sujata Bhatt thinks that her mother tongue would not come back to her in the first part of the poem. So the first two stanzas of her poem are about her sadness. However when she realises her mother tongue is back she feels happy â€Å"it grows back, a stomp of a shoot† she is feeling pleased that she can remember Gujarati again. Sujata Bhatt felt that she had lost her mother tongue forever but when she realised that it came back she was relieved that she still knows Gujarati. No one would want to there mother tongue. The tone in John Agard’s poem â€Å"half-caste† is said in an angry tone. John Agard is warning those people who call him half-caste, as John Agard finds the word â€Å"half-caste† offensive. John Agard says â€Å"explain yuself wha yu mean† it’s as if someone as called John Agard half-caste and he wants to know the reason why they have called him half-caste. John Agard is thinking that being half-caste doesn’t mean he should be called something different. Through out the poem John Agard’s tone does change. He starts being perplexed. He has given the audience reasons in which being half-caste is such a beautiful thing. Like Picasso’s paintings â€Å"when yu say half-caste yu mean Picasso† Picasso’s paintings are colourful and bright. In Sujata Bhatt’s poem â€Å"search for my tongue† her tone is sad. As he thinks her mother tongue has gone. Through a long period of time her tone is sadness. However after the Gujarati Sujata Bhatt’s tone changes. Her tone becomes happier as her mother tongue comes back to life â€Å"the bud opens, the bud opens in my mouth† her tone becomes a happier. This style of tone carries on. Sujata Bhatt’s tone changes just like John Agard’s tone. They both start off in a sad way but as the poem progresses the tone changes to a more happier tone.