ANZ Anz Culture Study: Management Principles

Question 1) Explain the term ‘corporate (or organizational) culture’, and discuss its importance to the operational success, or failure, or organisations. Corporate culture, also known as organisational culture is ‘the system of shared values and beliefs that develops within an organisation and guides the behaviour of its members’ (Schermerhorn,et al, pg 45, 2004). Robbins, et al, pg 70, 2003, explain that culture is a perception, and people perceive culture to be what they see hear or experience within the organisation. This is one reason that corporate culture is so important, as it just becomes part of daily routine or ‘the way we do things here’ (Schermerhorn,et al, pg 45, 2004). Therefore if these common practices are good practices there is a strong chance the organisation will be more successful. The culture of an organisation is very important and can for a large part determine the success of organisations. As culture is a perception, it is concerned with how its members perceive the organisation and not whether they like it, (Robbins, et al, pg 70, 2003). If its members like the culture, the organisation is more likely to succeed. Organisations that have a good culture often perform at high levels, which also corresponds with staff morale. Robbins et al, pg 73, 2003 refer to a case study involving Virgin Blue, who have a different recruiting policy and job roles than other airlines in Australia. Virgin Blue want their staff to show their outgoing personality and interact with their customers during flights. Virgin Blue staff say morale is high and management gets on well with the workforce. The perception of Virgin Blue is that it is a little different to the other airlines in Australia, and that it is a fun outgoing organisation to be a part of, which is a perception Virgi n Blue appears to promote and are proud of. Question 2) Examine and summerize the cultural shifts that occurred on the ANZ over this period and the benefits they brought to various stakeholders. The ANZ like most banks in the late 1990’s had a poor public image. Banks were criticised for bank fees, branch closures and scandals, as a result morale for bank employees was also poor. ANZ conducted a staff survey, which confirmed morale was low and staff satisfaction was below 50%. The survey results were quite clear that staff did not feel valued in their workplace, and employees were asked to nominate words they felt best describes the ANZ bank. Words rating at the top of the list were cost reduction, profit and shareholder value. The ANZ initiated a program, ‘the breakout program’ which was designed to shift the culture, as the bank wanted to create a new public image or perception that distinguished them from other banks. Executives of the ANZ realized a shift if employees mind set was needed to regain the trust of their staff and assist with this intended culture change. This was done with various workshops and subsidising computers for its staff, which in particular was very well received by its staff. As well as increasing staff morale by subsidising computers, staff were given the opportunity to use skills they had acquired by assisting and educating customers with money matters. This was something staff were very passionate about, and by giving them the opportunity to complete such duties may have been a factor to increased morale. ANZ claim a complete transformation in organisational culture, believing their culture has changed for ever. Judging by further surveys conducted since the change in culture, staff morale is high, and this also coincides with customer satisfaction. Question 3) Evaluate the leadership style/s that would have been used by McFarlane and other senior executives in ANZ to implement this cultural shift in the ANZ and describe other leadership styles that may not have been beneficial in doing so. It is quite likely that more than one leadership style or a combination of styles was used by ANZ to initiate its change in organisational culture. One particular style that may have been used is the path-goal theory. ‘A leadership theory that says it is the leaders job to assist their followers in attaining their goals and to provide the direction or support needed to ensure that their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the groups or organisation’ (Robbins, et al, pg 577, 2006). At the ANZ bank staff morale was low and its public image poor, and to change that McFarlane used the path-goal leadership style to attempt to increase morale, which would also lead to enhancing its public image. The path-goal theory discusses input from staff, this was done by taking information from the staff survey, and gaining an understanding of what is important to staff. Change was then implemented so staff could start working in an environment which they feel much more comfortable, more likely to succeed and have higher job and customer satisfaction. The staff were given direction (path) and could see the rewards or goals, the leader helps facilitate this transition. Mcfarlane changed his leadership style, to give staff more involvement by conducting staff surveys, then implementing change due to results of the survey, this is further evidence to using path-goal theory. As the path goal leadership style assumes that leaders are flexible and can change their behaviours (Robbins, et al, pg 587, 2006). This is contrast to another leadership style, Fielders contingency model, which suggests that leaders could not change their behavior. If using this theory it would been very difficult for ANZ to change its culture as the leader would be unwilling to change their own behaviour in order to facilitate the required changes to result in the change in culture. Question 4) Discuss the challenges faced by McFarlane and his executive team in introducing change across ANZ. For change to occur, someone must take responsibility for managing the change process, the person who does this, who is also usually a manager, is known as a change agent (Robbins and Coulter, pg 360, 2007). At ANZ their CEO McFarlane is the change agent, and he may have encountered significant resistance change. There are numerous reasons why people within organisations resist change. Kreitner & Kiniki pg 546 – 547, 2008 explain that individual and group behaviour following organizational change can take many forms, from extreme ranges of acceptance to active resistance. This resistance to change is an emotional /behavioural response to real or imagined threats to an established work routine. One particular reason discussed by Kreitner & Kiniki, 2008 is an individuals predisposition to change, which is highly personal and deeply ingrained. With so many employees at the ANZ there is a strong chance that there would have been quite a lot of people who just resist change for personal reasons. Another reason for resistance to change is due to a climate of mistrust (Kreitner & Kiniki pg 547, 2008). This may have been the biggest resistance to change within the ANZ. Prior to the change employee morale was low, employees perceptions of ANZ were that they did not care about their staff and were more concerned with profits, cost reduction etc. ANZ were aware of their employees feelings, the lack of trust and realized the importance of having employees trust. Therefore when ANZ were initiating change staff may have found it difficult to adjust and believe that the change was going to be a change for the good. Question 5) Discuss whether or not the executive management instigated changes to the culture of the ANZ are ethical. Ethical behaviour is described as ‘behaviour that conforms to generally accepted social norms’ (Davidson & Griffen, pg 106, 2003). The workplace info case study mentions that most banks in the late 1990’s had a poor public image due to bank fees, branch closures etc. Although it is common practice amongst banks to operate under the conditions, .it is not considered acceptable behavior by the wider community, namely its customers. The ANZ bank wanted to be different to the other banks, it wanted its culture to be a point of difference from the others. It could be said that the ANZ felt it had a responsibility to change peoples perceptions of itself and banks in general. Davidson & Griffen, pg 117, 2003 explain that ‘ethics relate to individuals. Organisations themselves do not have ethics, but organisations do relate to their environment in ways that often involve ethical dilemmas and decisions. Social responsibility is the set of obligations an organisation has to protect and enhance the society in which it functions’. The society for the ANZ bank is the banking community, general community (customers) and its staff. The ANZ bank felt it had responsibilities to their customers, by providing a higher level of customer service in order to enhance its public image, but it had a responsibility to its staff, as they are the people who are to implement the changes. The ANZ may have avoided an ethical issue when it decided that its staff could choose where it could spend time volunteering. ANZ originally controlled where staff would go to volunteer, but this was quickly changed, possibly as a result to ethical dilemmas that may have arose. While there may have been some resistance by staff to change, it did occur and its staff and customer satisfaction have increased, without any major ethical dilemmas arising. Question 6) Determine the organisational structure that would best facilitate the implementation of these new practices. Organisational structure is the formal arrangement of jobs within an organisation. When managers develop change or structure, they’re engaged in organisational design, which involves 6 key elements (Robbins and Coulter, pg 266, 2007). Therefore to develop an organisational structure the manager must consider the elements of organisational design. One of these elements that would have been used by ANZ would have been span of control, which would then also lead to either having a tall or flat organisation structure. Span of control is determining how many people will report to each supervisor or manager (Davidson & Griffen, pg 357, 2003). The decision about span of control determines the overall structure of the organistaion, which will be either a flat or tall organization (Davidson & Griffen, pg 358, 2003). The ANZ may have shifted from a tall organizational structure to a flat structure. Davidson & Griffen, pg 106, 2003 explain that many experts agree that business run more effectively with fewer layers of organisations, which depicts a flat organisational structure. Flat organisations often lead to increased staff morale, productivity as well as increased managerial responsibility (Davidson & Griffen, pg 358, 2003). ANZ structure may look like a tall organization due to the large number of employees, braches and therefore managers for each branch, however a change occurred which would have resulted in less layers, which increased communication from employees to management which assisted in the culture change at ANZ. Question 7) Explain the importance of informal groups in achieving the managerial objective of cultural change. Groups are defined as ‘two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve specific goals’ (Robbins and Coulter, pg 424, 2007). For example, an ANZ branch might have a customer service team, who get together regularly to discuss new ways to increase customer satisfaction. The members in this group are from same ‘team’, and perhaps if not for working within close proximity of each other would not socialise, they are organised formal groups. Contrast to this is informal groups, which Davidson and Griffen, pg 645, 2003, descibe as ‘A group created by its members for purposes that may or may not be relevant to the organisation’s goals’. Informal groups may form while standing around in the morning making coffee, some informal groups are formed by an interpersonal attraction (Davidson and Griffen, pg 646, 2003). Whatever the reason informal groups are formed, they will be important in assisting in the shift for cultural change. When informal groups are formed, they are likely to become cohesive groups, Davidson and Griffen, pg 653, 2003, explain cohesiveness as ‘the extent to which members are loyal and committed to a group; the degree of mutual attractiveness in the group’. Therefore if informal groups within an organisation are open to change it is more likely that the organisation will be able to achieve its objectives, and it this case that is assist with a cultural change. The ANZ bank appears to have undergone a successful cultural transformation, with a focus of staff morale, which increased customer satisfaction. This change has been so well received by staff it now embedded in its staff, and will become the norm for all future staff, regardless of their personality or who is managing them.

Bates Boatyard

Table of Contents Facts| †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦| 2| Analysis| †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦| 2| ConclusionsReferences| †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦| 56| Issues 1. a. What would you tell Bates concerning her ac counting needs, emphasizing the uses of the accounting information for all stakeholders within and without the business? 2. a. The boatyard operates how many businesses? b. What are the accounting information needs for managing these businesses? FactsSarah Bates a returning Navy civilian decides to buy a business with the money she has saved along all this time. Bates buys a small boatyard in a town on the coast of Maine where she had spent many summers. The business being somewhat larger than she could finance alone, she had borrowed the additional funds required from a friend, giving a mortgage on the property as security. Along this way she realized she needs adequate accounting records. The records on hand were for cash receipts and disbursement only, as well actual balance sheet and profit and loss statement.Bates did not have any background on accounting therefore she finds helps from a friend of her, who advice her on what kind of accounting records should be kept and what ki nd of financial and cost information should be developed to control operations and to make proper charges to customers for services rendered. Some of the facts of the business are, one of the properties was a large shed for the winter storage of boats. Since the place was very suitable for larger boats there was a great demand for the space in it on the part of owners of expensive boats among the summer people.Also there was plenty of empty land on the shore front outdoor storage, the space was rented and also hired to haul the boats in equipment that it had for the purpose. During spring and other seasons there was a lot of business in painting and repair work for boats. Also she had a large sized work shed containing woodworking tools and space for when the weather was not the best to work outside it could be done inside. Lastly the property included a good sized wharf and float, a store for the sale of marine hardware and supplies, and gasoline pumps.Analysis 1. Bates did not hav e any proper accounting system; Bates only has record for cash disbursement and cash receipts. Bates should use the cost accounting system. This system is suitable for her as she can identify and assign the cost to each department. Bates should implement segmental reporting for each of the department so that she can assess the contribution and profitability of different departments by comparing the revenues and costs that they generate.Based on the segmental reporting, she can identify whichever departments that contribute profit or loss to her business. At the same time she can remove the unprofitable department. Bates needs to keep other accounting records other than the cash disbursement and cash receipts. She has too many business activities without any proper accounting management. Bates should identify which activity she wants to focus more on and, to be able to make it as her core business.Based on the segmental reporting used, Bates can analyze and determine which continuous ly gives profit to her. There a couple of suggestions Bates should implement on her accounting needs, first of all to implement a computerized accounting system in order to generate proper accounting records, since manual records are subject to greater human error, and can be easily misplaced. As for inventory purpose on her store, she should have an automated system that can help her keep track of inventory.Also Bates should conduct a cost benefit analysis, she wants to invest more money from capital that she does not have at the moment by adding a fishing tackle, sporting goods, and refreshment to her retail shop and without finding out if by adding the shop would really add more value into her business. Also she needs to study on what seasons is her business more profitable, in order to use the space more efficiently and effectively, and at the same time to segregate duties accordingly to demand of customers. . a. The Boatyard operates 3 different businesses. The first one is a l arge shed for winter storage of boats. There is great demand for space since it is a very suitable space for boats. Also there is more space for storage and haul of boats in on equipment on the front. The second one is a large sized work shed containing woodworking tools and space to construct about six boats up to 40 feet in length at one time. This space also it could be used for painting and repair shop.Lastly a good size wharf and float, store for the sale of marine hardware, supplies, and gasoline pumps, also a great spot for people who surfs to be around. b. One of the accounting information that Bates needs in order to manage his business, would be to calculate certain business functions costs. Bates needs to determine how much labor is used and the amount of materials used. Since managerial accounting helps decide the amount of time spent on each customer to maximize profit. Cost Objects need to be identified for measuring and assigning costs.For Bates there are different co st objects involved, which are; a large shed for winter storage, empty land for outdoor storage, and a yard at the same time as painting and repairing department. Another cost objects include; work shed for construction of boats, hardware and supplies store, gasoline pump, wharf and float. Each of these cost objects should be clearly defined as a separate department. The cost must be identified, measured and assigned to each department for planning, controlling and decision making.The direct cost can be identified through direct tracing that recognizes costs that are exclusively and actually associated with each department. To assign costs that have a cause and effect relationship with each department, the driver tracing method should be used, and this method is less expensive than assignment or allocation and the result is usually more accurate. At the same time indirect cost must be assigned through allocation. These costs must be measured with high degree of accuracy so that the profit can be calculated correctly.This cost information is needed for setting up objectives such as quality of painting and repair work; in order to reduce inspection costs, customer complaints, and waste material. Another objective would be evaluation suppliers and signing a contract with the suppliers for long term supply of defect free hardware tools and supplies at a fixed rate. An additional objective is that, maintenance costs must be identified as well as budgeted, and a maintenance schedule should be made to reduce labor costs. This is accomplished by having performance reports that compare the actual data with budgeted, planned data.A schedule must be maintained for employees working in painting, repair department and hardware store to avoid overtime premium. In order to achieve all the objectives, the best strategies need to be chosen and implementation of all objectives must be monitored so that corrective action can be taken. Conclusions 1. I would extremely recommend B ates to analyze her economically and business position at this moment. She needs to understand that she is involved in so many different businesses at this moment, and she is really the only one who is somehow on control and management of the all businesses.She should either take some intensives classes in how to use managerial accounting correctly or hire someone with accounting background that would advise her and collect the necessary data in order to used it properly, and to make the right decisions. Also since she just started her business she should study the industry that she is getting involved in first, before she make any further decisions in investing more money or expanding her business. At the same time she should try to focus in one business at the time to make sure everything gets handle the way it should be, as she could start earning some profit as soon as possible.Lastly she needs to understand that since she borrow some money she would need to start adjusting her finances, and increase profit in order to comply with all of her obligations that would be coming up. 2. a. the business operated by Bates Boatyard are described on analysis 2a along the analysis we could observed how many different business she is operating, and once again recommender her to focus one by one at the time, to ensure everything is running well on her business.

Compare and contrast the City of Bath with another historic city of Essay

Compare and contrast the City of Bath with another historic city of your choice that faces the conflict and challenges of being - Essay Example Oxford is also a historic city which has offered world-class education since medieval times. Many historic sites and buildings in these towns are protected by British laws and international statutes that prevent them from being converted (Great Britain House of Commons, 2009). However, the two cities keep on growing and there are different land use types that are emerging. This paper examines the challenges that arise from the tensions between the preservation of historic and landmark sites with emphasis on Bath and Oxford. It goes further to analyse the ways in which these two cities are dealing with the challenge of using land to meet its historical and tourism needs on one side and its general and economic land use needs. TENSIONS BETWEEN URBAN CONSERVATION & URBAN LAND USE Urban development comes about as a result of the numerous needs of people in society (Cohen, 1999). Different groups of people have different land use needs and this gives the need for various considerations in urban generation and regeneration. A major land use type in cities in England is the historic site usage (Tessa, 2005). Tessa (2005) goes further to identify that urban historic land marks give a physical form to individual and communal history in the form of architecture and edifices that come with countless stories about various timelines in history. This is an avenue for the discharge of some human values as well as economic returns from events like tourism. On the other hand, though, people need lands to fulfil their individual and communal needs. These needs are honoured through consensus between various stakeholder units in the society and it leads to so much debate and tensions (De La Torre, 2005). According to Betty (2011), the main areas that the tensions occur in urban development where heritage site conservation is concerned include: 1. The Need for Growth V Restricted Development Capacity 2. Sustainable Economic Prosperity V Dangers of Destroying priceless landmarks 3. Innovation V protection of Heritage 4. Preservation V Requests of Community for housing, education, jobs and transportation 5. Increasing tourism V Loss of distinctive competitive strengths THE CASE OF BATH & OXFORD Bath and Oxford seem to have similar problems in the area of the constraints between urban growth and heritage site management and conservation. Demographic Issues Bath’s population has remained steady between 85,000 and 75,000 over the past forty years. 1971, the population was about 85,000. It fell to about 80,000 and 79,000 in 1981 and 1991 respectively. In 2001, the population stood around 84,000 (Statistics & Census Information). Over 38% of the residents are over 60 years (Betty, 2011). This huge ageing population indicates that Bath’s younger generation are leaving the town in huge numbers because there are more economic and social opportunities elsewhere. Also, there are challenges like fuel poverty, which affects about 8% of the populace. The situa tion on Bath puts the city authorities in a situation where they need to do something to retain their active population. This entails improving economic and work conditions in the city as well as the creation of socio-cultural

Idols Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Idols - Assignment Example When we look at the sky, we see stars in a disorganized form and try to organize them in a pattern, into objects and forms. The second form, idols of the cave relate to distortions that apply to certain groups of people as opposed to others (Bacon, pg.45). For example, some people are more inclined to tradition and culture than others, while some people are inclined to new philosophies more than others. Thirdly, the idols of the market place are distortions arising from semantics or social activities. Bacon has noted that incorrect use of language and words has led to problems in comprehension and thus urges people to use words correctly and precisely. For instance, we are wrong to say, ‘the sun is up’ because the sun does not move. Rather, it is the earth that rotates. Lastly, he notes the idols of the theater which influence the mind into excesses of denial or dogmatism (Bacon, pg.56). An example of this is the various theologies, theories and philosophies that people come up with and interpret their world. Their thoughts, actions and views are interpreted based on this new philosophy and world view. He notes that people need to be aware of how the views distort their perceptions of world and seek to change

Rotterdam Rules Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Rotterdam Rules - Essay Example After coming into effect these changes are bound to reflect on different stakeholders in the maritime business. With an increase in business activities, all around the globe, the sea route has become very busy and active, thus generating more demand for regulations and expertise in Maritime law. Container and shipping industry is capital intensive business and requires huge amount of investment to start the business. Safety and environmental concerns obviously result in high levels of regulations for the industry. It took well over seven years for the U.N. Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and its Working Group III on Transport Law, to deliberate on the nuances of the new legislation for the shipping industry. Subsequently the Comit Maritime International (CMI) took another four years of preparatory work to pave the way for the United Nations to adopt the 'Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea' in December 2008 meeting (Sturley, 2009). The Rotterdam convention is bound to have an impact on different stakeholders in the maritime business in varying measures, depending upon a number of factors. The Cargo owners are certainly an important part in this business. With projections of the global marine industry to be worth $924.5 billion by the year 2013, registering an increase of 23.4 percent since 2008, the Rotterdam rules are bound to play a crucial role in the marine industry (Datamonitor, 2009). Futuristic projections say that the global marine industry is bound to witness a volume of about 21.7 in the year 2013, which makes the role of cargo owners all the more crucial. In fact Rotterdam rules are seen the first serious attempt to replace the age old maritime rules with a new set of modernistic guidelines to make the maritime business more attractive and less speculative. With trade volumes increasing as we move along in the 21st century, the global marine trade has been growing at a rapid pace. Research reports indicate that the rate of growth between 2004 and 2006 had been quite attractive, but subsequent years saw decline owing to the prevalence of all round recessionary trends. Though the recession is far from over yet, but the industry is witnessing higher volume of trade in the recent months. Rotterdam has got the honours of hosting the UN Convention because of its being one of largest ports around the world. In fact, the traditional competition for the best and largest has been between Rotterdam and Singapore. But, the phenomenal rise of China in global trade has made Shanghai as a tough competitor for being the number one port in terms of cargo handling. More movement of goods and services due to the trend amongst the MNCs to manufacture products in countries like China and then transport it back to the western world or Europe, implies greater opportunity for the shipping industry. As per the United Nation estimates, the shipping industry was able to move 8 billion tons of cargo in 2007. This amounts to about 80 percent of the volume of world trade. Oil comprised of the main cargo shipment followed closely by iron ore and coal (UN, 2009). The cargo owners have therefore a big role in carrying forward the globalisation and liberalisation regime. Rotterdam rules have brou ght about a series of changes in the existing framework while making provisions for emerging situations in the increased transportation of the goods around the world.

Impact of EU membership on UK Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Impact of EU membership on UK Law - Essay Example European Union was formed to create an environment where all European nations could benefit from efficient use of factors of production to provide cost effective products and services for the European people.This entails all member nations to agree to common economic policies. This has far reaching effect not only on the economic policy making of the member countries but also on their political and legal systems. Common policy implementation requires great political integration of the various member states. For the above stated purpose, a European Community was formed which consisted of council of ministers and a setup of various institutions like European Parliament, The Council of European Union, European Commission, the Court of Justice and so on (actrav.itcilo.org). Among the various institutes, the European Commission plays the most important role in the process of policy making. Its main function includes the introduction or origination of the various legislations. It then acts as a â€Å"guardian of Treaties† as well as executes and manages the various Union policies along with those of â€Å"international trade relations† (actrav.itcilo.org). Thus, through the various institutes, the EC ensures that various legislations are created and followed throughout the European Union community. This has implications for the member states as the laws passed by the EU are binding on all the member countries (blurtit.com).... in were to consent to a particular treaty of the EU in conjunction with the other member states, the MPs of Britain will have no powers to overthrow it. The European Court has powers to overrule any motion passed by the British parliament to defeat any such treaty. The only way UK could then implement the motion of the British parliamentarians is to withdraw its membership from the EU. How much has been the influence of the EU membership on the laws of UK can be adjudged by looking at the number of legislations or directives that have been passed on account of EU regulations as compared to those initiated locally. It has been estimated that 50% of the UK laws are EU-originated (Johnston 2009). The research also showed that of the 2000 regulatory proposals studied, 72% of the cost of regulations was on account of EU regulations (Johnston 2009). The major worrisome feature of this is that the country is being run more by EU laws than by the local ones and topping on this is the fact th at these laws are not very well scrutinized and cannot be easily changed by the elected representatives of the British parliament. Delegated legislation brings another aspect into the UK law scene. Delegated legislation means that the government can make finer changes to a law without having to go through the parliamentary process (parliament.uk). The major advantages of this legislation are that it saves the time of the parliament especially where the MPs do not have specific technical knowledge about the field of the Act, it allows quick decision making especially in situations of national security or health and helps in enabling small changes (sixthformlaw.info). However, the major disadvantages lie in the fact that it is usually passed by the civil servants who are not the elected

KFC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

KFC - Essay Example This is essential in the company's operation as consistency and reliability of its products are at stake. Consistent processes across the company's outlets ensured that each of the branches is operating at a predefined standard. Also, the image of the company which is already instilled in the company's market should be met by all the outlets. All of the above measures are instrumental to KFC's success. 2. At first, Loy made a mistake in the strategies that he employed to conquer the Japanese market. This was evidenced by the huge losses he incurred during KFC's operation of its first restaurant in Osaka. However, as he got to know the Japanese market, he proved to be effective. Loy was able to identify a target market which is the group of trendy Japanese. This new market required fresh marketing strategies. It called for the modification of the product line, place, promotion and pricing. Fortunately, Loy had essentially adopted strategies which were just appropriate for his target market. Loy's strategies involved offering products which appealed more to the Japanese market.

Calendar effects (seasonalities). January Effect , The Day of the Week Literature review

Calendar effects (seasonalities). January Effect , The Day of the Week Effect, The Holiday Effect - Literature review Example Literature Review For the day of the week effect in stock market returns, Gibbons & Hess (1981), Fama (1991), (Grossman and Stiglitz 1980)), French (1980)), Lakonishok and Levi (1982)), Rogalski (1984)) and Keim and Stambaugh (1984)), Harris (2002), Lakonishok and Smidt (1988), Allen and Karjalainen (1993) have exhibited the impression of this phenomenon. However, according to Kenourgios & Samitas (2008) latest global level studies indicate that this market irregularity is loosing its sheen to the extent of showing no symptoms of visibility or its effect has considerably reduced in developed stock markets since it was first registered in the 1980s (e.g., Chang et al., 1993; Schwert, 2001; Steeley, 2001; Kohers et al., 2004; Hui, 2005)). Generally, it is taken for granted that the apportioning of stock returns is the same for all days of a week but it is not that crucial an assumption for achieving market equilibrium. Empirical research indicates unequal stock returns on different day s of the week, particularly weekend effects on Monday returns. It could be because Monday’s return is computed over three in stead of one day causing the mean and variance to be higher than other days, which could be approximately three times higher. Although Fama (1965)) has compared daily mean returns but he has found Monday’s difference on stock returns to be 20% more than other daily returns, which is similar to what other researchers have focussed on (Gibbons & Hess, 1981). Background At the ground level, the theory of efficient capital markets is the same i.e. the theory of competitive equilibrium used on asset markets. It is based on the Ricardian principle of comparative advantage. The same notion in financial markets is applied with the only assumption of getting competitive advantage because of the gaps in information, not â€Å"fully reflected† in prices, thus, setting the basis for profitable trading rules (LeRoy, 1989). Fama (1991) has reviewed mark et efficiency literature by selecting the relevant research in the previous 20 years. He has taken the market efficiency hypothesis, which simply means that security prices are totally predictable as based on given information. It works on the assumption that information and the trading costs are mostly 0 (Grossman and Stiglitz 1980)). Another assumption of the efficiency hypothesis is that prices indicate information to the level where marginal benefits of accruing profits on the basis of information are less than the marginal cost (Jensen 1978)). There is so much opaqueness that one cannot measure market efficiency due to various versions of market efficiency to be reflected by going back on any type of efficiency hypothesis within the given information and the trading costs. There are other models that present a straightforward approach towards this issue. French (1980) also tested two models on stock returns as based on calendar time hypothesis and trading time hypothesis for a period between 1953 and 1977 for daily returns on Standards & Poor’s composite portfolio not matching with the models, indicating positive average return for the four days while negative return for Monday. Harris (2002) has studied weekly and intra-day designs in stock returns by employing transaction data for large and smaller firms. Findings indicate negative Monday close-to-close returns from the Friday close to Monday open for larger firms while for small firms it happens majorly the same for the whole of Monday trading.

The Importance of Parking Lots, and Why Parking is Already So Much Essay

The Importance of Parking Lots, and Why Parking is Already So Much More - Essay Example They take up a significant amount of space and a prevalent wherever a person travels, at least in developed countries. However, in his argument, Ben-Joseph does not take into account the necessity of parking spaces, or the cost of the changes that he argues for. Before a suggestion like his is implemented, our society needs to become less dependent on cars and learn to use the parking spaces that we do have more efficiently. It is true that there are more parking spaces than cars, and Ben-Joseph’s figure of three times as many is probably very accurate. However, does this actually suggest that there are too many? The difficulty that is associated with finding parking at a popular venue suggests otherwise. For example, a parking space study in Bristol, Virginia found that the city needed more parking spaces in its downtown area. Furthermore, the study recommended that a parking building be created that had up to 240 spaces (McGee 2012). The stress and difficulty in finding a pa rking space in some cities is so bad that smartphone applications have been developed to help motorists find a space effectively (Gonzales 2011). These two examples suggest that the current number of parking spaces that are available is not enough in some places, rather than there being an excessive amount, as Ben-Joseph suggests. Another aspect of parking that Ben-Joseph does not take into account is the difference between parking spaces and parking lots. He suggests that there are approximately 800 million parking spaces in the United States, and extrapolates this to mean that parking spaces cover 4,360 square miles. This is not completely true. One only has to look at city streets to see that a large number of parking spaces are not part of parking lots, but are on the side of the road. Often, these are the most important parking spaces to people trying to get somewhere specific. While these spaces do take up the same amount of physical area as a parking space within a lot, remov ing these would not result in more available space. The impression that Ben-Joseph gives of parking lots sprawling across the country, blotting the landscape and taking up substantial amounts of space may be true. However, the level at which this occurs is not as dire as he suggests. As a potential solution to the ‘problem’ of parking lots, Ben-Joseph argues that parking lots themselves need to be transformed. He considers that there needs to be a greater focus on appearance, public uses and the environment. However, there are two problems with this proposed solution. The first is the associated cost. The way that parking lots are created is largely due to the relatively low cost. In terms of both time and money, it is much cheaper to create a flat, paved lot with the required lines, markers and other components, than it would be to create one that is more aesthetically pleasing. Even the simplest approach of landscaping the area would cost. The second problem is that r evamping car lots in this way would also decrease the number of parking spaces that they provide. This is a significant problem, as parking spaces are an important component of our society, and many people rely on them in order to store their car while they work. An alternative solution to the perspective that Ben-Joseph proposes a two-pronged approach, where the use of parking spaces is optimized and transportation via cars is decreased. The smartphone application for determining

Global Warming and its Effects Essay Example for Free

Global Warming and its Effects Essay There is no doubt that our world has been warming up. Eleven out of the past twelve years, that is, 1995 to 2006, have been ranked among the twelve â€Å"warmest years since 1850 (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4,† 2007). † Humans did not keep systematic records of temperature before 1850; nevertheless, scientists are confident that there is something terribly wrong with the steady increase of global surface temperature between 1995 and 2006. The evidence of global warming includes the shrinking of beautiful mountain glaciers in many parts of the world; thawing of permafrost; the early breakup of lake as well as river ice; lengthening of growing seasons (especially mid to high latitude); shifting of animal, insect and plant ranges; early flowering of trees; early emergence of insects and egg laying of birds; changes in ocean currents as well as patterns of precipitation; and the increasing lifetimes and intensities of tropical storms in several regions of the globe (â€Å"Climate Change 2007,† 2007). Seeing that the poorest people of the world are rather dependent on a hospitable as well as stable climate for their crop growing needs in addition to the gathering of natural resources, it is vital to understand climate change before attempting to manage it. Poor people are reliant on the monsoon seasons, for example, but climate change is about to turn their lives around. Moreover, it is the poorest people of the world that are most vulnerable to the destruction caused by natural disasters. The Asian tsunami of 2004 provides evidence of this phenomenon. Increase in drought frequency in Africa is another reason why policymakers around the globe must consider decisions that would have a long-term impact on humanity. Other examples of the destruction caused by climate change to the poor communities in particular include the effects of Katrina in the United States and the heat wave that was experienced by Europeans in 2003. As these examples reveal, poor people in rich societies are also vulnerable to the devastating effects of global warming (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). Additionally, the effects of global warming are expected to vary across the globe. According to a publication of the United Nations Environment Programme: While the Earth’s climate has varied throughout the prehistoric ages, the last few decades have witnessed a global climate disruption that is unprecedented over the recent millennia, a period of relative climatic stability during which civilization emerged. Some regions, particularly the Arctic, will be more affected by climate change than others closer to the equator. In many regions, the agricultural sector will be particularly affected. The combination of high temperatures and decreased soil moisture projected for parts of Africa will be particularly hard to adapt to (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). The publication of the UNEP, â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4,† also describes the main responsibility that human beings must assume for global warming: that, in fact, humans have placed great pressure on the climate system with increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gas that is mainly responsible for climate change appears to be carbon dioxide, primarily originating from the consumption of fossil fuels. But, other gases are similarly responsible for climate change. According to the report: â€Å"Since the dawn of the industrial age, the concentrations of these gases have been steadily increasing in the atmosphere (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). † Overly excited about their achievements during and after the golden Industrial Age, human beings did not realize that materialism and greed could even be responsible for ending their existence on Earth in the near future. Indeed, if climate change is not managed through effective, global environmental policies at present, huge natural disasters may very well finish off all life on our planet. As it is, global warming is accompanied by spells of really high temperatures that are known to destroy life through heat stress in addition to air pollution. In June 2003, Europe experienced such a spell. It raised temperatures twenty to thirty percent higher than the average temperatures during summer. What is more, the spell covered a huge portion of the European continent, from Germany to Italy, and from the north of Spain to Czech Republic. With social as well as economic impacts, besides its environmental impacts, the heat wave presented heavy losses to the European continent. In point of fact, thirty thousand European people lost their lives during June 2003. Forestry and agricultural production were impaired; forests were burned; crop cycles were disrupted; nuclear reactors cooled by water from rivers had to be closed; demand for electricity could not be met; and the stability of rocks was affected (â€Å"Impacts of Summer 2003 Heat Wave in Europe,† 2004). Europe had experienced significant development during the Industrial Age, although it did not have any power over the heat wave of 2003. More importantly, perhaps, it is evident that the European Union would now play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The heat wave of 2003 served as a warning for the entire continent to begin taking serious action against greenhouse gas emissions, while enjoying the fruits of the Industrial Age even in the twenty first century (â€Å"Impacts of Summer 2003 Heat Wave†). As bad as the European heat wave of 2003 was, there is no way for it to compete with the rising average temperatures in the Arctic. In fact, temperatures in the Arctic are â€Å"rising almost twice as rapidly as in the rest of the world (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). † Sea ice and glaciers in the Arctic are presently melting, while the permafrost temperatures are rising. In Siberia and Alaska, permafrost is also melting. This is expected to release methane into the Earth’s atmosphere from the frozen hydrates. Scientists are aware that fifty million years back, a large amount of methane was released into the Earth’s atmosphere. Temperatures around that time must have risen approximately five to seven Celsius. Additionally, scientists have determined that it took approximately one hundred and forty thousand years for the atmosphere to return to its normal state after the initial release of methane (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). Perhaps, therefore, the effects of global warming would remain with us for a very long period of time. Our future generations would have to suffer because of the excessive greenhouse gas emissions that our generation has been held responsible for. Other effects of global warming include increased changes in precipitation around the world. While wet regions are experiencing more rain, the dry areas of our world are turning more arid than before. In addition, regions like Africa with â€Å"the lowest contribution to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions† are projected to suffer most due to these changes (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). As a matter of fact, water scarcity is projected to become a dangerous problem for the African people in the days to come (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). Global warming is also increasing â€Å"intense tropical cyclone activity,† especially in the North Atlantic (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). This has been going on since 1970, and is definitely associated with increases in the surface temperatures of tropical seas. Furthermore, there is evidence of increased tropical cyclone activity in certain regions of the world where it is difficult to gather high quality data. In any case, over the past thirty five years the number of Class 4 and 5, high intense storms, has almost doubled. These storms are now occurring in virtually all ocean basins. Of a certainty, our world would warm up even more because of this activity in the deep (â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4†). It is time, therefore, for all countries of the world to seriously consider the kinds of policies that could reverse the damage caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Humans have no control over unknown natural powers that may be causing climate change. Even so, they instinctively know the route they must take so as to help all living beings on the planet. The UNEP publication, â€Å"Global Environmental Outlook 4† refers to our world as a â€Å"one planet economy,† where all resources must be shared. So even though the Africans did not pollute the environment as much as the Americans and the Europeans during the Industrial Age, they must suffer because they did not even consider advising the Americans and the Europeans to reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Of course, they were in no position to advise the polluters. Global warming has been showing its severe effects only now – a time when the world seems to have accepted the idea that life on Earth may end pretty soon if human beings do not stop harming the environment. References Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basics. (2007, Feb 5). Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved Dec 10, 2007, from http://ipcc-wg1. ucar. edu/wg1/docs/WG1AR4_SPM_Approved_05Feb. pdf. Global Environmental Outlook 4: Environment for Development. (2007). United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved Dec 10, 2007, from http://www. unep. org/geo/geo4. Impacts of Summer 2003 Heat Wave in Europe. (2004, Mar). United Nations Environment Programme. Retrieved Dec 10, 2007, from http://www. grid. unep. ch/product/publication/download/ew_heat_wave. en. pdf.

Environmental Management System of Starbucks Coffee

Environmental Management System of Starbucks Coffee Background of the company Starbucks Coffee is the number one purveyor of coffee in the world. Starbucks Coffee is an American global coffee company and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Moreover, Starbucks Company is the largest coffeehouse company in the world ahead of Costa Coffee, with 20,737 stores worldwide. Howard Schultz, the Chairman and CEO of Starbucks . With what stated above, Howard is actually trying to make Starbucks a second home in our daily lives. That is why, they are trying to bring ‘family’ into the picture whereby people of all ages can come to Starbucks and enjoy themselves. Starbucks started their first store in 1971 opened in Seattle, Washington. Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker got the idea from Alfred Peet of opening Starbucks coffee store. Starbucks is now introducing a healthier option of food and drinks for children. Therefore, working parents can now enjoy their cup of coffee while doing their work without worrying about what food and drinks t heir children can consume. Furthermore, with a family concept it too can build a closer relationship between families. Introduction to the services / products of the company Starbucks is very particular about meeting all their customers’ needs. The environment of their outlet is well equipped from friendly staff, a comfy place to relax to enjoy a good cup of coffee with your loved ones and not to mention good Wi-Fi. Thus, working parents can come to Starbucks and do their work without feeling stressed out. All in all, Starbucks is the perfect place for families to dine in. In addition, Starbucks serve both hot and cold beverages, whole-bean coffee, micro-ground instant coffee, full-leaf teas and also snacks. Most Starbucks stores also sell pre-packaged food items, hot and cold sandwiches, and items such as mugs and tumblers. Since 1987, Starbucks had opened an average of two new stores every day and had been profitable as local company in early 1980s. In addition the store initially sold just coffee beans and coffee making equipment rather than the drinks they had become famous nowadays. Starbucks is also famous for having good services and serve good quality of coffee. Moreover, Starbucks also introduced the new drive-thru concept stores with consistency in kind so that customers have the option to enjoy their favorite coffee on the go, or at the store should they prefer to stretch their legs and relax. Identification of the potential environmental impacts that maybe caused by the services / products of the company. (10marks) Overall, Starbucks Coffee is recognized by many environmental associations for their endless contribution as a â€Å"Green† company. Throughout the process of growing, processing and transporting the coffee beans, Starbucks Coffee has been in support of environmentally-sound coffee growing practices and to ensure the sustainability of its product supply. Starbucks Coffee strives to reduce their environmental impact through some initiatives targeting issues like recycle, reuse, waste reduction as well as education partners and consumers. However, there are some negative environmental impacts that are caused by the services and products of Starbucks Coffee. Firstly, based on the Starbucks 2007 CSR Annual Report, each Starbucks Coffee store uses 6.78kW/h of electricity, 0.058 thermos of natural gas, and 25 gallons of water, on average, per square foot per month (Saed, 2009). The most serious environmental impact is water wastage. Recently, Starbucks Coffee is criticized by environmental experts for wasting 23.4 million liters of water per day caused by running taps at its nearly 10,000 outlets worldwide (Saed, 2009). The wastage of water is a threat to the environment and wildlife as the tap water is sourced from rivers and underground water. Since coffees are brewed and served to customers in packaging like paper cups, undoubtedly another inevitable wastage of Starbucks Coffee is its coffee cups. It is estimated that the company produces more than 2 billion paper cups per year (Mother Nature Network Holding Company, 2010). Since Starbucks Coffee uses disposable paper cups made of 10% recycled paper fiber and 90% new paper, enormous quantity of natural resources like trees, water and energy are required for the processing of the paper cups. In addition to that, the company’s paper cups are laminated with plastic resin lining, thus are unable to be recycled. After consuming their coffees, the paper cups are highly likely to end up in a landfill in which decomposing of the paper cups occurs. This will result in the release of methane gas, which is a greenhouse gas with 23 times the heat-trapping power of carbon dioxide (Saed, 2009). Emission of this greenhouse gas causes greenhouse effect which will lead to global wa rming. Although Starbucks Coffee is encouraging customers to bring in their own reusable cups and enjoy a 10% discount by doing so, more initiative is needed to motivate customers to be more environmental-friendly. The company’s environmental management system. There are five environmental management system that have been implement by Starbuck Company are building greener stores, recycling reducing waste, Starbucks recycling infrastructure, reducing waste with reusable Cups and water conservation. First Starbuck build greener stores. Starbuck is a store that having LEED ® Certified Stores. They have created environmental awareness on a global scale since from the design stage right through to construction and operations. Besides that, Starbuck also pay attention in energy conservation renewable energy, they have pay attention and committed to reducing the quantity of using energy and also supporting new, renewable solutions and prefer to use the energy in the green way. Second, recycling and reducing waste. Starbuck company said that they have 39% of their retail stores in USA AND Canada were able to offer front of store recycling and 71% of coffee were able to recycle and be a fertilizer. Starbuck also working with Paper Recovery Alliance to increase acceptance of their materials while customize their recycling program to accommodate varying regional requirements as much as possible. Besides that, in 2013 Starbuck have 80%(more than 3,200) of their stores in USA and Canada have recycled cardboard boxes and other back-of-store items. Starbuck Company also encourage their customers to find out if their packaging is recyclable in their neighbourhoods at Earth 911. Third, Starbuck recycling infrastructure. Starbuck Company proves that the cups that they are using can be accepted as a valuable raw material in a variety of recycling systems. Starbuck also working and collaboration as a member of the Foodservice Packaging Institute’s Paper Recovery Alliance and the Plastics Recovery Group to find and bring up solutions to scale and address common challenges. Fourth, reducing waste with reusable cups. Reusable cups are an important component for Starbuck Company in the waste reduction strategy. Since 1985 Starbuck rewarded customer with 5% discounts that bring their personal tumblers and 5% of the beverages made in their stores in tumblers and brought in by their customers. I felt that this is the effective way to encourage people to involve in recycling.      Lastly, water conservation. In 2008, Starbuck Company has set a goal to reduce water consumption by 25% in 2015. Since then, they have identified a number of opportunities to use this precious resource more wisely and spent the last few years testing and validating these solutions. They have cut water consumption by 21.1% through several measures, including the use of efficient fixtures and equipment that actively monitors consumption to identify spikes in water usage and taking action and upgrading the water filtration systems in their stores to take care and protect about the cleanness of river and streams. Starbuck Company have also dominate water extends to water consumption, protection and serving clean water in coffee-growing communities. Through C.A.F.E. Practices and the resources, Agronomists of Starbuck Company have provide coffee farmers at their six farmer support centers around the world, Starbuck Company help increase their yield and quality, while still reducing the water usage for coffee processing and ensuring workers have access clean drinking water to provide customers a good and clean coffee. What are Starbuck doing now are managing water that can be seen â€Å"going down the drain† provides one set of challenges, but much of their water footprint happens behind the scenes. Leaks can develop below floors, outside in sprinkler systems, even in toilets. To combat these invisible enemy, Starbucks Energy and Resource Conservation team uses advanced analytics to identify stores that are using excessive amounts of water. Facilities experts will visit the stores that are using excessive amounts of water to diagnose and rectify aberrant. This practice has relief in excessive water use. The company objectives whether it complies with SMART approach in EMS. The Starbucks Company has complied with SMART approach in EMS. The company has specific target to address, measurable target with showing percentage, achievable target, realistic with showing how they achieve the target, and time-bound. The Starbucks Company is searching the ways to reduce environmental footprint, tackle climate change and stimulate others to do the same. The company have specific target to achieve their objectives such as reducing and recycling waste, energy conservation, water conservation, and building greener stores. For the specific target of reducing and recycling waste, the Starbucks Company has a measurable plan that to have recycling available in all of their stores and serve 5% of beverages in reusable cups by 2015. The target is achievable and realistic because the Starbucks Company offered a 10-cent discount for customer in order to encourage customers to use reusable tumblers or mugs for their beverage in the US and Canada. Furthermore, the customers who drink hot beverage in store are served with ceramic mugs. Besides, cardboard boxes, milk jugs, syrup bottles, and coffee grounds which can be found behind the counter are sent to recycling services but recycling success depends on the obtainability of commercial recycling services where the store is located. Another specific target is energy conservation, time-bound is year 2015, the Starbucks Company has measurable target that commit to reduce 25% of energy consumption and to cover 100% electricity consumption with renewable energy. The target is achievable and realistic because the company has made substantial progress in developing and understanding new approaches to reduce energy consumption in the last few years and continue to find additional renewable solutions. Furthermore, the specific target of water conservation, the Starbucks Company commit to reduce 25% water usage in all their stores by 2015. The target is achievable and realistic because the company has changed continuous streams of water to manual faucets, and clean blender jugs using a blast of higher pressure water instead of open tap. Besides, the company also plans to install efficient water fixtures, such as toilets, spray heads used to rinse dishes, and low-flow faucets in new stores. Alternative ways to improve environmental performance of the company beside the approach stated in company policy. Recycling and reducing waste About the cup being used, there are many ways to reduce the cup waste through encourage customer to use ceramic mug. Offer discount for using ceramic mug and their own cup instead of only their Starbuck brand cup. When staff giving order, may ask customer for using ceramic mug if they are having their coffee in the shop. Use ceramic mug also for customers when request for water, reduce the use of paper and plastic cup possible. In addition, customer environmental awareness is important too, not provide paper tissue in self-counter which customer use extravagance, is only provided one to two tissue for them when purchasing one drink. Energy conservation Energy play an important role in a coffee shop, from roasting coffee to the whole shop, it use energy. However to reduce the use of energy is difficulty, even the LED lighting was installed, but it just reduce not much percent. There is a way to reduce one of the use of energy which is HVAC system: heating, ventilation, cooling. It could consider landscaping the outdoor environment, put some comfortable furniture at outdoor, have a cover and more plant to make it a cool place and good ventilation. If customer prefer have drink at outside rather than indoor, thus it could save more facilities provided. Water conservation Water is everything for the Starbuck’s business, from the making beverages until the cleaning job, all about the water. A small wisdom of life for cleaning, we can use the water in a useful way which use more than one. For example, use the water to flush toilet after wash the vegetables and fruits, and after mop the indoor would use the water to flush the outdoor. Moreover, there are many save water technique offer in the market. In the market, there is a save water toilet which only flush 1.5 liter water once instead of normal 3 liter water, it save 50% of water in normal toilet use. In order to save water, sensory faucet would also consider to use for customer and staff, it will come out right amount water for wash hand. Tackling climate change Currently Starbucks’s coffee-growing communities in Sumatra, Indonesia, and Chiapas, Mexico, however there are many Starbucks store in different countries. In other means, there is a high cost for transfer the coffee bean to each country which only from certain coffee-growing communities, it also consume a lot of fuel. Fuel is precious naturals mineral, one day there will be exhausted. There is a way to reduce the use of fuel which is develop more coffee-growing communities in different countries so that coffee bean can get in local and not transfer from other place, it also benefit to reduce cost of the beverage. References Mother Nature Network Holding Company (2010). Starbucks and the Environment. Retrieved on November 22, 2014 from: http://www.mnn.com/money/sustainable-business-practices/stories/starbucks-and-the-environment Saed, T. (2009). The Impact of One Cup of Starbucks Coffee. Retrieved on November 22, 2014 from: http://globalcitizens.pbworks.com/w/page/9036435/The%20Impact%20of%20One%20Cup%20of%20Starbucks%20Coffee Taylor,B. Kelly,J. (2013)Global Responsibility Report Goals Progress 2013. Retrieved from http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/global-report. Starbucks Corporation. (2014). Environmental Stewardship. Retrieved from http://www.starbucks.com.my/responsibility/environment.

The Physics Related to Snowboarding Essay -- Physics Essays Papers

The Physics Related to Snowboarding The last thing that is going through your mind when speeding down a mountain on a snowboard is all the physics involved with snowboarding, from the time you get on the chair lift, until the time you come to a rest at the bottom of the mountain. Now let’s take a look at all of the physics that are related to snowboarding. Gravity- is the force that keeps you on the ground. Without gravity snowboarding would not be the same. For example, if there were no gravity, when you hit a jump, there would not be a force to bring you back to the ground. You would just float in mid air forever. While riding a snowboard a constant force of 9.8 Newton’s (N) is pushing down on every inch of your body. It does not only push you down the mountain, but it keeps the snowboard on the snow trail. Acceleration- is the speed that changes to get you to a constant speed. Acceleration is calculated by (A=Vf-Vi/Tf-Ti). Acceleration equals final velocity minus initial velocity over the final time minus initial time. The cause for the acceleration down the mountain varies by the mass of the person, wind, snow condition, and the type of snowboard that you are riding. Also, hopping once or twice should increase the acceleration time. Acceleration is not only the change of speed, but also occurs when slowing down to come to a stop. This type of acceleration is called negative acceleration. Velocity- velocity can be measured by calculating the distance you have traveled divided by the time it takes you to ride the distance (V=D/T). Velocity is mostly measured in miles per hour or kilometers per hour, but can also be measured using any distance and time measurements. With the high speeds that can be achieved, snowboa... ...es of the snowboard. Balancing the snowboard and riding on the rail, momentum keeps pushing on both of them down the rail. You may also see more torque when you are on the top of the mountain or hill and you are teetering on the edge. Putting more mass on the front of the snowboard will cause the front of the snowboard to droop downhill, therefore causing you to take off down the mountain. So next time you go snowboarding, keep in mind all the things that involve physics, but still have fun. Always remember the most important thing of all, safety first. REFERENCES Cohen, Neil. Sports Illustrated for Kids Books. â€Å"Everything You Want To Know About Sports Encyclopedia†. Cover and Interior Design: New York, New York; 1996. Kirkpatrick, Larry D. and Gerald F. Wheeler. Physics: A World View. Fourth Edition. Harcourt College Publishers: Orlando, Florida, 2001.

The Age of Enlightenment Essay -- Enlightenment 2014

Science vs the Enlightenment vs Politics This essay argues that the Enlightenment is the most important concept among the three given in the title. The Age of Enlightenment was a period in early modern history when western societies, led by its intellectuals, made a marked shift from religion based authority to one of scientific reason. Prior to this period, the Church and the State were intricately interlinked; and the Enlightenment sought to sever states and politics from religion through the application of rational analysis based on scientific observation and facts. This movement traces its origins to the seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe. Similar undercurrents of progressive thought were seen in the New World as well, most notably from such intellectuals such as Tom Paine and other proponents of American independence (Porter & Teich, 1981). The Enlightenment has had a profound impact on the cultural evolution of Western Europe in particular and the whole of the continent in general. A landmark piece of scholarship that turned the tables in favor of scientific reason...

A Study of Cotton Trade and Trade in Africa Essay -- Essays Papers

A Study of Cotton Trade and Trade in Africa History of Cotton The word cotton is derived from the Arabic word ‘qutun’ or ‘kutun’ which is used to describe any textile that is very fine. Cotton is one of the oldest known fibers in the world, which has been found by archeologists during the course of excavating ancient civilizations. Traces of cotton fiber were found to exist over 5000 years ago, when archeologists were excavating a cite in Mohenjo Daro, which lies in the Indus Valley in West Pakistan. Alexander the great and his army brought cotton goods and material to Europe around 300BC. However, the price of these cotton goods was so expensive that only the rich could afford it. The southern states of America started growing cotton in the early 17th century and also making cotton goods and materials out of it. The acquisition of colonies around the world by Great Britain, led to tremendous development of the cotton industry because most of Britain’s colonies were suitable for cotton growth. In the early 19th century the southern American states became the biggest single supplier of cotton to the now thriving English textile mills. In the early 1900s, United States was the producing more then 50% of the total world cotton. Growing conditions for cotton Cotton plants have a growth cycle of about 6 months from the time they germinate to the time they are picked. Cotton seeds are usually planted in spring or as soon as the soil temperature is warm enough to ensure satisfactory seed germination and crop establishment cotton plants grow well in areas that hot summers/dry spells with low humidity and long hours of sunshine. The plant usually requires about 150 days free from frost. Cotton plants also require higher ... ...cts/english.html Mali Economy http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ml.html#Econ Organization of African Union (O.A.U) and African Union (A.U) http://www.oau-creation.com/Part%20One.htm Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) http://www.ecowas.int/ The Objectives of the African Union http://www.africa-union.org/home/Welcome.htm The vision of the African Union http://www.africa-union.org/home/Welcome.htm Cotton facts http://www.icac.org/icac/cotton_info/publications/cotton_facts/english.html World Trade Organization (W.T.O) http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/19/26/34353004.pdf Cotton Plants http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article?tocId=199250 Cotton Industry http://www.cottonaustralia.com.au/LI_whatiscotton.html Brazil Triumphs Over U.S. in WTO Subsidies Dispute http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0304-01.htm

How Organizations Can Learn from Failure Essay

Even though there is a no precise definition for failure in organizations, there is a general agreement to what failure means and could lead to. Failure is broadly defined as a condition of not meeting the intended objective or end. Failure could result in the depletion of finance, shrinking market, exit from the market, loss of market share, project failure and loss of legitimacy. We can assume that failure has negative consequences even though the final outcome may be positive, with firms learning from failure. Understanding the need for learning from failure is unquestionable; however it is tough for organizations to put this into practice. It is crucial that organizations understand failure and think about it in the right way before they can go about implementing procedures to prevent such failures from happening in the future. Learning from failure involves understanding that failure is not always bad and that learning from failure is no straightforward task. An organization cannot simply reflect on what they did wrong and expect to not make the same mistakes again. Organizations have to understand about the different degrees of failure which occur on a scale ranging from blameworthy to praiseworthy. They fall into three broad categories which are 1, failures which occur in predictable operations which could be prevented. 2, unavoidable failures which occur in complex organizations which can be managed to prevent snowballing. 3, unwanted outcomes†¦. To learn from failure, we require different strategies for each setting. It is key to detect them early, analyze failures with depth, develop hypothesis, experiments and projects to product them. In order to minimize failure employees first have to feel safe to report these failures. In the article titled strategies for learning from failure the author Amy C. Edmondson talks about http://hbr. org/2011/04/strategies-for-learning-from-failure/ar/1 First the organization has to go about understanding failure in the right way as well as all the possible side†¦ Important for managers to think about failure in the right way. Failure is not always bad. It is sometimes bad and sometimes inevitable and sometimes good. Learning from failure is not a straightforward task. The attitudes and activities required to effectively detect and analyze failures are in short supply in most companies and the need for context-specific learning strategies is underappreciated.? Organizations need new and better ways to go beyond lessons which are superficial( procedures which weren’t followed) or self serving ( The market just wasn’t ready for our great new product) That means jettisoning old cultural beliefs and stereotypical notions. The blame game? A spectrum of reasons for failure? http://www. uk. sagepub. com/upm-data/10989_Chapter_9. pdf Failing to learn from failure reasons? -Simply experiencing a negative event is not sufficient for learning. – Learning can be a complicated process, the acquisition of knowledge and the shifts in behavior must occur at all levels of a highly complex system. â€Å"Bazerman and Watkins (2004) contend that, when organizations fail to learn failures, they become susceptible to predictable surprises. What is the difference between predictable and unpredictable surprises? Predictable surprises occur when an organization leadership ignores or fails to understand clear evidence that a potentially devastating problem to occur. There are different sort of failures and not all failures are created equally. Bazerman and Watkins( 2004) identify four ways in which organizations fail to learn from failures that occur around them: Scanning Failures: failure to pay close attention to potential problems both inside and outside the organization; this failure could be due to arrogance, a lack of resources, or simple inattentions? Intergration failures: failure to understand how pieces of potentially complicated information fit together to provide lessons of how to avoid crises. 3. Incentive Failures: failure to provide sufficient rewards to people who report problems and take actions to avoid possible crises 4. Learning Failures: failure to draw important lessons from crises and preserve their memory in the organization Organizations who face these failures potentially could damage their organizational integrity. Eg Mitroff and Anagnos 2001, Managing Crises before they happen: what every manager needs to know about crisis management. 1982, Johnson and Johnson could respond to an external crisis with their product being linked to cyanide poisoning and thus the company responded quickly by pulling their stock of capsules from the shelves and having great PR work. J and J knew how to handle their PR well and their product managed to get back to the top seller. J and J however became a victim of its previous succ ess and had not done well with ‘Predictable surprises’ where crises occurred within the company. J and J had failed to do proper product scanning and had been a different sort of failure. failure of a different type? Failure of Success. Problem 1 and 4. Learning from failure: Sitkin 1996- Mittelstaedt (2005) – Failure is an essential part of learning for many organizations. Failures, should not be hidden or avoided. Making mistakes is essential to success, a company which appears to be free from disruption may be operating unrealistically and from a uniformed perspective. â€Å"learning to identify mistakes analytically and timely is the difference between failure and success. † Too often employees and managers are unwilling to admit small failures for fear of reprisal. The unwillingness to recognize and embrace failure is also a failure to recognize and respond to potential crises. The longer these small crises build up the higher likelihood it could escalate into a major crisis. In successful organizations, failure creates recognition of risk and a motivation for change that would not exist otherwise. Describes this recognition as a â€Å"learning readiness† without failure, very difficult to produce in most organizations. Sitkin cautions that not all failures are equally effective in fostering good risk management. Organizations learn best from intelligent failures, which have these characteristics, result from planned actions, uncertain outcomes, modest in scale, and take place in domains that are familiar enough to permit effective learning. Organizations need to recognize risks by accepting and acting on failures. Learn the best when failure results from competent actions, not major crises. Still within the comfort zone and employees are eager and experienced enough to respond. These opportunities arise: Vicarious Learning – learning that occurs as a function of observing, retaining and replicating behavior observed in others. Organizations need not fail as an entity in order to learn. Successful organizations engage in vicarious learning in order to recognize risk, organizational leaders observe the failures or crises experienced by similar organizations and take action to avoid making the same mistakes. Examples of Vicarious Learning- Give!!! Organizational memory: Without learning from their own and other’s mistakes organizations stagnate and fail to respond to potential threats in an ever-changing world. Learning has no use if the knowledge is not retained. An example of failure in organizational memory is the Union carbide plant in Bhopal, India in 1984. Early in December morning, the plant leaked a deadly cloud of gas that settled over part of the sleeping city of a million residents. Within two hours 2000 of them were dead with thousands left injured? Part of the reason for the disaster was a loss in organizational memory. The plant had been slated for closure and many experienced staff had been transferred out, leaving minimal crew with little work experience, with the training for remaining crew at a minimum. The crisis was traced to staff reductions and oversight failures. Much of the blame for the tragedy rests with a rapid reduction in experienced staff that took with them a large share of organizational memory. Organizational memory comprises of, a) Acquiring knowledge, done by recognizing failures within the organization and by observing failures of similar organizations. b) Distributing knowledge is the key to organizational memory. Highly experienced employees will leave the organization and these people should be given an opportunity to share their knowledge around or those departing personnel will go along with their experience. ) Acting upon knowledge, is important for organizational memory to serve an organization. New employees need to learn from those departing ones.! New employees cannot do things their own way or else it will lead to repeat failures†¦.!!!! Employees have many opportunities to discard the hard-earned knowledge. Because organizational memory depends on exchanging information from one person to another perception change , mistreatment and stubbornness to learn can disrupt preserving organizational memory. Organizations need to learn and build from previous experiences. Unlearning: Effective organizational learning depends on an organizations ability to unlearn practices and policies that have become outdated by environmental changes. Example of Unlearning 1. Expanding Options: When organizations are unwilling to forego routine procedures during crisis or potential crisis situations, they lose the capacity to react to unique circumstances. Unlearning enables the organization to expand its options. 2. Contracting Options: In some cases, organizations may respond to a crisis with a strategy that has worked well in the past. In the current situation, however, the strategy from the past may actually make matters worse. In such cases, organizations must be willing to reject some strategies in favor of others. 3. Grafting: In the previous section, we discussed the need for organizations to hand down existing knowledge to new employees. If the socialization of new employees is so intense that they cannot bring new knowledge to the organization, however, the organization is doing itself a disservice. Although organizational memory is essential, some degree of unlearning Opportunity 1: Organizations should treat failure as an opportunity to recognize a potential crisis or to prevent a similar crisis in the future. Opportunity 2: Organizations can avoid crises by learning from the failures and crises of other organizations. Opportunity 3: Organizational training and planning should emphasize the preservation of previous learning in order to make organizational memory a priority. Opportunity 4: Organizations must be willing to unlearn outdated or ineffective procedures if they are to learn better crisis management strategies Bazerman, M. H. & Watkins, M. D. (2004). Predictable surprises: The disasters you should have seen coming and how to prevent them. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Huber, G. P. (1996). Organizational learning: The contributing processes and the literatures. In M. D. Cohen & L. S. Sproull (Eds. ), Organizational learning (pp. 124-162). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Mitroff, I. I. , & Anagnos, G. (2001). Managing crises before they happen: What every executive and manager needs to know about crisis management. New York: AMACOM. Mittelstaedt, R. E. (2005). Will your next mistake be fatal? Avoiding the chain of mistakes that can destroy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton. Sitkin, S. B. (1996). Learning through failure: The strategy of small losses. In M. D. Cohen & L. S. Sproull (Eds. ), Organizational learning (pp. 541-578). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Tompkins, P. K. (2005). Apollo, Challenger, Columbia: The decline of the space program. Los Angeles: Roxbury. Organizations who face these failures potentially could damage their organizational integrity. It is important for an organization to identify these failures and act on them while the company is still in operation. Having a crisis management team to prepare, respond and recover from a crisis is paramount in ensuring that the organization recovers and continues. Preparation must happen before a crisis occurs. In times of crisis, organizations need to systematically analyze its errors, acknowledge the errors and limits of the organization as well as address the issue with a level of sophistication. When an organization continually fails to differentiate and neglect crisis and failures it could lead to detrimental problems for the organization. Failure/ Crisis Management Case Study 1 A hypothetical example would be the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (BP oil spill) that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico from 20 April 2010 to 15 July 2010. The estimated 185 million barrels of oil first made landfall in Louisiana. By June 2010, the tar balls and oil mousse had reached the shores of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. By August, it had smeared tourist beaches, washed onto the shorelines of sleepy coastal communities, oozed into the marshy bays that fishermen have worked for generations as well as killed millions of wildlife in the process. Instead of dealing with the failure in a professional way, BP inadvertently created a PR situation synonymous with herding cats. It’s had to fight to clear up two quagmires – its oil mess and its tarnished image. (Please Refer to Appendix- New York Times, Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill) In times of crisis or failure, it is important for an organization to understand the need for a comprehensive risk analysis. Should the failure be environmentally or socially threatening, impressions demonstrations of empathy and competence are vital. BP was not prepared to successfully deal with such a catastrophe. To minimize the damage, BP should have immediately accomplished five tasks: 1. Issue regular, frequent progress reports 2. Control the pictures (even some on the Web site appeared to be canned or generic) 3. Transparency 4. Display empathy as a concerned corporate entity comprised of authentic people diligently making a good-faith effort to solve the problem Failure/ Crisis Management Case Study 2 Failure, if properly attended to and rectified is a great plus. It gives the much needed confidence to the public, client or stakeholders in the product and organization. Furthermore, with proper management, the organization will be able to assess its capacity to deal with the systemic and circumstantial deficiencies leading to failures and work out a way forward. A great example would be the Johnson and Johnson Tylenol poisoning crisis in 1982. When the Tylenol scare occurred, Johnson and Johnson responded immediately and positively, taking the analgesic off the shelves, keeping the public apprised of the investigation, and their instituting new tamper-proof seals to make their product more secure. An organization needs to be upfront and out front with their communication about the situation and what they are doing to correct it and protect the public. The organization has to keep the public’s best interests at heart when communicating the issue effectively, clearly, accurately, and promptly upon discovering the problem. Having a crisis management plan in place before a crisis occurs puts an organization in a solid position to handle it more effectively and responsibly. Detecting failure, analyising failure, promoting experiementation? Deviance Inattention Lack of Ability Process Inadequacy Task Challenge Process Complexity Uncertainty Hypothesis Testing Exploratory Testing Blameworthy Praiseworthy Violating a prescribed practice or process by choice Straying away from specifications Does not possess the necessary qualifications or skills for the task Adhering to a prescribed but faulty or incomplete task Task too difficult to be executed reliably each time Process comprises of element breaks when encountering interactions Lack of clarity causes actions which seem reasonable but produces undesired results An experiment to prove and idea, fails Experiment to increase knowledge and understand possibilities leads to an unwanted result

Colonial period from 1607 to 1750 Essay

During the colonial period from 1607 to 1750 an â€Å"American† way of life emerged, differing from Old World European culture. This new lifestyle developed from the interaction of five major groups, including the; Native Americans, Chesapeake colonies, New England colonies, Indentured servants, and African slaves. Each of these peoples contributed ideas, principals, practices, and beliefs to the melting pot that would later become the United States of America. Native Americans had a significant impact on Europeans as early as America’s discovery in 1492 (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 14), during which time, the Columbian Exchange occurred. This initial exchange had a larger influence on Native American life than European, as the Old World explorers introduced diseases to which the Indians had no natural immunity (Yazawa, Melvin 46). According to Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey (15), in the Centuries after Columbus’ landfall, as many as 90 percent of the Native Americans perished. When Europeans returned to America in the 1600’s to develop permanent settlements, Native Americans reintroduced to them planting techniques and crops, such as corn and tobacco, that would revolutionize the early colonies economies and diet allowing them to grow and flourish and making them an important aspect of â€Å"American† culture (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 15). Additionally, Native Americans shared in the celebration of the first Thanksgiving with the Plymouth pilgrims (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 52), a holiday still important and beloved today. Later interactions between the Native Americans and Colonists were mainly hostile, as a result of the European’s insatiable land-lust, evident in such conflicts as the Pequot War (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 52). The aid Native Americans provided to early settlers allowing them to sustain themselves would result in the downfall and destruction of numerous Indian tribes, who had already dwindling populations as a result of European diseases (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 31). However, conflict forced Native Americans to band together, displaying a way in which Europeans shaped Indian history in America as well (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 32). The Chesapeake colonies were another group that largely influenced the development of the â€Å"American† culture. Virginia was the first colony; founded in 1607 by a joint-stock company hoping to find gold and a passage through America to the Indies (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 28). This company, named the Virginia Company of London, received a charter from the King for a settlement in the new world (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 28). This charter was important to the formation of an â€Å"American† pride. The document guaranteed the New World settlers would be guaranteed the same rights of Englishmen at home. However, this document later fueled the colonists desire for independence from their intrusive and controlling mother country (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 29). The introduction of tobacco to early settlers played a large role in the growth of the Chesapeake colonies, especially Virginia. In fact, tobacco growth was so important to colonists they threatened themselves with starvation by choosing to plant the cash crop over food crops (Wheeler and Becker 29). Without tobacco’s economic contribution to the survival of Virginia, contributions made by the colony might not have been made. Virginia’s House of Burgesses was the first representative legislative assembly in British North America (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 33). This was the first of many parliaments to emerge in America, justifying the efforts of the Colonists to eventually breakaway from British rule, as they believed themselves fit to oversee their own nation. The other Chesapeake colonies also contributed to the formation of a uniquely â€Å"American† way of life. Maryland, founded in 1634 (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 33), was haven to Roman Catholics seeking refugee in the new world. Without a place for this minority religion to survive, it might not have been sheltered in the new world. The Carolinas were composed of large expanses of open land, resulting in a large plantation agriculture system in the south (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 38) that resulted in the use of indentured servitude and slavery throughout southern America. However, the colony founded last in 1733, Georgia (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 38), slowed the immediate development of slavery in the Chesapeake colonies. As Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey stated, Georgia was a religiously tolerant settlement, which was slavery free until 1750. The New England colonies were formed largely so those settling in the colonies could be free of religious persecution, especially in Massachusetts Bay (Wheeler and Becker 30). According to Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey, The Mass. Bay colony was formed in 1628 (37), although the puritans who merged into the Massachusetts Bay colony from Plymouth arrived in 1620 (37). The Pilgrims who arrived in Plymouth influenced â€Å"American† ideals of freedom from oppression, through the Mayflower Compact. This document became quintessential to the creation of later constitutions. It was an agreement to form a crude government and submit to the will of the majority ( Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey). The Massachusetts Bay colony contributed early concepts of a liberal government to America. Local affairs and issues were eligible for discussion by a large percentage of adult men, and voting was completed by majority rules (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 47). However, religious leaders held significant power in the lives of the settlers, influencing the beliefs of those residing in the Massachusetts Bay colony. As a result, those threatening Puritan views such as Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams, were banished (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 48). This was actually advantageous for the development of a diverse American culture, as those forced outside of Massachusetts Bay moved to more accepting colonies, such as Rhode Island. Rhode Island was a region of varying religious beliefs and ways of life as there was a lack of religious oath or taxation present in so many of the other colonies (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey). The Dutch contributed names and settlers to the renamed New York colony after it was surrendered to the Duke of York in 1664 (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey). Pennsylvania, founded in 1681 according to Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey (60), was home to the passive Quakers. Pennsylvania influenced American ethnicity, as the colony attracted people of various backgrounds (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 61). Indentured servants played a large role in the growth of an American lifestyle. Prior to the popularity of slavery in the South, colonies such as Virginia and Maryland utilized indentured servants to tend large plantations (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 33). Indentured servants supported the cash crops that helped the early colonies thrive financially, without which finances, the colonies might not have survived (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 67). Once indentured servants had completed their terms, they became freemen, but remained much in the same position as before. They were penniless and searching for land and a job. These freemen also contributed to a rebellious and headstrong American people, willing to fight for what they believed in. During Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676, a group of young freemen led by Nathaniel Bacon attacked Indians near jamestown in retaliation of Indian attacks on frontier settlements (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 68). African slaves during the colonial period influenced the development of the American way of life. Due to economic change in colonies in the 1680’s (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 70), it was financially possible for plantation owners in the south to purchase African slaves as opposed to using indentured servants. Additionally, by 1662, distinctions between a white indentured servant and african slave were made in Virginia (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 72), which made blacks and their children the property of their white masters for life. African slavery in America made it possible for southern plantations to truly develop, at the cost of a people’s rights. African slaves were subject to a plethora of harsh conditions, including harsh hours and intensive labor in the blistering heat (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 72). This resulted in a large part of American economic success being reliant on the exploitation of a group of people. The American way of life developed as a result of the interaction of numerous groups including the Native Americans, the Chesapeake colonies, the New England colonies, the Indenture servants, and the African slaves. Native Americans contributed staple crops which would support the early settlers and modify the American diet permanantly. Chesapeake colonists, although originally settling the America’s in order to attain wealth, found a permanent home that they would later fight to rule. The New England colonists wrote up the Mayflower compact, a primitive agreement which would inspire later constitutions. The indentured white servants led to the eventual treatment of people solely as property in the case of African American slaves after indentured servitude ended. Slavery would prove to be a social barrier and issue for numerous years to come, as africans struggled to acquire the same rights as granted to white citizens.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: a Pastor’s Response to Nazism.

Scholar, theologian, professor, pastor, visionary, double agent, conspirator, and martyr are some of the attributes associated with Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The manner in which Dietrich was reared lent a hand to the path he took as a young man, his family having the means to properly educate him and his siblings gave him a thirst for knowledge. That thirst lead him to pursue an academic career as a theologian, and later his work as a theologian lead him to be a pastor. Bonhoeffer lived in the midst of a severe moral and political ineptness yet he continued to hold to the truths of Scripture while his fellow countrymen were walking the slippery slope of Nazism. The ideals Bonhoeffer held to heart were constantly under attack from the oppressive government under which he lived. The result of this oppression was at first productive in the development of Dietrich's theology and his resolve to teach the next generation of pastors to hold true to the gospel in the midst of oppression. Later this oppression led Bonhoeffer to leave Germany for the United States this trip was short lived as Dietrich soon resolved he must return to Germany upon his return he joined a conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer's decision to conspire against Hitler ultimately led to his imprisonment and death. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born in February 1906 to Karl Bonhoeffer and Paula von Hase Bonhoeffer. Karl Bonhoeffer was an esteemed professor of neurology and psychiatry at the University of Berlin and also served at Chairte Hospital in Berlin serving in the psychiatric unit. The Bonhoeffer family consisted of eight children including Dietrich, there were four boys and four girls. There were 3 older boys, Karl-Friedrich, Walter (who perished in World War 1) and Klaus. The older girls were Ursula and Christine, Dietrich had a twin sister Sabine and to complete the family was Susanne. Karl Bonhoeffer was an agnostic while Paula came from a family of theologians. â€Å"The household was not notably religious. The conventional Bible-story Christian nurture was supplied in the children's early years, the two governesses were pious young women, a simple blessing was always asked at table- and that was it. Dr. Bonhoeffer and the older children were all of scientific or legal bent; an unaggressive agnosticism prevailed among them. †[1] Coming from the environment stated above made things interesting when as a young teenager Dietrich informed his parent that he wanted to study theology. This came as a shock to his family as they thought he would pursue music due to his abundant skills in this area. His father thought the sedentary life of a pastor was not a good fit for his son, but after seeing how he lived he knew that it was the right path for him. Paula Bonhoeffer was trained as a teacher at the university and home-schooled all her children until they were ready to enter the German Gymnasium which was a college preparatory school. Dietrich started his study of theology at Tubingen at age seventeen. He excelled in his studies to the point that he finished his dissertation, titled Sanctorum Communio; â€Å"The Communion of Saints,† by the time he was twenty-one years of age. Over the next few years Dietrich would travel to Barcelona, Spain back to Berlin, and then to the United States. While in the United States he studied and taught at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He did all this traveling because he was too young to be ordained. This gave Dietrich the ability to pursue his studies more and focus his career on teaching and not pastoring a church. While in New York he made a habit of worshipping with an African-American congregation and teaching Sunday School. While in the United States he also was introduced to many ideas such as pacifism, social justice, and ecumenism. â€Å"He (Dietrich) encountered a pacifism that was rooted in the Sermon on the Mount- personified in the French theologian and friend Jean Laserre. [2] The idea of pacifism is one that Dietrich accepted whole heartedly he believed that man could not justify war. His pacifism lead to an internal struggle when the Nazis came to power and started to persecute and kill the Jews. During his years of study Bonhoeffer became acquainted with the teachings of Karl Barth. Barth and his writings influenced young Bonhoeffer to pursue theology to it's fullest and not be boxed into the lib eral theology taught at the University of Berlin. Bonhoeffer struck up a friendship with Barth that lasted until the end of his life. Dietrich would spend time with Barth at his home in Bonn and they would talk theology, they would criticize each others work and challenge each other in their views of what it means to be a Christian and a part of the church. These meetings continued even after Barth moved to Switzerland in the face of Nazi persecution. These meetings and letters helped Bonhoeffer explore his theology outside the bounds of the university. Upon returning from his year of sabbatical in New York Dietrich continued his teaching position and the University of Berlin. This was all happening about the same time Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime was slowly gaining power in the government and in popularity among the people. When Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany things were started to change but the full extent of the Nazi's plan was not yet revealed. Dietrich saw that trying times were ahead for those who were God seekers, this was due to the fact that shortly after the political election there was a call for church elections. Among the churches in Germany there were conflicts over the rise of the Nazi party. There were some pastors and Bishops who would not preach Nazi propaganda, so Hitler called for church elections to fill the offices with his supporters. There was some resistance to just letting them take over but this small remnant did not have control over the mob. With the church now under control of the Nazis, those who saw a great contradiction between Nazi Christianity and true Christianity were left with no option but the start their own church. This was allowed by the Nazis but they kept a close eye on them. This new group was called the Confessing Church they were an evangelical remnant that had not been persuaded by the masses. On the day of the church election Dietrich preached this, â€Å"of you who have lost your church, †¦ let us go together in search of the eternal church. †[3] This group of believers who opposed the Nazis were trying to speak reason and the truth of Scriptures to the German people. Dietrich was among the founding members of the Confessing Church and helped pen the Bethel Confession which was their statement of belief. He used the formation of the Confessing Church to push his passion for ecumenism among the churches. In 1933 while the Confessing Church was forming Dietrich decided to take a post in London. Some of his colleagues like Karl Barth accused him of leaving his church while it was burning, but Dietrich thought he needed some time away because his thoughts were not well received even among friends. While in London he pushed for ecumenical relationships between the churches in England and elsewhere to condemn the German Christian Movement which allowed the Nazis to take control of the church. To this end he was not very successful. He also caught the eire of church leaders in Germany who sent Theodor Heckel the foreign affairs minister to London to instruct Bonhoeffer to not engage in ecumenical activity not authorized by Berlin, a warning not heeded by young Dietrich who was just twenty-seven years of age in 1933. After two years in London Dietrich returned to Germany, the Confessing Church had lost it's momentum. The Confessing Church was still going and since it was not recognized as a state church it had to train its pastors in an underground seminary. The church invited Dietrich to lead their seminary called Finkenwalde. It was here the Dietrich wrote the books Life Together and The Cost of Discipleship. The former came from his time as the leader of Finkenwalde Seminary. The latter is a study of the Sermon on the Mount. In 1936 Dietrich was declared a pacifist and an enemy of the state by Theodor Heckel. For the next few years Dietrich lived in the community of Finkenwalde with his students and taught them monastic and communal living as they open the Scriptures together to prepare these men for the ministry in the true church that was opposing the counterfeit church of the German Christian Movement. They had a few years of great ministry that was funded by benefactors who believed in the ideals of the Confessing Church. In 1938 Bonhoeffer was banned from Berlin, two years later the Gestapo came and closed down the seminary and arrested some of its pastors. At this time Dietrich was offered a position to teach at Union Theological Seminary in New York, an offer he initially accepted. Dietrich was trying to escape in to the safety of the United States to avoid serving in the military and having to deal with living under the oppressive Nazi regime. Upon arriving in the U. S. Dietrich worked with German refugees and emigrants, a job that posed my challenges for him. Bonhoeffer wrote in the Cost of Discipleship, â€Å"'Costly grace is the sanctuary of God,' he writes. And, ‘faith is only real when there is obedience. ‘[4] These words tugged at Dietrich's heart because he knew where he should be and what God had called him to do but choose the easy road. â€Å"on June 30, 1939, Dietrich wrote these words to Paul Lehmann, ‘I can hardly find it in my heart to tell you that †¦ I have had to decide to return to Germany,'†[5] The words here seem to echo the actions of Jesus in John 4:4 â€Å"and he must needs go through Samaria† (KJV). This has the same idea as Dietrich and his return to Germany. Jesus could have gone around Samaria as all the Jews did, but he had a divine appointment with that woman at the well and the people of Samaria. Dietrich was having the same feeling that he must return to Germany but he did not have to. He was living what he had written â€Å"faith is only real when there is obedience. †[6] The following was written to Dietrich's friend Reinhold Neibuhr in a farewell note, â€Å"I have made a mistake in coming to America. I must live through this difficult period of our national history with the Christian people of Germany. I will have no right to participate in the reconstruction of Christian life in Germany after the war if I do not share the trials of this time with my people. †[7] This shows God's call for Dietrich to follow him. Dietrich and his friends knew he was returning to a hostile place where he would be either be drafted into the military or face severe persecution. Upon his return to Germany Dietrich made contact with his brother-in-law Hans von Dohnanyi who was a member of the military counterintelligence service called Abwehr. The Abwehr was the center of a small German resistance whose goal was to assassinate Hitler and overthrow the government. Dietrich was given a role as a double agent in the Abwehr in 1940, from that point he was fully integrated into what was called the German Resistance. He would have secret meetings with pastors and leaders from other countries as he pretend to be gathering information for the Nazi government, while really plotting against them. It is at this point where people have trouble following Bonhoeffer's theology and reconciling his beliefs with his actions. There are a couple of ways to deal with this portion of his life. Looking at these two seeming seemingly incompatible thought processes one could assume that Bonhoeffer had fallen off his rocker but it helps us to see how he reconciled this. Bonhoeffer precisely advocates patience when he puts forth as a concrete command of God the saying ‘resist not evil. ‘ By this he means: struggle against the enemy, but avoid idolizing him. Keep him unimportant . Failure to struggle is submission to the enemy and not to God. †[8] As Bonhoeffer looked at the situation he must resist the evil that was surrounding him, and to do that he would have to go to extreme measures and challen ge the ideals he came to hold so dear in the midst of such moral depravity. He saw resisting evil as a command in the loose sense. Dietrich wrote about a religionless Christianity in which a mature Christian steps outside the structure of the church and enters the world to enact change through the things he has been taught and learned from Scripture and the church. Woelfel writes the following about Bonhoeffer: â€Å"As the integrated man that he was Bonhoeffer pioneered ‘religionless- Christianity' indeed as well as in word. His full secular involvement in the German Resistance during the war is the supreme example, but throughout his life he was a vigorously world affirming Christian. [9] This idea of religionless Christianity lets a follower of Christ fully engage his world while leaving the confines of the church. This was one ting that Bonhoeffer had lived at as well as wrote in his final years. Many look at Bonhoeffer’s writings in Prison and his work titled Ethics and see the man who was deeply committed to his faith and also a man who was torn by what was an ethical Christian to do in the m idst of such atrocities that were being committed by the Nazis. A look back at Bonhoeffer's life brings this into full view as stated thusly, â€Å"for it was while Bonhoeffer was trying to explain his own participation in the lying and double dealing of traitors that he developed the beginnings of what has since become known as situational and contextual ethics: the right and the good and the true seen not as immutable objectives, but as qualities of any action which is appropriate to the loving will of God as the particular possibilities of the immediate situation permit. [10] The argument here is that of when one looks at the situations that they are faced with and think to themselves what is right in the eyes of God. Bonhoeffer was living and arguing that as a Christian we should act in a way that is appropriate for a Christian living in the will of God. Bonhoeffer's was face to face with one of the most reprehensible political regimes in the history of the world, you choose one of two camps, there were those who just threw up their hands an d said there is nothing I can do. The other group were those who said this is unacceptable and do whatever is in their power to fight for what is right in God's eyes. Dietrich was arrested on April 5, 1943 after the documents were discovered that he and his brother-in-law were illegally helping Jews. He would never be a free man again for his part in the German Resistance. He was imprisoned at Tegel military prison for a year and a half to await trial in that time more documents came out that pointed to Bonhoeffer as part of the conspiracy to kill Hitler. In light of this evidence he was transferred from Tegel to a house prison and eventually to Buchenwald concentration camp in February 1945. Approximately two years after his initial arrest information from the chief of Abwehr journals were read by Hitler who in a rage said that all conspirators should be killed. On April 9, 1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hung at Buchenwald concentration camp. He left behind in his legacy his letters to friends and family from prison, and his work Ethics which had yet to be published before his death. When one looks at the life and times of Dietrich Bonhoeffer they see a complex man whose thirst for knowledge and truth were fostered from a young age. As a young man he set is feet on the path of a theologian to open the Bible and pull out the truths laid there in. His study of theology was intellectual yet practical he sought to open the Scriptures and pull Jesus out of them. Bonhoeffer came of age in the pre-third Reich era, but as a young man he came face to face with the Nazis and their oppressive ways. Dietrich used this time in his life to expand his study of theology to grow more matur e in his faith to blaze a trail for himself among his peers. He fought with the social and political issues of his day and sought to fight injustice with truth and intellect but these proved to be ineffective. His work as a theologian was well known among the Confessing Church and it's followers. As Dietrich tried to fight for what was right and true he saw the moral compass of his country go askew. After he had tried all he could he became convinced that the only way to free Germany from this slippery slope was to overthrow the government by assassinating Hitler. His writings have opened the door to the study of ethics when faced with moral depravity, what it means to be and live as the church, and what it costs to follow Christ. His teachings and theology have had an impact from the time they were published into the present. His thought helped usher in a new generation of theologians and how one can see their relationship to the church, culture and community and live and teach in such a way that Christ is on display. Bibliography de Gruchy, John W. â€Å"A Concrete Ethic of the Cross: Interpreting Bonhoeffer's Ethics in North Americas Backyard,† Union Seminary Quarterly 58, no. 1-2 2004. Dramm, Sabine. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: An introduction to his thought. Translated by Thomas Rice. Peabody: Hendrickson. 2007. Ellingsen, Mark. Bonhoeffer, Racism, and a Communal Model for Healing† Journal of Church and State 43, no. 2 Spring 2001. pp 237-249. Gushee, David P. â€Å"Following Jesus to the Gallows,† Christianity Today 39 April 3, 1995 pp. 26-32. Hunt, George L. , ed. Twelve Makers of Modern Protestant Thought. New York: Association Press. 1971. Pp 93-110 Klassen, A. J. , ed. A Bonhoeffer Legac y. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing. 1981 Mehta, Ved. The New Theologian. New York: Harper Colophon, 1965. Miller, Patrick. â€Å"Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Psalms,† The Princeton Seminary Bulletin 15, no. 3 (1994): 274ff Schliesser, Christine. â€Å"Accepting Guilt for the Sake of Germany: An Analysis of Bonhoeffer's Concept of Accepting Guilt and its Implications for Bonhoeffer's Political Resistance† Union Seminary Quarterly Review 60 2006 no. 1-2. pp. 56-68 Schonherr, Albrecht. â€Å"Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Message of a Life,† Christian Century, November 27, 1985, pp. 1090-1094. Woelfel, James. Bonhoeffer's Theology: Classical and Revolutionary. Nashville: Abingdon Press. 1970. ——————————— [ 1 ]. George L. Hunt, ed. , Twelve Makers of Modern Protestant Thought (New York: Association Press 1971), 97. [ 2 ]. Sabine Dramm Dietrich Bonhoeffer: An Introduction to His Thought (Peabody, Mass Hendrickson Publishers, 2007), 9 [ 3 ]. Ibid, 157 [ 4 ]. David P. Gushee, â€Å"Following Jesus to the Gallows,† Christianity Today 39, April 3, 1995, 31. [ 5 ]. Ibid [ 6 ]. Ibid [ 7 ]. Ibid, 30 [ 8 ]. A. J. Klassen, ed. , A Bonhoeffer Legacy (Grand Rapids: William B. Erdmans Publishing, 1981) 355-356. [ 9 ]. James Woelfel, Bonhoeffer's Theology: Classical and Revolutionary, (Nashville: Abingdon Press 1970) 253. [ 10 ]. George L. Hunt, ed. , Twelve Makers of Modern Protestant Thought (New York: Association Press 1971), 107-108.