Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Income Inequality And Its Effect On The Environment

INCOME INEQUALITY AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT- III Student’s Name Course Dated INCOME INEQUALITY AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT INTRODUCTION Income inequality and its effect on environment have been highlighted by a number of authors. The previous paper in this regard highlighted general and government specific aspects of the two determinants of environment, environment degradation and health. The aim of this paper is to highlight the environmental emergency that emerges due income inequality. The two aspects to be studied under this emergency would be increasing environmental deterioration through pollution and the relationship of income inequality with mortality. The basic theme of this paper is sustainability and how†¦show more content†¦According to Beaglehole and Bonita, mortality refers to the rate of death in the society. Since the theme of this paper is sustainability, the focus is on mortality aspect of health in terms of variable household incomes. This implicates the severe consequences that may emerge as a result from lack of governmental focus on equal distribution of wealth in a society. A number of previous researches were considered in this regard to highlight the most vulnerable segments within the purr segment that reflect low mortality rates. The gist of this aspect lies in the relationship between income and mortality rates that result from inequitable resource allocation and income distribution (Beaglehole and Bonita, 1997). INCOME INEQUALITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION According to Laurent, democracy is aspired and sought by many countries however, environmental equality is not considered as one of the core reasons for it. Isolating the rich and the poor segments reveals that environmental consideration by the upper segments has a trickledown effect on the middle class. According to Indira Gandhi at an environmental summit in 1972, poverty should be regarded as the biggest pollutants. This is because social emergency leads to use of resources for pressing issues like catering to the growing needs of the people instead of focusing on sustainability or preservation of the environment.

Monday, December 16, 2019

Building effective teams task 6 Free Essays

The use of 360 degree feedback based on peer review as the key method to evaluate an individual’s performance is disputable in human resource management, especially where it is intended as the key method to evaluate an individual’s performance. The decision in favor of it or against it depends on the targeted use of this appraisal tool. It seems perfectly acceptable as a development tool that allows the employee glimpses into his or her performance and areas for improvement. We will write a custom essay sample on Building effective teams task 6 or any similar topic only for you Order Now In this context, â€Å"the results from 360-degree feedback are often used by the person receiving the feedback to plan their training and development† (Wikipedia, 2006). However, its use as the tool in decision-making on pay increases or decreases should be restricted for a variety of reasons. First of all, it is not always clear who will pick the evaluators and how this will influence the process. Besides, from the developmental point of view because of the anonymity of the process, those who are being evaluated â€Å"have no recourse if they want to further understand the feedback† (Heathfield, 2006). If suppliers or clients are involved in the process as they frequently are, there is no guarantee that they will be able to assess an individual’s performance adequately, relying on the criteria desired by the management team. Therefore, it seems a good idea to recommend that 360 degree feedback be used as a developmental tool for employees’ reference. The standards performance appraisal by the supervising manager has to be used, however, as a basis for reward decision-making. The manager is better equipped with an understanding of the employee’s contribution to the organization by virtue of the managerial position. However, if the results of the managerial performance appraisal differ dramatically from those obtained via 360 degree feedback, senior management might want to explore the discrepancy. References Heathfield, S.M. 360 Degree Feedback: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Retrieved August 1, 2006, from http://humanresources.about.com/od/360feedback/a/360feedback_3.htm Wikipedia. (2006). 360 Degree Feedback. Retrieved August 1, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/360-degree_feedback How to cite Building effective teams task 6, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Business History and International Business for Lenovo - Sample

Question: Describe about the Business History and International Business for Lenovo. Answer: Introduction Lenovo, the progressive Chinese laptop manufacturer underwent a dramatic business change in 2004 when it acquired Personal Computers Division from IBM. This acquisition made Lenovo the third largest PC manufacturer in the world, but there were certain intriguing aspects that questioned the firms strategic decision initially. As Hill (2011) describes the case of Lenovo acquiring IBM in the case study presented in this assignment, it is imperative to delve into appropriateness of this strategy. The following sections tend to analyse the case critically with respect to theories on strategic acquisitions concerning staffing approach and cross cultural business establishments. Earlier published theories and cases tend to support the arguments in connection with the case study as they develop in each sub-section. Literature Review Hofstedes Theory on Culture/ Cultural Dimensions A major part of this report is based on cultural distinction, which makes it imperative to bring into discussion Geert Hofstedes views on the impact of culture on Organizations and their functions. Geert Hofstede (2011) in his work Dimensionalizing Cultures described the six dimensions of national cultures which tend to get significant in cross-cultural environments for Organizations at Organizational level ad are entirely different from the value dimensions at individual level. The culture defined in his theory by Hofstede is the collective programming of mind which was later argued upon by many researchers including Tsuji (2015), Stroup (2016) and Durand (2012) in their respective works. The argument was based on the assumption that if collective programming comprises culture, it should be possible for Organizations to train their human resources to adapt to entirely varying cultures in their native environments. The fact however remains that Theory of Cultural Dimensions by Hofste de is essentially valuable in presenting the fundamentally different aspects of national cultures and that the modern Organizations must be prepared to face the challenge of such underlying differences. The six dimensions used by Hofstede (2011) in his theory of cultural dimensions were Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism, Masculinity, Long Term Orientation and Indulgence. Cultural Dimensions Framework Source: (Hofstede, 2016) The below presented argument for each section is based on the cultural comparison between two countries, China and USA, which helps in assessing the strategic decision made by Lenovo against the cultural challenges the Organization faced after acquisition. According to the statistics, China differs from USA hugely on the five dimensions including Power Distance (recognition of hierarchical authorities), Individualism (China is a collectivist society), Uncertainty Avoidance (Chinese are less threatened by future insecurities than Americans), Long Term Orientation (Setting and achieving long termed goals) and Indulgence (China has a restrained society with higher control on their impulses). In short, the figure helps in establishing that Lenovo was an Organization with inherent Chinese values of high control, adaptability, entrepreneurial spirit to achieve long termed goals, less insecurity towards future and better discipline through lesser indulgence, the characteristics which were keen on strategic outcome. Case Study of Lenovo: A Critical Analysis Strategic Appropriateness of Staffing Approach Buckley (2009) in his study on Business History and International Business mentioned one of the major reasons for Acquisitions among International businesses as the attempt to elevate global positioning. The author found this single factor responsible for several international firms presented as the case studies in his paper as highly decisive whenever the acquisitions crossing the borders took place. Correa (2010) presented her work to include the concept of balanced and unbalanced acquisitions in this regard, relating her findings to the challenges that international businesses faced when acquiring a firm. According to Correa (2010) it was imperative for the acquiring firm to look into strategic positioning when taking over the business operations of another multinational firm; the strategic challenges however were hard to be analysed and could surface as potentially riskier proportion leading to unbalanced state of acquisition. Lee (2010) also used the terms balanced and unbalance d acquisitions in connection with his study on political uncertainty during Mergers Acquisitions which could potentially move a major business dealing well planned and executed from the state of balanced to unbalanced under the influence of political barriers. In this regard, Lee (2010) also elaborated on the people management issues which were directly related to the cross border acquisitions with laws and regulations of the two countries of differing nature, often conflicting each other in their own realms. A remarkable study however was presented by Ping Deng (2010) delving into the generic nature of people management issues when the acquisitions between two countries involved collaboration of Eastern and Western cultures. In his paper titled, Absorptive Capacity and Failed Cross-Border MA, Ping Deng (2010) observed that Chinese manufacturing companies in the spree to establish a global stand with support from Chinese Government after 1999 had rapidly expanded their operations b eyond territories. While most of these acquisitions failed terribly on account of the limited exposure and tacit knowledge that Chinese firms held on managing global operations, the core of the strategic failure happened to be low Absorptive Capacity of these companies in the scenarios where they failed. Lee (2010) in his study also referred to Absorptive Capacity in relation to the example of Chinese Electronics firm TCLs miserable failure of American counterpart Thomson Electronics in 2004 owing to the lagging Absorptive Capacity of TCL leading to massive HR challenges which were evident in less than a year of acquisition. The implications of international Mergers and Acquisitions therefore include certain challenges, of which Human Resource Management challenges according to Buckley (2009) are most complex to handle. Buckley (2009) in his paper on Business History and International Businesses concluded that of all the assets that an Organization possess, tacit knowledge is the most valuable for competitive positioning of business. The author (Buckley, 2009) explained that the fact that this knowledge lies with the human resources of the firm, competitive ability of the firm is directly associated to the people working in it. Bose, Dasgupta and Ghosh (2011) seconded the opinions of Buckley in their combined work in which the co-authors mentioned flow of tacit knowledge as one of the main reasons why firms seek acquisition. The co-authors explained that in case of mergers and acquisitions, the alliance can be between equals or can be between unequals. Businesses as equals or unequals were regarded so on the relative sizes, positioning and scales of operations. Bose, Dasgupta and Ghosh (2011) further added that implications of human resource management gets more complex in the case of international acquisitions which involve unequals since apart from the national cultural gaps to be bridged, the alliance needs to look into the internal cultural gaps owing to the different culture of two Organizations leading to blocked flow of tacit knowledge intended as the aim for acquisition. Owen and Yawson (2012) in their research paper titled Human Development and Cross Border Acquisition found that some of the most successful acquisitions around the world could bridge the gaps related to human resourcing between two Organizations by working on policies that can address the underlying gaps between human resourcing cultures between firms. Applying the above theory on the case of Lenovo, there were massive staffing issues which the firm has to address before affirming their strategic positioning through IBMs acquisition. This was clearly the case of business between unequals where the probability of Lenovo falling short on Absorptive Capacity was high due to its overall exposure and nature of business. Confined to serve individuals and SMEs with China, Lenovos inception in 1995 could never match IBMs experience of running global operations since 1896 with purely American culture at the core of business activities. Through the staffing approach of offering key management positions to IBMs ex-managers, Lenovo made sure that the tacit knowledge which was capable of driving this deal to success remained intact with new Lenovo and was not moved out with IBMs management. Also, the firm relied massively on the profound expertise of staffs of IBM to carry on the combined business from where it was taken over. This means that t he behaviours and attitudes of people in IBM which had been one of the major reasons for IBMs growth in past were to be harnessed now in favour of new Lenovo. Considering this, Lenovo was evidently reliant on the existing culture of IBMs human resourcing management to place itself exactly where IBM had left. Basing its headquarters in China or proposing new policies to IBMs ex-employees which were in any manner less attractive to them than their earlier pay packages could risk in employees leaving the firm as the part of contract. Closely analysing this scenario, Lenovo made a justified move by adapting itself to the existing culture of IBM than changing the all powerful human resourcing management at the acquired firm. In this business deal between the unequal businesses the competitive advantage of new Lenovo was closely tied with adorning the established success of IBM which the firm decided not to disturb. In this case study however there are certain aspects which are not evident readily and make use of further research into published journals to clarify some complex staffing issues. One of the aspects is the movement of companys headquarters to New York which meant the cultural shift in working environment for Lenovos existing employees including its managers. Though the Chinese management shifted to America to adapt itself to IBM, the case study does not elaborate on staffing challenges which are comprehensible due to different nature of businesses the two firms dealt with. While Lenovo focussed mainly on PC manufacturing, IBM was popular for its IT and business solutions through its Personal Computer Division. Study by Lee (2011) refers a section on this acquisition of IBM by Lenovo in which the author mentioned that Lenovo in New York had to undergo complex hierarchical orientation when it tried to fill middle management positions in the company by Chinese employees. These employee s with proven expertise on the subject area when working for Lenovo, China could not adopt easily to the American culture where firms oath was sung before every official meeting. Other than language and cultural issues which created the barrier between Chinese and American employees of new firm to look forward to seamless integration, there were strategic financial challenges that this staffing approach brought along. In terms of cheaper cost of labour, headquarters in China would have been more profitable for new Lenovo than New York. The stringent labour laws and federal policies which compromised the firm about 34% of its revenue within first 5 years made it clear to new Lenovo that human resource management had more staffing challenges than initially anticipated (Lee, 2011). In brief, Lenovo made the appropriate staffing decision in terms of retaining the competitive positioning in global market where low absorptive capacity of Lenovo as well as its insignificant scale of operations in comparison with IBMs global business could be only through its own shift to the new American culture. The management of IBM promised the much needed tacit knowledge for running the massive operations for new Lenovo and also gave an opportunity to the firm to strengthen its own competence by learning through IBMs established culture. There were several staffing challenges however that Lenovo took long to overcome. Most of those were related to positioning of Chinese employees to entirely different work culture of America which placed initial barrier in the flow of tacit knowledge, abandoning altogether the purpose with which acquisitions are strategically made. And yet, this was one of the opportunities that Lenovo despite of its small size and little experience handled inc redibly well through its human resource management favouring the culture that had more offering to firms strategic positioning in global market. In brief, Lenovo did not repeat the error that TCL committed during its acquisition of Thomson Electronics, but took a route which is usually not common to the firm that is acquiring. Suitability of Acquisition Strategy Literature presents several researches focussing on varying drivers for international acquisition. Or in other words the objectives of firms due to which they acquire a different business decides the acquisition strategy they adopt. Buckley (2009) focussed on Market Dominance as one of the reasons for which corporate firms plan to acquire the other firms. Dominating the market is an important factor for firms which rely on consumer base primarily. Acquiring other businesses, usually smaller than their own sizes, rapidly help the acquiring firm to expand itself within a certain market. Lee (2010) made a connection between Market Domination of the firms and the distribution channels spread across the market in which the firm plans acquisition. The author (Lee, 2010) took cases of Chinese banks to reveal that fast spreading Chinese banking establishment in South Africa is the result of some of the highly popular banks in China to utilize the remotely established subsidiaries in new terr itories, for which the most suited and feasible method of adoption is Acquisition. Market Dominance is also argued upon by researchers like Bose, Dasgupta and Ghosh (2011) as another term for increasing global market share in which financially established firms look into opportunities in newer regions to make an entry with an objective of strengthening their market share through prospective markets. The co-authors (Bose, Dasguta and Ghosh, 2011) explained their argument through Vodafones example which expanded geographically with the sole motive of enhancing the global market share and therefore the global market dominance. Correa (2010) in her study on financial institutions observed Competence Leverage as the main driver behind international acquisition. Correa explained the case of General Electric Company to reveal how the global conglomerate created the channel to leverage its competence on wide array of financial services including debt management and credit risk during the ti me when there was no rival for GE in the North American market. In-spite of massive expenditure and resourcing challenges GE acquired relatively much smaller firms in Asian and European markets with the motive of introducing several new services in the new markets as part of its product development plan. Mullarkey (2008) conducted an extensive research on two global e-book brands and found that acquisition in some cases is also an attempt by the market rival in adjusting itself to competition. This was later affirmed by Stroup (2016) in his comparative study on international acquisitions in which the author explained the terribly miscalculated decision of Japanese firm Matsushita investing in Hollywood that resulted in the losses of over $3.3 billion for the firm. According to Stroup (2016), the acquisition move was motivated by Sonys acquisition of Columbia Pictures in the same year which had suddenly brought popularity to Sonys brand image and the speculations urged Matsushita to replicate the move of a scale that was equivalent or better than Sonys. Another acquisition strategy which is common among international businesses is the growth strategy by acquiring trending Capability/ Resource from suitable markets. Owen and Yawson (2012) took the example of Nokia to explain how the Fi nnish mobile manufacturer turned to acquire small scale businesses and new ventures in United States to get the hold on Smartphone Manufacturing skills while its own research and development on entering into Smartphone manufacturing got extensively delayed for various reasons. Resource Acquisition according to Tsuji (2015) is the usual acquisition tactic among international firms as they face resource crunch in their domestic markets and look to new markets for alternatives. IBMs acquisition by Lenovo as presented in the case is apparently a clear example of Market Dominance where Lenovo attempted to enhance its market share by taking a giant leap into the global market positioning. Just before the acquisition of IBMs PC division, Lenovos own global market share in personal computers was just 2.2%. Until then the firm stood 9th in the list of global PC manufacturers after Dell, Hewlett Packard, Siemens/ Fujitsu, Acer Technologies, Toshiba, NEC and Apple Inc (Lee, 2010). This business deal made the firm 3rd largest manufacturer for PCs across the world through the international acquaint of a global player massive in size and scale. Lenovos move to carry on with its acquisition decision can also be termed a forced move, which was on account of the rising competition it was facing within China. Dell through its innovative launch of customized PCs became the global pioneer in the domain and also attained cost reduction on its manufacturing strategy by confin ing its commodities as specified by the customers (Tsuji, 2015). Lenovo, though progressive and highly skilled at its own domain of manufacturing personal computers could easily assess the market competition getting tough with Toshiba, Acer and Apple gradually establishing their foot among Chinese buyers (Lee, 2010). Lenovos global expansion strategy in this scenario can be justified as an opportunistic move of a leading player which had assumed market leadership in its home market, that was close to 27% in 2015 (Tsuji, 2015). To expand globally, there are two strategies that could have been considered by the firm: Establish its own subsidiaries in foreign territories Acquire an existing corporate brand with global reputation The second option to acquire the existing global establishment with considerable market share proposed a much quicker strategy to strengthen the global presence, which Lenovo finally picked up as its choice. Acquisition of IBMs PC division presented itself as a rare opportunity to Lenovo through which the firm could have an instant presence within and outside China with the future prospects to leverage the management and technological expertise of IBM. According to Tsuji (2015), through this acquisition Lenovo saved over $200 million in its supply chain operations establishments which would have been required if the firm had opted for setting up its own subsidiaries worldwide on a similar scale. Conclusively, these were the potential benefits that acquisition strategy of Lenovo offered to the firm: An opportunity to make a presence in and out of China An opportunity to expand the domain of operations by culminating established IT and solution services domains of IBM Beat the surging competition within China through an alliance that provided both resource and capability to the firm Making use of a highly established management team of IBM to run an international business strategy after acquisition Ensure that the tacit knowledge flow important for business is retained within the firm after acquisition Massive savings in cost while balancing growth in efficiency and economies of scale Importance of Cross-Cultural Understanding for Global Business Operations Durand (2012) in his study on global village converging the territories while eliminating the distinction among cultures commented that the businesses which would survive the ordeal of quickly changing environment would be the ones which are conducted internationally. The author (Durand, 2012) made this remark in conjunction with the fact that international businesses in todays times do not seize to expand, they rather grow at every available opportunity across cultures to harness the best of those cultures for continued progress. Weber and Yedidia Tarba (2012) in their combined work on cross-cultural analysis of Mergers and Acquisitions explained the concept of Cultural Theme which represents each culture and is deeply rooted in the people belonging to that culture. The co-authors (Weber and Yedidia Tarba, 2012) exemplified how values and attitudes defining the cultural inheritance becomes a dominating factor when international businesses are done, as the two entities try to bring b est of their cultures to a common platform to assess each other strategically. This becomes particularly important in case of Acquisitions where the firm acquiring the skills and knowledge of the other firm assesses endurance, thrift and trustworthiness of other firm through its people. The case of Lenovo depicts this clearly through an off-route staffing strategy that Lenovo implemented for the new firm. Well aware of the fact that Western culture less susceptible to adapt itself according to the Eastern culture must not be pushed to the situation where the acquisition decision turned to be a huge mistake. Instead, Lenovo made use of its understanding of Confucius values so deeply laid among Chinese employees flexible with work nature that the firm made the decision to move its headquarters to New York. There were evidently no changes brought to the routine work aspect of ex-IBM employees increasing the probability of skilled and experienced American workforce to continue working a s usual. Hofstedes Cultural Model depicts Chinese culture as a long-term oriented culture where results are seen with the strategic eye to major decisions, while American culture tends to reap the short-termed values (Hofstede, Hofstede and Minkov, 2010). From the case of Lenovos acquisition of IBM, this can be witnessed clearly as the firm made the strategic decision of not disturbing anything for IBM managers and employees in terms of what they called gain from the acquisition; however the firm made the decision to bring an integrated structure within 3 years of duration which meant that Chinese employees of Lenovo had to suffer the huge gaps in Organizational cultures which existed between IBM and Lenovo initially. Vidal-Suarez and Lopez-Duarte (2013) in their study explained that the much speculated business deal between Lenovo and IBM which was thought to be suffering from huge integration issues between cultures surfaced as one of the highly successful acquisition deals in history. Acco rding to the co-authors (Vidal-Suarez and Lopez-Duarte, 2013), even after 10 years of passage when Lenovo is entirely on its own managing the international operations in its own way, the firm continues to lead the worlds PC manufacturing market demonstrating that its cultural understanding of business had an immensely profitable impact in the long run. Popli et al. (2016) mentioned another aspect of cross-cultural understanding in business by focussing their work on differences in Organizational cultures. The co-authors explained that in contrast with the national cultural differences which highlight several challenges for international businesses to penetrate and satisfy the demands of new consumers, the Organizational differences are packed with opportunities to combine varying synergies. Lenovo through its strategic decision of acquisition clearly harnessed this difference in synergies by combining the positives and the bests of the two Organizations in its favour. IBMs PC division with its Think series of notebooks and laptops and the globally established business operations was exactly what Lenovo wanted to acquire. Lenovo already had lower cost of infrastructure and the massive scale of manufacturing which was waiting for an opportunistic entry into international platform with premium brand of products. IBMs acquisition helpe d Lenovo fill the gap that the company was waiting for since long. The limited experience on cross-cultural management was the biggest barrier for Lenovo to bridge that the firm excellently handled by retaining the key management authorities of ex-IBM while placing itself within the vicinity to learn the crux of international business management quickly and accurately. Mullarkey (2008) remarked that in case of international business alliances the knowledge of cross cultural factors becomes a driver for accelerated collaboration. An understanding on how the business functions in the other culture helps in expediting, strengthening and co-ordinating of business deal which seldom means reaching a common resolve between the cultural differences appropriately. With reference to Lenovos acquisition of IBM, it may be assumed that IBM had the required cultural knowledge about the firm it wanted to sell its PC division to. The highly expansive global operations of its PC division was decided to be sold to a Chinese fir which could be deemed responsible enough to take it through the hard competitive times this division faced. According to Tsuji (2015), the first proposal for sales of its PC division was made in 2002 by IBM to Lenovo, where the estimated business deal of $4 billion was too high for Lenovo to get into an agreement. The reason that Lenovo was s pecifically selected for this acquisition was its successful and responsible professional history, progressive and yet highly balanced manner of market orientation in China and its urge to enter into global operations (Tsuji). The presented case study further describes the story as the second attempt made by IBM in 2004, which was now settled for $1.75 billion, a price that Lenovo considered was reasonable to make an entry to global platform with a division that could elaborate its global market positioning and skills. In this case therefore the knowledge of Chinese culture, the manner in which Chinese firms work and their insistence on strategic gains rather than the short-termed hauls helped IBM zero upon the right owner for acquisition. Conclusion In the global electronic market, the acquisition of IBMs PC division by Lenovo in 2004 presented an exemplary insight into strategic decision making. It was more significant considering the numerous failed cross-border acquisition deals which gave rise to speculation that Lenovo was making an attempt of a Chinese Snake swallowing American Elephant (Lee, 2010). Since this business acquisition, over 11 years have passed and Lenovo still manages the global electronic PC manufacturing market with its market leadership secured. There were some obvious cultural challenges, both on national and Organizational level, which Lenovo handled exceptionally well by looking into the strategies that were connected to Chinese and American attitudes respectively. New Lenovos strategic move to shift its headquarters to New York and retain the tacit knowledge of IBM through its existing people and top management is the typical case where cultural egotism had high probability to dominate. However Lenovo in the clear light of strategic competitive positioning handed over the highest executive roles to the ex-IBM leadership making sure that the skills responsible for strategizing and running global business operations were still in command. References BOSE, G., DASGUPTA, S. and GHOSH, A. (2011). Cross-Border Acquisitions and Optimal Government Policy*.Economic Record, 87(278), pp.427-437. Buckley, P. (2009). Business history and international business.Business History, 51(3), pp.307-333. Correa, R. (2010). Cross-Border Bank Acquisitions: Is There a Performance Effect?.SSRN Electronic Journal. Durand, M. (2012). The Global MA Tango: How to Reconcile Cultural Differences in Mergers, Acquisitions, and Strategic.Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 19(2), pp.271-273. Lee, K. (2010). Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions amid Political Uncertainty.SSRN Electronic Journal. Hofstede, (2016).China - Geert Hofstede. [online] Geert-hofstede.com. Available at: https://geert-hofstede.com/china.html [Accessed 14 Oct. 2016]. Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context.Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1). Mullarkey, M. (2008). ebrary and Two International E-book Surveys.The Acquisitions Librarian, 19(3-4), pp.213-230. Owen, S. and Yawson, A. (2012). Human Development and Cross-Border Acquisitions.SSRN Electronic Journal. Popli, M., Akbar, M., Kumar, V. and Gaur, A. (2016). Reconceptualizing cultural distance: The role of cultural experience reserve in cross-border acquisitions.Journal of World Business, 51(3), pp.404-412. Stroup, C. (2016). INTERNATIONAL DEAL EXPERIENCE AND CROSS-BORDER ACQUISITIONS.Econ Inq. Tsuji, C. (2015). An Overview of the Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions.ABR, 3(2). Vidal-Suarez, M. and Lopez-Duarte, C. (2013). Language distance and international acquisitions: A transaction cost approach.International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 13(1), pp.47-63. Weber, Y. and Yedidia Tarba, S. (2012). Mergers and acquisitions process: the use of corporate culture analysis.Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 19(3), pp.288-303.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Prejudice Is Defined In The Dictionary As Hatred Or Unfair Treatment O

Prejudice is defined in the dictionary as hatred or unfair treatment of a particular group, such as members of a race or religion. Although prejudice has a definite definition in the dictionary, the novel;To Kill A Mockingbird teaches us that there are many diferent form of prejudice. In the novel, Harper Lee used many different types of prejudice such as stereotyping, racism, and segregation. During the novel, Harper Lee uses segregation as a form of prejudice. One of the many examples of segregation was when the black people were confined to a diferent church. White people went to whites churches and balck people went to balack churches. Balck people were also segregated during the Tom Robinson trial. The balck people of the town had to sit up in the balcony while the white people sta below them. Another way the balack people were segregated form the white people was when Boo Radeley was put in the basement of the court instead of the jail beacuse black people were being held. Throughout the novel, there were many different forms of stereotyping. Aunt Alexandria believed everyone in Maycomb had an "Incestous Streak." " Everyboby it seemed had a streak: a drinking streak, a gambling starek..."Scut recited. Aunt Alexandria is steroetying the people of Maycomb because she is judging them on their realtives beahvior. Another example of stereotyping was ehn Scout said " Wlater's one of thme Cunninghams, Miss Caroline". Scout was reffering to the poorness of Walter's family. They never take donations and everyone is suppoeds to know that. In conclusion, the novel, To kill a Mocking Bird, shows that there are many forms of prejudice such as streotyping, racism, and segregation. There are many more types of prejudice that were used through otu the novel. Even though the dictionary provides a precise defintion of the word prejudice, Harper Lee teaches us that there are many differnet forms of prejudice.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

South African Apartheid Quotes About Bantu Education

South African Apartheid Quotes About Bantu Education Bantu Education, the separate and limited experience encountered by non-whites in South Africa when pursuing an education, was a cornerstone of the apartheid philosophy. The following quotes illustrate the diverse viewpoints about Bantu Education from both sides of the anti-Apartheid struggle. Apartheid Quotes It has been decided that for the sake of uniformity English and Afrikaans will be used as media of instruction in our schools on a 50-50 basis as follows:English medium: General Science, Practical Subjects (Homecraft, Needlework, Wood and Metalwork, Art, Agricultural Science)Afrikaans medium: Mathematics, Arithmetic, Social StudiesMother Tongue: Religion Instruction, Music, Physical CultureThe prescribed medium for these subject must be used as from January 1975.In 1976 secondary schools will continue using the same medium for these subjects.Signed JG Erasmus, Regional Director of Bantu Education, 17 October 1974.There is no place for [the Bantu] in the European community above the level of certain forms of labour ... What is the use of teaching the Bantu child mathematics when it cannot use it in practice? That is quite absurd. Education must train people in accordance with their opportunities in life, according to the sphere in which they live.Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, South African min ister for native affairs (prime minister from 1958 to 66), speaking about his governments education policies in the 1950s. As quoted in Apartheid - A History by Brian Lapping, 1987. I have not consulted the African people on the language issue and Im not going to. An African might find that the big boss only spoke Afrikaans or only spoke English. It would be to his advantage to know both languages.South African Deputy Minister of Bantu Education, Punt Janson, 1974.We shall reject the whole system of Bantu Education whose aim is to reduce us, mentally and physically, into hewers of wood and drawers of water.Soweto Sudents Representative Council, 1976.We should not give the Natives any academic education. If we do, who is going to do the manua labour in the community?JN le Roux, National Party politician, 1945.School boycotts are but the tip of the iceberg – the crux of the matter is the oppressive political machinery itself.Azanian Students Organisation, 1981.I have seen very few countries in the world that have such inadequate educational conditions. I was shocked at what I saw in some of the rural areas and homelands. Education is of fundamental importan ce. There is no social, political, or economic problem you can solve without adequate education.Robert McNamara, ex-president of the World Bank, during visit to South Africa in 1982. The education we receive is meant to keep the South African people apart from one another, to breed suspicion, hatred and violence, and to keep us backward. Education is formulated so as to reproduce this society of racism and exploitation.Congress of South African Students, 1984.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Definition of a Learning-Rich Environment

Definition of a Learning-Rich Environment Homeschoolers have a language of their own that may sometime be confusing to outsiders or newbies. One such term is a learning-rich environment. For some, the term may seem self-explanatory. For others, it may sound intimidating. They may wonder, if I don’t create the perfect environment for my kids, am I going to be a homeschool failure? Fortunately, the definition of a learning-rich environment may vary from family to family, but all definitions will probably encompass a setting in which children are encouraged to learn through natural curiosity and exploration and in which the tools for doing so are provided. Some common components of a learning-rich environment may include some of the following: Books in Relation to Homeschooling There probably isn’t a homeschooling family on the planet for whom a learning-rich environment will not include access to books. To create a setting in which natural learning can take place, children of all ages should have easy access to a variety of reading materials. Easy access may mean bookshelves placed low where young children can reach them. Rain gutter bookshelves provide a highly visual storage idea, which often encourages young readers to explore. Easy access also means placing books in high traffic areas of your home. You may have bookshelves in bedrooms or  your living room (or even your dining room) or you may use your coffee table to strategically place books you think will interest your children. A variety of reading materials may include books, magazines, graphic novels, or comics. It may include biographies, historical fiction, non-fiction, and books of poetry. A learning-rich environment will include ready access to the written word and the freedom to use the materials at will. Its important to teach children how to properly care for books, so you may wish to start with providing free access to sturdier reading material such as cloth or board books if you have young children. Tools for Expressing Creativity A learning-rich environment will typically include ready-access to tools for kids to express their creativity. Depending on the age of your children, these tools may include: Play-doh or modeling clayArt supplies such as paints, brushes, or chalksMusical instrumentsCameras digital or videoCraft supplies such as glue, pipe cleaners, pom-poms, or construction paperHandicraft supplies such as knitting needles or crochet hooks, yarn, sewing notionsBlocks or LEGOsBlank paper and crayonsOld magazines and greeting cards In order to encourage self-directed creativity, it is best to allow open access to art supplies and tools for creative expression. To offset the potential for disaster, you may wish to consider having a specific area in your home for art or leaving only water-based and washable art supplies openly accessible  (just skip the glitter). You might also consider teaching your children to cover their work surface with a plastic tablecloth and provide smocks (over-sized t-shirts work well) for art projects. Tools for Open-Ended Play and Exploration A learning-rich environment will also have the tools necessary for open-ended play and exploration. Dry beans can make the perfect math manipulatives, but can also double as the substrate for a sensory box. Old boxes of varying sizes can be used for building a fort or creating a stage for an impromptu puppet show. Preschool and elementary-aged children can enjoy self-directed learning and play with items like dress-up clothes; old dishes and cookware; or small notepads for playing restaurant or store. Children of a variety of ages will enjoy having access to items such as: Binoculars or a magnifying glassA microscope and/or telescopeField guidesA child-friendly computer or laptop with safe-search options Older kids may enjoy taking apart non-working electronics and appliances. Just be sure to take the proper safety precautions first. The idea is to provide the tools to let your children’s imaginations and natural curiosity take over and direct their playtime. The Value of Learning Stations Learning stations are not necessary for a learning-rich environment particularly if all the elements of the stations are readily accessible to children but they can be a lot of fun. Learning stations or learning centers need not be elaborate. For example, a math station may consist of clear, plastic box filled with items such as: RulersA plastic clock for learning to tell timeCounting bearsRegular playing cards (adaptable for a variety of math games)Buttons for countingTangram piecesA set of plastic shapesA set of diePlay money We had a writing center that was made up of a tri-fold presentation  board with a variety of writing helps (such as a word wall of common words and a printout of a hand with the 5W  questions, â€Å"Who, what, when, where,  and why?†). The board was set up on a table which held a dictionary, thesaurus, a variety of paper, journals, pens, and pencils. You might also consider creating learning centers such as: A reading nookA kitchen centerA science/nature study centerA geography center Again, learning centers don’t have to be elaborate. They can be stored in cabinets; boxes or baskets; on top of a bookshelf; or on a wide windowsill. The key is to make the elements of the learning station visible and easily accessible so that students understand that they are free to explore with the items. Creating a learning-rich environment can also be as simple as a purposeful use of your home and materials. For example, if you have an interest in astronomy and would love to share that with your children, pull out all your astronomy books and place  them around your home. Let your children see you studying the stars through your telescope, and point out to them some of your favorite constellations. It also may mean simply capitalizing on the everyday learning moments and demonstrating through your actions that learning never stops and isnt confined to the 4.5 hour/180 day school year (for example) that your state requires. It may mean simply being okay with the potential mess and with the kids using all those great math manipulatives that you purchased at the homeschool convention for something other than their originally intended purpose. And with any luck, you may discover that creating a learning-rich environment is more about your attitude than the articles in your home.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Causes and impacts of the UK currency devaluation Essay

Causes and impacts of the UK currency devaluation - Essay Example ng the currency with the fourth highest trading volume in the foreign exchange market behind the US dollar, the euro, and the Japanese yen respectively (Pan). The sterling has been generally regarded as one of the high value based currency reserves of the world. Its value, in respect to the other currencies, has been on the higher side. This has been because of various reasons, one of the main being the good and reliable financial markets that the United Kingdom is able to offer to investors worldwide. Due to the stability within the UK, and the ensuing level of trust, it has been able to attract massive inflows because of the bourses and financial markets, particularly in London, providing burgeoning returns. The high value further, allowed greater consumption by the people of the United Kingdom, allowing greater imports and out of country vacations. The current financial crisis however sees the Pound Sterling being drastically devalued. In recent months, the Sterlings decline in value in relation to the euro is interpreted by economists and some political elements within the United Kingdom as evidence of diminishing faith in the British economy on worldwide currency markets. Political elements, especially those belonging to the liberal side have rushed to blame the policies of the Prime Minister Gordon Brown for the collapse in the Sterling’s value (Heffer). Sources close to the treasury hinted that the decision in the pre-Budget report to increase borrowing to fund reduction in taxes had led to a downturn in economic confidence and thus had affected willingness of people to spend, ultimately leading to the drop in the Pound. A Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman observed that while the decrease in interest rates had been the main reason behind the fall in the sterling’s value, it was supplemented by the expectation that the rates would decline even further (Heffer). The sterling fell almost 17 per cent compared with the euro in 2008 as the Bank of England

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Overview of a Luxury Fashion Brand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Overview of a Luxury Fashion Brand - Essay Example This paper "Overview of a Luxury Fashion Brand" looks at one Burberry as a luxury brand that has been successful despite the challenges that have existed in the fashion market. In this paper an overview of Burberry is given based on its success in the industry. The brand has been outstanding and is defined by the Britishness, independent luxury positioning and heritage as well as history. Compared to other brands in the fashion industry such as Prada, Zara and Ralph Lauren, the brand has been doing fairly well. Burberry is a distinctive global luxury brand that was founded in 1856. The group has a British background. Over the years the company has built a strong and outstanding reputation for innovation, design, and craftsmanship. The group has much focus on outwear, best known for its trench coats. The company designs, produces as well as sell products under the Burberry brand. The company based in London sources its raw materials from UK and other external suppliers it forms networ k with. The content of marketing as well as marketing programs; analogue and digital, are internally designed to promote the brand and product features to the consumers. Being that its products are sold globally through proprietary retail shops as well as third party wholesale customers, the brand needs a strong fashion marketing strategy to counter the competition in the fashion world. Marketing is in fact one of the core corporate functions that keeps the brand at par. The brand has also embraced digital marketing.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Butchers Shop and Eating Out Comparative Essay Essay Example for Free

The Butchers Shop and Eating Out Comparative Essay Essay The poems I am going to explore are ‘The Butchers Shop’ and ‘Eating out’. The two poems are loosely based around the idea of food. The Butchers shop focuses on the cruel process of killing animals to put food on our plates and Eating out looks at how the narrators’ relationship with food is affected when going out for a meal with family. In ‘The Butchers Shop’ it’s says â€Å"your cold and soggy paper parcel bleeds† The fact that the parcel is bleeding suggests that the narrator believes all meat eaters to be murderers. This is only further emphasised by use of â€Å"cold and soggy† like the cold, damp flesh of the animal who was brutally massacred just so you could have something to eat. In addition to murderous accusations, the use of direct speech â€Å"you† connects informally with the reader and makes it more personal as if by being familiar with the reader it will help them understand the narrators’ morbid views on food, specifically meat. This use of direct speech is also used in ‘Eating Out’. â€Å"I never accustomed myself to this humble I’ll have whatever your having, dear.† and just like ‘The Butchers Shop’ it’s used to show the attitude the narrator has toward food and dining and it’s also trying to get readers to empathise with their views by being familiar with them. Another similarity between the poems is in false representation of food. Whilst ‘The Butchers Shop’ false image of â€Å"playing farms† is quite transparent to anyone who has reached adulthood and can see past the cute illustrations to the gruesome blood stained butchers apron. However, in ‘Eating Out’ is a more elaborate charade of false representation. You don’t see the preparation of food in a restaurant only the artfully arranged end result which is bound to look extremely appetising. Except the pressure of controlling parents and expectations of perfect behaviour make the food â€Å"indigestible† and an outing not to look forward to. Overall, both poems have a negative attitude toward food which I believe stems from the theme of oppression. The butcher and the parents share the same role – as cruel, controlling keepers – both pigs and the narrator of ‘Eating Out’ suffered cruelty at the hands of their keepers which in turn, affected the relativity to food and what attitude is associated with it in each poem. For example, by describing how much the pigs suffered and the evil characteristics of the butcher (â€Å"smiles a meaty smile, white apron stained with who knows what†) it provokes emotion from the audience and persuades them into realising animal cruelty is wrong and therefore, whenever you buy meat you could have just killed a defenceless animal.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Milton To Pope :: essays research papers

In this essay I will attempt to contrast the type of society that would create a Milton to a society that would create a Pope. Although you may be able to understand what I'm saying from my essay, the depth of what I want to say can not be put into words, and therefore I suggest that you read and compare the same information that I have. I will now explain a bit about Milton and Pope to help you get an understanding. Milton was born into the middle class and grew up in a highly cultured environment. Milton created relatively few poems. Milton was greatly influenced by the puritan cause and Oliver Cromwell with a strong parliament government. Pope was born shortly after Milton's death and was a Roman Catholic. Many restrictions against Catholics. Pope had to struggle for position. Some of the restrictions made Pope move outside London and he could not legally vote, hold office, or attend university. Pope not allowed to attend university would be one of the most significant contrasts between Milton and Pope. Where Milton stayed at University for a long, long time, Pope never went to University. For Milton the society gave him everything he wanted. He had life fairly easy and had the government and the stronger religion backing Milton that Pope did not have. Pope had to fight for everything whereas Milton did not. The society that helped Milton did not help Pope. The society that created Mil! ton was a strong Puritan Parliament Government. Also at the time Milton's society spoke highly of child prodigies like Mozart and Mill. Milton at the age of 23 thought that he had basically done nothing with his life up to that point. Pope was a great poet at a very young age and if he did look back and try to assess his life at age of 23 he would have seen that he had already accomplished a lot. Also Pope was writing just before the Pre-romantic and the romantic poetry there for his poetry would tend to reflect a changing to that style of poetry. The society and what the people want caused the style of writing to go this way. The majority of the writing during 1670 - 1700 at the start of Pope's writing career and right after Milton's has been described as grotesque slanderous writing. This writing reflects the society and what the society wanted. The society that created Milton was strongly religious and wanted all the writing to be perfect in the ways of the church and the ! structure of the poetry whereas the society that created Pope was slanderous most of the time against

Monday, November 11, 2019

Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks, and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages Essay

Porter’s five-forces model reveals that the overall alternative beverage industry attractiveness is high. Some beverage companies, such as PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, have mastered the art of brand building in the alternative beverage market and have been rewarded with rapid growth rates. The rising population of health conscious consumers is increasingly leaning towards alternative beverages that are believed to offer greater health benefits. The strongest competitive force, or most important to strategy formulation, is the threat of entry of new competitors. Competitive pressure from rival sellers is high in the alternative beverage industry. The number of brands competing in sports drinks, energy drinks, and vitamin-enhanced beverage segments of the alternative beverage industry continue to grow each year. Both large and small vendors are launching new products and fighting for minimal retail shelf space. More and more consumers are moving away from traditional soft drinks to healthier alternative drinks. Demand is expected to grow worldwide as consumer purchasing power increases. Another strong competitive force is buyer bargaining power. Convenience stores and grocery stores have substantial leverage in negotiating pricing and slotting fees with alternative beverage producers due to the large quantity of their purchase. Newer brands are very vulnerable to buyer power because of limited space on store shelves. Top brands like Red Bull are almost always guaranteed space. This competitive force does not affect Coca-Cola or PepsiCo as much due to the variety of beverages the stores want to offer to the customer. As a result of this certain appeal, the two companies’ alternative beverage brands can almost always be found shelf space in grocery/convenience stores. Distributors, like restaurants, have less ability to negotiate for deep pricing discounts because of quantity limitations. The weakest competitive force is the bargaining power and leverage of suppliers. Most of the raw materials desirable to manufacture alternative beverages are basic merchandise such as flavor, color, packaging, etc. The suppliers of these commodities have no bargaining power over the pricing due to which the suppliers in the industry are relatively weak. Raw materials for these drinks are basic commodities which are easily available to every producer and have low cost which makes no difference for any supplier. Low switching costs limit supplier bargaining power by enabling industry members to change suppliers if any one supplier attempts to raise prices by more than the cost of switching.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Physical and economic values

Your Self-esteem G. How to Develop Assertiveness Physical Values This are about the tangible aspects of life: the external world as well as the state of our physical health and well-being. Such values relate to the amount of space we need to feel comfortable and the degree to which we are satisfied and fulfilled by aesthetic stimulation and material possessions. These values can be seen in different ways: 1 . Clothing styles Wearing the right clothing for the proper occasion is important. However, cultural rules in other countries might be different from your own.So, our clothes say a great deal about who we are and can signal a great deal of socially important things to others, even if the impression is actually unfounded. 2. Vehicles The importance of a car to the business cannot be underestimated. Businesses dealing with any form of merchandise need reliable transport for a constant supply of goods to their business as well as delivery of goods to their clients. A car is an invalu able asset to the business that will enable faster implementation of the business process.Our careers and presentation in the society are also very important aspects in our lives and each and every activity that we do will most certainly require traveling and marketing a skill or a product. Having a car enhances your presentation and your image. However it is not only important to have one but also to maintain the car in clean polished condition in order to retain that professional image that will keep you ahead of the pack all the time. 3. Architectural preferences in the home we select to buy or rent Architects have long thought that the style of a building conveys social meanings and effects emotional experience.These convey personality traits such as friendliness, privacy and independence, social status, aesthetic sense, life style, ideas and values to others. 4. Actual health of the body Good health has a positive effect on the productivity of the employees. This will make you feel more energetic and you will be able to carry out both simple as well as strenuous tasks without pushing yourself too hard. As your mind and body is free from work pressure and mental stress, you can handle the daily chores at workplace with a positive attitude.You feel motivated to finish off the task at hand and will be interested to work on more number of things. Your mind develops a natural tendency to focus upon the positives and is not bothered much about the negatives. Physical values are about feeling physically satisfied and comfortable in our home and in our environment. Economic Values Economic values are also known as financial life values. These are about money and finances. They are unrelated to how much money we actually have. These values reflect what we think or believe about our money and financial affairs.They reflect how we value money and what it can buy or how it can grow as an investment. Financial life values may or may not be related to what we actually know about money and finance. As with any deeply held values, we might intend action to increase savings or decrease debt, but choose instead to reinforce our self-esteem on â€Å"needs† manufactured in the market place. Nearly everyone, regardless of educational level or affluence, is concerned with: 1. The sufficiency of their money. (Do I have enough? ) (How long will my money last? . The appropriateness of their financial decisions. ( Is this the right choice for me? ) The answers to those questions have different meanings for different individuals based on their financial values. Individuals less concerned about appropriateness of purchases are less likely to be prepared for financial emergencies. Those who think more about the sustainability of their money generally have a healthier bank balance. And what is â€Å"enough† to one person can differ greatly from the enough of the person standing next to him or her.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Pregnancy in Women essays

Pregnancy in Women essays In todays society women are looked upon as mothers born to reproduce. The men in this society sometimes pressure the women into producing a child. Although the male does have a part in the babies life, the women is the primary carrier of the baby and it is mostly up to her whether or not she should reproduce. A woman has to see if they can deal with the physical, mental, and the emotional changes in their life before having a baby. When a woman is pregnant they have to be ready to deal with the physical changes that are going to take place. The most dramatic and obvious change is the shape and weight one will gain. One usually gains about 10-15 pounds during the nine months period while carrying the fetus. The overall weight gain is about 25-30 pounds (M. Sara Rosenthal, 1994, p. 75). Their bodies will change greatly their hips will spread and thicken. One will start feeling aching of lower back and everywhere else. Also, ones will have tightened muscle and lack of flexibility. Therefore, one will get poor circulation and this will creates cramps (www.plannedparenthood , 1998 ). Ones breast will be tender, so one will have tenderness and tingling of the breast. Ones breast will increase and ones nipples will began to enlarge and darken. Their breast will enlarges due to the process of the milk forming. They will begin to sag due to the size (Richard L. Feinbloom, 2000, p. 64). These are some of th e physical changes that will take place during pregnancy. A woman has to see if they will be able to deal with the mental changes that will take place in her mind. When a woman is pregnant this can mean that her whole body system is placed under stress (www.plannedparenthood, 1998). So she has to be able to deal with her stress and self image (Richard L. Fein bloom, 2000, p. 77). She has to know if her body can handle having a baby. Also, she has to know if s ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

What You Can Learn From Obamas Biggest Failure

What You Can Learn From Obamas Biggest Failure Everybody fails. Even the fanciest and most successful of celebrities, historical figures, and our most idolized idols. Including the President of the United States, Barack Obama. Here’s a look at Obama’s biggest failure in his career and how it paved his path to the presidency. You know Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States and an all-around successful  guy, helping dig the economy out of it’s 2008 chasm, presiding over recovery, stimulating job growth, improving global opinion, etc., But did you know that he was once a big fat failure? Really.He lost. Big time.His first bid for national office was a total flop. Having spent two terms in the Illinois Senate, he made a run for Congress in 2000- running as a practical nobody against an opponent who was both a household name and had a 70% approval rating. His first failure was choosing the race. His second? The race itself. He lost by 31 points.Part of this was out of his control. His opponentâ €™s son was shot and killed during the campaign. And while Obama suspended his campaign for a month and worked to help champion gun control legislation, circumstances found him stuck in Hawaii caring for his sick daughter when the vote occurred. The story told by the news media? He was lounging on a beach instead of helping to make Illinois a safer place.He made up for it.What matters is what he did with that failure. First he went back to the state Senate, then he ran successfully for U.S. Senate in 2004. Somewhere in there he retooled his message, shooting bigger and higher, focusing on hope. He wrote his book, The Audacity of Hope, and set his sights on the presidency.Without that one humbling failure, Obama may never have had to do the kind of soul-searching and message re-thinking he did in 2002. The next time you fail, take a few steps back and remember how a guy from Chicago went from getting spanked in a run for Congress, and turning that failure into the spectacular suc cess of a two-term presidency of the United States.President Obama: A Profile in Failure

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Think like a historian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Think like a historian - Essay Example because of three main aspects; one, it enables the researcher to be able to dig deep into all information available about something and later determine whether it is believable or not. Secondly, it enables the research to come up with evidence that is supportive to achieve conclusions and information that is reliable. Finally, these two lead one to have a better understanding of an occurrence of history. The following essay will highlight three effective ways that define the thinking like a historian process that is sourcing, corroborating, and contextualization. In addition, it will categorize them as either compelling or problematic in their approach. The phrase â€Å"to think like a historian† literally means that a historian should have in their mind the reason for going after a piece of history. This means that one has to have the goal of understanding questions that are fundamental regarding human existence at the back of their minds. Boyle in her book states that, â€Å"history is structured around a specific time period or geographical areas† 1. This simplified implies that one has to understand the reasons for human behaviour during the period under focus. All these cannot be made possible by merely observing the event mentioned directly but requires hints and mediation of whatever remains from that contextual occurrence to succeed in thinking like one, which in the end will solve all the queries that one has regarding a historical problem2. The first step in involved in thinking like a historian is sourcing. Sourcing is the process of finding out more information about a historical occurrence, which requires the use of documents, sound recordings, films, or any object that is in any way linked to the subject in exploration. In short, sourcing will assist one in answering questions regarding the event’s participants, reasons for the event, the implications of the event, the time of its occurrence and just any relevant information there may be. Under