Risk of Expropriation Involved in Pakistan Essay

Risk of Expropriation Involved in Pakistan - Essay Example Its relationships with the India are not good whereas the current situation in Afghanistan and future political risks involved in Iran can also increase the overall risk involved in the country. The political risk is on the higher side because it neighbors the violent Afghanistan. Apart from that it has also a history of Nationalization process under which private businesses were nationalized during 1970s. Apart from that a fragile political system in the country poses a greater risk to the foreign firms considering investing into the country. Pakistan has traditionally been an agriculture based country with most of the GDP coming from this sector. On industrial front, the country has a sound textile manufacturing base however after the emergence of WTO country is facing difficulties in keeping its traditional superiority in terms of textile exports as the neighboring countries of Bangladesh, China as well as India are offering much cheaper prices as compared to Pakistan in International Markets. "Pakistan's advantages include relatively low wages - amounting to as little as half the level of salaries in India - as well as reasonable real estate costs, plentiful government incentives and a readily available supply of worker"(Thibodeau,2007). "The textile sector exports have been stagnant for the past five years. Exports have oscillated between US $4.5 - 5.5 billion. US $5 billion has been a psychological barrier for the textile industry of Pakistan."(SMEDA, 2005). Investment into Textile sector of the country therefore is a very lucrative option however there are risks involved in it also. Where does the Risk Come From There are various sources of Risks in this country. The Law and Order situation is one very critical risk which companies looking to work in the country may have to face however the risk of expropriation comes from the Government itself. The mounting pressures on the economy as well as having a history of nationalization, the government of Pakistan seems to be the biggest source of risk for companies willing to work and invest into the country. There are different reasons for that. The general attitude of the public in country is not so in favor of the external players working in the market therefore social pressures on the government may force them to take actions such as expropriation that may not serve the interests of the companies willing to work in the country.(ADB,2001) Further to that Textile market in Pakistan is really going through a bad patch as neighboring countries have almost captured the market which was once the traditional markets for Pakistan. This lost space may further create pressures on the government to protect the local industry and do not allow foreign investors to consolidate themselves. Further, Pakistan is a key ally of US in its war on terrorism and the situation in Afghanistan and its tribal areas may provide US a credible opportunity to enter into Pakistan also. Further many believe that changing priorities of the US government could further deteriorate the risk profile of the country.(Rogers,2006) Thus the sources of the risks are multiple in nature as not only emerge

Asian Financial Crises 1997 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Asian Financial Crises 1997 - Essay Example Some of the worst suffering economies like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand were the one's that were successfully integrated into the world economy at that time. Therefore, a shift started taking place in economist's opinion on 'globalization' (Piasecki & Wolnicki, 2004). Globalization started in this region by early 1990s and by the mid-1990s, the success appeared to have entered deep into the economies. Openness through 'globalization' and 'regional integration' came to be known as the factors affecting development and economy. But suddenly there were indications from Japan that in order to defend the yen, it might raise the interest rates. The statement itself to this effect set off a chain reaction amongst the foreign investors in the South-East Asian region. They started offloading the local currencies, 'before it was too late'. USA, had a big stake in this region, therefore US also joined Japan in the campaign to save Yen from falling further and started buying yen to stop the precipitous fall (Sanger, 1998). But the Yen kept falling with even some Japanese investors preferring to convert their Yen into other currencies because of liberalized financial rules. Subsequently, there were two rounds of currency depreciation. Thai baht, Malaysian ringgit, Philippine peso, and Indonesian rupiah felt the heat in the first round while the Taiwanese dollar, South Korean won, Singaporean dollar, and Hong Kong dollar were devalued in the second round. The respective governments tried to pump in all their foreign currency reserves into the local market in order to save their own currencies, but to no avail. The stock markets kept hitting rock bottom. South-east Asian nations then tried to raise interest rates, which, in turn, slowed down the economic growth. This crises was being termed as Asia's second biggest event1 since World War II, resulting in seriously affecting the domestic social, political, and economic environment with equally damaging impact o n intra- and extra-regional international relations The banking system was the worst affected, for example at that most of the 240 Indonesian banks turned insolvent, while some other well-run banks like Bali were trapped in bad debt (Landler, 1998). Banks were the worst affected with the crisis. With the excess of local currency in the local markets its value was bound to head southwards. And that's exactly what happened. Stock market too went in a bearish mode and stock prices started tumbling down. Nanto (1998) points out that the reasons which brought about this crisis included four basic problems or issues: i. A shortage of foreign exchange that caused the value of currencies and equities in Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea and other Asian countries to fall dramatically ii. Inadequately developed financial sectors and mechanisms for allocating capital in the troubled Asian economies, iii. Effects of the crisis on both the United States and the world, and iv. The role, operations, and replenishment of funds of the International Monetary Fund. On the other hand the Secretary General of UNCTAD, states (Piaseck & Wolnicki, 2004) that the two main causes of the South East Asian crises were: i. Excessive openness to the world economy, and ii. Inability to manage this openness, on

Facebook Marketing Report

Facebook Marketing Report James Byrne   Ã‚   Task 1: Facebook Consumer Behaviour Introduction Consumer Behaviour has been described as the processes involved when individuals or groups select, purchase, use or dispose of products, services, ideas ir experiences in order to satisfy needs (Solomon et. al., 2010). It is increasingly recognised that consumption is a process not just a purchase event. This is especially evident when examining behaviour on social media platforms, in this case Facebook. Traditional models of consumer behaviour do not directly apply to this online environment. There is no inherent monetary purchase decision as Facebook provides it user end services seemingly for free. Founded in 2004, Facebook is currently the biggest social networking service based on global reach and total active users. Worldwide, there are over 1.79 billion monthly active Facebook users (Facebook MAUs) which is a 16 percent increase year over year. (Source: Facebook as of 02/11/16). This is despite the hyperchoice available to consumers in regards to social media platforms which i nclude Instagram, YouTube, Google Plus and many others. Such a plethora of platforms present the consumer with a choice not based on cost but on factors such as time, user experience and connectedness. This paper will examine the success of Facebook both from a users perspective and commercially and examine the challanges facing the platform going forward. For the purposes of this study a user diary was kept over 17 days where activity of particular interest was monitored and recorded -see Appendix at end of document. Behavioural patterns across different users are detected and discussed. Motives for Joining and Using Facebook Motivation can be described as the processes that encourage behaviour (Solomon et. al., 2010). Facebook has very successfully positioned itself as both a communication channel and an informational tool between individuals, brands and news outlets. Consumers use Facebook to fulfil a number of primary needs socialising, entertainment, self-status seeking, and information (Park et al, 2010). Some examples of can be seen in this study; Socialising The user initiated the communication through a public post of photos that indicated they were on holiday in Australia. A friend subsequently enquired How was the trip? and the response was I did it!! Absolutely sensational Im still buzzing à °Ã… ¸Ã¢â€ž ¢Ã…’ Miss your face, hows home?. This conversation illustrates the role Facebook plays in reinforcing personal relationships. This post also displays self-status seeking as such a foreign holiday is highly desirable and portrays a certain lifestyle. Entertainment Many humours videos and images are posted to Facebook. This one features potential trying to steal a bike which is tethered to a fence and subsequently falling off. Comments included: That sXXX was funny. They can sue his ass though for personal injury. Thats what they get for stealing lol Homeboys got wreeecked Users frequently shares these posts with their friends. This action provides a indication of the users personality. Self-status seeking This seemingly humours post also fufills the function of portraying a desirable possession. Convertible cars tend to be more expensive than hard tops and indicate a particular type of lifestyle. That is message is linked to possessions is underlined by one self aware comment I have a vw polo and brought a 10ft tree home in it today . who needs a convertible The post also fulfils the need for uniqueness to stand out from the herd. It emphasises the individual and their (relatively) unique qualities (Solomon et al, 2010). Information As well as using Facebook to access organisational news sources users can request information to queries from their friends. This post received 9 comments with suggestions. Word of mouth whether initiated or requested is an important component in the platforms user experience. Individuals often trust the opinions of their peers more than commercial communications such as advertising. Opinion seekers thus may regard recommendations by peers and associates as credible and reliable thereby increasing the chance the will influence purchase decisions (Shu-Chuan Yoojung, 2011). In their proposed model, tie strength, homophily, trust and two types of interpersonal influence, normative and informational, are proposed as the main influencing components of electronic word of mouth. Gà ¼lnar et al, 2010 categorised the motivations for using of photo/video sharing websites such as Facebook, under seven headings. In order of importance they are: narcissism and self expression, media drenching and performance, passing time, information seeking, personal status, relationship maintenance, and entertainment. Here are some examples of those that differ from Parks earlier classifications. Self Expression This post displays remembrance, history, gratitude, patriotism and politics. It conveys a lot of information about the users beliefs and values. Interesting to note the inclusion of a Pearl Harbour hashtag, a feature that is more commonplace on twitter than Facebook. not commonplace on Facebook. Posts displaying narcissism might include those promoted by lifestyle bloggers whether they operate on the worlds of fashion, fitness or health. The concept of media drenching refers to a users gratification through the frequent posting of images. Here is such an example where 86 photos of a holiday in Vancover are posted. Narcissism    Reinforcement of personal status and relationship maintenance can be seen in the following post. The drivers outlined by Gà ¼lnar et al, 2010 overlook the factors that influence avoidance of social media and the approach-avoidance conflict inherent in some users attitudes due to a range of factors including fake news, perceived time wasting and privacy issues. Reinforcement of personal status and relationship maintenance The user is celebrating his recent engagement with his online community. Such a noteworthy personal event is recognised by the number of likes (170) and comments (32) all of which were in the form of congratulations; Sooo happy for you!!!!!! Shes one in a million xxx So thrilled for you both. Fab piccie! Xx à °Ã… ¸Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ °Ã… ¸Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ °Ã… ¸Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ °Ã… ¸Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ ° Just fantastic superb news! à °Ã… ¸Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚ °Ãƒ °Ã… ¸Ã‚ Ã‚ »Ãƒ °Ã… ¸Ã… ½Ã‚ ©Ãƒ °Ã… ¸Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ °Ã… ¸Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ °Ã… ¸Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ °Ã… ¸Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ °Ãƒ °Ã… ¸Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ ° congratulations you troopers xxxxxà °Ã… ¸Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ °Ã… ¸Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ °Ã… ¸Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ The use of emojis helps convey the positive reinforcement. Thus the personal relationships both with his fiancà ©e and broader peer group were strengthened. Entertainment This post received 26 likes and 1 comment Guys !!! Yall are absolutely beaut. Wish I couldve been a part of this. Facebook is both used as a vehicle to communicate and portray a users lifestyle and Virtual Identities The self-concept refers to an individuals perception of themselves (Solomon et al, 2010). High self esteem indicates a positive self concept. Marketing communications can sometimes tap into the variance between an individuals actual self (existing state) and ideal self (aspirational self). Brands tend to focus on the positive aspects of the ideal self rather than the negative connotations of the actual self. For example a gym posting on Facebook in December might tend to focus on the potential of getting in shape in the new year rather than avoiding eating less over the Christmas period. An extreme example of the reverse was the response to this ad by Protein World last year where it was perceived as focusing on peoples inadequacies. Debate raged whether portrayal of such imagery as the ultimate definition of attractiveness in marketing communications presented negative body image connotations to the audience particularly younger females. The controversial generated nearly 400 complaints to the UK ad watchdog that it objectified women and was socially irresponsible. Such an ideal of beauty can cause conflict if the viewer does not share these characteristics (Solomon et al, 1990). Such marketing communications may go some way to explain why consumers have become increasingly more wary of marketing communications (Bousch, Friestad Rose, 1994). However such ideals of beauty evolve. In the early part of the twentieth century it was fashionable to be pale skinned as it denoted one who spent time indoors ie. Not involved with manual labour. However as air travel and package holidays expanded in the 1960s a summer tan became fashionable as it implied wealth and status thus fulfilling hedonic needs. Tactics understanding these western cultural norms can be seen nowadays online in holiday postings by travel agents and social bloggers. Generally direct ostentatious displays of wealth or conspicuous consumption are avoided on social media, particularly during the recent recession in many western countries. Rather such status is implied through the postings or experiences such as a foreign holiday or dinner at an exclusive restaurant. This contrasts somewhat with the theory proposed by Veblen, 1899 who proposed that some consumers namely a leisure class consciously consume visibly in order to inspire envy in others. Possessions continually aid the concept of self through symbolism (Levy 1959). Consumer behaviour can further be examined in the concept of the extended self whereby the buying and using of objects contribute towards our individual identities. The extended self comprises individual characteristics such as appearance, ideas and experiences plus external factors including persons, places and objects that form part of existence (Belk, 1987). The extended self encompasses 4 levels: Individual Family Community The posts show pride, association and tribe identity based on common geographic association. The National Geographic story received national coverage. Comments include: Some county for one county! Seen that sure best place to live à °Ã… ¸Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ‚  I say it time and time again. We are so lucky to live here. we already knew this though right?! The most beautiful and the most fun! Cannot wait to go back. Its going to be epic! Group The act of consumption is varied and depends on the product or service in question (Holt, 1995). Consumption particularly in group environments encompasses four interrelated facets; experiencing, integrating, playing, and classifying. Integration, the act of integrating objects of consumption in best way to manage self identity echoes Belks extended self concept. Examples of such consumption in Facebook can be seen in posts at sporting and other events. In many posts such as this the user is not featured in the image, rather the event itself is the subject. The experience is the essence of the consumption. Other examples of this are music festivals and holidays. Displays of experiences consumption can reinforce self identity derives by hedonic motives. Consumers might also avail of products and services for socio-cultural reasons (Solomon et al, 2010). This post by a GAA club, in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal was for a fund raising draw in which the first prize is a house. The promotion garnered national media attention while the draw pages generated 631 likes by mid December. The post is aspirational showing the prize but not the entry cost so as to reduce approach-avoidance conflict. The post taps into community pride and local identity. Reference groups such as this can have a significant effect upon its members evaluations, aspirations and behaviour (Park Lessing, 1977). Online communications have accelerated the spread and impact of word of mouth communication, especially when marketing communications are integrated through an omnichannel approach. Shares and likes boost visibility among other users. Behaviours in virtual communities have been found to differ from open forums (Kling Courtright 2003). Approach-avoidance conflict occurs where individuals desire a product or service while at the same time appreciating the real or perceived negative consequences. One example of a user expressing a case in point is illustrated here. The abstention from chocolate (presumably for a longer objective goal) is causing inner turmoil. An illustrative conservation with a friend ensues: Friend: Ah its Christmas Poster Im going to explode if I so much as look at another box of celebrations Friend: just enjoy u will deflate in January Poster: Naw, seriouslyI dont even like chocolate. Im a crisps gal me but theres chocolate everywhere, just begging to be eaten. This struggle is real haha! It could be argued that the initial Facebook post facilities biological / psychological needs in that tension is reduced by the cause being shared with colleagues. The state of unpleasantness is reduced through application for drive theory. Facebook posts and shares can be seen as a conspicuous form of self-presentation. Consumers create and manage their online identities by associating themselves with signs, symbols, material objects and places (Schau Gilly, 2003). This post shows an idealised view of homelife. Each photo is carefully framed to show specific elements. Seasonality is explicit in the Christmas tree. The users conveys their media consumption through the HD television. The tone is one of contentment and fulfilment. Self-presentation as conceptualised here builds on Goffmans (1959) theories of identity and social performance. His thesis was that identity is a built through a conscious effort to project specific presentation norms. Consumers can inhabit various parallel identities online. For example a man can be a son, father, husband, sportsman, professional and friend. Social media activity may focus on one or more of any of these aspects of his life and identity. For example in this post the man poses as both a partner and a father in another idyllic Christmas scene. Families are the bedrock consumer group for many brands. They facilitate collective decision-making whereby products and services are decided on jointly and brand communicators must take into account the roles and objectives of each of the groups members. Children are increasingly involved in such decision making especially in the technological sphere. On the other hand parents may limit childrens access to online sites and social media to protect them from unsuitable content and users. Taking self-presentation a step further some celebrities have been accused of photoshopping images thereby creating a fantasy self portrayed as reality to their followers, Such imagery can suggest unattainable goals and increasing hedonic satisfaction among this elevated grouping. Symbolic interactionism as defined by Mead (1934) focuses on the roles that object acting as symbols play in self-identity. For example in the following post the concert ticket acts as a metaphor for the users self-perceived identity through lifestyle and interests. The ticket itself is to an old concert and is nominally worthless but is obviously of perceived value to the user. Consumption helps to define the individual or extended self (Belk, 1988). In the past consumers may have defined themselves through material possessions such as a record collection. Nowadays their self identity could be intrinsically linked to abstract factors such as quantity of Facebook friends or number of virtual birthday wishes. In the past consumers may have defined themselves through material possessions such as a record collection. Nowadays their self identity could be intrinsically linked to abstract factors such as quantity of Facebook friends or number of virtual birthday wishes. Consumers tend to use products and services that compliment their actual and ideal identities (Clairborne Stringy, 1990) Needs and Goals Maslows (1970) hierarchy of needs categorises five needs ranging from basic psychological needs, through safety, belongingness, ego needs to self-actualisation at the highest level. Facebook generally fulfils elements of the top three needs. Here is an example of belongingness need fulfilment from this studies diary. Belonginess encompasses love, friendship and acceptance. A   tactic of Facebooks is to acknowledge friendship overtly by providing an album of shared experiences. Text on 1m 4 sec Friendversary video: Hey A B. Four years ago today You became friends on Facebook Nice! Photo album On Cover: Youve Shared All of This Together. By A B. You seem to like each other a lot. 452 times to be exact. Close photo album And while there are billions of friendships.. theres only one like yours 😉 Thats awesome! From all of us at Facebook (logo included). The felling is home spun. Facebook positions itself as a central ingredient in the friendship a facilitator and admiring observer celebrating mutual co-creation. Scale and individuality are both themes. Vinyl record player and photo album are nostalgic items physical cues for a digital relationship. Examples of ego need posts include images of a new car inferring status or a graduation scene inferring accomplishment. Self-actualisation is conveyed through the consumption of enriching experiences such as a holiday or concert. Maslows hierarchy of needs is limited to rational behaviour and is culturally specific (Solomon et. al, 2010). Consumers desire sometimes is in conflict with rationality. Dangerous pursuits and unhealthy products can be seen as attractive on one level yet not on another. This video posted by online publisher Lad Bible plays on that theme. It   was created by French ad agency BETC to drive alcoholism awareness and has been extremely successful generating 4.8 million views and 2.5k comments. In every frame across a wide range of situations and environments the female subject is accompanied by some form of alcoholic drink. However comments mixed with many seeing the imagery as promoting an inspirational lifestyle. Though it created a conversation, irrationality in consumer decision making muddies the debate. This post emphasises danger and is targeted at the extreme sports enthusiast. 5. Concerns and Issues with Facebook Fake News Following criticism of its role in the recent US election, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg maintained that Facebook is not a media company. (Ingram, 2016). The debate over whether social platforms should control and regulate the content hosted on their platforms has increased. The issue for Facebook is whether fake news and other dubious content affects its credibility among consumers. Only 4% of web-using adults in the US have a lot of trust in the information available to them on social media (Mitchell, 2016). They are much more cautious about content received through this medium than that received from local news organisations (22%), national news organisations (18%) and family and friends (14%). This is despite the growth in access to news online which has risen to 81% from just 12% in 1996. 62% of adults now access news through social media a figure that rises to 84% for 18 to 29-year-olds. Further questions have been raised about the potential of such platforms to fac ilitate deception, defamation and bogus profiles (Light and McGrath, 2010). The low trust invested in the information received from family and friends contrast with studies that indicate that consumers rely on such more than advertising (Arndt, 1967) One example captured during research was a post from FOX8, a news station in North Carolina. Here is the text of the video commentary: This is what happens when a fake news story goes viral. A Salisbury man is now in jail and facing some serious charge for firing a rifle inside a D.C. restaurant called Comet Ping Pong. Edgar Welch told police he was self-investigating an online conspiracy that the restaurant was tied to a child abuse ring. Welch had his first appearance in court today. This illustrates a disconnect between so-called traditional and social media whereby newspapers and TV stations resent the perceived lack of regulation applied to social platforms in regards to authenticity and accountability. Any decline in trust in and involvement with online content is of primary concern both to Facebook and also advertisers on the platform. Consumers are increasingly media literate and sceptical of commercial communications tactics (Bousch, Friestad Rose, 1994). Consumers use Facebook to communicate directly with brands. Complaints and comments need to be rapidly responded to and resolved to ensure a positive online consumer experience and maintain brand legitimacy. A Filter Bubble creating an Echo Chamber Facebook as with other social media platforms incorporates algorithms, based on user profiling through recording of online behavioural patterns, to define which updates are most relevant for them and to be display them on their pages. Thus users become more exposed to posts that align with and reinforce their established interests and opinions. One extreme example references the recent Brexit vote in the UK. This remain voter could not find any evidence of support for the leave campaign on his news feed on Facebook. A user in the study for this paper was similarly frustrated with receiving filtered posts from third parties. Only seeing posts that you agree with might suggest that everyone agrees with you which is commonly a distortion of the world view. Such selective exposure increases the likelihood of confirmation bias (Bessi, 2016). It could also polarise opinion through reinforcing pre-existing beliefs and increase antagonism when those that hold a differing view are encountered either in the on or offline environments. Influence on Children Although social media and online in general provides opportunities for learning and interaction there are fears of the potential threat of addiction, early sexualisation, bullying and a sedentary lifestyle have on impressionable young people, Despite Facebook having a rule preventing children under the age of 13 from opening an account, between 23% and 34% of kids under that age have Facebook accounts (Aiken, 2016). A recent report by UK telecoms regulate Ofcom found that social media is central for both tweens and teens. Some 23% of 8-11s and 72% of 12-15s have a profile. Children are messaging, sharing and liking throughout the day, including during school hours and late into the evening, with 9% of 11-15s communicating via social media at 10pm. Both 8-11s (43%) and 12-15s (52%) consider Facebook their main social media outlet. Another recent survey found that three-quarters of UK children spend less time outdoors than prison inmates (Carrington, 2016). The poll also found children spent twice as long playing on screens as playing outside. 74% of 5-12 year olds spent less than 60 minutes playing outside each day. Spam and other Unsolicited Posts Here is an example of a poor customer experience leading to a complaint to the company in question regarding their frequent unwanted invitations. Such features on news feed can be seen as intrusion and negate positive interactions. Also of concern is the trend towards links with ambiguous headlines (click bait) and trolling comments (keyboard warriors) and disclosure of private details (Ng, 2016). 6. Conclusions and Opportunities for Further Research The motivations for joining and using Facebook are wide and varied encompassing individual and gold needs and goals. Central to its appeal is the facility to develop and shape different virtual identities to various peer groups. However the attractiveness of the platform could be stifled be perceived weaknesses and barrier in the online user experience. This study is limited as some Facebook behaviour as some functionality behaviours cannot be observed through news feed. Behaviours of consumers in the context of user-generated content has been categorised as posting, lurking, and networking (Morrison et al, 2013). Behaviours omitted from this study include closed group conversations, direct messaging either to other users or organisations and viewing without follow up action. This could be research through surveys and diaries of a robust sample size. There is also the opportunity to compare consumer behaviour on Facebook versus other social media networks. Brands and organisations must recognise the evolving environment to take full advantage of this opportunity to communicate to and with their consumer bases. Task 2: Facebook Revenue Model Introduction Facebook has a market capitalisation of $342.75 billion. It employees over fifteen thousand people. Marketers are employing the Facebook platform because of

Scarlet Letter Townspeople :: essays research papers

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, contains many profound characters. The townspeople intrigue the reader because they gradually evolve throughout the book, as would any solitary character. In the beginning of the novel, they are generally rigid and judgmental towards Hester, because she has committed adultery. Throughout the novel, they slowly allow Hester and her daughter into their community, but still look at them with suspicion and doubt. Finally, in the end of The Scarlet Letter, the town forgives her of her sin, and she cautiously finds her place in society. Hawthorne uses the strict Puritan townspeople as a criterion by which all societies can be measured. The townspeople, as with any individual character, possess a certain depth that develops with knowledge. Readers generally characterize the Puritan Townspeople in The Scarlet Letter by their attitudes in the beginning of the novel. When Hester first walks into the scene, most of the townspeople are very harsh and strict in their religions. They believe that adultery is one of the worst sins possible. One unyielding woman says, “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it? Truly, there is, both in the Scripture and in the statutebook. Then let the magistrates, who have made it of no effect, thank themselves if their own wives and daughters go astray.'; Although a young woman and a righteous man try to intervene with the angry old women, their voices are never heard. Also, Hawthorne associates ugliness with wickedness; therefore, all of the stingy women are described as being very ugly. They regard her not as a fellow sinner but as a woman so evil that she must be ostracized from her “perfect'; community. They view the scarlet letter tha t she wears upon her breast as a symbol of her atrocious crime of adultery and nothing more. The women in the beginning of the novel are so quick to pass judgment on others, yet they fail to recognize the sin in themselves. Once they realize this obstacle, the townspeople will become more understanding of Hester’s situation. Throughout the novel, the harsh Puritan townspeople begin to realize the abilities of Hester despite her past. Hester works selflessly and devotes herself to the wellbeing of others. “Hester sought not to acquire anything beyond a subsistence of the plainest and most ascetic description, for herself, and a simple abundance for her child.

E-Myth Revisited: An Overview

Michael E. Gerber explains in his book The E-Myth Revisited his concept of why small businesses don’t work. Something he calls the E-Myth or the entrepreneurial myth is the assumption that anyone who starts a business is an entrepreneur. An aspiring business person can have something he calls an entrepreneurial seizure, this is when a technician is suddenly struck by the urge to take their technical trade that are usually very good at and go into business for themselves. The fatal assumption is that just because someone has mastered their trade does not mean that they have the slightest clue of how a business works.Gerber is the founder and CEO of E-Myth Worldwide, in the book he is walking Sarah, a distressed small business owner through the steps of how a successful business needs to be ran. Sarah explains to Gerber that she went into the pie making business three long years ago, and things have not turned out the way she expected that they would by owning her own business. Sarah is like most small business owners, a technician who has mastered her trade who is now cursed by the fatal assumption of the E-Myth. She has made the mistake that almost people make when they go into business for themselves, to take on all the positions her business had to offer herself. Now unable to continue overworking in this way Gerber explains that every entrepreneur suffering from an entrepreneurial seizure will eventually experience the same thing. â€Å"First exhilaration; second terror; third exhaustion; and, finally, despair. †(Gerber, 17) Gerber explains that there are three different people inside a business owner the entrepreneur, the manager, and the technician. In most cases the technician is the most prevalent of all of a business owner’s personalities. The technician lives in the present. He is the worker, the labor, the one who gets things done. The work ethic of the technician is off the chart; the only problem is that he is so busy working in his business that he neglects the work that needs to be done on the business to become a success. The Manager represents the past, He is the one in control of all of the business planning, without him there would be no order, and everything would be unpredictable. More of a practical person he always has problems on his mind. When it comes to solving the problems the manager is the type of person that would feel more comfortable taking the proven approach, one that is safe and already tested. Then there is the entrepreneur, the guy who convinced you in the first place that there is no other way, you had to go into business for yourself and open up your own company. It is clear that he is the dreamer, living in the future dreaming of where he could take the business one day. He is the creative one who is always looking for new or innovative ways to do things. The problem with all of this is they usually don’t work well together. As the entrepreneur in you is fighting with the manager about some new innovative way the technician won’t even listen because he is too busy at work trying to make money for the company the only way he knows how; to physically do the job himself. When in harmony with each other these different personalities will make your business run efficient and effectively, but in most cases people aspiring to become successful business owners are unable to balance them together. Gerber goes on to explain that there are also three different phases in a business’s life. If you want to understand how to repair your business you need to understand where your business is standing in its life. Infancy or the â€Å"technicians† stage is the first; this is when the technician who is the owner is in control of everything. If you took him away there would be no business, it cannot run without him. It is easy to see that in order to move up and onto the next stage things would need to change. When the owner realizes this, and he makes the notion to seek outside help this is known as the adolescence stage. When the right person is found this is when the owner’s personalities will be introduced to each other. The owner will now be forced to let other people do the things he only trusted himself to do before. When he starts to become comfortable is when he has moved into what Gerber calls the â€Å"comfort zone. † Eventually you will be forced to go outside your comfort zone, and either get small again, or to continue the way you are going and most likely fail. If they decide to move forward with the business they will then move into the final stage he calls maturity and the entrepreneurial perspective. Businesses will still grow forever but from this point on the business is like a machine, every part has its specific job and it all works together. At this point without the owner the business will still work, he is not unneeded but should spend his time looking at the business from an entrepreneurial perspective and spend his time working on his business not in it. The turn key revolution changed the many people perspectives of how a business should be ran and managed. The idea is that the business format franchises use should be what every business should be built off of whether they are going to franchise their company of not. Gerber argues that it’s not about what a business sells, that the real product of a business is its sales technique. Using the franchise prototype is what makes franchises so successful. It gives a business that chance to make sure it works, and if you’re buying a franchise you already know that it is going to work. Gerber explains to Sarah that she needs to be working on her business, and not in it. He stresses to her that in order to be successful she it is imperative that her business and her life are two completely different things. Once understood then she can use the franchise prototype model to build her business with. What he means by working on her business and not in it is to spend her time applying the rules of the franchise prototype to better her business. Not to be working in your business actually performing the labor it requires to operate. He refers to the Model as game and explains to Sarah the rules she will have to follow in order to win: 1. The model will provide consistent value to your customers, employees, suppliers, and lenders, beyond what they expect. 2. The model will be operated by people with the lowest possible level of skill. 3. The model will stand out as a place of impeccable order. 4. All work in the models will be documented in operations manuals. 5. The model will provide a uniformly predicable service to the customer. 6. The model will utilize a uniform color, dress, and facilities code. In order to build a small business that works you will need to use the usiness development process. A three part process that starts with innovation, to make sure that everything being done is in its absolute best way possible. Quantification is the next part, if you didn’t quantify everything that was done, how would you be able to know that your innovation made a difference in the numbers. â€Å"Orchestration is the elimination of discretion, or choice, at the operating level of your business. †(Gerber, 124) You need to be able to produce the same product, or service every time, by implementing the franchise prototype into orchestration. Once orchestrated you need to continue using the business development process, it is never ending. Sarah sits and listens to Gerber as he tells her what she will need to do in order to successfully implement the franchise prototype into her already existing business. The business development program is a systematic way of making the transition to the franchise prototype model. You must ask and document your answers to some questions. What is your primary aim? This is what the owner truly wants to get out of their life. What is you strategic objective? What you want your business to do for you, in reference to money, and if the opportunity is even worth pursuing. What is your organizational strategy? Organizing around peoples personalities, everyone is different, and prototyping the position. In this step you will need to make a positions contract identifying who is accountable for the various positions in the company. What is your management strategy? You will need to document your management system in detail how it will work to produce the results you desire. What is your people strategy? Making your people understand the importance of their job. What are the rules of the game? It is different for depending on what line of work you are in but develop rules that work for your game. What is your marketing strategy? Through a demographics and psychographics of your target market you need to maximize sales. There are three types of systems in Gerber’s system strategy. Hard systems he considers to be something with no life and inanimate. The soft system would be the opposite of the hard, anything with life. Information systems are any other system in business that provides you with data about soft and hard systems interacting. All of these systems never work independently, they are all co dependant on each other. Gerber’s point to Sarah was that they are just like his business development program. All parts of it need to work together, in order to work towards becoming a successful business. Before reading this book my definition of an entrepreneur was as it is defined in not only ours but just about every text book I have had throughout my education, someone who is a risk taker who starts their own business. Basically I would have considered an entrepreneur to be anyone who owned their own business. After reading this book I have come to realize that an entrepreneur is something completely different. The numbers don’t lie Gerber tells us that eighty percent of businesses fail in the first five years, and that seventy five percent of all franchise format businesses succeed. It would be hard for anyone to argue that his systems don’t work.

Data Tracking Sheet

Sleep Study: Using a Data Tracking Sheet Tyeshia L. Watkins Argosy University/Atlanta LASA 1 Data Tracking Sheet Data A Fill out this form every morning for 3 days. Day1 Oct. 26, 20122 Oct. 27, 20123 Oct. 28, 2012Average scores/Amounts What did you do during the 30 minutes before bed? (Routine, brushed teeth, etc†¦) 1. Read 2. Brushed Teeth 3. Ironed Clothes 4. Prayed 5. Cleansed Face1. Studied 2. Brushed Teeth 3. Ironed Malachi’s school uniforms 4. Prayed 1. Social network surfing 2.Watched cartoons with Malachi. 3. Prayed 4. Cleansed Face 5. Brushed Teeth What time did you go to bed last night? 10:35 p. m. 10:46 p. m. 8:30 p. m. How long did it take to fall asleep? 15 mins. 15 mins. 10 mins. 40 mins. Did you wake up during your sleep? How many times? How long? Yes, once. 3 hrs. NoNo Did you get out of bed? YesNoNo What time did you get up? 10:40 a. m. 6:15 a. m. 6:15 a. m. How much total sleep did you get? 12 hrs. 7 hrs. 10 hrs. 29 hrs. Rate your restfulness on a scale of 1-10 (1 = no restfulness) (10 = fully rested) 107926Anything usual that could have impacted sleep (feeling sick, significant other snoring, etc†¦)It was cold not too warm. Quiet OutsideBusy Day (12 hr. work shift, Malachi’s football practice, Gym, and visited mom for a few hrs. ) Other comments you want to track or make note of Data B Fill out this form every morning for 3 days after reading, researching, and practicing breathing technique. This needs to include using the breathing technique after entering bed, being quiet, in the dark, with the breathing technique done at least 10 times. Day1 Oct. 29, 20122 Oct. 30, 20123Oct 31, 2012Average scores/Amounts What did you do during the 30 minutes before bed? (Routine, brushed teeth, etc†¦) 1. Brushed Teeth 2. Prayed 3. Taken Cold & Cough Medication 4. Drank A Cup Of Tea 1. Cleansed Face 2. Brushed Teeth 3. Prayed 4. Studied 5. Taken Cold & Cough Medication 6. Drank A Cup Of Tea1. Cleansed Face 2. Brushed Teeth 3. Pr ayed 4. Studied 5. Taken Cold & Cough Medication 6. Drank A Cup Of Tea What time did you go to bed last night? 7:35 p. m. 7:15 p. m. 8:45 p. m. How long did it take to fall asleep? 6 mins. 7 mins. 8 mins. 21 mins. Did you wake up during your sleep?How many times? How long? NoNoNo Did you get out of bed? NoNoNo What time did you get up? 3:15 a. m. 3:15 a. m. 3:15 a. m. How much total sleep did you get? 8 hrs. 7 hrs. 6 hrs. 21 hrs. Rate your restfulness on a scale of 1-10 (1 = no restfulness) (10 = fully rested) 44412 Anything usual that could have impacted sleep (feeling sick, significant other snoring, etc†¦) Other comments you want to track or make note of The first day that I had a cold, it made my night a little restless. I could hardly breathe because, my noiseMy body was hot, and then it would be cold. Introduction to BreathingBreath is the key to health and wellness, a function we can learn to regulate and develop in order to improve our physical, mental and spiritual wel l-being. Breathing has direct connections to emotional states and moods – observe someone who is angry, afraid or otherwise upset, and you will see a person breathing rapidly, shallowly, noisily and irregularly. Our breathing patterns mimic our life patterns and we can develop unhealthy breathing habits without being aware of it. The change in breathing patterns changes your state of mind and reduces the mental disturbances. Thoughts become clearer and your understanding of yourself is enhanced.As your mind becomes more fully absorbed in the observation of the breathing process, the character of the breath tends to change involuntarily. Sleep problems also exist when you have established stressors that make you sleep intolerable and reluctant to enjoy. There are instances when your body is restless but, your mind is tired which leads to sleep deprivation. In this paper the researcher will describe the experience of a sleep study on a patient who suffered from a common cold. T he acknowledgment of the differential state between normal breathing vs. alternative nostril breathing.Whether or not the alternative nostril breathing technique was beneficial to the patient in question. A credible research of natural versus medical remedies for sleep. Why some people might be skeptical of this technique. Summary of Results Was the hypothesis that alternative nostril breathing works as a natural sleep aid was supported through the study? During the sleep study of the patient, the researcher observed that in the data gathered from the Data A section, the researcher noticed that the patient had 30 hours of sleep, in between the night however, the patient was awaken one night for at least 15 mins.In Data B the patient fell asleep in 40 mins (average mean). During Data A the patient scored their restfulness as 7 and above which indicates that the patient received adequate enough sleep that was suitable for the patient. In the Data B section, which involved the alternat ive nostril breathing technique the client presented several changes that indicated that there were stressors that impacted this area of observation. Stressors are defined as, a stimulus event that places a demand on an organism for some kind of adaptive response (Gerrig, 2009, p. 89). During the alternative nostril breathing technique the patient complained of difficulty breathing due to a common cold that prevented the patient from having restful nights. The researcher noticed that the patient had 21 hours of sleep, in between the night however, the patient was not awake on any of the 3 nights In Data B the patient fell asleep in 21 mins (average mean). During Data B the patient scored their restlessness as 7 and below which indicates that the patient did not receive adequate enough sleep that was suitable for the atient. The patient indicated that the alternative nostril breathing technique was not beneficial and in fact was not successful to encourage restful nights. The hypothe sis of the alternative nostril breathing works as a natural sleep aid if there are no biological stressors involved. Biological Perspective *include things like how alternative nostril breathing works as a natural sleep aid, what biological systems might be involved, and how it might help from a biological perspective. Do these claims make sense biologically?Is there scientific or biological evidence that could support this technique? Why would this method work biologically? The alternative nostril breathing technique works as a natural sleep aid Cultural and Ethical Implications *include things like research of natural versus medical remedies for sleep. Make sure to address how such remedies apply to various clients and the strengths and weaknesses of both types of remedies. Why might some people have a cultural struggle with using a technique like this? What are some differences between Western medicine and Eastern medicine?Scientific Perspective What scientific methods used are u sed in various studies, etc†¦? What are the stages of applying the scientific method? The perspective in many non-Western cultures indicate bio psychosocial model of health. The Navajo concept of hozho (pronounced whoazo) means harmony, peace of mind, goodness, ideal family relationships, beauty in arts and crafts, and health of body and spirit. Illness is seen as the outcome of any disharmony, caused by evil introduced through violation of taboos, witchcraft, overindulgence, or bad dreams.Traditional healing ceremonies seek to banish illness and restore health, not only through the medicine of the shaman but also through the combined efforts of all family members, who work together with the ill person to reachieve a state of hozho (Gerrig, 2009, p. 403). Modern Western scientific thinking has relied almost exclusively on a biomedical model that has a dualistic conception of body and mind. According to this model, medicine treats the physical body as separate from the psyche; t he mind is mportant only for emotions and beliefs and has little to do with the reality of the body. Summary In this paper the researcher will describe the experience of a sleep study on a patient who suffered from a common cold. The acknowledgment of the differential state between normal breathing vs. alternative nostril breathing. Whether or not the alternative nostril breathing technique was beneficial to the patient in question. A credible research of natural versus medical remedies for sleep. Why some people might be skeptical of this technique.The perspective in many non-Western cultures indicate bio psychosocial model of health. Modern Western scientific thinking has relied almost exclusively on a biomedical model that has a dualistic conception of body and mind. The hypothesis of the alternative nostril breathing works as a natural sleep aid if there are no biological stressors involved. Reference Gerrig (2009). Psychology and Life [18] (Vital Source Bookshelf), Retrieved fr om http://digitalbookshelf. argosy. edu/books/0558302572/id/ch12lev1sec02